Serves a Crowd

The Kitchn's Lofty Buttermilk Pancakes

January 27, 2016
4
19 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Makes 18 to 20 three-inch pancakes (serves 4 to 6)
Author Notes

"My theory is that the original maker of this recipe was supposed to beat the egg white but either forgot or decided to skip the step. And, to be honest, laziness was the reason I thought I would try it, too," Dana Velden, who's been making this recipe for over 15 years, told me. "I was more than willing to not beat egg whites at 7am." For extra fluffy pancakes, buy thick, local whole-milk buttermilk when you see it. You often won't have a choice, but when you do, take it. Whichever kind of buttermilk you use, thick or thin, stirring in the egg white (not beating it) at the end gives a noticeable puff and bounce to the cakes. Recipe adapted slightly from Dana Velden via The Kitchn. —Genius Recipes

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups flour (Editor's note: in testing, we used 300 grams unbleached all-purpose flour)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 2 cups buttermilk (for extra, extra fluffy pancakes, seek out thick, whole milk buttermilk)
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 tablespoon Canola or refined peanut oil for frying
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 225° F and prepare a large baking sheet by setting a cooling rack inside. Place both in the oven.
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk the egg yolks, buttermilk, and milk. Add the melted, cooled butter and whisk until well combined.
  3. Pour the yolk and milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until barely combined. Add the egg whites and stir just until a thick batter is formed. Set aside for 5 minutes.
  4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, film with 1/2 teaspoon of neutral oil such as canola or peanut oil. After about 30 seconds, when the oil shimmers but is not smoking, lower the heat to medium-low and use a soup spoon to drop in heaping spoonfuls of pancake batter.
  5. The batter will spread into a pancake about 3 inches wide. Cook for about 2 1/2 minutes. (If the pancake scorches or the oil smokes, lower the heat.) When the bubbles that form on the edges of the pancakes look dry and airy, use a thin spatula to gently lift one side and peek underneath. If the pancake is golden brown, flip and cook on the other side for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, or until the bottom of the pancake is golden brown.
  6. Remove from the skillet to the baking sheet in the oven. Wipe any stray crumbs or scraps out of the skillet with a paper towel, add a little more oil, and continue to cook the remaining batter.
  7. Recipe Note: If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can use plain yogurt instead. Just use about 2/3 cup and thin it with some milk until it reaches the 1 cup mark. You can also quickly make a buttermilk substitute by mixing 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar with 2 cups of milk.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

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    Tracy
  • Jen
    Jen
  • Martin
    Martin
  • Boat
    Boat
  • Bill Hackethal
    Bill Hackethal
Genius Recipes

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

56 Reviews

LauraAOK November 4, 2023
Pancake love! These pancakes are crisp outside and tender inside. I’m not normally a pancake fan but these have made me a believer.
 
SoCalGirl October 9, 2022
Sorry, the pancakes in the photo look kind of burnt and which seems to happen with pancakes that have sugar added to the batter. Everyone adds syrup or honey to the pancakes so why the need for sugar in the batter??? Maybe to cover the metallic taste of the baking powder/soda combo. For a classic light, fluffy, and golden (not dark brown) pancakes, look no further than the 6 ingredient Buttermilk Pancake recipe from Marion Cunningham . We call them Mary Poppin's Pancakes - Practically Perfect in Everyway. Cheers.
 
Amy February 26, 2022
The best pancakes ever! So delicious, light and fluffy. ❤️
 
bernadette.h January 10, 2021
OH. MY. GOODNESS. The BEST pancake recipe I have ever tried. Fluffy, crispy, light, flavorful. I will definitely be saving this recipe and recommending it to my friends.
 
mlsjazz November 1, 2020
Sadly, lackluster. Dry and lacking flavor. Did not develop the lovely golden brown of other recipes.
 
Liz K. November 1, 2019
These are absolutely the best pancakes. Now my son won't eat another pancake recipe.
 
aly May 1, 2019
didn't work at all. pancakes would not cook in the center. spent over an hour standing over a halved batch, so I expect I'd eat these for dinner if making the recommended amount.
 
Paul August 5, 2018
Best pancakes I have ever made. Never buying pancake mix again. Ingredients I usually have in my pantry.
 
Renée R. June 26, 2018
Made these last night for dinner. Added blueberries. Truly great pancakes. Will be my go to recipe. I'm able to get really nice full fat buttermilk at my supermarket. I think it made a difference. These were sensational.
 
Mary A. March 21, 2018
Just made these for our breakfast for dinner meal. My oh my, these were not only delicious but easy peasy to make, every last one gone. Thank you Food 52 but also thanks to the kitchn for sharing this recipe.
 
Tracy January 21, 2018
OMG good!! Thank you!
 
Veronika January 15, 2018
The dirty truth of Canola Oil: Websites that defend canola oil are barking up the wrong tree because they don't address the issue of the processing of canola oil and oxidation of the polyunsaturated component of canola oil, and formation of large amounts of free radicals, which is what makes it unhealthy for human consumption, and why it causes massive inflammation in your body and harms your cell membranes.
No way I would use Canola Oil, I would prefer olive oil or extra virgin Olive oil.
 
Veronika January 15, 2018
NO Canola---its been labeled as 'toxic'.....personally I would avoid Canola Oil at all costs....Canola oil is made from something called rapeseed. Rapeseed actually had to be bred over the years to reduce the percentage of a problematic component of rapeseed, which is erucic acid. one of the biggest problems with highly processed and refined vegetable oils such as corn oil, soybean oil, and yes, even canola oil, is that the polyunsaturated component of the oil is highly unstable under heat, light, solvents, and pressure, and this heavily oxidizes the polyunsaturates which increases free radicals in your body.

The end result of all of this refining and processing are oils that are highly inflammatory in your body when you ingest them, damaging your cell membranes, contributing to heart disease, weight gain, and other degenerative diseases.
 
txchick57 May 19, 2022
spare us the food poilce
 
MB M. January 7, 2018
I was lucky enough to find some local, full fat buttermilk, and I made these yesterday morning. They were fantastic, and I can't wait to enjoy the leftovers for upcoming weekday breakfasts!
 
SweetSusan July 30, 2017
I just made these for my daughter and son-in-law who are hunkered down upstairs with a brand new baby (my first grandchild!). I'm GF, so substituted my own GF flour blend, reduced butter to 8 tbl (GF flours don't seem to absorb as much fats as regular flour), but otherwise followed the recipe exactly as written. The pancakes were absolutely delicious!!! Enjoyed by everyone. Thank you Food 52. (P.S. And thank you for including grams for amount of flour.)
 
Barbara M. July 18, 2017
Came out well, though a bit hard to manage while cooking. I imagine they'll be even better (and easier to cook) next time, if I remember to get the melted butter out of the microwave... ;-)
 
Jen June 1, 2017
Oh these were wonderful AND I made two mistakes! I mixed the egg white into the egg yolk/milk/butter mixture rather than as the last ingredient into the bowl. And, my butter hadn't cooled enough so I had to skim off a bit of cooked egg.
But it didn't matter... they turned out fluffy and yummy!
What I did do for the oil in the pan was swirl in a bit, let it get hot, and then clean up the excess with a wadded up paper towel (so it wasn't too hot to hold).
I love it when a recipe works with mistakes, especially when a night person is attempting a breakfast. :)
Thanks for the recipe!
 
ginny March 10, 2017
come on people, the plural of measurements does not have the S at the end, but after the mode of measurement I.E cup, spoon.
 
mdelgatty March 12, 2020
Huh...?
 
diane March 1, 2017
My grandson and I LOVE these pancakes they are the best we have had, and we try many recipes.
 
tina February 17, 2017
just made these and they were perfectly fluffy. however, although i cooked them on low, i did find that they cooked on the bottom before any bubbles were rising to the surface so in the end a few pancakes didn't quite cook all of the way through. my batter was rather thick, perhaps that was the problem. am considering adding some club soda to thin them out...
 
Martin February 11, 2017
I have tried these like 3 times and never did they look like that. They taste nice, but super greasy. I'll have to look elsewhere for a pancake recipe to call my own.
 
Barry January 28, 2017
Given a choice, my wife prefers her pancakes thin and cooked in enough grease so they fry on the edges.
 
Boat January 24, 2017
Do you think I can freeze the leftover pancakes? Or should I freeze the batter? How long can the mixture last in the fridge?
I live by myself so either I eat pancakes for a week or I make 2 pieces.
 
Kristen M. January 24, 2017
Yes, I think you could freeze the leftover pancakes well—they warm up nicely in the toaster or toaster oven!
 
Jordan C. January 22, 2017
Thank you! This recipe is delicious. I'd like to try it with some buckwheat flour...
 
mstv January 15, 2017
I tried this recipe as written. They were tasty but a bit too buttery for me. I will try this trick with other pancake recipes, though.
 
petalpusher January 1, 2017
I tried the egg separating trick with my old standby recipe for buttermilk blueberry pancakes. They were the puffiest, prettiest instagram worthy pancakes evah! Thank you for yet another awesome cooking tip Food 52.
 
Darlene May 4, 2016
Does the buttermilk substitute work with nut based milks also?
 
Christina B. February 28, 2017
In my experience, yes. Just follow the exact same steps, subbing in soy milk for dairy.
 
connie April 1, 2016
We followed this recipe exactly, except used the buttermilk substitute (vinegar and milk) and these pancakes came out perfectly! They were super fluffy, great with added blueberries or chocolate chips. We actually liked that you could taste a bit of the saltiness because that contrasted well with our maple syrup. It's a lot of batter but we just saved it and used it again for breakfast the next day, and we got the same fluffiness! Definitely not a low calorie pancake, but if you put your guilt aside, these pancakes will make you feel warm and happy.
 
Bill H. March 12, 2016
I made these this morning with some help from my 5 year-old. I have loved cooking all my life and I hope to get her hooked early too. Anyway, on to my thoughts about the recipe. I usually make recipes as written the first time out. As I read through the amounts, I thought that that the amount of baking powder and soda was not quite enough. I added more of each--about a third of a teaspoon. The batter was thick, and produced very fluffy tender pancakes. My guess about the science is that the added chemical leaveners added lift and structure and the egg white helped it set as it cooked. I found that the final product was a winner and we will definitely make them again. The only other change I would recommend would be to decrease the salt to 1 tsp. I used the called for amount and the pancakes came out more on the savory side.
 
tina February 17, 2017
just made these and was wondering myself about upping the leaveners... so you added the called for 1 teaspoon of each plus 1/3 teaspoon extra, correct? thanks in advance.
 
tastysweet March 8, 2016
Just made these for dinner. Didn't start these until 8:00PM
Aside from one mishap, which I will tell you about, they were fabulous.
After being out all day with friends playing pickle ball, lunch and golf, I called my husband to let him know I was on my way home. Unfortunately he wasn't feeling well and didn't want to eat much or have our usual happy hour while watching a news program we like. He did tape it though.
He started to feel better and was now hungry. We had planned on having pancakes. Perfect time to make these. To make a long story shorter, we sat down at 9:00 PM and were so delighted to eat these. I have a whole lot more batter to be consumed. Guess what is for breakfast!
My mis-hap was when I was microwaving the butter to melt it. I went to take it out of the microwave and when taking off the cover I had put on the measuring cup, it tipped and melted butter went all over the microwave and the glass top stove. Took about 15 minutes to clean that mess up. Then redid the melting. Glad I had extra butter. My husband is a charm and helped me. He dryed all the pre cooking bowls and helped cook the pancakes and cleaned up all the dishes.
"Every beauty has a blemish". So I recommend making this recipe, but earlier than 8:00PM.
 
Mark R. February 21, 2016
I love butter, but the amount specified here must be error. Reduce by at least half! I had bubbles of melted butter rising up through the cakes as they cooked on each side; and the result was overly dense and greasy.
 
tastysweet March 8, 2016
I did not find this with my pancakes. Not greasy at all. In fact, very light and airy. Try again.
 
Julie C. February 16, 2016
Just made these and they are the best pancakes I've ever made. Ever. Gorgeous and delicious.
 
S M. February 16, 2016
Although these were delicious, they were no fluffier than my normal pancakes using the whole egg. Was I suppose to whisk the batter after stirring in the whites? I just stirred them in gently and it didn't seem to make the batter any thicker. Thank you!
 
tastysweet March 8, 2016
Mine got very nice and thick. I just stirred the batter and it got thicker. Also letting it sit for a few minutes also helped. The consistency was perfect.
 
Eun-Ji K. February 14, 2016
This recipe is perfect. I made these today. It was thick enough, fluffy, and soft. In my case, it was okay with low-fat butter milk. I love it.
 
Ellen D. February 9, 2016
I made these this morning for breakfast, to celebrate shrove Tuesday. These are the lightest fluffiest pancakes I have ever made, they really do melt in your mouth and they taste great! I haved the recipe with no problems, as there are only two of us. The batter was as good for the last pancake as it was for the first one. I would definitely make these again.
 
tastysweet March 8, 2016
I too should have halved it. But didn't and now will be eating pancakes for a while?
 
Lucrecia February 9, 2016
I eat pancakes, in very rare ocations, mostly because the maple syrup that I love, but a found Agave syrup, and I really love it. I hardly recomend everybody to try it. No calories!!!!!!
 
Katie P. February 14, 2016
Wow, you are very wrong. Agave syrup actually has MORE calories than maple syrup (because it has less water).
 
chefrockyrd February 6, 2016
Art S-
10 tbls divided into 18-20 pancakes is not a lot. Its not like you are eating them everyday are you?
 
Art S. February 6, 2016
10 Tbls of butter? That's about triple the fat found in a typical recipe.
 
Gal February 6, 2016
I omitted the butter. These pancakes still came out amazing.
 
Dopo C. February 1, 2016
I made these yesterday ans they are the fluffiest pancakes I have ever made. Adding the egg whites at the end is brilliant ! Best pancakes ever!
 
Ginger S. January 31, 2016
We made these pancakes when I first saw them on Kitchn. They are the best pancakes we ever tasted, but they did deflate as we kept them warm in the oven while we were cooking the entire batch. Not sure why that happened. We also added blueberries, Yum.
 
boyka January 31, 2016
I made these pancakes for breakfast, they were perfect, but very very salty... Next time I will reduce the salt, given in the recipe
 
Victoria M. January 31, 2016
I just made these buttermilk pancakes for breakfast. They were so light, fluffy that they melted in your mouth.
My husband even said " Don't lose this recipe".
 
chefrockyrd January 31, 2016
We had these for breakfast this morning. They were light and fluffy- a bit thicker than my usual recipe but still good. Not too sweet and good with fruit on the side. I wanted to try the egg white method on this one since my recipe has them beaten and folded in. It worked just fine, but next time I would thin the batter a bit for our taste. Btw I halved the recipe and there were plenty for two people with left overs to nibble on later. Thank you.
 
Gal January 30, 2016
I'm reading Corinn's comment below that her pancakes didn't rise as much. In my case, maybe because I used the 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, it thickened the batter and gave it the perfect consistency (Because the bran absorbs more liquid it thicken the batter). I also made sure to use fresh baking soda and baking powder. My pancakes came out perfect.
 
Gal January 30, 2016
I made this today. This recipe yield most fluffy and yummy pancakes!
This recipe is clear and was simple to follow.
Trying to stick to my new year's resolution I omitted the butter, replaced 1/4 cup of the all-purpose flour for a 1/4 cup organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (Bob's Red Mill). I made the buttermilk substitute (Mixed lemon juice with milk) as noted in #7 of this recipe, and used my Le Creuset Cast-Iron Skillet to cook my pancakes. It came out golden brown, fluffy and wonderful!
 
Corinn B. January 30, 2016
Made these for breakfast today, they were delicious. They didn't rise as much as I thought they would, I think because the batter was a bit thin even after standing as the recipe calls for. Next time I won't add the extra 1/2 c of milk as I find thicker batters rise better than thinner ones.