The Best Pancake Recipe

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The Best Pancake Recipe – This tasty pancake recipe is easy and has a secret ingredient that gives them the perfect fluffy pancake consistency.

Three sour cream pancakes stacked on a plate

My whole family loves this pancake recipe.  This has become my go-to when we want pancakes for breakfast on the weekends.

What’s the secret ingredient that makes these pancakes the best?  Sour cream.  It may sound strange but it really works!

These sour cream pancakes have a butter crisp outside and the inside is so soft it’s almost creamy.  To balance the flavor of the sour cream, I added more sugar.  So these are actually sweeter pancakes than most.  So good!

The pancake batter is made in one bowl, making this pancake recipe easy!

Close up of the soft fluffy insides of three stacked pancakes

How to make pancakes:

  • In a large bowl, add milk and sour cream.
  • Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
  • Whisk together.

A mixing bowl with milk, sour cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla for the best pancake recipe

  • Add flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Stir until just combined (this batter will be VERY lumpy).

A mixing bowl with the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients for the best pancake recipe

  • Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.
  • Pour pancake batter into the skillet (about ¼ cup for each pancake).

The best pancake batter being poured into a hot buttered skillet

  • Cook 3-4 minutes (bubbles will form on the top of the pancakes).
  • Flip and cook 1-2 minutes.

Bubbles forming on the top of pancake batter before flipping over

Top with maple syrup, fresh fruit, fruit syrup, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.

The best pancakes stacked with butter and maple syrup on them

Looking for more great breakfast recipes?  Try these:

Watch the step by step video for The Best Pancake Recipe below:

Find more of my recipes on TikTok

Close up of the soft fluffy insides of three stacked pancakes

The Best Pancake Recipe

5 from 132 votes
Best Pancake Recipe - This tasty pancake recipe is easy and has a secret ingredient that gives them the perfect fluffy pancake consistency.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Video

Servings 12 pancakes
Calories 113 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Butter for greasing the pan -about 3 tablespoons
  • Maple syrup for serving

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, add the milk, sour cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until combined. It’s ok to have small lumps of sour cream.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir just until no large clumps of dry flour remain, trying not to over mix. The batter should be very lumpy.
  • Melt about ½ tablespoon of butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat until lightly bubbling and light brown.
  • Ladle the batter into the skillet making 3-4 pancakes (about ¼ cup of batter each). Cook 3-4 minutes, until bubbles form on top of each pancake and the bottoms are golden brown.
  • Flip the pancakes. Cook 1-2 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown.
  • Carefully wipe out any excess browned butter with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining butter and pancake batter.
  • Serve warm with maple syrup.

Notes

Nutrition information does not include butter for cooking or toppings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/12th of the recipe | Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 138mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 0.9mg
Course Breakfast, brunch
Keyword best pancake recipe, how to make pancakes, pancake recipe easy
Cuisine American
Author Amanda Finks
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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is to die for. My I-only-eat-boxed-pancake 6yr old devours this every time (except when I put bananas!) he is now the pancake ninja! Lol

    I rarely make the full batch, as it’s only 2 of us eating it. I half it with no problems and it’s delicious.

    I add cinnamon cos anything sweet made with flour tastes better with it! Thank you!!!

  2. 5 stars
    These pancakes are delicious! I made a couple changes to the recipe. I only used about 2T of sugar and I separated the whites from the eggs, beat them into stiff peaks, and folded them into the batter after I’d mixed up everything else. We added bananas…. yum.

  3. 5 stars
    I’ve struggled with pancake recipes all my life. This one was just perfect. Perfect !!! I made a blueberry version of it. They’re fluffy and so delicious. I’m so relieved I can stop looking now.

  4. 5 stars
    Phenomenal Pancakes! Hubby said best he’s ever tasted! I substituted whole milk plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream for extra protein 🙂 Delish!!!

    Thank you for sharing this recipe ^_^ Looking forward to trying more!

  5. 5 stars
    I’ve used sour cream or yogurt – whatever I have on hand, for decades. So this is not a new idea. Their addition seems to allow the pancakes to turn an even golden brown and of course adds a subtle flavor variation. Yes, buttermilk will accomplish the same thing, but you need to adjust for liquid differences.

  6. 5 stars
    These were delicious! I even used egg substitute, Trivia, and light sour cream. This will definitely replace my box mix.
    Thank you!

  7. 5 stars
    This recipe is the best I’ve tried. The pancakes were still fluffy after I added more milk and a bit of rice water. I added about two tablespoons of mexican crema that had thickened like sour cream, 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 1 teaspoon of butter flavoring. The pancakes cooked excellent. This recipe scores high for me in regards to the texture of the pancakes. Thank you!

  8. That’s a lot of sugar, could I reduce it? We use buttermilk in Northern Ireland, could I use it instead of the milk and cream?

    1. 5 stars
      Yes indeed you can use buttermilk, but then your making buttermilk pancakes and not these pancakes with sour cream which makes them fluffy much like buttermilk does.

  9. Has anyone tried Greek yogurt substitution for the sour cream? When I bake bread, it’s a one for one substitution. I’m just curious because I sometimes bake on a whim so I may not have all the ingredients.

  10. 5 stars
    Made them tonite for dinner they were delicious. The little one loved making them with me…really good and recipe is easy to follow…we have a new recipe we love for pancakes..thanks for sharing

  11. 5 stars
    These pancakes look so delicious and fluffy, and I really appreciate the step by step photos.
    Love the idea of the sour cream, too. I often use Greek yogurt in cooking as I find it has a similar result to sour cream. Got to try these soon!

    1. 5 stars
      Either I was really hungry or, these are the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten. Yes, definitely , the best pancakes ever. Thank you.

  12. 5 stars
    Everyone needs a go-to pancake recipe! I’ve struggled nailing mine down, and I’m looking forward to next weekend so I can try this one out!

About Amanda Finks

I’m a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Zionsville, IN. I’m an avid cook, travel nerd, & lover of good food! I’m trained in Food Science & recipe development. It’s my mission to bring you the BEST recipes your whole family will love!

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