More often than not, my breakfast is simply coffee—sometimes with a granola bar if I’m feeling ambitious. As a food blogger living in a state full of diners, I’m aware of the irony, and I probably should be embarrassed. But when I do make the effort to cook breakfast, it has to be worth the lost sleep: custard-like scrambled eggs, perfectly crisp bacon, golden Belgian waffles, or my favorite—fluffy buttermilk pancakes.
I went 22 years relying on a box of Bisquick before I tried making pancakes from scratch. Why? I had no idea how simple they were to make and how much better they taste. Homemade pancakes are fluffier, more flavorful, and healthier—boxed mixes can contain unwanted trans fats.
Making pancakes from scratch only added about 15 minutes to my routine, but the difference was huge. The pancakes were fluffy with substance, they held up to syrup without turning mushy, and they tasted great even plain. I sampled a few without syrup during testing and it felt like a revelation.
Buttermilk is one of the keys to tender, tangy pancakes. I rarely keep buttermilk on hand, though, so this recipe uses vinegar to sour regular milk and create a buttermilk-like texture and tang. It’s an easy substitute that saves a grocery run while delivering the familiar flavor and lift.
An important technique is to avoid over-mixing. The batter should never be perfectly smooth—small lumps are beneficial. Overworked batter produces flatter, denser, chewier pancakes. Those little lumps trap air and help create the light interior and slightly crisp exterior everyone loves.
I can’t think of lumps now without that Fergie song popping into my head—“My lovely pancake lumps, check it out!”—but the point stands: leave the batter on the lumpy side.
When you see holes forming on the top of a pancake, those are air bubbles doing their job. They result from gentle mixing and resting the batter, and they give you the ideal texture—light inside with a slightly chewy edge.
These pancakes are perfect for a special breakfast—Valentine’s morning, a weekend brunch, or any time you want to treat yourself. You can fold in fruit or experiment with variations like ricotta-lemon or red velvet for a fun twist.
Fluffy Old Fashioned Pancakes
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5 from 3 reviews
- Author: Morgan
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 12 pancakes 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon to grease the pan
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Maple syrup or pancake syrup and butter, to serve
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until the milk has curdled.
- Meanwhile, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, combine the soured milk, eggs, ¼ cup of melted butter, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Small lumps are fine. Let the batter rest undisturbed for at least 5 minutes.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter with the tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Pour ¼ cup of batter into the pan for each pancake and use a spatula to gently even the tops if needed.
- Cook until the tops fill with air bubbles, about 2½–3 minutes, then flip and cook the other side until golden, about 1–2 minutes more. If the edges are browning too quickly, lower the heat. You can cook two pancakes at once if the pan is large enough. Continue until all the batter is used.
- Serve immediately with syrup and butter, or let cool and freeze for later. Reheat pancakes in the microwave or toast them as needed.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 18 mins
