Though I am a Thai chef, these fluffy pancakes are one of my signature recipes, and they're the best I've ever had, truly! I've been making these for over 15 years and still haven't had any better ones. No buttermilk needed, but if you happen to have some, you can also use it in this recipe.
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Back when I worked in catering, I made these once for staff brunch on Sundays, and they were so good the chef asked me to make them again and again! Fluffy, moist, and with a slight sweetness that makes them delicious even without any toppings.
The Secret to Fluffy, Tasty Pancakes
There are a few reasons why these pancakes are special. So for perfect results, make sure you don't skip these:
- I use 50% cake flour, which lowers the gluten content of the batter, creating super tender pancakes, and also lower your chances of over-mixing the batter which can easily happen with normal pancake batters. If you don't have cake flour, you can use all-purpose flour and replace 2 tablespoons of it with cornstarch.
- Using yogurt to replace some of the milk gives a subtle tang to the batter, making the pancakes more flavourful. It also creates a thicker batter which helps create that tall, lofty pancakes.
- Whipping egg whites is the secret to the insane fluffiness of these pancakes. Don't skip this step for maximum fluffiness!
- Finally, adding enough salt and sugar to the batter ensures that the pancakes themselves are flavourful, so they don't have to rely entirely on add-ins or syrup. We've all had those bland pancakes that aren't any good without a ton of syrup on them...these are definitely not that! When I'm in a rush and don't want to bother with toppings, I can eat them plain and be totally satisfied. (Tip: For my son, I add a little bit of chocolate chips and he can skip the syrup altogether, which makes for a much less messy meal!)
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All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!
My Best Fluffy Pancake Recipe
- Yield: About 12 pancakes
Description
The most tender, fluffy pancakes that are delicious enough even without any syrup. A recipe I've been known for and made for over 15 years!
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour (or use another cup of all-purpose flour but replace 2 tablespoons of it with cornstarch)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt (1 teaspoon kosher salt)
- 1 cup plain yogurt, preferably full-fat (or use 2 cups full-fat buttermilk and omit the milk)
- 1 cup milk, preferably full-fat
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, white and yolks separated
- 3 tablespoon (50 g) butter
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- Whatever toppings and syrups you like!
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Instructions
- Sift together both flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. (If using all-purpose only you can just whisk everything together, but if using cake flour you have to sift.)
- Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a mixing bowl you will use to beat up a meringue, and the yolks in a medium mixing bowl.
- To the yolks, add yogurt, milk, and vanilla; whisk until well combined.
- Melt the butter in the microwave, then whisk it into the milk mixture (pour as you whisk).
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the milk mixture into it. Use a rubber spatula and mix just until you no longer see any dry flour, lumps are okay.
- With a hand held mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. Then gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat until you get a meringue with soft peaks.
- Using the rubber spatula, fold in ⅓ of the meringue to lighten up the batter. Then gently fold in the rest of the meringue just until combined and you no longer see any streaks of meringue.
- Cook the pancakes in a non-stick skillet over medium-low to medium heat, using about about ⅓ cup of batter per pancake. I butter the pan lightly once in the beginning but don't butter in between batches.
- After a few minutes, once the edges start to look drier, take a peek at the bottom; if it has that nice deep golden brown colour, it's ready to be flipped. Flip carefully as the top part of the pancake will still be quite liquid. (Note: If you normally flip your pancakes after lots of bubbles form on the surface of the pancake, this batter is so thick and fluffy that you won't get those bubbles.)
- Once flipped, quickly use your spatula to push in any batter that splashes around the pancake. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until fully cooked. Because these are super thick and airy, they will take longer than most pancakes to cook through. So to check doneness, you can use a pointy knife and pry open the centre to see if it is cooked.
- Enjoy with whatever toppings you like!!
K says
The best pancakes! This has been my go to for years. It’s the tastiest and most nutritious pancakes ever!
Lauren Frank says
This is a great recipe! I’ve made it as written several times with great success (so fluffy!!), today I replaced 1/2 c. of the yogurt with 1/2 c. Pumpkin purée and added 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice and they turned out fantastic!
Alexx & little Nyoko says
Hi, this is my 2nd time trying this amazing EPIC recipie with my daughter. However, I use powdered buttermilk and my batter is super watery. Any advice on how to fix that?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
So glad to hear you love it! Reconstituted powdered buttermilk is much thinner than regular one, so I would suggest reducing the amount of water to use. Be a little aggressive at first, so use half the amount, and you can add more back in if it's too thick. Hope this works!
Lisa English says
These are wonderful! I cheated and used bisquick, then just mixed the rest together and it came out fabulous anyways. Will always make them like this
Ronny says
What are the macros for this recipe?
Suzanne says
Hi. I am making pancakes for my 2 yr old grandson. May I know if I can omit baking powder and baking soda?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Hi! No, you cannot omit those ingredients or your pancakes will be super dense. But they are fine to eat for 2yo, so any reason why you don't want to use them?
K says
Made this a couple of times and a big thanks to Pai...the recipe is soooo sooo good!
And for those who want to be lazy (like me :p) to skip making the meringue, this recipe is still one of the best I have tried. I simply add the whole egg into the yoghurt + milk + butter mixture before incorporating wet into dry ingredients. I half the recipe and it still work well!
have fun! 😀
K says
Oh one more tip to share, I don't like to store different kinds of flour as I don't bake at all. So I searched for recipe to turn all purpose flour into cake flour (the trick is to replace part of the all purpose flour with corn flour). I just use 100% cake flour for this recipe and it taste great!
J says
Hi! Can I use 2 cups of cake flour instead of 1 cup of plain flour + 1 cup of cake flour? Will it be fluffier?
Oanh says
This recipe was absolutely fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
Dee says
Very fluffy. This will be my go to recipe for pancakes!!!
Elizabeth says
I made a double batch of these today using the yogurt/milk option and they turned out so delicious! Next I will try the buttermilk just didn’t have any on hand today. I’ve been looking for a light fluffy pancake that hand a nice rise without being too heavy and these really fit the bill! It’s a keeper!
Psilla says
These were delicious! I made them using vegan fruity yogurt and they tuened out great as well. Thank you for the recipe.
slim says
Very fluffy and delicious recipe. Thanks!
Phillip says
Made them this week and they were great!