How To Make the Lightest, Fluffiest Buttermilk Pancakes

With a million and one recipes out there, a pancake really has to be something special to make it stand out from the crowd. Friends, today I give you just such a pancake. A whole plate of them, actually. The lightest, fluffiest pancakes any of us here at Kitchn have ever had the pleasure of either making or eating. Every time I make them, I wonder why I ever bother making anything else.

Is that enough of a hook? I sure hope so, because these pancakes deserve to be made far and wide. Here’s how you, too, can have a piping-hot plate of lofty buttermilk pancakes for your next breakfast.

When Dana Velden first shared her favorite recipe for Lofty Buttermilk Pancakes here on Kitchn in 2010, it immediately drew its fair share of both ardent supporters and dubious skeptics. What could possibly be so controversial? Two simple egg whites.

Rather than mixing the whole egg into the batter or even whipping the whites into lofty clouds before folding them in, Dana simply separates the egg, mixes the yolk into the batter, and then stirs in the egg whites — un-whipped — at the very end.

Get the original recipe: Lofty Buttermilk Pancakes

It doesn’t seem like mixing egg whites into the batter would make any difference to the texture of the pancakes, but it does. We all had to try these pancakes for ourselves, and we were so impressed and smitten that these pancakes eventually made their way into our Kitchn Cookbook. Batch after batch, these pancakes deliver. They are always perfectly light and tender, delicately custard-like on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside; they are never heavy or dense, never dry or floury.

Separating the eggs might feel needlessly fussy for simple Saturday pancakes, but I feel that it’s a worthy compromise for consistently fluffy pancakes over the recipes that require dragging out the mixer and beating the whites into stiff peaks.

Letting the batter rest for a few minutes before cooking the pancakes is almost as important as mixing in the egg whites on their own. This gives the flour in the batter time to absorb some liquid, which gives the pancakes a better texture. The baking powder also gets to work, making bubbles and lightening the batter even more.

The resting time also gives you time to warm up the pan. You want it warm enough so that your butter foams a little, but doesn’t brown or start smoking. (Or if you’re using oil, the oil should shimmer and glide over the surface of the pan.)

More great pancake tips! 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Making Pancakes

The trouble with calling anything “the best” is that not everyone will agree with you. I’m OK with that! Even if you don’t place these pancakes on the top tier of awesomeness like I do, I’m still pretty confident you’ll enjoy them topped with butter and maple syrup.

The perfect pancakes are light, fluffy, tender, and golden-brown, and this recipe does not disappoint. It even stands up to slight modifications, including substituting more buttermilk in place of the milk called for — in case you run out or just want one less measuring cup to wash. Buttermilk combined with the baking soda is a major part of what gives these pancakes their lift, plus we can’t get enough of the subtle tang.

We’ve also added a note of when to add blueberries. Not everyone wants a fruit-filled stack of pancakes, so rather than stirring a pint into the entire batter mixture (and inevitably turning it green from burst berries), we suggest you sprinkle them on top of individual pancakes just as they hit the pan, giving them time to sink into the batter before it is time to flip. The rest of the steps are streamlined so that you can get to the breakfast table faster.

— Patty, October 2017