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Easy Buttermilk Pancake Recipe

These buttermilk pancakes are stacked tall, fluffy, soft and super easy to make! Since we are using baking powder to leaven the pancakes instead of whipping egg whites, these can be made quickly and easily, in less than an hour! I was inspired to make these from that scene in Matilda where she makes pancakes which, at this point, is a core memory for me.

What is the difference between buttermilk pancakes and regular pancakes?

Buttermilk pancakes are taller and lighter, plus the acid in the buttermilk breaks down the glutens making the pancakes more tender and soft. Regular pancakes normally call for regular milk, making thinner pancakes that aren’t as tender.

How to make buttermilk pancakes  – step by step

1. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, then add in the sugar and whisk together 
2. Create a well in the centre and crack in the eggs and pour in the butter and buttermilk, whisk till well combined and there aren’t any large lumps or clumps and leave the batter to rest for 10 minutes
3. Once the batter has rested, heat up a non stick pan or pancake pan (here is the one I use) on a high heat 
4. Now, turn the heat down to the lowest and pour in ½ a cup of batter into the pan at a time, when a lot of bubbles show up on the surface and most of them pop, flip the pancake over and allow it to brown on the other side and it’s ready!
5. Cook all of the pancakes, you should get about 8 large pancakes, serve with butter, your favourite syrup and enjoy!

Leaving the pancake batter to rest for about 10 minutes, allows the gluten molecules to soak up the liquid and increase in size, leaving a slightly thicker batter that remains wonderfully soft and moist.

Ingredient Notes

The ingredients that go into this easy buttermilk pancake recipe

Buttermilk – of course! We need buttermilk for buttermilk pancakes and it adds so much height and tenderness

Eggs – binds the pancakes together and adds some moisture 

Melted Butter – provides moisture and fat, while also softening the pancakes

Caster Sugar – to sweeten and soften the pancakes

Plain Flour – provides the perfect base to create a tender, moist and fluffy buttermilk pancakes

Baking Powder – and a lot of it! It adds so much lightness and makes this an easy recipe, since we don’t need to whip egg whites for height

Salt – balances everything out and enhances all of the flavours

Vanilla Extract – adds so much flavour, depth and that classic vanilla smell

How to make your own buttermilk

If you don’t have buttermilk to hand, this simple trick is a life saver!

Basically you add 2 tbsp of any acid into milk and let it sit at room temp for 10 minutes and voila you have fresh buttermilk, ready to cook with.

You will need:

• 1 cup of milk
• 2 tbsp of either, lemon juice, lime juice or white vinegar

Mix these together and allow it to sit for 10 minutes and your buttermilk is ready! The buttermilk will look slightly curdled, but don’t worry that is how it’s supposed to look.

What does buttermilk do to pancakes?

Buttermilk is the secret to the softest fluffiest pancakes! The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking powder to add height and lightness and the buttermilk also breaks down the glutens in the flour making the pancakes softer and more tender. The result is a tall and light pancake that is moist and pillowy!

The best toppings for buttermilk pancakes:

These are a couple of options if you’re bored of the classic butter and maple syrup, here are some of my favourites:

• Chocolate chips
• Fresh Berries
• Chopped nuts
• Golden syrup instead of maple syrup
• Chocolate sauce
• Greek yogurt & light honey
• Fresh bananas
• Nutella
• Whipped cream
• Peanut butter
• Ice cream

The 3 BEST ways to customise these fluffy buttermilk pancakes: 

1. Add in a couple handfuls of chocolate chips into the batter before cooking and you’ll have delicious chocolate chip pancakes

2. To make these into zesty lemon pancakes rub the zest of one lemon into the sugar before mixing into the flour. Once the pancakes are done cooking, top with butter and lemon or regular syrup.

3. Coat ½ cup of frozen blueberries in 1 tbsp of sugar, let it sit for 10 minutes and then fold the berries into the batter before cooking and you’ll have fluffy and flavourful blueberry pancakes!

Tips and Tricks – Easy Buttermilk Pancake Recipe

• Use a non stick crepe or pancake pan –  this will give you best results and make sure the outside of the pancake is really soft
• Let the batter sit for 10 minutes – this makes the pancakes even softer and thicker
• If you don’t have buttermilk – use can make buttermilk by mixing 1 cup of milk, 2 tbsp of lemon, lime juice or even vinegar,  let it sit for 10 minutes and you have homemade buttermilk

The recipe video is on my TikTok and IG – please tag @aceofspoons_ if you make this recipe