Name: Easy Everyday Pancakes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cups Milk (*just shy, like halfway between the 1¾ line and the 2 cup line); 2 Tablespoons vinegar/lemon juice (*enough to get the milk cup up to the 2 cup line); 1¾ cups flour (May need up to ¼ cup more); 1½ teaspoon baking soda; 2 Tablespoons sugar; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 2 eggs

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Pancakes are a breakfast classic. The thought of waking up in the morning to some warm, fresh pancakes topped with syrup (or whatever your personal preference of toppings may be) gives the morning a special vibe that makes it worth getting out of bed. Yet, pancakes can be so easy to mess up, and bad or mediocre pancake recipes abound. In the end, you might use five pounds of different leavening agents and wind up with a sad mix of flavorless, dense pancakes. At least, that’s how my pancakes started at the beginning of this journey.

I’ve been curating this recipe for a while, and it took a lot of trial and error to get it just right. I wanted to be able to make pancakes of a similar caliber that I might order at a restaurant. But, truthfully, in the past few years, I had been relying on mix to get the job done. It wasn’t hitting the spot. I needed a pancake batter that could be whipped up in 5 minutes while the pan or griddle heats up and be trusted to turn out just right. Not so thick that it’s dense and dry, but fluffy and substantial. Good enough flavor to be eaten with some butter or a light dusting/drizzling of something sweet, but not so overpowering that it won’t mesh with blueberries, chocolate chips, or other mix-in classics.

This recipe makes pancakes that hit that sweet spot, giving you a quick, effortless, and super solid basic pancake recipe. And, in case you’re wondering, we will only be using a bit of baking soda for these. Check the recipe notes for a recipe to make the pancake mix for these (it will literally take you 5 minutes and save you tons of time later, promise). I would write down the serving of mix, which is two cups, and then the rest of the recipe ingredients on a piece of paper and tape it to your container. That way, you don’t have to look this page up again. As much as I want your viewership, your convenience is my priority.

Ingredients

What’s the secret to making these pancakes come out PERFECT? Well, buttermilk and eggs. Now, before you panic because you don’t keep buttermilk on hand, relax! I don’t either. This recipe calls for milk and vinegar or lemon juice, which you use to make the buttermilk. In fact, that’s the only reason the mix takes 5 minutes to make. Two or so of those minutes is actually just prepping toppings while you wait for the acidic component to finish turning your milk into buttermilk. If you do have buttermilk on hand, congrats! You just saved yourself like two minutes of prep time!

2 cups Milk *just shy, like halfway between the 1¾ line and the 2 cup line
2 Tablespoons vinegar/lemon juice *enough to get the milk cup up to the 2 cup line
1¾ cups flour May need up to ¼ cup more
1½ teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

How to Make It

Make your Buttermilk

You’re going to start by making your buttermilk because the milk and acid need 5 minutes to mingle before you can use it. In a liquid measuring cup that holds at least 2 cups, pour a little over 1¾ cups of milk. Then, add lemon juice or vinegar up to the 2 cup line. Stir and let rest for 5 minutes.

Make the Batter

First, start heating your griddle, skillet, or whatever you are cooking pancakes in today on medium heat (I usually do about 325 if you’re using a griddle).
In a large bowl, add your dry ingredients (1¾ cups of flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt) and whisk to combine.
Add your vanilla and eggs to the dry mixture. At this point, you may need to wait for your milk to finish up, so feel free to start getting plates ready and toppings out to move things along.
Once 5 minutes are up, add the milk and whisk until there are no large clumps.

Cooking the Pancakes

Grease your pan if it is not nonstick using butter or spray. Pour your pancakes into the pan using a measuring cup that holds ½-¼ cup (depending on the size of pancake you like. ¼ cup will give you dollar-sized pancakes).
Once your pancakes are bubbly on one side and don’t seem to be forming new bubbles, flip them. Then cook the other side until golden and serve with your favorite toppings!

Variations

Chunky Mix-Ins: Chocolate chips, blueberries, raspberries, or even dried fruit are delightful ways to make these pancakes even more delicious.
Spice it Up: This versatile dough pairs well with spices and zests to make the pancakes more seasonal or, if you are a plain pancake person, more flavorful, so they can be a quick grab-and-go bite! One of my favorite spices to mix in is cinnamon, if you were wondering.
Toppings: Adding some soft nuts like pecans or walnuts, or topping the pancakes with granola, can add a nutty flavor and a lovely textural element that contrasts nicely with the softness of the pancakes.
Example: You could mix orange zest into the dry ingredients. Then, when adding your buttermilk, add up to a cup of dried cranberries. BOOM! Cranberry orange pancakes.

Storage

Making Pancake Mix

Pancakes are best made fresh! Make pancake mix by tripling, quadrupling, or however many-ing the dry ingredients in the recipe and putting them in an airtight container. Then, to make pancakes, just grab 2 cups of your dry mix and continue with the recipe as normal. I will give you a quadruple-batch recipe in the recipe notes.

Batter

If you don’t want to cook your pancakes all at once (either for lack of time or desire for freshness), you can store this batter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just know that your pancakes will lose some fluffiness with time since the baking soda already starts reacting the moment you mix it with the buttermilk.

Pancakes

You can store cooked pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. If you have a large amount of leftover pancakes, you can freeze them by putting wax paper between the pancakes and then placing them in a freezer-safe bag. They can be stored that way for up to 2 months.

Final Thoughts

Pancake mix is nice and all, but it’s a bit overpriced for the flavor and texture you get out of it. With this recipe, you can make your own butt-kicking pancakes any day of the week in about the same time a mix would take you. Besides, taking 3 minutes to make the mix will cost you way less money than buying it at the store. Then, if you’re in a hurry, you can just put the batter back in the fridge and carry on with your day. So enjoy your high-quality, effortless pancakes and then go be awesome! You’ve got this!