Best Fluffy Old-Fashioned Pancakes Recipe

Pancakes are basically the best breakfast food ever, right? I mean, I’ve been making these fluffy old-fashioned pancakes every Sunday morning for years now, and honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of them.​

The thing is, I used to rely on those boxed pancake mixes because I thought making pancakes from scratch was complicated or time-consuming. Wrong. So wrong. Once I figured out how easy homemade pancakes actually are, I never went back to the box stuff.

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Why These Pancakes Are Better Than Box Mix :

Look, I’m gonna be honest—boxed pancake mix is convenient, but the flavor just doesn’t compare to homemade. These old-fashioned pancakes are fluffy, buttery, and have this amazing golden-brown color that box mix pancakes never quite achieve.​

Plus, you probably already have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now. Flour, baking powder, milk, eggs, butter, sugar—that’s it. Basic stuff that most people keep on hand anyway.​

Last Sunday, I woke up craving pancakes and realized I’d run out of the mix I usually kept for emergencies. Instead of running to the store, I just made these from scratch and my family said they were the best pancakes I’d ever made. Kinda embarrassing that I’d been using box mix for so long.​

What You Need for Perfect Fluffy Pancakes :

Here’s what goes into these amazing pancakes :​

All-Purpose Flour – About 1 ½ to 2 cups depending on how many pancakes you want. I always use Gold Medal or King Arthur, but any brand works fine.​

Baking Powder – This is what makes them fluffy! You’ll need about 2-3 ½ teaspoons. Don’t skip this or you’ll end up with flat, sad pancakes. Been there.​

Sugar – Just 1 tablespoon or so for a touch of sweetness. Some recipes use more, but I think pancakes should get their sweetness from syrup, not the batter itself.​

Salt – A pinch to ¼ teaspoon. Brings out all the other flavors. I use regular table salt because I’m normal like that.​

Milk – About 1 ¼ cups. I always use whole milk because it makes richer pancakes, but 2% works too. Oh, and warm the milk slightly if you remember—it helps everything mix better.​

Egg – One or two large eggs depending on how many pancakes you’re making. Make sure it’s room temperature or it’ll make your melted butter solidify. Learned that the hard way.​

Melted Butter – 3 tablespoons melted and cooled slightly. This is what makes homemade pancakes taste SO much better than box mix.​

Vanilla Extract – Optional but I always add it. Maybe a teaspoon. Reminds me of Sunday mornings at my grandma’s house.​

How to Make Old-Fashioned Pancakes :

This is almost embarrassingly easy.​

Step 1: Grab a large bowl and sift together your dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. I know sifting sounds fancy, but it just means whisking them together really well. Prevents lumpy batter.​

Step 2: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. This is just a fancy way of saying “push the flour to the sides to make a little hole in the middle.” Not sure why recipes always make this sound complicated.​

Step 3: In a separate bowl (or just a measuring cup if you’re lazy like me), whisk together the milk, melted butter, egg, and vanilla. The key is—oh wait, I forgot to mention—make sure your butter is melted but not super hot or it’ll cook the egg.​

Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the well you made in the dry ingredients. Now here’s the thing… don’t overmix! This is where most people mess up pancakes. Just stir until you don’t see dry flour anymore. Some lumps are totally fine and actually good.​

Step 5: Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes if you have time. This lets the baking powder activate and makes fluffier pancakes. But honestly, I skip this step half the time when I’m hungry and they’re still great.​

Step 6: Heat your griddle or non-stick pan over medium heat. Wait until it’s actually hot—when you flick a drop of water on it, the water should sizzle and dance around. This takes a few minutes. Be patient.​

Step 7: Lightly grease your pan with butter or oil. I use butter because it tastes better, but vegetable oil works too.​

Step 8: Pour about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Don’t spread it around—just let it naturally form a circle.​

Step 9: Wait for bubbles to form on the surface and the edges to look set before flipping. This takes about 2-3 minutes. I used to flip too early and end up with raw pancakes in the middle. Gross.​

Step 10: Flip carefully (I use a thin metal spatula) and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. The second side always cooks faster than the first.​

Step 11: Keep finished pancakes warm in a 200°F oven if you’re making a big batch. Or just eat them as they come off the griddle like I do.​

My Real-Life Pancake Tips :

Don’t Overmix the Batter

Seriously, this is the #1 mistake people make with pancakes. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and makes tough, chewy pancakes instead of fluffy ones. A few lumps are your friend.​

Temperature Matters

Medium heat is your sweet spot. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks. Too low and they turn out pale and kinda sad looking. My stove is weird, so I actually cook mine on medium-low, but you’ll figure out what works for your stove.​

The Bubble Test

Wait until you see bubbles popping on the surface before you flip. This is how you know they’re ready. If you flip too soon, you’ll have that raw gooey center thing happening.​

Keep Them Warm

If you’re feeding a crowd (or just want to eat them all at once instead of standing at the stove), keep finished pancakes in a 200°F oven on a baking sheet. They’ll stay warm and soft until you’re ready to serve.​

Room Temperature Ingredients

This actually matters more than I thought it would. Room temperature eggs and slightly warm milk mix into the batter way better and don’t cause the melted butter to solidify into weird little chunks.​

What Makes These Pancakes “Old-Fashioned” :

Honestly? I think it’s just the simplicity. These are the pancakes your grandma probably made—no fancy ingredients, no buttermilk (though you can use it if you want), no whipping egg whites separately. Just basic ingredients that come together into something delicious.​

The thick, fluffy texture is what reminds me of diner pancakes or what my mom used to make on Saturday mornings. They’re not thin and crepe-like—they’ve got some height to them and they soak up butter and syrup like champions.​

Serving These Pancakes :

Obviously, butter and maple syrup are the classic toppings. I always use real maple syrup—the fake stuff is way too sweet for me. But you can top these with literally anything:​

• Fresh berries and whipped cream
• Chocolate chips (mix them into the batter or sprinkle on top)
• Bananas and Nutella
• Peanut butter and jelly (weird but my kids love it)
• Just plain butter if you’re a purist

My 8-year-old eats his with butter, syrup, AND whipped cream. Like, all three. I don’t ask questions.​

Why I’ll Never Go Back to Box Mix :

These homemade fluffy old-fashioned pancakes take maybe five extra minutes compared to box mix, and they taste about a thousand times better. Plus, I can control what goes in them—no weird preservatives or ingredients I can’t pronounce.​

And honestly, once you make pancakes from scratch a few times, it becomes just as automatic as opening a box. I don’t even look at recipes anymore—I just dump everything in and go.​

The best part? People think you’re some kind of breakfast genius when you serve these. Let them think that. Don’t tell them how easy it actually is.​

Storage Tips :

Leftover pancakes (if that’s even a thing in your house) can go in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a few months. Just reheat them in the toaster or microwave. They’re great for quick weekday breakfasts when you don’t have time to make them fresh.​

I usually make a double batch on Sundays and freeze half for later. Makes me feel like I’ve got my life together, you know ?​

If you try these fluffy old-fashioned pancakes, let me know how they turn out! Seriously, drop a comment because I love hearing about other people’s pancake adventures. And if you’ve got any tricks for making them even better, share them!

Happy cooking! (and may your pancakes always flip perfectly on the first try) 🥞