Everyday Pancakes
on Jun 18, 2013, Updated Mar 26, 2021
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Everyday pancakes are an easy meal that kids can make. And adults too. This simple recipe is good for an easy breakfast idea or dinner.
They cost mere pennies to put together, and I will show you how you can have a nice breakfast from them in just 15 minutes!
Table of Contents
About These Easy Pancakes
This recipe for easy pancakes is all about breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. The reason is you can make these for any meal of the day! Like a good cheese strata, a cowboy breakfast casserole, or even gluten free crepes, pancakes are good any time of the day even if it’s a pancake recipe for one!
These everyday pancakes are just that: Simple pancakes that you can make almost anytime. Now, for versions of this easy breakfast idea, you may want to try our cranberry pancakes, yummy pumpkin pancakes with apple cider syrup, or blueberry lemon pancakes. Every one of these “will hit the spot!”
Knowing how to make good pancakes is an important life skill. My dad loved a good pancake, almost like you would expect a cigar smoker to appreciate a good cigar.
I never “got it” until later in life. But now thankfully, I share the same love my dad used to have for great-tasting pancakes. This is a recipe for everyday pancakes and one you can build on for your own tastes.
What’s in them
To make great-tasting everyday pancakes, all you need are a few basic pantry ingredients. You can make them as plain or fancy as you want!
Flour – All-purpose flour works just fine for making everyday pancakes but you can switch it up a little and try whole wheat or buckwheat flour as well. Either of those will give you a heavier and more dense (but maybe healthier) pancake.
Milk – I recommend whole milk or nothing lower than 2% for making these everyday pancakes. I think this gives them more flavor and substance.
Buttermilk will make these even more flavorful. I guess that’s why buttermilk pancakes were my dad’s favorite. (That man knew his way around a pancake!) If you don’t have any on hand, here are some different ways to make buttermilk.
Egg – Use a large egg for this recipe if possible. And make sure it’s at room temperature for the best results. This will help the pancakes to cook more evenly. Here is a fast way to get your eggs to room temperature.
Baking powder is essential for making good pancakes. It will give them a little rise air and prevent them from being thin and papery.
Pro Cooking Tip – Do not substitute baking soda for baking powder when making pancakes. Baking soda requires an acid for it to work properly and baking powder already has that built-in.
Wondering what’s the difference between baking powder and baking soda? We have the answer in the link provided.
How to Make Easy Pancakes
The best thing about making these is that they are super easy to make. This makes them a good recipe for kids to make!
Start off by making sure you have the ingredients listed above as well as the following kitchen equipment:
- A large measuring bowl
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
- A whisk and a rubber spatula
- An electric griddle or a skillet
Once you have all the ingredients and kitchen equipment ready, making this recipe is super simple!
- Carefully measure all the ingredients into the mixing bowl. Pro Kitchen Tip – Use the straight edge of a regular table knife to level off dry ingredients when measuring. Do not back flour in a cup when measuring!
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
- Use a spatula or small measuring cup to pour the pancake batter onto a greased, hot griddle or skillet, if making pancakes on the stovetop. When bubbles have formed on the uncooked surface of the pancakes, it’s time to flip them using a spatula. This usually takes about 5 minutes.
- The second side will take a minute or two less than the first side to cook.
An easy recipe for kids
One of the reasons these simple pancakes are a good way to teach kids how to cook is because it uses many of the basic rules of cooking and baking that are necessary for success.
How to measure flour and other dry ingredients, using a measuring cup or a measuring spoon. How to mix the ingredients, and how to cook the final product.
All of this can be incorporated into safe and healthy kitchen habits. Things like:
- Good hygiene and hand-washing habits in the kitchen
- Checking expiration dates
- General food safety principles (cooking at the proper temperature etc.)
- Kitchen safety – Knowing how to protect yourself from getting burned and what to do if you get burned from cooking.
Common Questions
Slip a spatula under the pancake when you think they should be close to being finished. If the cooked surface is golden-brown, they are probably ready to eat!
If you are feeding a crowd and want to serve a lot of pancakes at the same time, use your oven to keep them warm until ready to serve. Place the finished pancakes on a baking sheet and loosely tent some foil over them. This will keep them from drying out. Place in your oven, at its lowest setting.
Substitutions and Variations
When you make these everyday pancakes from scratch, you can add almost anything you want to them! Some of our favorite things to add to pancakes include:
- Blueberries
- Chocolate chips
- Banana slices
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Everyday Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
- Make a well in the center and add remaining ingredients and mix till smooth.
- Over medium heat, apply butter, oil, or non-stick spray to a griddle or skillet.
- Dole out portions of pancake batter to your liking.
- When small bubbles begin to appear and cover most of the uncooked side, it’s time to flip.
- Cook remaining side for a couple of minutes until golden brown.
Notes
- Favorite standards for our family include Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, and/or blueberries.
- If making pancakes for a small army, preheat your oven to 250 degrees F and keep the initial pancakes warm until they are all fried and ready to serve.
- If you’re not acquainted with real maple syrup, do yourself a favor and pick some up, for this purpose especially. You won’t regret it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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We have a summer cottage on a lake in Maine and I can so relate to space being at a premium. There is no nicer way to start a day than with a plate of pancakes with real maple syrup.
Karen,
Thanks for commenting, and I could not agree more!
Love how fluffy this pancake looks. My favorites are chocolate or blueberry pancakes. YUM!
Ann,
Our boys like both of those as well, sometimes even a combo! Thanks for the comment!
These pancakes look so light and fluffy! I’m quite the maple syrup snob, and will only use the pure stuff. Thank heaven for Costco!
Marcie –
I agree, only pure maple syrup for this pancake lover!
IS there anything better than pancakes?! Um. Nooooope!
Ashley – I’m with you on that one!
Ashley,
Amen, to Summer and Pure Maple Syrup!!
I’m with ya on that – SO happy summer is here! Real maple syrup is a MUST!
So true about the real maple syrup – I will never go back to the fake stuff again. These look amazing fluffy, and I love the fact that all the ingredients are pantry staples. While I love buttermilk pancakes, I don’t always have that hanging around so this sounds like a wonderful alternative!
Eva,
Agreed! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Have a great week!
I love a simple, easy pancake recipe and these look perfect, Dan. Soft, fluffy and irresistible with a drizzle of syrup! Thanks for sharing.
Georgia,
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and stopping by. And I agree, who can resist a good pancake? Have a great week!
Pancakes are always a welcome breakfast (or dinner!) in our house. Yours look beautiful!
Marie,
Thanks for stopping by and your nice comments!
They look light and fluffy. I’m hungry now!
Patty,
Thank you for the comment, these always turn out great!