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If you’ve always wanted to cook up a batch of thick and fluffy style American Pancakes at the weekend but felt a little intimidated, fear not! Here is my tried and tested recipe. With a few tips and trick so they work every time.
Oh how I love American Pancakes.
Don’t get me wrong, I am an eternal, nostalgic fan of our traditional British pancakes that we eat in abundance on Shrove Tuesday.
(For any non-Brits out there, these are flat and have fewer ingredients, more like French crêpes. They can be eaten with sweet or savoury accompaniments, but we traditionally eat them on Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday, which marks the start of lent, with sugar and lemon juice sprinkled over.)
But since our family trip to the USA, where I also discovered the divine Philly Cheesesteak, I found myself on a quest to perfect those delicious fluffy American Pancakes.
After much trying (and testing), I am happy to say these are now firmly on my weekend breakfasts/brunch list, and I can’t get enough of them, and I get constant requests from the kids too.
They only take about 30 minutes to make, however full disclaimer: they’re not totally fuss free, so do follow the tips and tricks below first and you’ll be away.
Why you’ll love this easy American Pancakes recipe
⭐️ Perfect for weekend breakfasts
⭐️ Delicious, fluffy and ready for toppings
⭐️ Simple store cupboard ingredients
Sarah’s Notes
If you’re not familiar with them, American Pancakes have a raising agent added to give them a squidgy, thick and fluffy consistency.
My favourite way to eat them is the most typical, with maple syrup and streaky bacon, but lots of other toppings also work, especially berries and bananas, or something sweeter like Nutella or whipped cream.
This foolproof recipe includes some important tips to note, such as leaving the batter to rest for a while (like we do with Yorkshire Puddings) and when to flip them over, as well as how to serve a batch up warm.
Don’t forget the all-important baking powder, which really needs to be in date. I discovered this at my peril during my first attempt at these, when they were flat and hard because mine had expired!
I found my pancakes became 100% reliable as soon as I followed these small steps without fail, and now I can make a batch with my eyes shut – they’re actually really easy to make.
American Pancake Ingredients
- Self-raising flour – You might be used to using plain flour for British pancakes, but self-raising has a raising agent and makes lighter bakes, so this helps with the fluffy consistency of American-style.
- Baking powder – This also helps to stop the pancakes being flat. Make sure yours is in date or it won’t have the same effect!
- Milk – You can use whichever milk you prefer for this recipe. Cow’s milk or dairy-free all work fine.
- Egg – I always use medium, free-range eggs in my recipes, so bear this in mind when it comes to quantities.
- Caster sugar – We’re only using 50g/2oz in this recipe, so considering this batch makes 12 pancakes, it’s not too sugar-heavy. This is the same as superfine, bar or baker’s sugar.
- Other ingredients – You’ll also need a small amount of salt and sunflower oil to cook (roughly 1tsp per 2 pancakes).
How to make American Pancakes
1. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and stir until combined, as per the full recipe below.
2. In a jug, measure the milk and whisk in the egg.
3. Add about two-thirds of the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add the rest of the milk mixture. Leave to sit, covered as per the recipe below.
4. Heat the oil in the pan, dollop a serving spoon of batter into the pan to make each pancake (as many as your pan can make at a time). Keep the cooked ones warm on a heat in the oven.
Hint: Wait until bubbles form all over the surface of the pancake before flipping it to cook the other side until set and lightly golden.
Important Top PANCAKE Tips!
⭐️ Leave the batter to rest before frying – approximately 10 minutes
⭐️ Don’t over-mix the batter or they won’t be light and fluffy. Stop when everything is smooth
⭐️ Use 2 non-stick frying pans at once if you can to reduce the cooking time
⭐️ Don’t flip your pancakes over until bubbles form and come through to the uncooked side, then cook the other side until set and lightly golden (this side will be much quicker)
⭐️ Cook as many pancakes as you can at a time and then keep them on a low heat in the oven as the remainders cook – this allows you to serve them at the same time
⭐️ Accept that they will never be perfectly round! Unless you have the patience to cook one at a time – I do not – just embrace the imperfections!
Substitutions
- Gluten free pancakes – You can adapt these by using gluten free flour and baking powder.
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep leftover pancakes in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat fully by before serving.
In the freezer If you’d like to freeze them for another day, make sure you do so in a single layer on baking paper initially, then transfer them into a sealed container or freezer bags to store for up to 3 months.
When you’re reading to eat them, defrost and reheat thoroughly in the oven, microwave or in the toaster.
FAQs
You can make them traditionally American and serve them with crispy, streaky bacon and maple syrup if you like, or blueberries. You can add these at the batter stage too.
I also love these with Greek yoghurt, honey and a sprinkling of flaked almonds.
Really though, you can add whatever you like!
This might be because you haven’t allowed the raising agents to do the work by resting, or your baking powder has expired, or maybe you have over-mixed the batter. Try not to over-do it as we want a light and fluffy mixture.
I do! Try my Blueberry & Oat Breakfast Muffins, my Peanut Butter & Banana Breakfast Cookies or Slow Cooker Porridge.
My make-ahead Breakfast Muffins are great for breakfast-on-go and my Shakshuka with chorizo is a hot breakfast that’s easy but impressive. Not forgetting a classic Full English Breakfast, of course!
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
American Pancakes {Easy & Fluffy}
Ingredients
- 300 g (1.75 cups) Self-raising flour
- 50 g (0.25 cups) Caster sugar
- 4 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 400 ml (1.75 cups) Milk, Your choice
- 1 Egg, Medium, free range
- 6 tsp Sunflower oil, Approx. x1 tsp per 2 pancakes
Instructions
- Make your batter first: Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and stir until combined.
- In a jug, measure the milk and whisk in the egg.
- Add about two-thirds of the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add the rest of the milk mixture. Leave to sit, covered, for 10 minutes.
- To serve warm in a batch: Preheat the oven to the lowest setting to keep the pancakes warm when cooked.
- Start to cook your pancakes: In the meantime, heat 1 tsp of oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Alternatively, use 2 frying pans to speed up cooking time.
- Dollop a serving spoon full of batter into the pan to make a pancake. (I try to fit 2 pancakes in each pan at a time, depending on the size of the frying pan).
- When to flip: When bubbles form all over the surface of the pancake, flip to cook the other side until set and lightly golden.
- When cooked: Transfer the pancakes to a serving dish in the oven to keep warm while you make the remaining pancakes – the batter makes about 12 in total, adding more oil when needed.
Did you make this recipe? Click here to let us know how it went and give it a ⭐️ rating! Your feedback helps us to make more recipes you really want.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutritional values are per portion unless otherwise stated.
This post was originally published on February 14, 2024 and updated later to make improvements.
Made these at the weekend… big hit! I was a bit worried they’d be hard to make but followed all the tips and they turned out perfect.
I searched for ages to find the right recipe, this one is perfect. First time I made it I later found out my baking powder had expired! So quick nip to the shop to get some fresh and these are now my go to pancake recipe. The mix makes loads so you definitely need an appetite! I made some mini ones to dunk in sauce, they went down well too.
Thankyou so much! ❤️
Really lovely easy recipe, added chocolate chips to ours. Only thing that holds this back is i feel that the baking powder was too much. I wonder if baking powder is exactly the same in every country?
Going to adjust that next time.
Absolutely delicious and really easy to make!!
Brilliant recipe use it all the time thanks
Loved this recipe, will the mixture keep for a couple of days?
Fantastic recipe, made for my boys with the intention of freezing for easy school breakfasts. They turned out great! Husband is a fan this is likely to be a firm favourite. If you dont already follow Sarah she is a wonderful source of inspiration for family dinners and just lovely meals/snack ideas.
I follow Sarah on instagram and have used a few of her recipes and they’re always great!! First time trying her pancake recipe and wow!!! So so fluffy and thick!! Best we’ve ever tried! Thank you!!
Just made the pancakes, they were perfect! Thank you for sharing☺️