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Home Breakfast

Pancakes – Fluffy, quick, no-fail

By Nagi Maehashi
312 Comments
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Published16 Jun '17 Updated26 Mar '25
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Simple, soft, fluffy pancakes, an essential that everyone should know. You’ve been good all week. Go on. You deserve freshly made homemade pancakes for breakfast tomorrow!

Stack of the best easy soft, fluffy pancakes

Pancakes recipe

Homemade pancakes shouldn’t be complicated. It doesn’t matter if they come out wonky or with a splotchy surface instead of being a beautiful, even golden brown – after all, they’ll get smothered in toppings.

But they should be soft and fluffy. And in my world, not too sweet. Because….you know. Toppings. Load up on toppings!

Any day starting with homemade pancakes is a GREAT day!

Simple, fluffy pancakes. What will you top yours with? recipetineats.com

What goes in homemade pancakes

This is what you need:

  • flour

  • baking powder

  • sugar

  • egg

  • milk

  • vanilla extract – optional

No buttermilk, no baking soda / bi carb, no yoghurt. You only need baking soda for an extra fluff boost when you have add ins in pancakes, like Blueberry Pancakes, because it weighs the batter down.

And of course TOPPINGS! Why limit yourself to just butter and maple syrup? See below for all sorts of ideas!

Simple, fluffy pancakes. What will you top yours with? recipetineats.com

Pancakes Toppings – what to put on pancakes

  • Butter and maple syrup – the classic!

  • Maple syrup alternatives – honey, golden syrup and other sweet syrups suitable for eating raw

  • Lemon and sugar – one of my favourites! Light sprinkle of sugar and a squeeze of lemon

  • Strawberries and cream! Pictured below – layer it up like a cake, sandwiching the pancakes with whipped cream and sliced strawberries, then finish with a dusting of icing sugar / powdered sugar;

  • Sinfully rich sauces – like caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, butterscotch sauce, peanut sauce, anything!

  • Lemon curd, fruit compotes and sauces – like blueberry sauce (try the one in this Blueberry Cheesecake), Strawberry Sauce (use the one in this Strawberry Cheesecake) or try the warm apple topping in this Apple French Toast

  • BACON and maple syrup – YES!

  • Sprinkle of nuts

  • Fresh fruit – chop it, pile over pancakes with cream!

  • Ice cream – add a scoop onto a stack and drizzle with maple syrup, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce. Don’t forget the whipped cream!

  • Dusting of cinnamon and sugar

Pro tip: Keep a STANDBY PANCAKE MIX!

Homemade pancakes aren’t complicated to make, but sometimes it’s that much more appealing if there’s a ready made mix in the cupboard, just like the ones you can buy at the store!

Just measure out the dry ingredients and pop them in a ziplock bag, jar or airtight container, then when you want to make fresh pancakes, just add the wet ingredients!

To make a handy shake ‘n pour bottle like pictured above, you’ll need a 1.5L/1.5Qt+ bottle to leave enough headroom for the required liquids + shaking. I mix the wet ingredients in a jug then pour it in then shake away!

Simple, fluffy pancakes. What will you top yours with? recipetineats.com

Homemade Fluffy Pancakes

Now, go forth and elevate your morning by making a big stack of these soft, fluffy, golden pancakes! TELL ME what you top YOURS with! – Nagi xx


Watch How To Make It

Simple Fluffy Pancakes recipe video!

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Homemade Fluffy Pancakes

Simple, Fluffy Pancakes

Author: Nagi
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
Total: 20 minutes mins
4.96 from 142 votes
Servings13 pancakes
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe video above. Simple, fluffy pancakes made from scratch, an essential that everyone should know! These are soft and fluffy, easy to make, and not too sweet so you can go wild with toppings. The key is getting the batter consistency right so it is easy to spread but doesn't spread too thinly so you get nice fluffy pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups / 300g plain / all purpose flour (Note 1)
  • 4 tsp baking powder (Note 1)
  • 1/4 cup / 55g white sugar (caster / super fine is best but not essential)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 3/4 cups / 435 ml cups milk (any type, any fat %)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
  • 4 tsp butter , for cooking
Prevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

  • Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl, whisk to combine.
  • Add egg, milk and vanilla. Whisk until lump free – no longer than 30 seconds.
  • Heat a non stick skillet – use medium heat if you have a strong stove, medium high if you have a weak one. Add a tiny bit of butter (about 1/2 tsp) and swirl to melt. Use paper towel to mostly wipe the butter off (this is the trick to avoid a dodgy 1st pancake).
  • Pour 1/4 cup batter into the middle of the fry pan (I use a slightly heaped ice cream scoop with lever, standard is 1/4 cup).
  • Swirl pan lightly to spread or use the ice cream scoop edge to spread into 11cm / 4.5″ circle (ruler is a must) (joking!).
  • When bubbles rise to the surface (see video), flip and cook the other side until golden.
  • Remove and keep warm in a low oven.
  • Use more butter every 2 to 3 pancakes – depends how good your non stick coating is.
  • Serve with toppings of choice!

Recipe Notes:

1. Flour: The flour and baking powder can be replaced with 2 cups + 1 tbsp self raising flour. The flour can also be substituted with whole wheat flour.
2. STOVE TEMP: The trick with pancakes is getting the stove temp perfect – it should take 30 seconds for the bubbles to appear then 30 – 45 seconds on the other side until golden, 1 minute per pancake. So adjust as you cook, and if you’re impatient like me, get 2 pans going at the same time!
3. Some TOPPINGS: Butter, maple syrup, fruit sauces, jam, cream, lemon juice + sugar (this is terrific), bacon + maple syrup (heart attack risk is worth it), yoghurt, macerated strawberries (1 cup chopped strawberries tossed with 1 tbsp white sugar, leave for 10 minutes = strawberries in red juice, see photo in post).
4. PRE-MADE PANCAKE MIX: Place the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a ziplock bag, large jar or bottle. Then add the egg, vanilla and milk when you want to  make up a batch of pancakes! If you want to be able to add the liquids into the jar or bottle then pour the batter straight into the pan, it will need to be 1.5L/1.5Qt or greater. The bottled pictured in post is a 2 litre milk carton (only dry ingredients are in it). 
Click here for printable instruction labels (nothing fancy but does the job!).
5. Nutrition per pancake assuming only half the butter is consumed (because most is wiped off), excluding toppings because I cannot be held responsible for how much you load up your pancakes! And yes, this recipe makes 13 pancakes. Because it’s just how my recipes seem to go – always a weird number.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 62gCalories: 108cal (5%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

More pancake recipes

  • Extra Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

  • Nutella Stuffed Pancakes

  • Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes

  • Giant Pancakes – to share!

  • Pikelets – mini pancakes!


Life of Dozer

I’m surprised there isn’t a massive drool hanging from his mouth.

Oh wait. I don’t want to gross you out, but after I wrote this post, I almost slipped on a puddle of drool when I was cleaning that area. Ewwwwww!

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312 Comments

  1. Cassidhe Lusk says

    February 28, 2019 at 9:52 pm

    5 stars
    Every single recipe you post is so amazing. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 1, 2019 at 10:10 am

      Thanks so much Cassidhe!!

      Reply
  2. Julie says

    January 27, 2019 at 10:00 am

    5 stars
    Thankyou so much for this awesome recipe! The kids devoured them. I will never buy store bought again. Fluffiest pancakes ever! 😊

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 28, 2019 at 9:30 am

      You won’t look back! I’m so glad you’re kids love them!

      Reply
  3. Mellisa says

    December 5, 2018 at 2:19 am

    5 stars
    I ran out of my usual store bought pancake mix so I found this and decided to give it a try. They turned out wonderfully! I think I’ll skip the store bought from now on and just make these! Thanks so much for the recipe!

    Reply
  4. Sal says

    December 3, 2018 at 3:21 am

    5 stars
    Excellent- I had never been able to make them so round and golden! Thanks Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi Maehashi says

      December 4, 2018 at 1:18 pm

      You’re so welcome! x

      Reply
  5. Kat says

    October 16, 2018 at 3:32 am

    5 stars
    Wow so easy and delicious! We ran out of our normal store bought mix and then I thought, Nagi will have these on her blog! You never fail to deliver. Thanks for sharing. Delicious!

    Reply
  6. MaggieMay says

    September 4, 2018 at 12:00 am

    5 stars
    Great pancakes! Texture was perfect. Next time I would add a little more salt. Otherwise, excellent recipe and easy to make! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  7. Jamie says

    July 31, 2018 at 12:03 am

    These were a total hit at our house! They had awesome fluff and great flavor. Even my little guy with sensory difficulties loved them. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 1, 2018 at 9:34 pm

      You’re so welcome Jamie! Glad you and your little guy enjoyed it 🙂 N x

      Reply
  8. Sheila says

    July 9, 2018 at 9:07 pm

    5 stars
    Made this pancake today Nagi. It is very good 😍. thanks again for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 9, 2018 at 11:00 pm

      That’s terrific Sheila! Drowned in maple?? 👻

      Reply
  9. Alyssa says

    July 1, 2018 at 2:14 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve tried it with all-purpose flour this is a truly phenomenal recipe! My parents are flying in tomorrow morning so I’m planning on making a second batch with whole wheat flour! Will for sure let everyone know how it goes!
    P.s. they freeze like a charm <3

    Reply
  10. Casey says

    April 23, 2018 at 1:20 am

    5 stars
    These pancakes get 5 stars for being super fluffy and have a great mouth-feel. However, they are too sweet for my taste. Can the sugar be reduced without compromising the fluffiness?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 23, 2018 at 10:06 pm

      So glad you liked these Casey! Absolutely just reduce sugar to your taste 🙂 N xx

      Reply
  11. Shaki says

    March 24, 2018 at 2:39 pm

    5 stars
    This was the first time I tried to do fluffy pancakes 🥞
    N they turned out perfectly 😃😃
    I add some chopped bananas to d mixture too..
    Thankuu very much for the recipe 👍👍

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 26, 2018 at 6:20 pm

      LOVE HEARING THAT Shaki! N x ❤️

      Reply
  12. Yy says

    February 20, 2018 at 12:32 pm

    5 stars
    It’s was prefect !!! looking for fluffy pancake without buttermilk for ages, this one is the best! my baby girl loves it so much too! Thanks Nagi!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 21, 2018 at 2:00 pm

      So glad you both enjoyed this Yy! Thanks for letting me know! N x

      Reply
  13. Heather says

    January 21, 2018 at 12:45 am

    5 stars
    Simple and delicious! Way better than from a box. I love your recipes!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 22, 2018 at 6:45 pm

      That’s terrific to hear Heather! Thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x

      Reply
  14. DeeAay says

    December 31, 2017 at 1:56 am

    5 stars
    This recipe made an absolutely perfect pancake. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  15. Kate Lim says

    December 29, 2017 at 1:20 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi! I made this for breakfast and it was really fluffy!! 😋 Can I freeze my left over batter or I just cook everything and freeze the cooked pancake? Thank you! 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 29, 2017 at 7:48 pm

      So great to hear that Kate! Sorry for the late response, guess I’m too late but yes please cook them then freeze! N x

      Reply
  16. Andrea says

    December 17, 2017 at 11:24 pm

    5 stars
    These pancakes come out perfectly every time! All of your recipes are reliable, easy and very tasty. Thank you

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 18, 2017 at 6:24 pm

      Terrific to hear Andrea!! So glad you enjoyed this, thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️

      Reply
  17. Gia says

    November 20, 2017 at 8:32 am

    5 stars
    I made these today, and it was my first time having success with a diy pancake mix. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 21, 2017 at 8:15 pm

      Great to hear Gia! Thank you very much for leaving a review – N x ❤️

      Reply
  18. christina says

    November 13, 2017 at 1:24 am

    I may be 13 and all but I love to cook I’ve tried many recipes but they honestly didn’t turn out well it could have also been the pan I don’t know but I have something else better to cook my things it seems it will do good so yeah! i am making these pancakes for everyone in my house but thank you for this recipe :]

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 15, 2017 at 5:47 pm

      WOAH! You’re amazing Christina, no way was I cooking properly at 13!! N x

      Reply
      • christina says

        December 5, 2017 at 5:00 am

        :] I’ve started cooking when I was 8 it wasn’t good but at least I tried but thank you for responding back. :]

        Reply
  19. Tjasa says

    October 18, 2017 at 8:24 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe looks really good! I need to try it asap!!:)

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 20, 2017 at 5:26 pm

      Hope you do! N xx

      Reply
  20. Katie says

    October 16, 2017 at 1:30 am

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve been searching for a good pancake recipe for ages, and each one has been a failure, except this. I added 1/4 cup more milk and a tbsp of water for consistency, but that’s it. They came out moist, fluffy and soft. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 16, 2017 at 7:46 am

      That’s wonderful to hear Katie!! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️

      Reply
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