The Best Pancake Recipe

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The Best Pancake Recipe – This tasty pancake recipe is easy and has a secret ingredient that gives them the perfect fluffy pancake consistency.

Three sour cream pancakes stacked on a plate

My whole family loves this pancake recipe.  This has become my go-to when we want pancakes for breakfast on the weekends.

What’s the secret ingredient that makes these pancakes the best?  Sour cream.  It may sound strange but it really works!

These sour cream pancakes have a butter crisp outside and the inside is so soft it’s almost creamy.  To balance the flavor of the sour cream, I added more sugar.  So these are actually sweeter pancakes than most.  So good!

The pancake batter is made in one bowl, making this pancake recipe easy!

Close up of the soft fluffy insides of three stacked pancakes

How to make pancakes:

  • In a large bowl, add milk and sour cream.
  • Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
  • Whisk together.

A mixing bowl with milk, sour cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla for the best pancake recipe

  • Add flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Stir until just combined (this batter will be VERY lumpy).

A mixing bowl with the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients for the best pancake recipe

  • Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.
  • Pour pancake batter into the skillet (about ¼ cup for each pancake).

The best pancake batter being poured into a hot buttered skillet

  • Cook 3-4 minutes (bubbles will form on the top of the pancakes).
  • Flip and cook 1-2 minutes.

Bubbles forming on the top of pancake batter before flipping over

Top with maple syrup, fresh fruit, fruit syrup, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.

The best pancakes stacked with butter and maple syrup on them

Looking for more great breakfast recipes?  Try these:

Watch the step by step video for The Best Pancake Recipe below:

Find more of my recipes on TikTok

Close up of the soft fluffy insides of three stacked pancakes

The Best Pancake Recipe

5 from 135 votes
Best Pancake Recipe - This tasty pancake recipe is easy and has a secret ingredient that gives them the perfect fluffy pancake consistency.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Video

Servings 12 pancakes
Calories 113 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Butter for greasing the pan -about 3 tablespoons
  • Maple syrup for serving

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, add the milk, sour cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until combined. It’s ok to have small lumps of sour cream.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir just until no large clumps of dry flour remain, trying not to over mix. The batter should be very lumpy.
  • Melt about ½ tablespoon of butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat until lightly bubbling and light brown.
  • Ladle the batter into the skillet making 3-4 pancakes (about ¼ cup of batter each). Cook 3-4 minutes, until bubbles form on top of each pancake and the bottoms are golden brown.
  • Flip the pancakes. Cook 1-2 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown.
  • Carefully wipe out any excess browned butter with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining butter and pancake batter.
  • Serve warm with maple syrup.

Notes

Nutrition information does not include butter for cooking or toppings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/12th of the recipe | Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 138mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 0.9mg
Course Breakfast, brunch
Keyword best pancake recipe, how to make pancakes, pancake recipe easy
Cuisine American
Author Amanda Finks
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Comments

  1. Definitely the best pancake recipe ever!! Don’t need syrup or anything in order to eat the scrumptious things!

    Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!

  2. 5 stars
    Fabulous. I got distracted while making them and forgot the sugar. Didn’t miss it at all. Love the tang of the sour cream. Definitely a keeper.

  3. 5 stars
    Through out the bisquick and instant pancake mix!
    There is a better pancake recipe out there put out by King Arthur Flour but it’s time consuming and labor intensive.
    If you’re looking for a quick excellent pancake batter in both taste and texture this is it.
    So good I had to write a review before finishing my breakfast.

  4. 5 stars
    I just made these pancakes and all I can say is OMG! I have made different kinds of pancakes BUT these are the most delicious ones I have ever eaten. I believe the sour cream is the key to their flavor. I am so glad I spotted this recipe and decided to try it. I will be making them from now on. Thank you for posting this recipe on Pinterest.

  5. 5 stars
    Absolutely wonderful.the only thing I did different was add powdered buttermilk instead of milk and it was absolutely perfect. Thank you.

  6. 5 stars
    These are really good. Nice and fluffy, not too sweet, a little tang from the sour cream. Add blueberries or strawberries or chocolate chips or cream cheese frosting or walnuts or whatever. Versatile and easy and delicious!

  7. 5 stars
    We absolutely love this recipe and have been making it for the last couple years I believe! Hands down the best and easiest. I do have a question though…How far in advance can this be made for prep to expedite breakfast for dinner?? Thank you for this recipe!!

  8. 5 stars
    Your right, the best pancakes I have made to date which I make often. Especially today being Shrove Tuesday and half I made this recipe.
    I added fresh blueberries which added to the excellent flavour of the pancakes

  9. 5 stars
    My granddaughter & I tried numerous pancake recipes & this is definitely our favorite. She requests it quite often while spending time with us. I was out of sour cream so I substituted it with yogurt & they were just as good. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.

    1. 5 stars
      Only pancakes I make!! They are truly the best. Do you think I can use buttermilk I have in the fridge instead of milk this time?

  10. 5 stars
    When they say this recipe is foolproof they are not kidding! The man I am seeing got called into work on a Saturday leaving his kids home alone. I made due with what was in the house which meant instead of milk I used half and half and light coconut milk and instead of sour cream I used no fat Greek yogurt. Voted by all 3 kids to be the best pancakes they have ever had!

  11. 5 stars
    I’ve been trying out various pancake recipes every time I get a request for them from my boys. This one was the winner by a unanimous vote. I think the sour cream adds so much to the flavor, and the texture is perfect. Light but fluffy, and full of flavor. This is going to be my go-to pancake batter.
    Thank you for sharing it!

  12. 5 stars
    I had a bunch of leftover Mexican crema so I gave this recipe a go and it really is the best pancake recipe! The fluffiest I’ve ever made!

  13. 5 stars
    Just made these. Wow! Definitely fluffy and such a good mix of ingredients. Thanks for adding that you put more sugar due to the sour cream. It made a difference.

  14. 5 stars
    Truly is the Best Pancake Recipe ever! Mixed the whole batter, turned around, and found the 2 eggs on the counter. Ugh. Mixed them in and let the batter rest a few minutes before baking and they were still delicious! Enjoyed by all. Thank you for a delicious foolproof recipe.

  15. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe! It took me back to my childhood when my father would make us blueberry fritters. They were a thin crêpe like pancake with blueberries, we would eat them for dinner. These are a little thicker in consistency, but the taste is phenomenal. I highly recommend this recipe! I might try thinning the batter out to re-create my dad‘s recipe. Again thank you

  16. 5 stars
    I fill a small bowl with fresh organic blueberries and pour 1/2 cup of maple syrup over them and microwave for 30 seconds.

  17. 5 stars
    Wonderful! My family agreed they were the best batch yet! I intended to try the recipe as written but as I got going realized I didn’t have enough sour cream. I substituted 1 cup of light vanilla greek yogurt (I had made a double batch) and it worked perfectly! I can’t comment on what the sour cream would have done differently but they were so good!! Thanks!

  18. 5 stars
    Made this today for breakfast for dinner. This recipe lives up to its name! Smiles and full bellies all around the table. Thanks for sharing.

    1. 5 stars
      I didn’t have regular milk so I used the chocolate almond milk and LET ME TELL YOU! Absolutely delicious! 10 out of 10 would recommend!

  19. 5 stars
    My family loves this recipe! We’ve been using it for quite awhile now & will continue to use it! My husband & I were just talking about how difficult it would be to go back to a store bought pancake mix. Thanks for sharing!

  20. 5 stars
    Making these for dinner as I type this. I’m actually eating them as I am cooking….. 5/5 for sure. I’ve been having poor luck with all recipes or whatever popped up first on my Google search for pancakes. Some batter I used was so thick and fluffy but dry… but this recipe is banging. Loved the texture.

  21. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious, made them for my great grandchildren and they literally disappeared. Then made them again with buttermilk and they were just as good, yummy!

  22. 5 stars
    I added a few Tablespoons of oil which kept the pancakes super moist and tender but with a perfect texture. They were delicious and next time I wil sauté apple slices with cinnamon and add a few of them to each pancake. Thanks fir the ingenuity use of the sour cream. I will also turn this into a GF recipe fir my shag family. Win win!

  23. 5 stars
    I tried this recipe tonight and really enjoyed it. Like some the mix was too thin so I added more flour. Everything about the pancake was perfect. The next batch I make will be using buttermilk hope they come out the same as with the regular milk. It’s just that I prefer buttermilk pancakes.

    1. I don’t know that I would use buttermilk as a replacement for the milk, rather I’d use it as a replacement for the sour cream. The acid in both act the same in the baking process. If you sub the milk you may end up with too much acid. Since buttermilk is thinner than sour cream I might sub the sour cream + reduce the amount of milk to even out the liquid (1/2c buttermilk and 3/4c milk).

  24. 5 stars
    These are amazingly fluffy and will be my go to recipe for our pancakes from now on. I did have fresh blueberries so I added some of them and a tad of lemon zest to ours. They were so, so good! Husbby was super impressed and he knows what good pancakes should be like! He commented these were the best he has had.

  25. 5 stars
    My son and I both agreed that these are the best pancakes I’ve ever made. Truly “the Best Pancake Recipe”! I used full fat yogurt instead of sour cream because it’s what I had and added a bit of baking soda because I’m used to that with soured milk. Also subbed in 1/3rd cup whole wheat / spelt flour mix just to up the nutrients. Wouldn’t have known there was any whole grain flour – they were so incredibly light and fluffy. Good directions on the number of minutes before flipping etc, for those of us who aren’t super experienced pancake makers.

    Thanks!!

  26. 5 stars
    Their so fluffy and tasty I honestly didn’t think were going to come out good even though I forgot to add the sugar.🤭🤭🤭

  27. 5 stars
    I wish I would have taken a picture, these were perfect. I have never made them from scratch before and what a hit, no more box mixes for us. All on hand ingredients, easy to make and delicious and fluffy. My husband made multiple comments on how good they were.. I was pretty proud of myself. Home Run! Thank you!!!

  28. Great recipe. Tried them for the first time this morning. My grandson loved them as did the rest of us. Thanks for a great recipe. My new favorite go to!

  29. 5 stars
    This is the second time I made these pancakes and they are great. I did a half batch and they turned out just the same and was easy to divide which was awesome. I like how you just put together easy ingredients. No buttermilk needed!

  30. 5 stars
    Yeah, the best I ever had. Light, and go down easy. They’re so good you really don’t need toppings. Great job on finding this recipe.

    1. I think it’s your measurement.
      The milk was 1 cup or 8 ounces.
      Flour 1 and a 1/2 cup
      I used a 1 cup and a 1/2 cup to make sure to be persiste.

      The best pancake I’ve ever made. This is my third making pancake from scratch and this recipe is hands down my favorite. Try it again🥞 and have a great day.

  31. 5 stars
    Amazing! I didn’t have sour cream so I used Greek yogurt. I also substituted oat milk for cow milk. Even with both of these adjustments the pancakes were amazing. Thanks for a great recipe!!

  32. 5 stars
    Awesome, easy recipe!
    The Pancakes were fluffy and delicious!
    Adding fresh blueberries made them even better.
    Definitely keep this recipe!!

    I converted to 1/2 portion for 2 people.

  33. 5 stars
    Oh my gosh! My husband and I have been on the search for the best pancake recipe…WOW! We used greek yogurt because we always have that on hand…they were so delicious and fluffy!! Thank you!

  34. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! Delicious! I usually make waffles because The pancake recipes i try, are a disappointment.. too dry, not sweet enough, no flavor, too fluffy or not fluffy enough.. this recipe has flavor, it’s perfectly fluffy. The batter threw me off because all I could smell was the sour cream but once it’s cooked then you won’t notice the sour cream.

  35. I think a 1/2 a tablespoon isn’t enough butter. I used 2 tablespoons and the pancakes got crispy on the outside and cakey on the inside.

  36. Taste great…but no fluffiness😢 They stayed flat as a crèpe😳
    Followed measurements to a “T”!
    Use lactosefree milk…

    ??????

    1. You might need new baking powder if you’re not getting any rise. Using something like Lactaid shouldn’t make any difference with pancakes.

    2. Did you check the date on your baking powder? If your baking powder is past the expiration date then you need to get new baking powder.

    3. Sometimes I let the batter sit for about 5 or 10 minutes before cooking. Also don’t over mix it. It’s okay to have a few small lumps.
      Hope this helps.

    4. 5 stars
      hi Patricia,

      Just problem solving for you because they turned out great for me (nothing like crepes which I make regularly)… perhaps your baking powder is old. Also, I added a good 1/4 tsp baking soda because that usually accompanies sours (vinegar, sour cream, etc). Other probs could be overmixing (keep it lumpy and dry flour barely gone) as well as letting batter sit too long before cooking.

  37. 5 stars
    Hi there!
    I made these for my first time to make pancakes ever and they were absolutely delicious! Easy straightforward recipe, and the pictures made it helpful for first time pancake-makers like me to make sure we’re on the right track as we went along. I only had light sour cream and, in the spirit of quarantine, just used that and they were still fantastic! Absolutely delicious! I’m adding them to my recipe binder now. Thank you so much for sharing! Always a thrill to find delicious, easy go-to recipes! 🙂
    Debbie

    1. And I sub out 1/2 cup wheat bran fir flour, add a few Tablespoons of vegetable oil, and increase milk little till it’s thin as I like. Out of this world!

  38. I followed the the recipe exactly as stated but I thought that they were too eggy for my taste. Like thick crepes. Sorry

  39. This recipe uses baking powder, does it not require baking soda as well? I’m only inquiring because usually the two items are paired together in recipes.

  40. 5 stars
    I was sceptical making this recipe, but in fact it’s fantastic. Probably my favourite pancake recipe so far. Not to mention how easy is it to make.

  41. I struggled a little with the fluffiness. The first time I whisked it too much. It had no lumps so it turned into a very tasty crepe. LOL I did it again today and the lumps had flour in them and the pancakes were still crepe-like. Any suggestions?

  42. 5 stars
    I just wanted to say, I found this pancake recipe a couple years ago and I make them almost every Saturday. My kids don’t like any other recipe if I try to mix it up. It’s great! Thank you!

  43. 5 stars
    Delicious! I made with Greek yogurt as I didn’t have sour cream And added a little vanilla bean paste. Think I’ll stick to that from now on. My Grandgirls loved them.

  44. 5 stars
    Amazingly delicious! I subbed plain Greek yogurt for sour cream and followed the rest of the recipe. They came out light and fluffy. Will definitely make again. Thanks

  45. 5 stars
    I haven’t made pancakes for a while, I decided to try these. These pancakes are delicious, I will look no farther these are the ones I make for now on.

  46. 5 stars
    These pancakes were excellent! Even delicious with nothing on them. Thank you so much for this recipe I will be making these again!

  47. 5 stars
    Whenever I see a recipe with five stars and a good amount of reviews I feel like I have to try it. These did not disappoint. Even though it says not to overmix I kinda had to because my son asked me to make rainbow pancakes and I had to get the food coloring mixed in. Regardless they were delish!! I can’t wait to try it again without food coloring 🤣

  48. 5 stars
    My husband likes sweet so sugar was fine, if you don’t then reduce it. Super fluffy so make sure the batter spreads out when cooking. Followed someone’s recommendation to cook in coconut oil and that was great.

  49. 5 stars
    Takes no time to whip up and they are so good. Great fluffy texture. Best pancakes I’ve ever had.

  50. 5 stars
    Just tried these pancakes this morning and let me tell you they are the bomb. Best ones I have ever made from scratch. Will be using this recipe from now on.

  51. 5 stars
    Finally, THE pancake recipe to keep. It’s even good with gluten free flour, which is saying a lot.

  52. 5 stars
    really amazing texture! I”ve tried several different recipes and I think these are the best. I think it’s the sour cream making it a really nice texture. they aren’t fry and they have a little bit of sweetness but not too much without the syrup. cook them on low bc they can burn easy! I did like a minute or a little over on each side. I also left the batter in the fridge for a little bit and they turned out amazing! totally recommend!

  53. 5 stars
    Absolutely love this recipe! I’m visiting my daughter and didn’t have my go to pancake recipe with me so I looked one up. This is the one I settled on and it’s way better and much easier than the one I’ve been using for years. Thank you for sharing! This is our NEW go to recipe for pancakes from now on. 😍

  54. I have no idea why these pancakes are marked at 5.0 stars.
    I wish I could leave a photo of how my pancakes turned out. I followed the recipe exactly and it was only when I took the sour cream out of the mix is when they came out like actual pancakes. Do not recommend.

  55. 5 stars
    Best pancake recipe EVER!💜 I added a pinch of cinnamon, and 1 grate of fresh nutmeg. I made plain and blueberry, and WOW! Thank you for a great recipe 🙏🏾🙏🏾

  56. 5 stars
    I have made the cake by following your recipe. I wish I could send you the picture, it looks amazing. It was delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂

  57. 5 stars
    Made these for breakfast and thought they turned out great. Love the addition of sour cream and they came together in a snap.

  58. 5 stars
    Thanks for this lovely recipe. It’s our go-to pancake. We’re at 5,300 feet and we make it exactly per recipe. It never disappoints. We’ve also subbed yogurt for sour cream and like them both ways.

  59. 5 stars
    Really the best!
    I just added extra vanilla because I live for it and used almond milk instead of regular milk, it came out unbelievable!!! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so many pancakes in one setting 🥞😍🥞😍🥞😍🥞

  60. 5 stars
    Seriously SO good! The most fluffy and delicious pancakes I’ve made! I did replace sugar with swerve and used Greek yogurt in replace of sour cream. I’ll be making these again:)

  61. 5 stars
    Made these this morning, exactly as the recipe called for. These were outstanding! My 21 year old son, who is a foodie, proclaimed these “very good” and a “definite do-over”. I have a recipe book that I write down the recipes that are a hit with my family. This recipe will be going into that book today. Thank you for this little keeper!

  62. Any chance of using non-dairy milk for just the milk portion on this recipe? We usually have cashew milk or other nut milks.

  63. 5 stars
    Delicious! Thank you for the great recipe! My teenagers loved it for our lazy Saturday morning. So fluffy and reminiscent of Cracker Barrel’s!

  64. 5 stars
    Holy cow these ARE the BEST pancakes ever truly. Perfect. Don’t change a thing (ok except I used a 1/2 C scoop)

  65. 5 stars
    Best pancake mix I’ve tried thank-you Can you tell me if the batter can be made and put in the fridge over night @and it I emit the sour cream and sugar can I use the batter for fritters ? Once again a great recipe

  66. 5 stars
    To make them a little healthier, I used Greek Yogurt in place of the sour cream. Delicious! These will be our go-to pancake recipe! So light and fluffy and the yogurt adds a little protein.

  67. I added a bit more sugar and cocoa to the mix. Tasted similar to fudge when slightly under cooked 🙂 thanks!

  68. 5 stars
    We make this recipe almost every weekend! The kiddos love it. I can’t get away with a box anymore lol.

  69. 5 stars
    These pancakes are sooooo delicious! Added fresh blueberries and used buttermilk instead of milk. They were amazing!

  70. 5 stars
    I really like this recipe for pancakes! I tried it for the first time last night. I didn’t have sour cream, so I used chabini greek yogurt. And I really craving some sweet yummy pancakes, so I did about 3/4 the amount of sugar and divided the batter into 3 portions. In each portion one of each: organic wild blueberries, mini chocolate chips, and about 1/4 – 1/3 nutella. They all turned out amazing! I really love this pancake recipe!!! Thanks!!!

  71. 5 stars
    This recipe is to die for. My I-only-eat-boxed-pancake 6yr old devours this every time (except when I put bananas!) he is now the pancake ninja! Lol

    I rarely make the full batch, as it’s only 2 of us eating it. I half it with no problems and it’s delicious.

    I add cinnamon cos anything sweet made with flour tastes better with it! Thank you!!!

  72. 5 stars
    These pancakes are delicious! I made a couple changes to the recipe. I only used about 2T of sugar and I separated the whites from the eggs, beat them into stiff peaks, and folded them into the batter after I’d mixed up everything else. We added bananas…. yum.

  73. 5 stars
    I’ve struggled with pancake recipes all my life. This one was just perfect. Perfect !!! I made a blueberry version of it. They’re fluffy and so delicious. I’m so relieved I can stop looking now.

  74. 5 stars
    Phenomenal Pancakes! Hubby said best he’s ever tasted! I substituted whole milk plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream for extra protein 🙂 Delish!!!

    Thank you for sharing this recipe ^_^ Looking forward to trying more!

  75. 5 stars
    I’ve used sour cream or yogurt – whatever I have on hand, for decades. So this is not a new idea. Their addition seems to allow the pancakes to turn an even golden brown and of course adds a subtle flavor variation. Yes, buttermilk will accomplish the same thing, but you need to adjust for liquid differences.

  76. 5 stars
    These were delicious! I even used egg substitute, Trivia, and light sour cream. This will definitely replace my box mix.
    Thank you!

  77. 5 stars
    This recipe is the best I’ve tried. The pancakes were still fluffy after I added more milk and a bit of rice water. I added about two tablespoons of mexican crema that had thickened like sour cream, 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 1 teaspoon of butter flavoring. The pancakes cooked excellent. This recipe scores high for me in regards to the texture of the pancakes. Thank you!

  78. That’s a lot of sugar, could I reduce it? We use buttermilk in Northern Ireland, could I use it instead of the milk and cream?

    1. 5 stars
      Yes indeed you can use buttermilk, but then your making buttermilk pancakes and not these pancakes with sour cream which makes them fluffy much like buttermilk does.

  79. Has anyone tried Greek yogurt substitution for the sour cream? When I bake bread, it’s a one for one substitution. I’m just curious because I sometimes bake on a whim so I may not have all the ingredients.

  80. 5 stars
    Made them tonite for dinner they were delicious. The little one loved making them with me…really good and recipe is easy to follow…we have a new recipe we love for pancakes..thanks for sharing

  81. 5 stars
    These pancakes look so delicious and fluffy, and I really appreciate the step by step photos.
    Love the idea of the sour cream, too. I often use Greek yogurt in cooking as I find it has a similar result to sour cream. Got to try these soon!

    1. 5 stars
      Either I was really hungry or, these are the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten. Yes, definitely , the best pancakes ever. Thank you.

  82. 5 stars
    Everyone needs a go-to pancake recipe! I’ve struggled nailing mine down, and I’m looking forward to next weekend so I can try this one out!

About Amanda Finks

I’m a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Zionsville, IN. I’m an avid cook, travel nerd, & lover of good food! I’m trained in Food Science & recipe development. It’s my mission to bring you the BEST recipes your whole family will love!

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