By Johnson 
Don’t take my word for it…everyone I know agrees these are the BEST Buttermilk Pancakes. Perfect texture, light and fluffy and so easy to make; really the perfect pancake!
I mean it. Seriously. I can look at this recipe and wonder what is so magical about it but maybe that’s the magic. Nothing especially unique but when all brought together the magic does happen. These are truly the Best Buttermilk Pancakes I’ve ever had and they fly in the face of most pancake conventions too, since the mixture is not only made in a blender but it is blended thoroughly, not excessively but until it’s all mixed well.
Yet, time after time, year after year, dare I say decade after decade, it is hands down just the best. Just the right texture, just fluffy enough but with some substance and just the right amount of tang to actually deliver a flavor, not simply a vehicle for a bunch of syrup! They really are the BEST Buttermilk Pancakes. Ever. Evah.
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I have never and won’t start now to drag you into the details of my marriage or my totally cantankerous divorce except I will say this. It was a long time ago. The woman who decided that my husband was ‘available’ will always be on my shit list along with him no matter that my children think I should ‘let it go.’ 🙂
Still, I long ago decided that the one thing I would hold onto as a legacy of those 20 years would be my father-in-law’s recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes; I needed something good from that effort and these are that! The Best Buttermilk Pancakes recipe has truly become a cherished heirloom.
My pancake experience throughout my childhood and in my own young adult kitchen had been Bisquick-centric. Until the weekend that I traveled to my then boyfriend’s parent house for the first time (me from St. Louis and he from a tiny town in Indiana). That one day when those simple ingredients displayed above changed everything. Love at first bite!
And it wasn’t just the pancakes. Accompanying them was a homemade syrup that my father-in-law called Mr. Butterworth’s. I’m not sure what I expected but I didn’t really expect to like it. They were such frugal people that I expected it was made because it was cheap but I never expected it to be good. Uh oh…wrong. Butter, sugar and vanilla cooked just long enough to start to caramelize? So good.
I should have known better; I loved the foods that came from my in-laws kitchen and except for the lack of a dishwasher and their very archaic notion that no man should ever wash dishes I enjoyed spending time cooking there while making the best Buttermilk Pancakes.
Love my original recipe card? It was BI – Before Internet, and I’ve kept that one book all of these years with some old handwritten recipes. I don’t keep a lot of ‘stuff’ but that little book will be buried with me!
I’m sure that over the course of almost 20 years that I had many meals I loved when we visited but nothing quite as memorable as those Buttermilk Pancakes. My girls are lucky that they are all they’ve ever known and looked forward to them each and every time. They especially love how fluffy these best Buttermilk Pancakes are.
We’ve got a cold, snowy day in Denver, the type of day that makes me miss those years of raising my girls and making these Buttermilk Pancakes; I was always happy when the schools called a snow day! It would be impossible to imagine during a regular school day so they were always requested when we had an unexpected day to just play.
A long leisurely breakfast, some time outside clearing the driveway and sidewalks and then the fun part. Snowmen, sledding and pelting each other with snowballs. Am I the only mom that misses those days; you know with the luxury of forgetting how hard it was day-to-day to do that job? I still want the occasional snow day with my girls…is that too much to ask?
I have made a new tradition though; the first big snow we have each year and I invite my neighbors and their kids down here for breakfast and these Buttermilk Pancakes…trust me they will devour the best pancakes and best of all…maybe they’ll also remember them forever.
In the meantime, I had company this past weekend and I let my friends little girl choose what she wanted for breakfast. ‘Pancakes!’ was her request and I delivered. Of course then she wanted Buttermilk Pancakes for every meal…really, they are that good! I first posted this recipe several years ago but after a weekend of cold and snow realized I need to share it again; they truly are the BEST Buttermilk Pancakes!
More Favorite Breakfast Dishes
PIN IT! ‘The Best Buttermilk Pancakes’
BEST Buttermilk Pancakes
Absolutely fantastic buttermilk pancakes. Easy to make and so light, fluffy, and delicious!
For the Pancakes
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cup buttermilk If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can also add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice to regular milk and let it sit for at least 5 minutes as a substitution.
- ¼ cup oil
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup sifted flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For homemade syrup (We always called it Mr Butterworth’s Syrup!)
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ cup maple syrup optional
To Make the Pancakes
Combine half of milk with rest of ingredients in blender (or mixer) and mix until well blended, approximately 1-2 minutes.
Add remaining milk and mix for another 30 seconds or until smooth.
Cook on heated griddle. Serve immediately.
I typically serve with real maple syrup but the following recipe is a good alternative.
To Make the Syrup
Combine butter, buttermilk, and sugar in large saucepan. This mixture will boil up, so make sure you use a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring regularly and let boil on low heat for 5-6 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and baking soda (this is the fun part…but why you’ll need that large pan when you see how it foams up!).
Add maple syrup if using, stir and allow to cool a bit before serving.
Will keep in fridge for a couple of weeks. We never had it that long…good on ice cream too!
No Buttermilk? No worries. I often culture my own by adding lemon juice to plain milk. I use about a Tablespoon of lemon each for each cup of milk, but use enough to have it get thickened. Fresh juice works much better than bottled too.
Nutrition Facts
BEST Buttermilk Pancakes
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.