The Best Buttermilk Pancakes (+Video)

The secret to the Best Buttermilk Pancakes? Yeast! Slightly crispy edges and a soft, fluffy middle. Top it all off with an optional maple butter sauce!

A SECRET-INGREDIENT PANCAKE RECIPE

Every now and then, I go all out on a Sunday breakfast. Homemade pancakes, bacon, grits and some fresh-squeezed orange juice! When I want to make some griddle pancakes, this is my go-to recipe. They come out absolutely perfect every single time. They are so fluffy!

TIPS FOR MAKING YEAST BUTTERMILK PANCAKES:

• Why add yeast? Yeast is going to make these pancakes super light and fluffy. They also give the pancakes subtle yeast flavor that really elevates these pancakes from your basic homemade pancakes.
• If you want to leave out the yeast, you can. Just skip the part of warming up the buttermilk. That warm milk is only needed for the yeast.
• Did you know you can freeze any leftover pancakes? This is a great time to make a double batch and freeze some for later. After making pancakes, line them up, in a single layer, on a baking pan or cookie rack then put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This is called flash-freezing. Once they are firm and cold to the touch, you can then put them into a freezer-safe bag without them sticking to each other. Just reheat in the microwave for a few seconds when you are ready to serve them again!
• This recipe makes smaller, fluffier pancakes. For larger pancakes, use a ⅓ or ½ cup measuring cup to measure the batter for larger pancakes.
• I love this little maple butter sauce recipe, but of course it is optional. It's delicious served over my WHITE CHOCOLATE BLONDIES and I think it ended up being perfect over these pancakes!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

• all-purpose flour
• sugar
• rapid rise instant yeast
• salt
• baking soda
• buttermilk
• corn oil
• egg
• vanilla extract

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERMILK PANCAKES:

Combine flour, sugar, packet of dry yeast, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.

Combine buttermilk and oil in a separate, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 15 second increments until thoroughly warm to the touch (120F to 130F degrees) - not boiling. Boiling the milk will kill the yeast.

Add the heated milk to your flour mixture, along with your beaten egg and vanilla extract.

Stir everything together but be gentle. Pancake batter is supposed to have lumps. The more you mix and stir, the tougher the pancakes will be. 

Cook's Tip: The batter should look like cake batter (not too thick.) If necessary, add some more heated buttermilk to get it to that consistency. Now, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dish towel and set it someplace warm so that the batter can rise for about 10-15 minutes. You should see it almost double in size.

Once you've noticed the batter has doubled in size and is looking "bubbly",  start heating up your skillet or griddle to medium-high heat. Add about a tablespoon of oil to the skillet. 

Stir down the batter gently. Pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake onto griddle or skillet. Spread it out gently with the back of a spoon. Cook pancakes until edges are dry and surface is bubbly. Using a flat spatula, begin flipping them over and they should be nice and golden brown. Cook the opposite side until golden brown and then work on your next batch.

FOR THE OPTIONAL MAPLE BUTTER SAUCE:

Melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Then pour in the can of sweetened condensed milk and the maple extract. Whisk well. It will take a minute or two to incorporate that flavoring with the rest of the ingredients.

Then pour over warm pancakes and serve!

CRAVING MORE BREAKFAST RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!

• FLUFFY FRENCH TOAST
• FLUFFY BLUEBERRY PANCAKES
• BUTTERMILK CHICKEN BISCUITS
• HOMEMADE SAUSAGE GRAVY
• SAUSAGE, EGG & CHEESE BISCUIT CASSEROLE
• DUTCH BABY PANCAKE
• BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

The secret to the Best Buttermilk Pancakes? Yeast! Slightly crispy edges and a soft, fluffy middle. Top it all off with maple butter sauce!

5 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Best Buttermilk Pancakes, Green Buttermilk Pancakes, Homemase Pancakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 193kcal

Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook

Ingredients

For the pancakes:

• ▢ 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1 packet Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 2 - 2 ⅓ cups buttermilk
• ▢ 2 tablespoons corn oil
• ▢ 1 large egg, beaten
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

For the Maple Butter Sauce:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ ½ teaspoon maple extract

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Combine flour, sugar, packet of dry yeast, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
• Combine buttermilk and oil in a separate, microwave-safe bowl.
• Microwave on high in 30 second increments until thoroughly warm to the touch (120F to 130F degrees) - not boiling.
• Add the heated buttermilk to the flour mixture, along with the beaten egg and vanilla extract.
• Pancake batter is supposed to have lumps. If batter is too thick, add in a bit more heated buttermilk. It should be the consistency of cake batter not thick brownie batter.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap put it someplace warm so that the batter can rise for about 10-15 minutes. It should almost double in size.
• Once you've noticed the batter has doubled in size and is looking "bubbly, start heating up your skillet or griddle to medium heat (about 250F degrees)
• Add about a tablespoon of oil to the skillet.
• Pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake onto griddle or skillet. Cook pancakes until edges are dry and surface is bubbly. Then flip.
• Cook the opposite side until golden brown and then work on the next batch.
• For the maple butter sauce: In a small pan over low heat, melt butter. Then pour in the can of sweetened condensed milk and the maple extract. Whisk well. It will take a minute or two to incorporate that flavoring with the rest of the ingredients.
• Once it's ready and heated through put it into a glass pouring dish (I just use a glass measuring cup) and pour over warm pancakes.

Video

Notes

• Why add yeast? Yeast is going to make these pancakes super light and fluffy. They also give the pancakes subtle yeast flavor that really elevates these pancakes from your basic homemade pancakes.
• If you want to leave out the yeast, you can. Just skip the part of warming up the buttermilk. That warm milk is only needed for the yeast. 
• Did you know you can freeze any leftover pancakes? This is a great time to make a double batch and freeze some for later. After making pancakes, line them up, in a single layer, on a baking pan or cookie rack then put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This is called flash-freezing. Once they are firm and cold to the touch, you can then put them into a freezer-safe bag without them sticking to each other. Just reheat in the microwave for a few seconds when you are ready to serve them again!
• This recipe makes smaller, fluffier pancakes. For larger pancakes, use a ⅓ or ½ cup measuring cup to measure the batter for larger pancakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 1.2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Originally published: December 2014
Updated & republished: June 2019