Skip to main content

How to Make Pancakes

What could be more satisfying than a stack of pancakes dripping with melted butter, syrup, and accompanied by perfectly cooked bacon and a hot cup of coffee? Not much, sir. Not much.

People have been enjoying the pancake for thousands of years. Various recipes can be traced to just about every ancient civilization. Today, the classic American take on the pancake is a fluffy disc of starchy goodness served with any number of toppings and typically enjoyed as a breakfast food. But you can, of course, indulge in this most comforting of foodstuffs whenever you wish.

Recommended Videos

If you thought you needed to venture out to the local diner for those fresh flapjacks, you’re not giving yourself enough credit. Why do you think people have been enjoying pancakes for so many long years? The reason is the blissful simplicity. Making pancakes is easy as long as you keep things simple and pay plenty of attention during the cooking process.

Today, I’ll be sharing with you the recipe we’ve used for years in my house.

how to make pancakes
Courtesy photo

It’s about as basic as can be and for it’s wildly malleable. After taking you through the basic ingredient list and cooking process for making pancakes, I’ll suggest a number of substitutions you can make, ingredients you can add, and serving suggestions that will make these — my wife’s Super Fluff Pancake — into delectable customized creations.

But before we get down to the mixing and flipping and syrup and such, a quick note that will save you from ruined pancakes time and time again: Always be ready to make changes on the fly!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally added too much flour or too little milk, burned one side of a pancake or undercooked another. You can always toss in a spoonful of flour or a splash of milk, peel away the burn or toss the raw cake right back onto the griddle. The process of making pancakes is often a messy affair, and your kitchen may well need quite a cleanup. But with the littlest bit of practice and the right ingredients, you’ll make great cakes every time. Even if one of them ends up burned to a crisp and tossed in the trash before anyone notices.

Easy Pancake Recipe

AKA The John Family OG Super Fluff Pancake

Five ingredients. Super simple, right? Remember, we’ll talk substitutions and additions later, but with just these five ingredients, as well as some cooking spray, you’re good to go. The following quantity of ingredients will make four medium-sized pancakes, a perfect volume for two adults who are not hungover.

how to make pancakes ingredients
Steven John/The Manual

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups flour
  • 1.25 cups milk
  • 3 tbsp melted butter
  • 3.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1 large egg

Method:

  1. Get that griddle or large skillet preheated to medium-heat and coated with nonstick spray.
  2. Mix flour and baking powder in a bowl or big pitcher.
  3. Add milk, then egg, then melted butter.
  4. Whisk with a fork (or a whisk) until the batter is smooth and (relatively) lump-free. Add more milk if the mix is dry and chunky; add more flour if it’s too liquidy.
  5. Pour as many medium-sized pancakes (about 7 inches in diameter) as space permits, or make silver-dollar cakes if you prefer.
  6. Normal pancakes will require flipping in about a minute, silver-dollar cakes within 30 seconds. Flip when bubbles rise through the batter or when you lift up the pancake and see a golden brown color on the bottom.
  7. Flip again before removing the cakes and probe the center of at least one to make sure there is no goo. If they’re cooking to a deep brown or black on the exterior, lower or even cut the heat ASAP. And that’s it.

Homemade Pancakes Pro Tips

Ingredients

So those are super simple pancakes, right? The secret here is that even super fancy cakes can be made using that exact recipe.

berries pancakes breakfast
Sydney Troxell

Just add any or all (but probably not all at once, for goodness sake man) of these ingredients once the batter is prepared:

  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries
  • Chocolate bits
  • Teaspoon of cinnamon
  • Macadamia nut chunks
  • Teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • Dash of salt

The pancakes will cook without a noticeable difference but will make your guests “ooh” and “aah” and cluck their tongues with joy. If they’re kind of odd people, that is.

Substitutions

As for substitutions, you can use a butter substitute or swap out the butter for a variety of oils except for olive oil (melted coconut oil brings awesome flavor). Using almond milk or soy milk instead of dairy milk will also work just fine.

how to make pancakes substitutions
Steven John/The Manual

If you want to use whole wheat flour, just add a bit more milk. If you’re going with something crazy like almond flour, lower the heat a bit and cook the cakes more slowly, paying close attention to them so they don’t scorch on the outside and not cook enough within.

There are also many ways to remove the egg to go vegan, banana being the most popular substitute, but you can learn more about your options here.

Technique

how to make pancakes helper
Steven John/The Manual

When it comes to actual pancake-making, my single best piece of advice is to make the flip as easy for yourself as possible. Until your skills are complete, don’t try to flip a pancake over onto the exact spot from whence it came.

Instead, give yourself plenty of room on the griddle or even prepare a second pan to receive your flipped flappers. The best way to ruin your breakfast and your mood is to send errant pancake batter all over the stove, floor, and yourself.

Another piece of advice is to give your four-year-old (if you’ve got one) the easy jobs like pouring pre-measured milk into a large container and to tell him how much of a help he is, but to do most of the work when he’s at least five feet away from the huge container of flour, not to mention the hot stove.

Steven John
Steven John is a writer and journalist living just outside New York City, by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, by way of…
How to cook cube steak: Tender, flavorful, and easy
Everything you need to know about mastering cube steak
Two uncooked cubed steaks on a cutting board

Cube steak is about as rustic and comforting as it gets when it comes to home-style food. Plus, I love that you don't have to offer up an arm or a leg for this budget-friendly cut of meat. It is very difficult not to become nostalgic about this tenderized cut with its deep beefy flavor — it brings back beautiful and worryless childhood memories! Thankfully, you don't have to be an executive chef to learn how to cook cube steak. This weeknight dinner hero is a no-brainer that comes with just one caveat … cooking it properly so it stays juicy and tender instead of tough and dry.

I'm sure you've seen cube steak prepared in more ways than one. No matter which style you choose, whether you pan-fry it for a crispy crust, smother it in rich gravy, or slow-cook it for melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, this guide will teach you everything you need to know to cook your cube steak to perfection.
Preparing your cube steak so you can get the most flavor out of it

Read more
How to steam milk: Perfect your technique for rich, creamy coffee drinks
Learn to steam milk like a Barista
steamed milk

As an aspiring barista, I've grown to understand the importance of steamed milk in making all of my favorite drinks. To learn how to make a cappuccino at home, I had to master the art of making steamed milk. Learning how to steam milk at home is difficult, but you'll need to commit to learning if you want to expand the types of coffee drinks you can make at home. Teaching yourself how to steam milk will allow you to experiment with all kinds of elaborate espresso drinks just like you order at the café -- from the cafe au laits to cappuccinos.
Steamed milk vs. frothed milk

As you experiment with how to steam milk, it's key to understand the slight differences between steamed milk and frothed milk. In the world of coffee-making, these two are often confused -- and I completely understand why. To help you know the difference, consider how you'd make a latte. The ratio of espresso to milk in a latte is usually 3:1, with espresso on the bottom, steamed milk on the top, and a light layer of frothed milk on the top.

Read more
How to use a milk frother: Simple tips and tricks to elevate your drinks
Here's how to use a milk frother with ease
Cappuccino

Once you've mastered brewing the perfect coffee at home, the next step in every home Barista's journey is to learn how to use a milk frother. You'll need frothed milk to enjoy specialty-type coffees from your kitchen, such as lattes and cappuccinos. At one point, I was intimated by the concept of frothing my milk, as it can sound more complicated than it is. Learning to use a milk frother is easy enough for coffee lovers of any skill level. Here are two of my favorite ways to froth milk for coffee at home, ideal for those who do not have an espresso maker with a steam wand attachment.
How to use a milk frother: Hand frothing

Using a handheld wand milk frother is one of the easiest methods for frothing milk at home. A handheld milk frother can be used in your mug and is an excellent option for those who don't have an espresso maker at home. Before I had an espresso machine with a steam wand at home, I found the handheld milk frother to be my go-to for frothing milk for coffee. I like this method because it requires minimal skill and clean-up (always a motivating factor when making coffee at home instead of ordering it out at a cafe).

Read more