Our American Buttermilk Pancakes are flavoured with cinnamon and a real family favourite recipe. This recipe for these Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes is so easy the kids can now make their own.
If you want a sweet treat, fast then our homemade buttermilk pancakes are the recipe for you as the batter takes minutes to prepare and the pancakes are cooked quickly in a non-stick pan on the stove top.
We show you just how easy it is to make your own Fluffy Buttermilk pancakes at home and they taste superior to any store bought pancake.
The buttermilk pancake mixture is flavoured with ground cinnamon, which is delicious, but entirely optional. You can then top your pancakes as you like them. We have topped ours with a freshly made blueberry compote (blueberry syrup).
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- The best pancake recipe for feeding a crowd as you can double of treble the pancake batter.
- Uses simple ingredients that most of us will have in our store cupboards.
- Quick to prepare these American Buttermilk Pancakes are perfect for a lazy weekend brunch.
How to make buttermilk pancakes from scratch:
- Look out and measure all the ingredients, ready to start.
- Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine.
- In a measuring jug, add the buttermilk, milk, vanilla extract and egg. Whisk together until well combined.
- Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients a little at a time. Whisk continually until you have a smooth, lump-free batter.
- Add the melted butter to the batter and whisk to smooth.
- Allow the batter to sit for 10 minutes (or longer if time allows) while you heat up a frying pan.
- Place a non-stick frying pan over a medium/high heat and add a drop of oil to grease the pan.
- If using a small pan make one pancake at a one at a time. If using a large pan or griddle add what the surface can easily cook, taking care not to overcrowd the pan to allow space for easily flipping the pancakes.
- Add the batter to the hot pan a ladle or scoop at a time. One ladle will be enough for one pancake.
- Once air bubbles are visible on top of the pancake, approximately 2 minutes, flip the pancake over. Allow the pancake to cook for a further minute then remove and rest on a warm plate covered with a tea towel.
- Continue this process until all the pancake batter has been used up.
- Serve warm with toppings of your choice.
American buttermilk pancakes ingredients & substitutions:
- Plain Flour forms the base of the pancakes and the addition of Baking Powder helps the pancakes to rise.
- Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda) also acts as a raising agent, and works with the buttermilk giving extra rise to the pancakes.
- Caster Sugar is used to sweeten the pancakes. You could also use honey or maple syrup.
- Ground Cinnamon adds great flavour to our pancakes but is entirely optional and can be left out if you prefer.
- Buttermilk not only adds flavour but also ensures fluffy light pancakes. If you don’t have buttermilk see our instructions below on how to make buttermilk at home.
- Milk we use whole cows milk but you can replace with semi-skimmed milk or dairy free alternatives.
- Vanilla Extract adds a lovely sweetness of flavour. You can use vanilla essence but it won’t have quite the same depth of vanilla flavour.
How to make buttermilk at home:
If you can’t find buttermilk in your local store, or have run out of, not to worry as it’s really simple to make at home. I’ve done this myself many times and it’s so easy to make your own.
- Use any type of milk, including dairy free milk, and add lemon juice or white wine vinegar to sour it.
- The basic ratio is 240ml milk to 10ml lemon juice or vinegar.
- Stir together until smooth, ready to use.
What makes pancakes rise?
A touch of baking powder helps make the pancake batter rise, resulting is lovely fluffy pancakes. Baking soda acts as a raising agent, but only works alongside an acid, like sour cream, yogurt or in this case buttermilk.
What does buttermilk do to pancakes?
As well as adding a great tangy flavour to the batter, buttermilk is used in addition to regular milk as the acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda, giving extra rise to the pancakes.
What else can I use buttermilk for?
Buttermilk is a really adaptable ingredient that can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. It makes the best fried chicken and can be used in sauces and salad dressings. For a sweet treat try our deliciously rich Easy Chocolate Loaf Cake or our Buttermilk Scones.
American buttermilk pancakes flavour variations:
Using the batter as a base, leaving out the ground cinnamon, here are some ideas of different flavours to try out:
- Make blueberry buttermilk pancakes by adding a handful or two of fresh blueberries straight into the pancake batter. Some of the berries will burst when they hit the heat of the pan, but that’s ok too.
- Add some cocoa powder or some chocolate chips to make chocolate flavoured pancakes. Or why not add both for double chocolate pancakes?
- Stir some pumpkin puree through the pancake batter and swap the cinnamon for pumpkin spice mix instead.
- If you love spices add some grated stem ginger and a little of the stem ginger syrup to the batter.
Our best pancake toppings:
- Serve our Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes with a delicious Blueberry Compote (Blueberry Syrup).
- Add some stewed apples or rhubarb which will work perfectly with the cinnamon in the pancakes.
- Top with a spoon of creme fraiche and a mix of fresh berries.
- Maple syrup with some salty, smoky bacon is always popular.
- Drizzle over some maple syrup or golden syrup then add some freshly sliced banana and some chocolate chips.
- Aside from maple syrup, if I were to ask my kids it would be Nutella every time.
- Serve with some freshly made jam or jelly, I’d opt for some Homemade Apple Jelly.
Can pancakes be made ahead?
There is now doubt that pancakes are at their absolute best when served warm, straight from the pan. However, you can make ahead and then allow the pancakes to cool completely before placing into an airtight container.
- Counter top: leftover pancakes can be kept in a container on the counter top for 1-2 days.
- Freezer: once baked the pancakes can be cooled then stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the pancakes and if you want place them in a hot oven to warm through for 5 minutes before serving.
The secret to making fluffy buttermilk pancakes:
The secret to making great pancakes every time are just to follow a few simple steps:
- Take your time to properly whisk your ingredients into a smooth, lump-free batter.
- If time allows, rest the batter in the fridge for an hour. Resting the pancake batter allows the gluten in the flour to relax resulting in lighter and fluffier pancakes.
- Use a decent sized non stick frying pan, as this allows you space to flip the pancakes easily.
- Wait until the pancakes start to bubble on top before your flip them as this stops raw batter running everywhere.
- Don’t walk away from the pan when cooking pancakes, they can burn real easy when you’re not paying attention.
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Additional recipe suggestions:
If you like like making your own pancakes, then why not try these pancake recipes:
If you love baking then why not have a read of our Ultimate Guide to Baking with Kids which is packed full of recipes, hints and tips to help children have fun in the kitchen.
American Buttermilk Pancakes with Cinnamon
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 300 ml buttermilk
- 150 ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 60 g butter (melted)
- light oil for greasing pan
Instructions
- Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine.
- In a measuring jug, add the buttermilk, milk, vanilla extract and egg. Whisk together until well combined.
- Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients a little at a time. Whisk continually until you have a smooth, lump-free batter.
- Add the melted butter to the batter and whisk to smooth.
- Allow the batter to sit for 10 minutes (or longer if time allows) while you heat up a frying pan.
- Place a non-stick frying pan over a medium/high heat and add a drop of oil to grease the pan.
- If using a small pan make one pancake at a one at a time. If using a large pan or griddle add what the surface can easily cook, taking care not to overcrowd the pan to allow space for easily flipping the pancakes.
- Add the batter to the hot pan a ladle or scoop at a time. One ladle will be enough for one pancake.
- Once air bubbles are visible on top of the pancake, approximately 2 minutes, flip the pancake over. Allow the pancake to cook for a further minute then remove and rest on a warm plate covered with a tea towel.
- Continue this process until all the pancake batter has been used up.
- Serve warm with toppings of your choice.
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
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Chloe
These look lovely and fluffy – I think I might sub ginger for the cinnamon tho!
Lesley
Thank you Chloe, yes ginger would be a great substitute in place of the cinnamon.
Janice
Buttermilk is such amazing stuff, these pancakes look perfect and so easy to follow the step by step instructions.
Lesley
Thank you Janice, buttermilk is a great product, I love using it in baked goods.
Cat
What a delicious looking stack of pancakes! The added cinnamon sounds so good.
Lesley
Thank you Cat, the cinnamon just adds an extra layer of flavour, particularly if you add the blueberry compote on top.
Choclette
Lovely to see a pancake recipe on Pancake Day. Your stack looks amazing and the pancakes sound so delicious with buttermilk and fragrant cinnamon. I’m off to cook pancakes for our supper in a short while – can’t wait!
Lesley
Thank you Choclette, funnily enough I’m off to make a batch of pancakes for supper here too. Enjoy.