Breakfast

The Simplest-Ever Trick to Make Fluffy, Puffy Pancakes

Hint: It doesn't involve any extra whisking whatsoever.

Say it with me: Flat flapjacks are no fun. (Also, on a similar note, try saying this five times fast. Hello, tongue twister!) And since we all agree we want our pancakes with a little bit of, shall we say, fluff, why not make them this way?

And as you might have expected, there are more than a few ways to get us there. You may have heard of the egg white-whipping procedure, or the mayonnaise and seltzer move, or even the cottage cheese maneuver (yes, cottage cheese!). You might add mochiko to the mix for extra puff and chew, or skip the eggs entirely with an assist from frothed nondairy milk, a touch of apple cider vinegar, and pumpkin puree.

But none of these methods are as easy as the one we're going to tell you about next. And once you try it, you'll never go back to any of the ways above.

See those ones in the middle? That's what we want! Photo by James Ransom

Here is the simplest-ever trick for fluffier pancakes and it comes from The Kitchn's Lofty Buttermilk Pancakes by way of Genius Recipes.

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In the recipe, the eggs are separated, the yolks combined with a buttermilk mixture, and the whites stirred in at end—just until a thick batter forms. This last addition of the egg whites gives the 'cakes noticeable puff and bounce. As Kristen Miglore explains in the pancakes' post:

To understand what that relaxed egg white was up to, I turned next to Rose Levy Beranbaum, the author of the Baking Bible, and many more cake and pie bibles. "Adding the white at the end gives more support—this is a technique used in soufflés—adding a little of the white unwhipped at the end so that the soufflé doesn't deflate as quickly," she wrote back. "Whipping egg whites to soft or stiff peaks adds more air but also as the egg white cells enlarge, the membrane gets thinner and thinner and is more fragile."

This means that we get the protein-backed lifting power of egg whites without the precariousness of deflating them (or the arm workout!) once whipped. You'll also get to practice your egg-separating technique till the cows (er, chickens?) come home. Win-win-win.

And while The Kitchn's recipe is terrific (and the buttermilk it calls for does help produce a super fluffy, flavorsome pancake), you can apply the egg white trick to any pancake recipe that uses eggs. Just separate your eggs, whisk the dry ingredients, add the egg yolks to the wet ingredients, combine the wet and dry together, then add the egg whites, and let it hang out for 5 minutes or so while you heat your skillet.

Join The Conversation

Top Comment:
“For the vegans, non egg eaters, or folks who wanna make fluffy pancakes but are out of eggs: club soda!! I usually adjust in some with my liquids / add a pinch extra dry ingredient. I'm a vegan chef, use it for all my brunch recipes at work- waffles n vegan frittata too. It's a great way to wake up batter that's been sitting in the fridge for a few hours as well”
— stephers
Comment

Say it with me: Fluffy flapjacks are fun.

Here are some recipes to start with:

Tell us: Do you have a trick for fluffy pancakes?

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • Sean Furey
    Sean Furey
  • Halestorm
    Halestorm
  • tscutty
    tscutty
  • Martie G
    Martie G
  • Barbara Bass
    Barbara Bass
I fall in love with every sandwich I ever meet.

15 Comments

Sean F. July 29, 2023
Wolfgang Puck published a recipe for this 40 years ago, and you guys just discovered it?
 
Halestorm April 27, 2021
Good tip! Also important for fluffy pancakes- only flip the cake once!! Don’t flip it multiple times
 
tscutty April 27, 2021
Ok, I will give you the absolute easiest fluffy pancake solution: one tablespoon white sugar. That’s it. No joke. When the sugar breaks down during cooking it releases gas and voila.
 
Martie G. September 22, 2018
Instead of 1/2 the milk I replace it with slightly whipped heavy cream stir all together than at the end I stir in couple heaping table spoons of sour cream and let it set for 2 or 3 minutes before beginning to cook. Awesome, light, fluffy and buttery flavor
 
Barbara B. March 30, 2018
Same thing with Waffles. Put egg yolk in with oil mix then add to dry ingredients. Put egg whites in glass bowl, whip by hand until foamy then the last thing you put in the mix is the egg whites It add adds air to the batter and makes it lighter.
 
John M. January 1, 2018
Thanks for the info, I love goggle it has all the info from smart people like you!
Happy New Year!
 
Valerie February 12, 2017
I hav3e put sour cream in mine and they are great. I also beat the egg whites. I got that from a recipe for waffles.
 
jean January 20, 2017
For the people who are not afraid of richness....I added a bit of cream cheese beaten together with water and a touch of rice wine vinegar to make a slurry, to add to my pancakes (which acted as a substitute for the milk I did not have on hand) and added a bit of canned Whipped Cream to the slurry at the end....then mixed that into my dry mix...and my pancakes turned out light and fluffy! The canned whipped cream definitely added volume to them!
 
stephers January 18, 2017
For the vegans, non egg eaters, or folks who wanna make fluffy pancakes but are out of eggs: club soda!! I usually adjust in some with my liquids / add a pinch extra dry ingredient. I'm a vegan chef, use it for all my brunch recipes at work- waffles n vegan frittata too. It's a great way to wake up batter that's been sitting in the fridge for a few hours as well
 
Travel January 18, 2017
I agree! I am a non-egg eater, not vegan, just don't like them. I always put club soda or seltzer water in my pancake and waffle recipes. Makes them very fluffy.
 
blondebobbi November 19, 2017
Thank you! Sounds awesome!!
 
Leigh April 29, 2021
How much club soday?
 
AntoniaJames December 27, 2016
Spent levain + flour and buttermilk, which rise a bit overnight, then a touch of baking soda, spices + oil and egg stirred in just before baking ---> delightfully fluffy pancakes, with lots of character thanks to the starter. Based on Sifton's method, and ratios (tweaked), described in the Times earlier this year. https://food52.com/not-recipes/58332 This batter also makes outstanding waffles. ;o)
 
Windischgirl December 27, 2016
Thanks for the link, AJ! Sourdough pancakes are a favorite at my house and I'm always scouring the Internet for the recipe. No more, thanks to you--safely stored in my recipe list now! Might make these to ring in the new year :-)
 
AntoniaJames December 28, 2016
You're welcome, Windishgirl. I hope you like them. I'm going to make a batch tomorrow morning (using blueberries I froze fresh from my bushes last summer) and plan to stir in the egg white separately, just to see if it makes any difference in that recipe. Happy New Year! ;o)