Name: Fluffy Pancakes Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (or cake flour); 2 Tbsp granulated sugar (or brown sugar or honey); 3 tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp salt; 1 ½ cups whole milk (or plain yogurt or almond milk); 3 Tbsp vegetable oil (or canola oil or melted butter); 1 large egg; 1 tsp vanilla extract

This fluffy pancake recipe uses simple ingredients to create the perfect breakfast treat, a buttery, syrup-drizzled, steaming stack of fluffy moist pancakes.

A stack of fluffy pancakes on a white plate with butter and maple syrup. Forks, a glass of milk, a bowl of strawberries in the background.

Best Fluffy Pancakes

This pancake recipe will take no time at all. Once you've mixed the wet and dry ingredients separately, combine the two, and the pancakes are ready to be cooked!

These pancakes truly sing with the variety of toppings I've listed below. Fresh berries, chocolate chips, dried fruit, drizzled peanut butter and more. Nothing beats a classic pancake recipe. It's the ultimate comfort breakfast.

Bowls of ingredients including flour, vegetable oil, baking powder, milk, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla extract.

Recipe Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour - or cake flour
2 Tbsp granulated sugar - brown sugar or honey
3 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups whole milk - or plain yogurt or almond milk as substitutes
3 Tbsp vegetable oil - or canola oil or melted butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Four images in one: 1. large egg, vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract in a white bowl. 2. Ingredients are mixed. 3. All-purpose flour, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt in a white bowl. 4. Ingredients are mixed.

How To Make Fluffy Pancakes

Full ingredients and instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.

STEP 1: Add 1 large egg, 3 Tbsp vegetable oil, 1 ½ cups milk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix everything.

STEP 2: In a medium bowl mix together the 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 3 tsp baking powder, 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, and ¼ tsp salt.

Four images in one: 1. Dry ingredients are added to wet. 2. Ingredients are mixed with a spatula. 3. Three pancakes are in a frying pan, top is not cooked. 4. Pancakes are flipped in frying pan to show cooked side.

STEP 3: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl. Lightly mix the ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter should have small lumps. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

STEP 4: Heat a pan or electric griddle to medium-high heat. Add a bit of vegetable oil or butter to coat the surface. Pour ¼ cup batter to make each pancake. Let it cook until bubbles start to form on the surface.

STEP 5: Flip over and cook 1-2 more minutes on the other side. Remove to a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with the rest of the batter until all pancakes are cooked.

STEP 6: Serve warm with butter, real maple syrup, or any other favorite toppings.

Recipe Tips

To measure the flour: Spoon small amounts of flour into a measuring cup and level. Then sift the flour into the bowl. This method will avoid a dense batter.
Don't overmix the pancake batter, it is ok to have some lumps in the mixture. Too much mixing will result in dense pancakes that are NOT fluffy!
You can swap sugar for 1-2 over-ripe mashed bananas, or try my blender oatmeal banana pancakes recipe.
To make berry pancakes, add roughly 1 cup of blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries to the batter.
Chocolate chips can be sprinkled onto the wet batter in the frying pan just before flipping.
Try chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds for added crunch.
A dollop of Greek yogurt in any flavor on top of pancakes tastes delicious.
Warm a bit of peanut butter in the microwave then drizzle it on top of hot pancakes.
Try these pancakes with my strawberry sauce recipe. It's delicious!
And finally maple syrup. I recommend using pure maple syrup for the best flavor.

Pancakes on a white plate with butter and a fork. A bowl with strawberries, bowl with blueberries, glass of milk and napkin behind it.

FAQ's

How do I make my pancakes golden brown color? Turn your stove on and heat a small amount of oil before adding the pancake batter.

How do I know when to flip pancakes? Once the pancakes start to produce lots of bubbles they can be flipped over and cooked for another 2-3 minutes on the other side.

What ingredient makes pancakes rise or fluff up? Baking powder is the secret ingredient to making the fluffiest pancakes! It will increase the volume and create that fluffy texture.

Is it better to make pancakes with milk or water? Both will work but you will have different results. Whole milk will add a richer flavor and silky texture. Water will not produce the same results but certainly works in a pinch.

How To Store

REFRIGERATE - Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE - I prefer the flash freeze method: Using a cookie sheet, freeze each pancake individually for about 2 hours. Then place the frozen pancakes into a large freezer bag removing as much air as possible. These can be kept frozen for up to 3 months for maximum freshness.
TO REHEAT - Once thawed, pancakes can be popped into the microwave for 15-30 seconds. We like to add ours to the toaster to make them a little crunchy.

A stack of pancakes with butter and maple syrup. A triangle shaped slice is cut out and a fork beside on plate.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links) - Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

3-Set Mixing Bowls - This set of 3 mixing bowls makes it easy to mix ingredients. They stack nicely with each other and are easy to clean.
Magnetic Measuring Spoons Set - I love these magnetic measuring spoons which stay nice and organized together when storing them!
Silicone Spatula (Tool Set) - A good set of silicone cooking utensils makes life in the kitchen so much easier.