Incredible Fluffy Overnight Buttermilk Pancakes
You’ve never met a fluffier, tastier pancake until you’ve tried these overnight pancakes. The buttermilk batter is stirred together the night before so breakfast the next morning is easy as can be!
I love each and every recipe I post, you guys know that. But lately, I feel like the recipes I’ve posted have been more than just “loved” – they’ve become family favorites that will be making front page appearances in the recipe binder I pass down to my grandkids.
Assuming hard copy recipe binders even exist then instead of belonging in a museum somewhere.
It will be a travesty if my grandkids never get the supreme pleasure of taping recipes onto the kitchen cupboards and cooking a holiday meal (or ahem, weeknight dinner) that way. How will they ever experience true joy???
Hopefully they’ll still have a way to access family heirloom recipes like these fluffy overnight pancakes, because I kid you not, these amazing pancakes have skyrocketed to the top of our favorites list.
And not just a favorite pancake list but all the way to the top of our favorite breakfasts of all time list.
I’ve shared a lot of breakfast faves over the years, and even though we are definitely not anti-cold cereal, I made it a goal a long time ago to get a hot breakfast in my kids’ tummies the majority of school mornings and try to stick with it as much as possible (summer break is a little scary).
I’m hoping it makes up for all the other mom fails they get to experience on a daily basis.
We have a lot of breakfast go-to’s, and we definitely cycle through which ones we make regularly. Usually, though, mornings consist of some kind of pancake/waffle/oatmeal number and always a kefir smoothie (or a variation on this breakfast smoothie with kefir thrown in).
I don’t really plan an official breakfast menu, I just make what we have time for or are in the mood for, and I give myself lots of mental high fives if I’ve managed to plan the night before.
Some of our oft-made breakfasts require overnight prep, which makes the morning pretty awesome:
Overnight Buckwheat Oat Waffles
Make-Ahead Raised Waffles
Overnight Steel Cut Oats
Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
Overnight Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes
Overnight Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal
So when my sister, Emily, told me she had found the most amazing overnight pancake recipe in all the world, I was a little skeptical it could replace our other favorites (and even come close to rivaling this tried-and-true fluffy sour cream pancake recipe that we make all the time, as well, even if that one isn’t an official “overnight” recipe).
Well, I’m here to report this is case #3,495 where I’m reminded again why open mindedness is a virtue I should embrace more fully.
Because these fluffy overnight pancakes have completely rocked our world.
They are amazing. Pure and simple.
Amazing, amazing, amazing.
Not only are they ridiculously easy (throw everything in one bowl, mix, refrigerate, make pancakes the next morning), but the fluffy, soft, melt-in-your mouth texture is extraordinary.
If you’ve made yeasted waffles before, the idea of putting yeast in the batter shouldn’t alarm/surprise/annoy you too much. And if you haven’t, I promise that it is worth trying.
The yeast not only helps with flavor (without making the pancakes taste overly fermented or like a dinner roll), but as the batter rests overnight, the yeast works it’s food science magic ensuring you’re going to get the lightest, fluffiest, most delicious pancake ever.
And something else that makes these overnight pancakes a standout?
Not only are the pancakes incredible made with all-purpose flour (I always use unbleached), but they are honestly equally as amazing when made with 100% whole wheat flour.
The whole wheat flour mellows overnight as it soaks in the buttermilk/yeast mixture and results in truly some of the best pancakes ever.
Even though we haven’t officially turned our backs on our other favorite breakfast recipes, this fluffy buttermilk overnight pancake recipe is on serious repeat here.
Waking up and being able to pull the batter straight from the fridge and have hot pancakes coming off the griddle in a matter of minutes is…well, lifechanging in a way that almost makes a morning person out of me.
Almost.
One Year Ago: Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork {Slow Cooker + Instant Pot}
Two Years Ago: Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Applesauce
Three Years Ago: Shepherd’s Pie
Four Years Ago: Death by Chocolate 7-Layer Bars
Five Years Ago: Chocolate Frosted Brownies
Fluffy Overnight Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 4 cups (568 g) all-purpose or whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast, see note for active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 cups buttermilk (see note)
- ¼ cup neutral-flavored oil, like vegetable, canola, avocado, etc
Instructions
- In a large bowl (with room for the batter to bubble up a couple inches), whisk together the flour, yeast, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Add the eggs, buttermilk and oil. Mix until evenly combined (don’t overmix, just mix until no dry streaks remain).
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (or up to 24 hours).
- When ready to make the pancakes, uncover the bowl and give the batter a quick stir (just once or twice with a spoon or spatula; don’t stir vigorously or overmix). Cook the pancakes on a hot griddle or skillet and serve.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Taste of Home (my sister sent me the recipe after making it and loving it)
179 Comments on “Incredible Fluffy Overnight Buttermilk Pancakes”
Thanks for another winner, Mel! These are truly incredible. I do love those sour cream pancakes of yours, but the ease of making these with the overnight method was great! I didn’t have buttermilk so took your advice & used 1/2 the liquid as sour cream, I also easily halved the recipe as only 3 of us are currently in residence.
They were high, light, fluffy & delicious.
These were great – will definitely make again. I used half whole wheat and half all purpose flour. I made just a quarter of the recipe to see if I’d like it, and got eight 3″+ pancakes. Very quick and easy to mix up the batter the night before and it made for an easy breakfast next morning. Just one caution – be careful with your cook time. I was waiting for bubbles to come to the surface before flipping (as I would do with my usual non-yeast recipe) and nearly burned the first batch. When the edges look cooked, time to flip!
Can you put them in fridge and than toast them the next morning?
thanks!
Definitely worth a try! Should work just fine.
I’m sure that would work. I just put the leftovers in the microwave and they were good. If you’re entertaining, consider rewarming an the oven – I think that would give you the best texture, but will of course take longer than the other methods.
I made these for family that came into town and I wanted something easy for breakfast. I wanted to have the batter ready to go in the morning. These were excellent! They were thick and fluffy and I was so pleased. Plan on keeping the recipe for holidays when my kids come home. The pancakes turned out perfect and I followed the recipe as written.
We made half of these after 8 hours in the fridge. They came out beautifully fluffy and golden, but the yeast taste was overwhelming. We tried the rest after 18 hours of fridge time and they were a bit less yeasty, but it was still strong enough that they were reminiscent of pretzels.
These came out great! – perfectly fluffy! I used half whole wheat & half white flour. Next time I’m going to add some vanilla to the mix.
Hi!
I made the batter last night and am about to cook them. I usually make slow rise when I use yeast, but have never done pa cakes like this. My question is why baking soda and baking powder with a yeast slowrise? I would think those two loose any kind of purpose over night. Thank you for this recipe! I know I will be using it regularly.
I don’t know the exact purpose, but I left them out once and the recipe didn’t turn out the same, so they must aid in leavening even after sitting over night.
I halved the recipe and made up the mixture before bed last night. Batter was aerated when I took off the lid this morning.
Cooked them up, and served them with strawberries and pears (marinated in pure maple syrup), and delish thick Greek yoghurt.
In a word? Superb.
Thank you.
These were delicious. So nice having the batter ready in the morning! In my 6am haze all I had to do was heat and butter my skillet and fry them up. I made half the batter and put the other half of the batter back in the fridge for the next day and they were still great, perhaps a bit runnier and a little fermented, but still yummy. These will be added to my regular rotation alongside your overnight yeasted waffles.
Hi, will it still work if I only use baking powder?
This recipe relies on the baking soda to interact with the buttermilk – I don’t think they’ll be as light and fluffy without it.
These were amazing! Best and easiest pancakes to make. This will be your go to recipe from now on.
I’m a chef and I’ve literally never had a better pancake – so soft and OMG FLUFFY! I used your sour cream sub with almond milk bc that’s what I had. I can’t taste the yeast at all, which is surprising given how much yeast is in the recipe. This will forever be my go-to recipe – thank you for sharing it!
This sounds delicious,esp with yeast. But… baking powder and baking soda don’t last overnight. They are only active if added just before baking, so why not add them then..or just leave out completely since they aren’t doing anything if added the night or even an hour before. Your rise is coming only from the yeast.
I prefer a more tangy sourdough taste to pancakes ,like we used to get before about 1970 when commercial mixes gave us flavorless restaurant pancakes forevermore. So…I’ll probably set on counter to ferment a bit overnight rather than fridge.
Can this batter be made into a baked sheet pan pancake for ease of serving?
I haven’t tried that but I have another baked pancake recipe and it works great so it’s worth a try.
My 7 year old son declared these pancakes terrific, the best ever, and asked if I could make them all the time. I have to agree with him.
Would this recipe still work if I halved it? As I only have 500ml of buttermilk on hand and not going to the supermarket anytime soon
Yes!
Wow. Just. Wow!!!
For years I’ve been rotating through a collection of tried and true, and sometimes new, pancake (and waffle) recipes just about every weekend. All are good, some even great, but none — till now — both great and ridiculously EASY.
I found this recipe quite by accident while looking to prep as much as possible for a family Sunday brunch the night before.
It was already late in the evening and I only had a cup of buttermilk, so I subbed the remaining 3 cups of buttermilk the recipe calls for with about 9 or 10 oz of sour cream and about 2cups of 2% milk, which is to say I don’t think exactness counts.
I added about 2 tsp of vanilla extract as well to the initial mix and I used King Arthur all purpose unbleached flour and a little more than 1/4 cup plain old vegetable oil. I used instant yeast as the recipe calls for.
Threw everything together as per the recipe instructions, covered and popped in the fridge and went to bed. This morning, what to my delighted eyes did appear, but a big airy bowl of batter – ready to go!!
After allowing the batter to warm a bit on the counter, I set my cheap old electric griddle to about 325 degrees and started to spoon out the airy and slightly lumpy batter. It wasn’t runny. It wasn’t too thick. It was absolutely perfect!
The pancakes cooked just as a pancakes should. They were imperfectly round, fluffy, golden crispy on the outside and light and lovely on the inside. There was not even a hint of yeasty-ness or sour cream flavor. Just delicately moist with a hint of vanilla.
I used about 1/3 of batter to make plain pancakes, added Ghiradelli chocolate chips to another 1/3 of the batter and blueberries to the last 1/3. Perfect in every way!!!
Served all varieties with warmed real maple syrup – it’s a must. Delicious.
I yielded about 30+ 4″ pancakes, so lots of leftovers that I’m going to freeze and enjoy later. And I’ll be using only this pancake recipe from now on. Next time I’m going to up the oil ratio, maybe substitute some or all with butter, and try in my waffle iron.
Thanks for such a great and easy breakfast recipe.
What is the total volume produced by these? Would a 2 quart pitcher be large enough for all this batter?
Thank you.
I think a 2 quart pitcher might be a little small – it’s about 8-9 cups of batter.
Amazing pancakes. I’ve made many different pancake recipes over the years but this beats every one of them, hands down. I made the batter last Tuesday night and cooked them for brunch today, Thursday, The batter held very nicely in the fridge all that time.
I used yogurt in place of the buttermilk (half Greek yogurt and half milk since the yogurt is so thick), and they turned out perfectly. I also saved half the dry ingredients after mixing them (since it’s hard to halve a yeast packet) and put it in the fridge to save for future use.
Is this recipe still good if quartered? Family of one.
Yes!
Can a gluten free flour be used?
I haven’t tried a gluten free flour so I’m not sure – sorry!
I’ve made them many times and definitely a favorite for us!
Can I leave in fridge longer as it’s big recipe or half recipe?
Yes, you can leave the batter in the fridge for a day or so or halve the recipe.
Any ideas If I could add vanilla extract to this? Would it kill the yeast? Wondering if I should do it with the initial mix of all ingredients or after the rise during the “give a quick mix” before cooking stage. Or if it would absolutely ruin it and I should forget about it all together? Please let me know!
Yes, I think you could add vanilla – it should be fine adding it with the initial batter ingredients.
Made better fr I and cooked them this morning(sat)….my wife loved them…put 5vacuum bags of 6 in freezer for future…THANK YOU!!!!!
I made these pancakes for my family’s brunch on Sunday. They were a huge hit! I only made half a batch but preparing to make another for tomorrow!
Thank you for great recipe!!!
Turned out absolutely amazing! I used the sour cream substitute and used regular flour. I am a Krysteaz pancake brand user only and these turned out even better. I love a crispy edge on my flapjacks and these edges didn’t disappoint! Thank you for this recipe. I will be using it again!
The flavor was good but there was nothing fluffy about these pancakes. I even proofed my yeast first. Won’t be making these again.
Wow I’m so sad about these. I followed this and wanted to make for a friends birthday and they turned out watery and lumpy 🙁
I have tried these twice and they never got super big and puffy. They tasted good but were flat♀️
Loved these! I’ve shied away in the past from any batter that needs to rest because on a big breakfast morning, no one wants to wait, But, throwing together the batter the night before was genius. I didn’t have buttermilk so I mixed milk, lemon juice and plain yogurt to have the correct volume. Despite the yeast, they did not taste yeasty. They cooked up light and fluffy with slightly crispy edges. This recipe makes a lot so for two people I would quarter it.
Ugh, I missed the notes about using active dry yeast and I didn’t mix it with warm water first. Is this going to ruin the whole recipe?
I’m not sure – how did they turn out?
I just made these after seeing your Facebook post. They are just wonderful! The yeast adds a delicious different flavor. And the fact I can make the night ahead and just break out the griddle, yes please! My batter wasn’t very runny, I thought it was perfect. I used half wheat & half regular flour. The key here folks, I’m telling ya THE key is to use REAL buttermilk, the kind that’s thick and rich with real butter flakes in it, not anything you have to add to regular milk or buttermilk powder etc, that just will NOT cut it, will be too runny. I think I’m going to make these every weekend. Thank you Mel!
It’s a recipe for pancakes. No one wants to read a book about it. Here’s how you do it.
“These are good. Here’s the recipe. Enjoy”
(RECIPE)
Hey, you should start a blog! {wink, wink}
Ha ha, Mel, nice!
The two biggest reasons that for many years this has been hands-down my favorite of the many recipe sites & food blogs I’ve visited:
1- she has so many reliably delicious recipes, and
2- she has such an endearing way of “chatting” with us and sharing her life with us as she shares each of those recipes.
In short, I definitely “want to read a book about it.”
These were delish! I did half whole wheat and half all purpose flour and they were airy. My first take w yeast pancakes. Love that I could pop them out of the fridge and just throw them on the griddle. A keeper. Can’t wait to try all white flour, too. Thanks, Mel!
I made these for Christmas brunch gathering for family. They were so good and easy. I halved the recipe and it was just right for us, They were so light and fluffy and added blueberries too! Delicious!
Hello,
I am making for a large amount of people. Can I just double or triple the recipe? Thanks again!
Best,
Joanna Miller
Yes, you can double or triple
Final Review:
I made these for my Pastors Breakfast as planned and THEY WERE A HIT! OMGoodness.
Cooked them in a cast iron skillet t get those nice ‘crusty’ edges.
With the exception of stirring in 2 tsp. Vanilla Bean Paste right before cooking them, I made no MAJOR—deviations to Mels recipe.
I did use (as I do for most all baking)—White Lily Flour.
I served them with Maple Syrup and also Fried Honey Crisp Apples.
For me, nothing taste better over pancakes than Fried Apples in their sauce/syrup that developed.
These ‘flaps’ are amazing! And the Elders loooovvvved.
I don’t think I’ll ever make regular ‘panny cakes’ again!
A ‘Tony’ person commented that the ratios were off. I don’t know if this person actually TRIED tha’ recipe? Since they thought so, I did inquire of his changes but—with no response.
Well, I did make these and the ratio…is perfect. The next morning I woke with a nice ‘bubbly’ batter. It traveled well and wasn’t tha’ least bit…runny once I got to tha’ church.
The yeast gives this…. this nice… ‘wholesome’ flavor with a bit of a ‘chew’ for me.
I LOVED THESE PANCAKES. I will definitely make these again.
I will say this—it’s really not cool to RATE or give a bad comment on ANY recipe that you’ve changed by altering ingredients that are ‘scientifically‘ crucial to structural outcome and texture.
Especially, if your not an experienced baker and not good with substitutions. Even so, changes in:
B. Powder, B. Soda, Flour, liquid ratio’s, types of fats etc. all can render a recipe a failure and that—95% of tha’ time is most always…
Your fault.
Just saying.
Chanel, how do you fry your apples to make their own syrup? I tried once thinking that the natural sugars would come out ( used a Gala apple) and it was not good! Maybe Honey crisp is sweeter.
I love this recipe! It turns out perfect every time. I usually half it, but this time I made the full recipe. Will it keep in the fridge for a few days to use when needed?
I haven’t kept the batter longer than a day – but you could try. It might get a stronger yeast flavor/smell.
I suggest saving half the dry ingredients rather than half after mixing in the wet. Dry will keep in the fridge or freezer indefinitely, whereas after mixing the wet, you should probably use it within a day or it will start to ferment.
MelsKitchen…
First thank you for the recipe.
I want to try this but can you tell me why you altered the recipe?
I want to try this and gave read the article for an answer.
However, because of the complaints of some as being ‘runny’— just wanting your input.
Thanks once again.
I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you mean. Are you asking why I altered it from the original Taste of Home recipe? Mostly because I found the ingredient amounts as listed (in my version) worked better for me. Hope that helps!
Yes, that’s why I was asking.
You showed in your blog the original or ‘other’ recipe but it had 6 eggs instead of your 4 and so on.
I thought it was a fair question and I didn’t see anything in your article as to why.
Maybe 6 made the batter too rich? I don’t know.
The other recipe— some complaints was tha’ batter was too ‘yeasty’.
All recipes someone is going to complain. That wasn’t my issue here. I know how to cook very well, just not the ‘science’ of ingredients 100%.
I’m making these tomorrow for my Pastors Annual Meeting.
I’m going to stick with yours as I’ve used some of your baking recipes before. I have been successful with them.
I just wanted to know why—the deviation.
That’s all.
Thank you for responding.
Do you think this batter could be used to make waffles? My son REALLY wants waffles, but this is my new go-to recipe for Brinner. 🙂
Yes, I think so – but usually pancake batter needs a bit more oil/butter if converting to a waffle recipe (to prevent sticking). Worth a try!
i like it, made this yesterday with my mom and sister. its taste great. thanks to you!
These were delicious, light and fluffy. I was a bit concerned that all that baking soda would taste bad, but they were delicious. I will definitely make them again. I used 3/4 milk and 1/4 sour cream as a substitute for the buttermilk.
my children loved these, I will be printing this out for our folder of trusted recipes. Makes morning so easy and tasty.
Thanks, Stacia!
A five star recipe! In addition to using whole wheat flour I also add a generous portion of chopped walnuts. I also soak one cup of quick oats in 2 cups of water overnight and add it to the batter just before cooking in the morning. I make these about every three weeks and freeze them so I can pull a few out each time I serve them.
Your liquid to flour ratio is extremely high.
I’ve read a comment below of someone stating their batter was too runny.
You’re going to have to recheck your buttermilk amount, I think 4 cups is a lot; that is equal to 960 grams of buttermilk for 566 grams of flour?
You’re hydrating your dough to 174 percent, which in ratios, pancake batter could go anywhere from 80 to 100, probably 110, percent liquid content.
I’ll try to make them with my ratios, see how they turn out.
Hey Tony,
I’m interested. If you actually tried—Can you list what your ratios were that you came up with?
I want to try for my church meeting.
I’m asking because this recipe as written by Mels has been altered from original as well.
Especially the yeast type and number of eggs.
Thanks.
I’ve made these twice now exactly as written and the ratio is perfect and the pancakes very fluffy
I made these a few weeks ago and froze the leftovers. Both fresh and reheated, they are the fluffiest, most pillowy pancakes I’ve ever had. What a great recipe! I’m going to have to make some more soon.
This one didn’t work for me. Not sure what I did wrong. I used active dry yeast, but did not proof it first. Everything bubbled nicely so I assume the yeast was still good. Is that where I messed up? My pancakes were flat, the flavor was nice but the texture and fluffliness left much to be desired. I also used powdered buttermilk that I mixed with regular milk, not water.
Hi Fred – yep, unfortunately subbing active dry yeast for the instant yeast won’t yield the same results unless you let it proof first.
Hi Mel,
I really don’t know what happened to my batter…it was VERY runny….not at all thick and certainly didn’t need any help spreading!
I only had active dry yeast and fermented it in 1/4 cup of water. Having only made a half-batch, I really should have used only 1/8 cup. Surely this small amount of extra water could not have caused such a liquid batter.
Also I am from Australia and was working on your tablespoon being 3 teaspoons. Based on that, I added half of the yeast – 1 1/2 teaspoons. Is that where the problem is…should it have been 2 teaspoons? Our tablespoon here is a 4 teaspoon measure.
I am not a novice cook by any means, and weigh my ingredients meticulously and do not overmix my batters.. I am so disappointed with the resulting pancakes….very flat and quite rubbery.
Any help would be appreciated.
Regards from Australia,
Angela
Hey Angela – sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you. It sounds like 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast would be the right amount for a half batch. I don’t know that 1/4 cup water would make a difference, but I suppose it might cause the batter to be slightly runnier. You could add 1/2 cup more flour without any adverse effects for a thicker batter next time.
Our new favourite pancake recipe!!! It is such a big recipe, sometimes we can’t eat it all. Yesterday I saw some leftover batter in the back of the frig from 10 days ago. I was afraid!! I took it out, uncovered it and it smelled good. So I turned it into a sourdough starter and baked 2 loafs of bread. Yum mm.
It was in a pitcher, covered with plastic wrap, so I guess it could breath, and didn’t go bad. Here’s how i did it.
1 cup of the aged pancake mix in a lg bowl( let it sit out on counter for several hours to warm up)
Add I cup of 110 degree water and mix well
Add 1 tsp. salt and mix well
Work in 4 cups flour (I used bread flour, next I’ll try ap flour), till nice smooth ball forms. I used my stand mixer with dough hook. The dough will still be a little sticky. I did not knead it,transfer to an oiled bowl. Let rise till double in size ~ 2hrs covered in a warm place
After the 2 hrs uncover but do not punch but pull one side of dough up and fold it over in half. Then turn bowl a 1/4 turn and pull up side and fold over. Do 2 more times till all way round bowllet rise again 1 hour
Lightly grease a 9″ pie pan or 2 if you want 2 smaller loafs
Form 1large ball or 2smaller balls and put in pans. Make three gashes 1/4 inch deep on top of loaf
Don’t let raise again
Bake in middle of oven @ 400 degrees for 10 min. For small loaf…….. 15 min for lg loaf
Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake small loafs for 20 min. more. Bake lg loaf for 30 to 40 min more ( till sounds hollow.
This is amazing, Sue! Thanks for detailing your process.
Love these pancakes. They were especially nice when we had family staying with us. So easy for a big crowd! Thank you. Question for ya, do you have a favorite griddle?
Have you used Kefir instead of buttermilk with this recipe? I was wondering how that would work with the yeast?
Yes, it worked great when I used it in these pancakes!
How do your pancakes come out so thin?Do you let the batter come to room temperature a little? I’ve made them twice, and mine stay in little mounds, don’t spread very easily even with an offset spatula, and then come out looking misshapen. Maybe my battery was too thick? I used regular buttermilk and weighed my flour.
Regardless of being a little finicky, they taste amazing, and it’s so nice to have the batter made when I wake up! They are fluffy and soft as good pancakes should be. I’ll still make them again.
Hmmm, it sounds like maybe our batter is different in consistency because besides a tiny bit of spreading with the back of the spoon that I use to portion out the pancakes, mine naturally go into a thick but not mounded pancake shape. Try cutting back on the flour just a bit and see how that goes.
How many servings does this make? Please answer I NEED to know
24 3-inch pancakes
These are delicious! I love that the batter can be made the night before. Thanks for another keeper.
These were so good! Restaurant quality, Yum!
Hi Mel, I just wanted to say yum. Oh, and yum again. These are delicious and they were well received by my family……Even my fickle grandchildren. I did use a buttermilk substitution of dry buttermilk powder and water. The consistency was thinner and I think I’ll just cut back on the water a little bit next time. This is our new favorite!
Very good pancakes, very lite and fluffy, Makes a very big batch of pancakes.
I love you Miss Mel!. You are a delicious cook!
I love that this recipe is so adaptable! I made these egg-free (subbed 1/4 flaxseed + 3/4 C water mixed in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes till it’s thick) and dairy free (just under 4 C. almond milk + 1/4 C. white vinegar, mixed in a bowl and set to the side to thicken), and they were awesome! I did add in an extra 1/4 C. flour per your recommendation since the homemade “buttermilk” is thinner, but my pancakes were fluffy and delicious. I did whole wheat this time, but want to try white flour next. For sure the fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever made. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing!
Do you have a recipe for just a few pancakes? I am the only one who likes them. I’ve tried freezing the extras, but they don’t taste the same later. This one makes 24 pancakes.
Thank you.
Hi Judy, you could cut the recipe down (even cut it to 1/4th) which would help!
Because I cannot eat gluten, I used America’s Test Kitchen GF flour blend in equal exchange for the wheat flour. I was so happy to have tasty, cooked all the way through, gluten free, fluffy pancakes for the first time in 18 years. If you know anyone who has celiac or cannot eat gluten, they should know how easily this recipe translates to a gluten free diet. A miracle!!
That’s awesome, Barbara!
These are amazing!
We just made these this morning, and they were amazing! I made the batter last night, put it in the fridge, and my husband took it out this morning. So delicious, fluffy, and tasty! These might be our new go-to pancake recipe!
So happy to hear you loved them, Christie!
My kids say these are better than restaurant pancakes and my hubby said best I ever made thanks for another awesome recipe
Awesome! That’s high praise!
Mel, will you please share with me how to get the free e-book, “25 Best Recipes in the History of Forever”? I do subscribe to your newsletter and regular blog posts. Thank you so much!
Hi Ruth, did you receive the eBook when you signed up for the newsletter? If not, you can download it here:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Mels-Kitchen-Cafe-25-Best-Recipes-eBook.pdf
Thank you so much for the instructions! Ido not know why I did not get them previously.
BTW, the pancakes were wonderful! I put a few in the freezer to have later with peanut butter smeared on top. I can hardly wait.
Thank you so much!
These were amazing! I prepped them on a whim last night, and I’m so glad I did! I think they’ll make a reappearance on Saturday morning. Fluffiest whole wheat pancakes ever!
Perfect Saturday morning breakfast!
Well these turned out tasty! And were super easy. I didn’t have enough buttermilk so I tried your sour cream substitute, but with Greek yogurt (1 c yogurt + 1 c milk = 2 c ‘buttermilk’). Seems like it worked and made these ‘protein pancakes’!
Thanks for letting me know!
Hey Mel! I just wanted to say that I tried making these using whey leftover from yogurt making, and they turned out really well! I did mix in about 3T yogurt to the whey before adding to the mix. They were only slightly fragile, not enough to bother me at all. I am so excited to have a way to use up all of that whey!!! 4 cups–woo hoo! I am sure straight buttermilk would be even better, but I am excited about being able to use up something that I have laying around anyways. Saves on waste and money!! P.S. I used all WW flour as well. I loved how simple it was to put together.
That’s awesome!! Thanks for the detailed review…I’ll definitely try them with whey at some point.
I made these with kefir (I always sub it for buttermilk, no issues) and white whole wheat flour and they came out great. Fluffiest homemade pancakes I’ve ever made. Next time, though, I think I will use melted butter instead of oil, for more flavor.
Thanks for the review, Colleen!
I always have powdered buttermilk on hand for pancakes. Just made this batter and can’t wait to try them tonight
Powdered buttermilk is a great idea!
I used the lemon juice and milk substitute for the buttermilk and it totally gives it the wrong flavor. my battery also seemed thinner than yours, maybe the way I measured my flour. I’m going to try it again with real buttermilk or the sour cream mix. Super nice having the batter made already when I woke up!
Hi Mel!!!! I’m a LONG time reader but I don’t comment ever! But these pancakes!!!!! Heaven~ and just in time for National Pancake Day! THANK YOU- THANK YOU- THANK YOU!!!
Thanks, LeAnna!
I mixed up the batter last night and made them this morning. I LOVED that they were so easy to mix up and didn’t require a bunch of steps and different bowls! I could do it at 10:45 at night without getting annoyed 🙂 I used all WW flour, and they turned out really good. I also substituted leftover whey (with a few Tbsp of yogurt mixed back in) for the buttermilk. I have been dying to find something to use up all of my whey with. This was a winner, I’m so excited! Maybe the pancakes would be even better with buttermilk, but if they turned out as good as they did using up my whey, then I’m going to keep doing it that way to save money and waste. My kids were super excited about pancakes on a school morning.
Hi Mel, we love your overnight oatmeal pancakes so I had to try these. They were delish! I made the batter Monday night and made breakfast with them Tuesday and Wednesday morning. They tasted great both days.
Glad you loved them! Thanks for letting me know!
I am not a pancake fan, but my daughter is. As I also try to give her a hot breakfast, anything that makes this non morning person not have to work too hard first thing in the am is awesome.
These were great. I did use the lemon juice/buttermilk hack, and honestly, the texture was still noticeably different from a standard pancake. I added bananas and berries to the tops of the pancakes while they were cooking as that’s how we roll.
Big thumbs up from both me and my five year old pancake expert.
Thanks, Leslie! Glad your daughter loved them!
I am not a pancake fan, but my daughter is. As I also try to give her a hot breakfast, anything that makes this non morning person not have to work too hard first thing in the am is awesome.
These were great. I did use the lemon juice/buttermilk hack, and honestly, the texture was still noticeably different from a standard pancake. I added bananas and berries to the tops of the pancakes while they were cooking as that’s how we roll.
Big thumbs up from both me and my five year old pancake expert.
When you say it will save for a couple of days in the fridge is that with the added ingredients?
Yep!
I was wondering if I could do 1/2 plain non-fat greek yogurt & 1/2 milk for the buttermilk. I LOVE your recipes Mel!
I think that would work, Kristin!
So happy that these are mixed in one bowl, i get so cranky when I have to bust out more than one for pancakes! Thank you for another way to make my mornings easier, I love your make ahead breakfasts so much! Trying these tomorrow morning for sure.
Made these last night and had them this morning. Yummy and so easy! Thanks!
Thanks for the report back, Jen!
Hi Mel,
I received your email yesterday with this recipe and took the suggestion of another and made this last night to have breakfast for dinner tonight – or what we call in our house “dinnerfest.” The recipe looks awesome and I can’t wait to try them tonight. And then, bonus – it’s National Pancake Day today and thanks to you, we’re celebrating along with the rest of the world 🙂 As I’ve said before, you are an angel right here on Earth and I am so grateful for all of your wonderful recipes and all of the hard work you do on our behalf every day. You’re the best! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Cindy!
I love the idea of this, especially being able to prep it the night before. If I wanted to half the recipe do you think a standard packet of instant yeast would work? this is what I typically have on hand. As always you are coming up with an idea I never would have thought of, but now probably can’t live without 🙂
Hey Courtney – yes, I think you could add a packet of yeast to a half batch. That’s about 2 1/4 teaspoons usually.
Hi Mel,
I’ve been an avid reader for years but haven’t ever commented … I sort of look to you not only as a rock-star-in-the-kitchen mentor, but also a bit of a lifestyle guru 🙂
That being said, do you think you could do a post about your school-day morning routine? I would love to apply your hot-breakfast goal but I don’t know how feasible it would be!
Thanks for being just awesome!
Haha, well that might be a SUPER scary post, but I can get some details and maybe add them to the next Friday Thoughts post I do??
I am badly craving for pancakes then I saw this post. They look so delicious and I can’t wait to try them. I wish to have these pancakes ready tomorrow morning when I wake up.
Sigh….I have been going through all my printed recipes & thinning them out since I have like 6 huge 3 ring binders full of recipes (the majority are yours I will add) & just finished my breakfast section. I had something like 12 pancake recipes & I weeded out all but 2 tried & true, one buttermilk & the other sour cream & cornmeal. This intrigues me tho so guess I will add another! The idea of having them ready to cook in the morning with no fuss is holiday genius! This will be on our Easter menu for sure.
These sound great! I’m not sure about the specifics of this recipe, but I’ve recently started making buttermilk pancakes that sit out overnight (just the flour and buttermilk, the rest of the ingredients get added in the morning) and it makes the wheat more easily digestible for those with gluten sensitivities.
Hi! This seems like it would make a lot of pancakes! Do you think it would’ve better to make them all and freeze or keep some in a ziplock bag or make what I need And keep the batter in the fridge another day? Thanks in advance!!
Honestly, I think either option would work – totally depends on how quickly you want pancakes again. If it isn’t going to be within a day or two, I’d cook them all and freeze. The recipe halves great, too, if that amount of batter would work better. 🙂
I already think I have the absolutely BEST pancake recipe…but you have given me SO MANY excellent baking recipes that I also will keep an open mind and give this a try. I think I’ll have to cut the recipe in half though, because 4 cups of four would make an awful lot of pancakes for just me and my honey! I’ll write back after I try it.
Mel, where do you get your wheat for grinding?
Hi Gale – I often pick up a bag of hard white wheat berries from a grocery store in my area that carries them in bulk (Winco), but there’s also a local wheat farmer that lives about 20-30 miles north of me and I stocked up on 5 gallon buckets of wheat a couple years ago.
This is almost the same as my grandma’s recipe…and it’s always everyone’s favorite!
I’m so excited to try this one Mel. Especially excited to try them with the whole wheat flour as we are always trying to use more whole grains. Love the idea of having this all ready to go the night before too. So brilliant. Thanks!
Have you tried using this batter for waffles?
Funny you asked – I meant to try it out before posting the recipe and never got around to it, but I’m making the batter tonight and will try in the morning. 🙂
I’m curious about this too–I love waffles and don’t really like pancakes (even though we use my go-to recipe for both). I’m going to give these a try this weekend. After all, March 4th is National Pancake Day!
These look so yummy! Just hubby and I, but I would love to have these around for grandkids. Do you think they would freeze well?
Yes, the baked and cooled pancakes should freeze great! I like to let them cool in a single layer on paper towels (otherwise they tend to stick to each other if they are stacked while they are still warm).
These look great! Have you ever used your kefir in place of buttermilk in this recipe? Thanks!
Not yet! But I think it would work just fine (if you’ve used kefir as a sub, you already kind of know, probably, that it makes the baked goods or pancakes, in this case, more tender and sometimes slightly more fragile).
So excited for these! Thank you! We made crepes on Sunday morning which was so doable since I could make the batter the night for before.
Just mixed this up for my husband who fixes himself breakfast early every morning before work. Looovvveee the make-aheads that are perfect for him. Can’t wait to see how he likes this one tomorrow!:) Thank you! One question: how do you store your avacado oil? Its so thick to pour when refrigerated!
Hi Laurie – hope your husband loves the pancakes! As for the avocado oil, I just keep it in the pantry. I went just now and double checked my bottle to make sure it is ok at room temperature and there’s no instructions to store in the fridge…and it’s always worked great to keep it there!
Thank you! I’ll stop putting it in the refrigerator:). Two of my girls dipped into the pancake batter early and they loved them! They were so fluffy!
Love this! I have to teach a class this Saturday at our Stake Women’s conference on morning routines and easy make ahead breakfast and lunch ideas….can you guess where all my recipes are coming from? You, of course. This will be perfect to add to the list. Thanks!!! We LOVE pancakes at our house! I try to make them on the weekends and freeze so they can be quick and easy microwave breakfast to grab. Looking forward to trying this one this week to share this weekend. Thank Mel!
Sounds like such a fun class, Jen!
Excited to try these!!!
These look so awesome! I was wondering if you use buttermilk here or a substitute….I have been using the sour cream and milk sub lately and wondered if you think that would work here? Thanks!
Yes, I think the sour cream and milk sub would work great (I’ll add a note to the recipe)! The milk + lemon juice sub might be a bit too thin (and the only reason I hesitate to fully recommend it is because the batter will be thinner, and I’m not sure how that will affect the fluffy texture of the pancakes).
The batter was definitely thinner and it gave it a weird taste. Do the sour cream mix instead, for sure.
Can’t wait to try this! I have an overnight sourdough pancake recipe that is amazing, but these might just top that!
In addition to making it overnight for breakfast the next morning. I can see throwing it together in the morning before work and having breakfast for dinner in a matter of minutes after we all get home! Thanks for a great idea!
Yes, GREAT idea!
This is just what I am looking for! It seems like with 4 cups of flour it makes a lot of batter. Can you use it two mornings in a row, or is it better just to cook them all at once?
Absolutely! It will keep in the fridge for several days.
These look incredible!! Thank you! 🙂 I just have a quick question…do you think I could make my own buttermilk with skim milk and lemon juice for these pancakes or would that ruin them haha? Thank you 🙂
Hey Brittany – good question! I think that should work…it will be quite a bit thinner than storebought buttermilk, which means the batter will be thinner. I haven’t tried it myself, but you might want to add another 1/4 cup flour so the pancakes are fluffy instead of flat.
I tried your suggestion milk + lemon juice for the buttermilk and adding an extra 1/4 cup of flour. The pancakes were magnificent! Thank you for another great recipe.
Yay!
Good to know—Thanks so much! 🙂
If I wanted to cut this recipe into 1/4 (1 cup flour, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 egg) what should I do with the yeast amount? Also cut to 1/4? Thanks!
I’d probably use a scant teaspoon of yeast for a 1/4 recipe.
I 1/4’d the recipe and used 3/4 t of yeast. The pancakes were great, but didn’t appear to have risen/expanded overnight. So I will up the amount to a scant 1 t next time I make them. So nice to have done all the work the PM before!!
Thanks for the review on cutting down the batch, Sarah!