Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe (2024)

As with any buttermilk batter recipe, this works best if you let the batter sit at room temperature for about a half-hour. The buttermilk will work its magic and thicken the batter, making for super-fluffy pancakes. By cooking immediately, you're completely defeating the purpose of using the buttermilk.

Any reason why the eggs aren't lightly beaten before adding to pancake mixture? I thought over mixing was to be avoided, and it seems that mixing whole unbeaten eggs would risk this. Thoughts from the pancake experts?

A generous teaspoon of Vanilla extract makes a big difference in my experience (or 1-inch+ scraped vanilla bean).

This is my new go to recipe. I don't make any changes, but I do find that the batter is thicker if you let it sit for about 10 minutes or so after mixing everything together. It spreads like crazy if you cook right away.

This is my "go-to" Saturday morning pancake recipe. I kick it up with two teaspoons of vanilla in the batter.When I die, I want to be buried in a vat filled with Grey Goose vodka and the NYT buttermilk pancake batter.

325? Some if my pancakes were more like cookies by the end. 200 degrees is plenty to keep pancakes warm. (And heat some plates to serve!)

I regularly cook in both the US and the UK, and I have made these pancakes several times in each place. In my experience, buttermilk can vary a lot in thickness. The buttermilk I purchase in the US is consistently thinner than in the UK. Reading the notes of other cooks, it appears that the thickness varies even within the US, since some cooks comment on the extreme thinness of the batter, while others find the opposite. Start with 1/4 to 1/2 c. less buttermilk, adjusting as necessary.

These didn't turn out right for me--too thin and liquidy. I feel fairly certain that was due to an excess of milk. Looking at other pancake recipes I regularly use, the quantity of flour and milk is the same, but here there's a 1/2 cup more of buttermilk. If I try these again I'd reduce the milk.

I always beat the eggs and combine with the melted butter and buttermilk then add to the dry ingredients. If you read the "How to Make Pancakes" article cited above, the reason they are added directly to the dry ingredients is so there is one less bowl to clean.

I have tried many recipes for pancakes, including some others from NY Times Cooking. This is by far the best-fluffy and full of flavor. I made the recipe for 2 people and added blueberries and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Beautiful and delicious.

I fix a lot of pancakes - once a week breakfast for high school boys at church and Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper too. Want better lighter pancakes - change the flour. Use unbleached self-rising biscuit flour, not all purpose. You want soft wheat flour, not hard wheat flour. Want to make them really bad use bread flour. We use 10 percent sugar, and lots of butter. (That is about 160 pancakes each Thursday morning, and 1600 for Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper).

Excellent recipe. My go-to for pancakes has always been the one in Joy of Cooking, which requires you to separate the whites from the egg yokes and then make an almost-meringue, before folding everything back into the batter. The result was unfailingly fluffy cakes. Was VERY skeptical about this method, but the result were amazing. This method is so much quicker, since there's no need to beat the egg whites.

I used yogurt for some of the buttermilk, and the pancakes were fantastic.Great with orange zest, marmalade and vanilla in the batter.

Crunch on the outside! Yum. I added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. With the vanilla in, some family members skip syrup.

I didn’t have buttermilk, so I used 1.5 cups of plain yogurt and a cup of milk. They turned out very fluffy and delicious. I think the 325 oven is intended to cook the pancakes through, if they haven’t cooked through on the stove top. I put my stove on low instead and kept them warm in a 200 degree oven. Probably takes a little longer this way.

Used 1 1/4 cup sour cream mixed with 1 1/4 cup water instead of buttermilk and used batter for waffles instead of pancakes and they came out fantastic. Froze extras and reheated for the next morning and they are just as great. Highly recommend!

ExcellentUsed 1/2 whole wheat flour Added one overripe banana Added blueberriesDouble next time

The best pancakes ever. Easy to make. My kids and husband love them

This recipe is nails. Thank you to J. Scott Wilson for his tip on letting the batter sit for 30 minutes before cooking, too.

I don’t know who has been feeding Alison salty pancakes, but the recipe as written has enough salt to choke a horse. I dial back the salt to 1/2 tsp or even 1/4 tsp, and I’ll add another tablespoon of sugar and the batter still stays balanced. You can also dial back the buttermilk to 2 cups and the recipe turns out fine, as it’s easiest to find buttermilk in the store in pint-size (2 cup) containers.

Just made these for International Pancake Day and they did not disappoint. So easy, so fluffy, so delicious. Much too good to save for once a year. They will now be on full “Breakfast for Dinner “ duty!!

Made these exactly as directed. Did not warm in oven. I was skeptical with the 2 cups of milk in a well (it just spilled over immediately so the well was a joke). I did let it sit 15 minutes because of the buttermilk. They were delicious and fluffy. The key as mentioned several times is to let it sit at least 10 minutes to let the buttermilk react with the baking powder and soda to add fluffy bubbles. Never going back to any other recipe. We got 14 pancakes ladled out with this recipe.

Only need 1 tablespoon oil for the whole recipe, wait til golden brown to flip

This has become our go-to Sunday breakfast, with or without blueberries, strawberry and/or banana slices dropped over the poured pancakes. I enjoy Alison's fearless and creative use of flavors in all of her recipes. She has brought a new dimension into my cooking. I find her videos always candid, entertaining, and informative. Retired, I cashier a couple afternoons a week at a specialty food shop, and encourage checking out her recipes to novice and experienced home cooks.

Pretty tasty Almanzo Wilder style if brown sugar and butter are added in between the layers of a hot stack.

added ripe bananas and chopped walnuts, everyone loved them! used one less tablespoon of sugar because of the bananas...

I followed everything to a tee and these were the worst pancakes I’ve ever made! I was so excited to try this for Sunday morning breakfast with my family and I ended having to throw all of them out. The pancakes were not fluffy, they were stodgy and they were so so tangy. Definitely way too much buttermilk in this recipe! I read a comment about letting the batter sit for 1/2 an hour prior to using it, but I don’t think that would have helped the awful taste of them.

Great and easy recipe. I didn’t have buttermilk so I made my own using non-dairy yogurt, oat milk and a squeeze of lemon. Also used Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gf flour. Be sure to add one teaspoon of vanilla and you won’t be sorry. It is important to let this batter sit and absorb. Fluffy yet moist pancakes. Excellent!