Somewhere, at some point early in the days of the blog, I mentioned that I had a killer buttermilk pancake recipe. And I am dead serious when I say that we get more requests for that recipe than just about anything else and I can’t figure out where people are reading this!  I’ve been hesitant to post this recipe, not because these aren’t mouth-wateringly awesome pancakes, but because there is no way of getting around using at least three large or inconveniently shaped containers, plus a skillet or griddle, PLUS an electric mixer of some sort (unless you’re way more motivated than I am and have interest in whipping egg whites), plus, if you make Buttermilk Syrup (and you really, really, really need to), that’s another large pot. These are not your Bisquik pancakes, but you’re paying for them with one cupboard-ful of dishes. And there is nothing in the world I hate more than doing dishes.  What I’m saying is, these are worth it.
My children love them. And the older they get, the pancake requests become more frequent. What was once a few-times-a-year treat has become a staple for breakfast AND dinner at least two days a month. I’ve experimented and tried to streamline, but there are no two ways around it–these pancakes are going to make a mess. However…your family might just be so excited that you’re making something so amazing for breakfast that they’ll do the dishes for you when all is said and done!
One of the secrets to this recipe, that makes these pancakes SO light and fluffy, is that you whip the egg whites separately.  You’ll mix some wet ingredients, including melted butter, together,
And then after you combine that with the dry ingredients you’ll fold in the egg whites.
Then all you need is a hot skillet to make all your pancake dreams come true.
It takes a little adjusting to figure out where the temperature setting should be. If it’s too hot, the bottoms will cook too fast and the insides will be raw, but if it’s not hot enough, the outsides will get hard and dry and you’ll be spending all Saturday morning in front of your stove instead of buying bras in bulk at Costco. So the first round or two of pancakes might not be perfect, but just keep adjusting the temperature until you find the setting on your stove that works best for you.
Now…after you’ve poured the batter onto the skillet, keep an eye on the pancakes. When you start seeing bubbles, you’re almost there. When the bubbles pop and leave a hole, it’s time to flip. Gently slide a spatula/pancake turner/flipper (whatever you call it) under the pancake and quickly flip it to the other side. The other side won’t take quite as long as the first side–just check here and there and when the pancakes are golden brown on both sides, you’re good to go.
Wanna know my favorite thing to do with these? Add some banana slices and drizzle with Buttermilk Syrup. You could throw some chopped pecans on there, too, and I’m sure it would be de–lish.
Feel free to toss in some blueberries or chocolate chips right before you fold in the egg whites. For some reason, though, I just like mine plain
and then I can top ’em off however I want. Mmmm…light…delicately crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. Perfect kitchen-trashing pancakes…
Promise me you will try these at least once paired with this Buttermilk Syrup.
Trust me when I say these are well worth the dirty kitchen.
Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 eggs separated
- 1/3 cup 5 1/3 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, milk, and the egg yolks. In yet a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Whisking constantly, add melted butter to the milk mixture. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined (do not overmix; a few lumps are okay.)
- When the flour has been combined but the batter is still a little lumpy, heat a non-stick skillet or griddle to medium-low heat. While the skillet is heating, gently (but completely) fold beaten egg whites into the batter. When the skillet is hot, rub a stick of butter over the pan, or spray it with a little non-stick cooking spray and then ladle pancakes onto hot skillet. You can also put your batter in a pitcher to make pouring easier.
- It takes a little adjusting to figure out where the temperature setting should be. When you start seeing bubbles, you're almost there. When the bubbles pop and leave a hole, it's time to flip. Gently slide a spatula under the pancake and quickly flip it to the other side. The other side won't take quite as long as the first side--just check here and there and when the pancakes are golden brown on both sides, you're good to go.
Notes
- Feel free to add in extras before you fold in the egg whites. Blueberries, bananas, and chocolate chips are all popular at our house.
- Freezer instructions: Cook pancakes and allow to cool. Place pancakes in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze. When frozen, transfer to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Pancakes can be reheated in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds each or in a toaster.
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Questions & Reviews
I’d like to let all super lazy/piece of crap moms know that it doesn’t work to just put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir. I was really pissed off that I made tennis shoe style pancakes. And you know what fancy pancakes? Go to hell. I’m sticking with bisquick.
I tried these tonight for my 2 year old’s birthday dinner. I’m not sure what I did wrong. They were super flat and didn’t cook all the way through. Any ideas what I did wrong?
How many pancakes does this recipe make?
I have been looking for a fluffy pancake recipe and was so excited when I found this one. I’ve made this recipe twice and it has not worked out either time. I understand not mixing it too much, but when I don’t, I have enormous lumps of powder in my cooked pancakes. Also, halfway through cooking them, the egg whites separate from the batter and I’m left with runny batter and flat pancakes. Am I doing something wrong? I follow every direction exactly.
Sounds like you might need to mix them a little more thoroughly. You don’t want giant lumps, but you just don’t want it to be completely smooth. Maybe no lumps bigger than a pea? I hope that helps and that we can get these to work for you! 🙂
When you call for butter in recipes, do you use unsalted butter or salted butter?
We pretty much always use salted butter unless we specify unsalted.
But, I don’t wear bras…
Wow. I mean wow. I am typing this with a mouthful of deliciousness made by me using this recipe. I found that 300 degrees on my electric skillet was perfect and made this SO easy…. It did create a lot of mess, but I was able to clean it up while waiting for each pancake to cook. This was so worth it!
I think my husband loves me even more today! Hah!!
Ok I have never left a comment on here but I HAVE to today. Everything I try on your site is magic first of all. But I make pancakes every sunday before church and I’m a total Bisquick mom, sorry to say, however I made these this morning and the praise and thank you’s I got was amazing and quite frankly has never happened before! You made me look so good with my family so I just had to say thank you for your amazing recipe. They were surprisingly easy and the most delicious things I have ever tasted! My new sunday staple for sure!!!
Heaven on a plate! It’s so awesome when the best pancake I ever ate was made by…ME! You are my go-to cooking website. I look here before anywhere else. And I appreciate the sense of humor that you both have. Keep it up! Dinner time is a lot more heavenly because of your tricks, tips and tutorials and amazing recipes.
I made these for the first time today along with the buttermilk syrup. all I can say is OMG! They were both great!