The Easiest, Fluffiest Pancake Recipe From a Pro Who's Flipped Thousands of Them

Most Sunday mornings I awaken to the pitter-patter of my children’s tiny feet approaching my bed, followed by them barking right in my face, “WE WANT PANCAKES!” It’s a hell of a way to wake up. I’m working on their manners—I swear—but I can't blame them for their unbridled love of sitting down to a plate of fluffy, golden pancakes. Making them on-demand like this, though, is another story. No matter how much I love my kids, I’m not running out for buttermilk or sour cream or specialty flours at the crack of dawn just to get breakfast on the table.

For many people, this is where boxed mixes come in, but their convenience often isn’t worth the results they deliver: rubbery pancakes with muted flavor that not even thick pads of butter or a dousing of syrup can hide. Plus, many prefab mixes still require you to add milk and eggs to the dry blend, so at that point you may as well just make your own—it's cheaper, hardly any extra work, and, as this recipe proves, almost universally better.

What I needed, clearly, was an absolutely stellar, rigorously tested, totally foolproof pancake recipe that uses nothing but basic pantry ingredients I have stocked in my kitchen at all times. So that’s exactly what I set out to create. I put my years of short-order-cook experience to work and flipped up batch after batch of pancakes while testing every variable to develop this easy recipe. The result is thick and fluffy pancakes with a tender, pillowy-soft crumb and evenly browned exterior. This is the ultimate basic pancake recipe that my family now relies on any time a pancake craving strikes, no planning required. Here’s a breakdown of what I learned.

The Building Blocks of Basic Pancakes

My North Star for this recipe was to make pancakes that are thick and fluffy, with a tender, pillowy-soft crumb while keeping the entire process quick and easy and limiting myself only to pantry staples. In short, the world’s best basic pancakes, using just all-purpose flour, milk, eggs, fat (oil/butter), salt, sugar, and a chemical leavener like baking soda or baking powder. I was going to have to figure out the ideal ratios to achieve this, as well as settle on the mixing and cooking techniques that would ensure the best results. 

To get there, I started by studying many popular "basic" pancake recipes and testing them to see their results. Some recipes produced pancakes that were too thin, others too rubbery, and some that browned too fast before the inside had time to cook, even when cooked over a low heat. At the same time, they provided insights into common ratios that I was able to use as a jumping-off point for my own recipe development. 

One of the biggest challenges of developing a seemingly simple recipe like this pancake batter is that all of the ingredients affect each other. Change just one thing, and you may have to alter several others to compensate. This means, first, that there is no single "perfect" set of ratios for this batter, since you might be able to nip and tuck to make a range of approaches work. For example, both fat and sugar play a role in how well the pancakes brown, but both milk and eggs have sugars and fat in them that also factor into the pancakes' flavor and how quickly they brown. You could test in endless circles while trying to pin all of these things down. To address this, I structured my testing from what I consider to be the single most important variable down to the least: First I wanted to land on an ideal hydration level (read: quantity of milk), then experiment with the leaveners, followed by the quantity of egg, fat, and so on.

Finding the Right Batter Consistency

If I wanted fluffy pancakes, achieving the proper hydration level for the batter was crucial, so I started my testing there. The batter would need to be thick enough to trap air for a proper fluffy rise and to hold its shape when portioned into the skillet; too thin and the batter would de-gas and flood out into wide, soupy pools, resulting in thin and floppy discs. The key was to home in on the milk amount relative to the flour, which is the primary determinant of the batter's hydration level. 

I tested my working recipe in batches of varying milk amounts, and I wasn’t surprised that the liquid amount made a huge difference in the pancake’s structure and texture. Too much, and I was left with those puddles on the griddle as described above. Too little, and the flour didn’t have a chance to fully hydrate, leading to dense, dry rubbery pancakes. The ideal amount of milk, I found, was right in that sweet spot where the batter is as low-hydration as possible for thick, fluffy pancakes, but not so dry that you end up with dry pockets of flour once cooked. This proved to be a hydration level of about 120%, not factoring in the hydration from the eggs. Compared to most of the other recipes I looked at, this is on the drier side.

The batter in this recipe may seem alarmingly thick and lumpy at first, especially if you're used to a runnier boxed-mix style, but using less liquid than what most boxed mixes and traditional recipes call for is what keeps the pancakes fluffy. If you prefer a thinner style, that's okay, too—just add a bit of extra milk. This will probably change the yield of the recipe and shorten the cooking time, and might require changes to the amount of leavener as well (which might lead you down an endless road of testing and tweaking to land on your perfect ratios), but the process remains almost identical overall.

Which Leavening Agent Works Best?

A batter with a proper hydration level provides the right structure for a pancake, but without the air bubbles to inflate it, you'll still end up with dense and rubbery slabs. Those air bubbles in pancakes typically come from chemical leaveners (exceptions would be pancakes that rely on lift from foamed egg whites, but that’s not a direction I wanted to explore in my simple recipe), and the two main chemical leaveners are baking soda and baking powder.

The question then is twofold: Which leavener to use (or a combination), and how much? I tested versions of these pancakes with the same amount of flour, milk, egg, sugar, fat, and salt while using either baking soda, baking powder, or both to see what each was really doing. Here were the results of this side-by-side test:

Based on my testing, I decided to add just baking powder to the final recipe. And because of baking powder's dual-acting nature (first when it is combined with water, and second when it's heated), it's overall the more reliable and forgiving option. Even if your batter sits around on the counter for a few extra minutes while you're making coffee or chasing your kids between batches of pancakes, the batter will still aerate properly as soon as it hits the hot pan, resulting in light and fluffy pancakes.

With the type of leavener decided, I also tested a wide range of amounts, from as low as 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (barely any lift) all the way up to 2 tablespoons, where the pancakes had an assertive chemical after taste. Ultimately I landed on using 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, an amount that leavens effectively but doesn't make the pancakes taste overtly alkaline like pretzels.

How Many Eggs Is Just Right?

Eggs play a crucial role in almost all baked goods by providing structure, leavening, flavor, and moisture. So the quantity of egg used in pancakes is significant. Too few eggs, and the pancakes may not be rich enough in flavor, too many and they might be too dense and gummy in texture. After testing my batter with varying numbers of eggs (from 1 up to 3), I landed on adding two eggs to this recipe, which is pretty standard. Two eggs gave the batter the structure it needed, rich flavor, without a springy stiff texture (which can occur from too much egg in baked goods). 

Should You Use Butter or Oil in Pancakes?

Fat is a key ingredient in most baked goods. It enriches the batter both in flavor and texture, and reduces gluten formation for more tenderness. The main question here is what kind of fat: butter or oil? There's no one right answer for pancakes, with some preferring butter for its flavor while others prefer oil for ease (no melting required) and for greasing the pan, since you don't have to worry about butter's milk solids burning. The one thing I felt strongly about heading into this recipe is that I use the same fat in the batter as I do for greasing the griddle pan, since the goal here is a streamlined and easy recipe. That means one fat in the ingredient list, not two.

Ultimately, though, the choice is yours. If you’re less skilled at cooking pancakes, I recommend using a neutral oil in the batter and to grease the skillet, since the oil offers a higher margin of error thanks to its higher smoke point. But if you’re a skilled pancake flipper and want to get more flavor and lightly fried golden edges on your pancakes, opt for butter since the milk solids will carmelize and develop incredible flavor when cooked long enough.

Why Sugar Matters More Than You Think

I’m a firm believer that pancakes should be relatively savory on their own, but they need to have flavor. And to achieve flavor here, sugar is a must—and more sugar than you might think. This batter calls for a quarter cup of sugar (more than most standard pancake recipes), which might initially sound heavy-handed, but the sugar not only enhances the browning reactions on the exterior of the pancakes that contribute significantly to the overall flavor, but in combination with the salt it also contributes a more complex flavor in the tender crumb as well.

How to Mix Pancake Batter the Right Way

When making cakes, quick breads, and cookies, it’s standard to whisk the batter until fully smooth so that all the ingredients are fully combined. But this is not the case with pancakes. As Serious Eats' former culinary director Kenji López-Alt noted in his buttermilk pancake recipe, thoroughly mixing a pancake batter until it is completely smooth overdevelops the gluten in the flour and leads to tough, chewy pancakes. It's better to leave a few lumps of unincorporated flour in a pancake batter; not only will the remnant bits of dry flour disappear into the pancakes as they cook, but they also help retain air pockets in the batter, leading to lighter and fluffier results. 

I put this to the test with my batter and stirred one batch until smooth and another until just combined with lumps left in, and found that the amount that I stirred the batters greatly impacted their consistency. With less stirring, the lumpy batter was noticeably thicker because lumps obstructed the flow of liquid. The lumpy batter was also better able to hold onto the air bubbles formed during cooking, producing taller pancakes that were also more tender. This is due to two reasons. The first is that since the batter is thick, the batter can trap in the gases and steam produced during cooking. The other reason is that with more stirring you may actually deflate the batter, mechanically beating the air bubbles out of the mixture as you mix it.

Ideally, the batter should be visibly lumpy and thick enough that it will fall from your spoon in clumps, not a continuous stream. This thicker batter will not spread out too much on the skillet during cooking, a key way to keep the pancakes tall.

But before you start cooking the lumpy batter, it is also important to let the batter rest. A brief ten- to 15-minute rest allows those unmixed flour pockets in the batter to hydrate slightly, because no one wants a mouthful of dry flour. Also, as those flour pockets absorb more liquid, they further thicken the batter to guarantee even fluffy pancakes. So for the best pancakes, don’t skip this rest. Use it as an excuse to go pour yourself a cup of coffee.

6 Short-Order-Cook-Approved Tips for Cooking Perfect Pancakes

We’ve all been there, the dreaded first pancake fail. Maybe the skillet was too hot, or not hot enough when the batter was dolloped in, leaving you with either scorched or overly pale pancakes. 

The goal is to get the pancakes evenly browned on each side at a rate that allows the middle to cook through without overcooking and drying out. If the pancakes scorch before they can cook through, your skillet is too hot. If the pancakes remain stubbornly pale, it’s too cool. There are a few key steps to achieve this Goldilock’s moment, avoiding that failed first pancake.

1. Stick with a well-seasoned skillet. A well-seasoned cast iron skillet, carbon steel skillet, or a nonstick skillet will all work well here. Or, if you have a nonstick griddle pan, now is it’s time to get it out—just note that you’ll be able to cook more than three pancakes at once, as is directed in the recipe below. Using a cooking surface that is resistant to sticking is an easy way to eliminate problems. 

2. Properly preheat the skillet. An evenly browned and properly cooked pancake starts with an evenly heated skillet. Start by preheating the skillet over medium-low heat. The skillet will heat slowly and evenly, ensuring fewer hot spots in the pan. Preheat the skillet with either neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil, or butter. Once the oil is shimmering or the butter is melted and just beginning to bubble (over medium-low heat this should take about 5 minutes), the skillet should be at the correct temperature.

3. Make a Mini Test Pancake. Before you commit cooking to a full round of pancakes, double check that the skillet is at the proper heat level with a small test pancake by dropping one tablespoon of batter onto the heated surface. If it is golden brown after one minute, you're ready to cook. If not, adjust the heat as necessary, and test again with another tablespoon of batter.

4. Follow the visual cues. Truth be told, there's no better way to judge a pancake than with your eyes. The first sign to look for is small bubbles breaking evenly across the surface of the pancake. But also don't hesitate to peek under the hood from time to time to monitor its progress by lifting the pancake up with a spatula to check its underside. What you want to see is an even, golden brown color from edge to edge. Don't forget that the griddle's heat may need to be adjusted along the way. It takes practice to get the hang of it, but it's the most delicious sort of practice in the world.

5. Don’t overcrowd the skillet. Technically, four 1/4-cup-sized pancakes can fit in a 12-inch skillet. But when it comes time to flip the pancakes, you’ll find you won’t have enough space to easily shimmy your spatula under each pancake to flip it cleanly, and you might accidentally flip one pancake onto another. To avoid this, portion no more than three 1/4-cup-sized pancakes into the skillet at a time. This triangular positioning will give you enough room to slide a spatula under each pancake without knocking into the other ones and flip with ample room. If you want to make larger pancakes, scale down the number of pancakes in the skillet accordingly. Just be mindful that the larger the pancake, the tougher the flip.

6. Flip with confidence. Perfect pancake flipping comes with experience, and to those less experienced, it can be a bit intimidating, but it’s still achievable. Perhaps the best advice is this: Don't overthink it. The more you fret about messing up, the more likely you are to hesitate in the critical flipping moment, and the more likely it will go wrong. (Apply this sage advice to pancakes, to life, whatever works for you.) 

Worst case, your flip goes slightly wrong—well, technically, worst case is you end up with a pancake on your floor or ceiling, but let's assume it's not going to go that wrong. “Oh no! It’s not a perfect pancake!” you might exclaim as you stare at your flop of a flip. But really, who cares? It’s still a delicious, fresh-off-the-griddle pancake. No one will complain.

How to Store (and Reheat) Pancakes Without Ruining Them

I like to make and serve pancakes right away, but if you need to hold some in advance, slide them onto a wire rack and hold in a low oven (around 200°F) for up to about one hour. 

If you aren’t planning on eating an entire batch of pancakes, and you have extra uncooked batter, don’t store the batter as the leavener will start to lose its strength over time, leading to flat and chew pancakes later. Instead, cook the remaining pancakes and freeze them.

To freeze them properly, separate them with paper or foil between each pancake to prevent them from fusing together before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap or storing in a zipper-lock freezer bag. To reheat them you can place the frozen pancakes on a rimmed baking sheet and heat in a 325°F oven until warmed through, about 6 minutes. Or easier yet, if you're just heating up a couple in a hurry on a weekday morning, you can wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave them for 30 to 60 seconds until heated through, flipping halfway through reheating. They’ll steam and retain their moisture when microwaved.

No matter what, serve your pancakes with loads of good butter and real maple syrup—I worked hard to make sure these easy pancakes were also totally delicious, so don't ruin it by messing this part up.