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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
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  • 119
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. D says

    June 27, 2021 at 11:14 am

    5 stars
    Fhhyg

    Reply
  2. Kate Bradbrook says

    June 27, 2021 at 10:14 am

    These pancakes were lovely! My family really enjoyed them. Thank you 😃
    Every one of your recipes has been perfect. We love your chocolate cake too. Thanks Nagi !

    Reply
  3. Sabrina says

    June 25, 2021 at 10:24 am

    5 stars
    First time commenting but 100th time making one of your recipes! These pancakes are perfect 👌 my family loooove these. Also here to say that I trialed these dairy and egg free this morning.. substituted the milk for almond milk..and the egg for 2 tablespoons of light olive oil. Better than any vegan pancake recipe I’ve found for my allergy girl!! You’re amazing 🥰

    Reply
    • Jenn says

      May 14, 2022 at 7:22 am

      Thanks for this! I’m going to try with a chia egg this morning. So happy it works out great vegan!

      Reply
  4. Seezal says

    June 5, 2021 at 6:30 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious pancakes!
    Can I freeze them?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 7, 2021 at 3:29 pm

      Sure can Seezal! N x

      Reply
      • Joseph says

        July 14, 2021 at 4:01 am

        5 stars
        freeze em then pop in toaster

        Reply
  5. LULU says

    May 15, 2021 at 5:20 pm

    5 stars
    The only hard part was trying to save some for the others… straight from the pan into my mouth….yummo!

    Reply
  6. Serena Morris says

    May 15, 2021 at 4:17 pm

    Spot on Nagi … yummy fluffy and a perfect snack for a chilly Saturday afternoon!

    Reply
  7. Gramcrackergran says

    May 3, 2021 at 10:21 am

    Can I sub coconut flour? If so what ratio please?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 3, 2021 at 10:57 am

      Hi Gramcrackergran, unfortunately not for this recipe – coconut flour has an entirely different, crumbly texture. N x

      Reply
  8. Natalia says

    May 2, 2021 at 8:09 pm

    Made today. Delicious 😋

    Reply
  9. Gia says

    April 15, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    Can I keep these in the refrigerator after they’re made ?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 16, 2021 at 11:51 am

      Sure can Gia, I would simply microwave to warm them up before serving. N x

      Reply
  10. Farheen says

    April 10, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    5 stars
    Just tried it on a Saturday morning for my husband and I, This was delicious!!!
    Thank you! Definitely searching up more recipes from your page.

    Reply
  11. Rose says

    April 3, 2021 at 11:14 am

    5 stars
    Love this recipe. Now this is my go to for pancakes. Thanks you Nagi

    Reply
  12. Liz says

    March 19, 2021 at 12:05 pm

    5 stars
    Oh Nagi, best pancakes EVER! Made them with half wholemeal and half white flour and added in some sourdough starter discard. The fluffiest pancakes we’ve enjoyed! Thank you 😀

    Reply
  13. Gabrielle says

    March 13, 2021 at 8:56 pm

    Turned out great and I added cinnamon stewed apple as my topping 🤤

    Reply
  14. Naomi says

    February 27, 2021 at 2:07 pm

    5 stars
    Wow! First pancakes I’ve made that are actually fluffy and come out beautifully! I used almond milk and my goodness the whole family love them! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  15. Pen says

    February 20, 2021 at 11:05 am

    5 stars
    Classic.

    Bacon and maple syrup here today.

    Reply
  16. Karen says

    February 17, 2021 at 1:13 am

    Lovely for shrove Tuesday

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 17, 2021 at 12:15 pm

      Perfect Karen, I hope you enjoyed them! N x

      Reply
  17. Simon says

    February 1, 2021 at 10:51 am

    Hi Nagi

    What also goes well with pancakes is mascarpone cheese.

    Reply
  18. Sally says

    January 30, 2021 at 8:21 am

    Your recipes really saved my hide quite a few times! Can I sub baking soda for baking powder? The baking powder I get is usually 1:1 baking powder:baking soda

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 30, 2021 at 10:49 am

      That’s awesome Sally! To make baking powder from baking soda for this recipe, you’ll need to mix 1 tsp baking soda with 2 tsp cream of tartar and 1 tsp cornstarch/cornflour. N x

      Reply
  19. Bri says

    January 29, 2021 at 10:56 am

    5 stars
    I used 1 cup whole wheat flour/1 cup ap flour, a flax egg(dont eat eggs), whole milk, and added chocolate chips. It came out fluffy and delicious.

    I also made this as whole wheat waffles adding 2 Tb coconut oil.

    Great recipe!

    Reply
  20. Lauren says

    January 26, 2021 at 8:15 am

    As always a recipe i can rely on to work!! Question for you….if there is left over batter (my kids fill up!). How long would it last in the fridge? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 27, 2021 at 2:48 pm

      Hi Lauren, best to cook it all once made as you can’t store batter than has a raising agent like this – N x

      Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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