How can I make my pancakes even fluffier?
This can't be overstated: to make light and fluffy pancakes, don’t overmix the pancake batter. Over-mixing stops the raising agent from aerating, which will make the batter tough and result in flat, dense pancakes. Once you've combined your dry and wet ingredients, the flour particles in the batter also need time to expand, so let your pancake mix rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.
While it's tempting to add more baking powder (or baking soda), there's no need to add any extra baking powder to raise these babies higher (many pancake recipes will call for additional baking powder for a fluffier-looking outcome), they're perfect just as they are. And, they're just as easy as a boxed pancake mix.
To take your pancake fluffiness to dramatic new heights, try our Japanese-style cloud pancakes recipe.
Can I add ingredients to this pancake recipe?
While there’s no need to alter the recipe (we’ve tested it so many times and it really does work every time), it's an ideal base for you to add variations or tweaks as you see fit. Prefer a less sweet pancake? Reduce the sugar slightly and add a pinch of salt. After a super-thick American-style recipe? Add a touch more self-raising flour (or baking powder and plain flour to make your own self-raising flour, if you're all out!). It’s that easy! Some cooks prefer to work with a whole wheat flour, and that's fine too as long as it's a self-raising variety. Of course, you can use a gluten-free flour or wheat flour to create fabulous pancakes, depending on dietary requirements.
If you want to make your pancakes a little bit more special, try adding chocolate chips, blueberries or even sprinkles to your batter. And, top with whipped cream for an indulgent breakfast.
And, if you have any leftover pancakes (we doubt it, but just in case) you can reheat them in the microwave and use them to create one of these pancake dessert masterpieces. You can also freeze leftover pancakes for a couple of months so you have a ready-made breakfast on hand when you're in a hurry (no need to flip pancakes again!), so be sure to cook up any leftover pancake batter.
Can you make pancakes without eggs or milk?
While this recipe is a traditional pancakes recipe with eggs, milk and all the classic pancake ingredients to create the fluffiest pancakes, check out our vegan recipe for an easy egg and dairy-free alternative that still results in the best fluffy pancakes (that we think are better than most pancake recipes without eggs and milk).
How much sugar should you put in pancakes?
Our Senior Food Editor Elisa Pietrantonio tested varying amounts of sugar in this recipe, and here's what she discovered.
I tested this recipe with the original sugar amount (⅓ cup) and I didn’t find this overly sweet at all. However, I did test out 3 other sugar quantities to see what the difference would be. Here's what I found.
- ¼ cup sugar
This amount reduces sweetness slightly, the pancake cooks the same as the original recipe. - 3 tbs sugar
Again, this amount reduces the pancake's sweetness slightly, but there's not much difference to the batch with ¼ cup sugar. The pancake cooks the same as the original recipe - 2 tbs sugar
At this level, you can really tell the difference in terms of sweetness, compared to original recipe quantity. And yet, the pancake cooks the same as the original recipe.
The pro verdict?
All batches cooked the same and the differing sugar amounts had no bearing on the texture of the pancakes or how they rose and cooked. However, I wouldn't recommend the 2tbs sugar quantity (purely because they didn't taste the greatest, especially if you're going to eat them without any toppings).
If you want to reduce the sugar amount, it is entirely possible to do so without affecting the pancakes. That said, I would recommend using either ¼ cup or 3tbs sugar depending on your personal preference.
How to make you pancakes even fluffier!
For an even fluffier pancake try adding ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda to your dry ingredients and make sure to whisk it in well to evenly distribute, this makes sure your pancakes will fluff up/rise evenly.
How long do pancakes last?
While pancakes are best eaten (preferably hot!) the day they’re made, they can be stored, covered, in the fridge and reheated in the microwave.
You can also freeze any leftovers for up to 3 months. The batter can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 1 day, just bring it back up to room temp and give it a good whisk before cooking your pancakes.
More pancake recipes to try out
- Healthy 3-ingredient banana pancakes
- Air fryer pancakes recipe - yes, it really is possible!
- Our #1 keto pancakes recipe
