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With a few simple tricks, you can have Thick Fluffy Pancakes! Simple and quick to whip up and the perfect way to start the morning. Beating the egg whites and a few other tips will make these your go-to homemade pancake recipe!
I had a major breakfast fail that has turned into these gloriously light and fluffy pancakes. Some kitchen fails have major silver linings.
These thick fluffy pancakes involve just a few minutes of extra work, but the payoff is a big stack of the perfect pancakes, so it’s so worth it!
Pancake lovers, make sure to try these banana oat blender pancakes, zucchini pancakes, or these dairy free pancakes.
Why You Will Love These Thick and Fluffy Pancakes:
- They are so easy to make. This easy recipe uses very simple ingredients that you will find in many homes at all times and is not much more than mixing ingredients. So simple!
- Freezer friendly. Easily my favorite part about pancakes–freezing extra for later. That way when we want pancakes, they are always at our fingertips and ready. Of course that’s only if you don’t eat the entire batch freshly made, right?!
- Kid friendly and family friendly for sure! Pancakes are always a kid favorite–fun shapes, delicious toppings, and more. It’s one food that tends to come with zero complaining so always a good idea! The entire family will be happy when you make this recipe.
- Great base for lots of flavors. We love to use this perfect pancake recipe as a starter for lots of other flavors and variations. You can fold in fresh blueberries, toasted pecans, bananas, chocolate chips, a touch of cinnamon and more to make them all your own!
Tips for Making The Fluffiest Pancakes:
There are a few tips to making your pancakes extra EXTRA light and fluffy.
- Do not over-stir. Lumps are okay in pancake batter. If you over stir, it will cause the gluten in the flour to bond together too tightly and in the end, you will have pancakes that are not what you hoped for. One more time, lumps in your pancake batter are OKAY.
- Separate egg yolks from whites and beating the egg whites. I learned this when making Japanese pancakes–or should I say failed at making them. The pancake recipe called for separation of the whites and yolks and then to beat the egg whites. I could not believe the impact. Talk about some major elevation on those pancakes! I will never not beat the whites again. I have read 20 plus articles that say it is a MUST.
- Make sure your baking powder is FRESH. And while we are at it, make sure all of the ingredients are fresh. Even flour that is about to expire can impact the fluff factor. But your baking powder needs to be good and fresh quality. It can make your pancakes turn into duds if not.
- Cook at medium heat. Don’t cook pancakes too fast on high heat. The ideal temperature is 375°F to cook pancakes, and that is often around medium heat and sometimes medium high heat on most stoves. Give them time to really cook and wait until bubbles from throughout to flip. You can make a test pancake to see if the temperature is right for your pancakes.
Follow these simple tips and you are well on your way to all the fluff-tacular stacks you can imagine!
For the best pancakes, serve these Air Fryer Apples over top of your pancakes.
Recipe Ingredients:
- flour: regular, all-purpose flour. Stir the flour in your flour container to fluff it up and then spoon the flour and level it with a knife. This can make a huge difference in the flour. Scooping the measuring cup into the flour container can result in an extra 1-2 ounces of flour! For this recipe you can use a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour if you need your pancakes to be gluten free.
- confectioners’ sugar (or regular sugar): either option will work to sweeten your pancakes. Japanese pancakes, which inspired this recipe, tended to have powdered sugar to sweeten so I opted for that instead of classic white sugar.
- baking powder: you want baking powder and not baking soda in this recipe. This is another ingredient that aids in lifting these pancakes and getting all the rise possible out of them. Make sure your baking powder is fresh or your pancakes may turn out pretty flat.
- salt: a touch of sea salt–you can also use regular table salt
- egg: you want to separate the egg yolk from both eggs, but you only need one yolk. So technically you will use one whole egg and one egg white. Keep the extra yolk for another recipe if desired.
- milk: whole milk is our preference in this fluffy pancake recipe. You can use a different milk but the texture and flavor will vary. I have not tested with a non-dairy milk to date, but I also imagine that should work ok as well.
- butter: unsalted melted butter for a rich flavor, canola oil can be substituted
- vanilla: use real vanilla extract for optimal flavor
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk, milk, vanilla and melted butter together to combine.
- Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir only until combined and you don’t see any flour streaks. Lumps are fine. Over mixing will make these pancakes chewy and rubbery versus light and fluffy.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium to high until stiff peaks form. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the beaten egg whites to the batter just before you are ready to pour the batter on the griddle. Gently fold them into the batter.
- You may still see little specs of egg white in the batter. That is fine. You want to disturb them as little as possible when adding them in.
- Allow the batter to rest for about 10-15 minutes or up to 30 minutes if you can wait!
- From there you are ready to pour batter onto a greased griddle or large skillet at medium heat. Allow them to cook until bubbles form throughout. Flip and cook for several more minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips:
- Check the freshness of your baking powder. Expired or old baking powder can make for some super sad pancakes. You can test to see if your baking powder is fresh by pouring a bit of boiling water over it to see if it bubbles. You will be surprised to find that sometimes baking powder can be off even before the expiration date.
- For best results, rest the batter. Allow the batter to rest, even just for 5-10 minutes. This can allow the flour to absorb a bit more moisture and it will also work some of the small lumps out without over-stirring.
- Resist the urge to flip your fluffy pancakes more than once. You don’t want to get into the habit of flipping your pancakes more than once. This can cause them to deflate and you will lose that fluffiness.
Storage Instructions:
To store any leftover pancakes, allow them to cool completely first. Then transfer to an airtight container or wrap them with foil and store for about 5-6 days in the refrigerator.
To freeze these fluffy pancakes, allow the pancakes to cool completely to keep them from becoming soggy when storing. Place in an airtight container or freezer bags (placing a piece of parchment between each is a great idea or you can flash freeze them before adding to container.) Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating:
You can reheat these pancakes by popping them in the toaster if just heating up a couple or place in a 350°F preheated oven covered with foil for about 5 minutes.
You can opt to microwave your pancakes, but the results are not quite as good as the other two methods.
Other Favorite Breakfast Recipes:
- Dairy Free Buttermilk Pancakes
- Cinnamon Roll Baked French Toast
- Zucchini Oatmeal Pancakes
- Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Waffles
- Air Fryer French Toast Sticks
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Fluffy Pancakes
With a few simple tricks, you can have Thick Fluffy Pancakes! Simple and quick to whip up and the perfect way to start the morning. Beating the egg whites and a few other tips will make these your go-to homemade pancake recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ c flour
- 3 T confectioners' sugar (or regular sugar)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg yolk, 2 egg whites
- 1 â…“ c milk
- 2 T butter, melted and cooled
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk, milk, vanilla and melted butter together to combine. Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir only until combined. It is fine to still have some lumps.
- Allow the batter to rest for at least 10 minutes. 15 minutes if you can wait!
- While the batter is resting, use a mixer to beat the egg whites on medium to high until stiff peaks form. This will take anywhere from 3-5 minutes. Transfer the beaten egg whites to the batter just before you are ready to pour the batter on the griddle. Gently fold them into the batter.
- Serve warm with more butter and a nice drizzle of maple syrup!
Notes
- These fluffy pancakes are freezer friendly. Keep them for about one month in a freezer safe bag or container. Microwave them for about 1-2 minutes to reheat.
- Stir the flour in your flour container to fluff it up and then spoon the flour and level it with a knife. This can make a huge difference in the flour–promise. Scooping the measuring cup into the flour container can result in an extra 1-2 ounces of flour!
- I have used canola oil instead of the butter. I prefer the flavor and texture of the pancakes with the butter, but the oil still works well.
Nutrition
Calories: 108kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 86mg, Potassium: 123mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 132IU, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question?Leave a comment below!
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Perfection!!
Yay!! So happy to hear it, Bella!!!
Can I leave the batter in the freezer fridge for a few hours before cooking?
Hi! Yes, you can refrigerate them for a few hours for sure. Give them a stir and let the batter sit out just a bit before cooking. Add more milk if they get too thick.