Throughout my childhood, many of our weekends began with Mom’s pancakes. With the recipe basically memorized, she mixed up the batter while my brother and I watched an episode of cartoons on TV and Dad quietly turned the pages of the local newspaper.
Because our favorite brunch restaurant served Mickey Mouse pancakes, my brother and I always requested those shapes. Mom would cook in two pans so we were fed at the same time, and she set out the faux maple syrup for us to pour all over the pancakes.
After adding blueberries to the bowl for her and Dad (no fruit in ours, thanks!), she poured out the rest of the batter into regular circles for the two of them and served theirs hot with a pat of butter and real maple syrup. We almost never ended up with leftovers!
In her recipe, Mom always used regular milk since that’s all we kept in the fridge. It wasn’t until I reached high school that I realized “buttermilk” pancakes were the most iconic kind.
And recently, with my guy and I going out for breakfast every so often, we started sampling the buttermilk pancakes offered by various restaurants in town. Upon feeling sluggish after one too many of those heavier recipes, I decided to create my own back at home.
After lots of flipping and mixing and flipping some more, I finally came up with a recipe for The Ultimate Healthy Buttermilk Pancakes! They’re light and fluffy and full of buttermilk flavor, and we both think that they’re better than any restaurant’s that we’ve eaten.
Nerd alert!
Because I was an organic chemist before a baking blogger, I wanted to share a little bit of the food science behind what makes these the best lightened-up buttermilk pancakes you’ll ever try. Each of the ingredients plays a key role in creating their taste and texture, so let’s go over that briefly!
Buttermilk. In addition to its iconic flavor, buttermilk is more acidic than regular milk. This acidity reacts with the leavener (hang tight, that’s coming next!) to make the pancakes light and fluffy on the inside.
If you don’t keep buttermilk in the fridge very often, I recommend these two options. (a) Powdered buttermilk. It’s a pale yellow powder that’s shelf-stable and keeps for ages. Mix it with water and you’re all set! (b) Vinegar and milk. This won’t produce the same classic buttermilk taste, but it’ll add the acidity you need.
Leavener. In this recipe, we use more baking soda than baking powder. Baking soda is stronger and reacts better with the buttermilk. When you mix those two together, they release air bubbles, which makes the pancakes fluffy.
Egg. The yolk of the egg provides tenderness, while the white acts as the binder that holds the pancakes together and gives them structure.
Butter and Greek yogurt. The butter provides both flavor and a more tender texture. (We just use a tiny bit, so don’t skip it!) The Greek yogurt adds more moisture to the batter, and it also adds a little extra tangy taste to enhance that of the buttermilk.
Vanilla. This is my secret weapon! Extra vanilla enhances the flavor of butter, so these pancakes taste much more indulgent than they really are. I know 1 ½ teaspoons looks like a lot for pancakes, but trust me. You won’t want to use any less!
Now with the batter mixed up, let’s talk about how to cook your pancakes! For the best results, use a nonstick pan or electric griddle. The griddle will yield the most even golden coloring, but with my tiny kitchen, I don’t have the space to store one. So pans it is for me! However, do not use stainless steel cookware because it will burn your pancakes. (Lesson learned the hard way!)
To make each pancake, pour a dollop of 2 tablespoons of batter onto your cooking surface lightly coated with nonstick spray. Wait until the edges near the bottom look as if they’re forming a slight skin and the tops start showing bubbles that pop; then take a peek underneath. The bottom should be golden brown!
To flip the pancakes, slide a spatula underneath, lift your hand, and just turn your wrist. Do not use your elbow or your entire arm! If you do, the pancake will skid a little in the pan as it lands and form that lacey-looking “pancake skirt.” (They’ll still taste the same; they just don’t look as pretty!)
Now all that’s left is to serve yourself a big stack with real maple syrup, fresh fruit, and anything else your heart desires!
| The Ultimate Healthy Buttermilk Pancakes | | Print |
- 1 c + 2 tbsp (135g) all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour flour (measured correctly)
- 1 tsp (3g) baking soda
- ½ tsp (2g) baking powder
- ¼ tsp (2g) salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ tsp (8mL) vanilla extract
- ½ c (120mL) low-fat buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tsp (5mL) pure maple syrup
- ¼ c (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Whisk in the buttermilk and maple syrup. Stir in the yogurt until no large lumps remain. Add in the flour mixture, and stir until just incorporated.
- Lightly coat a large pan or griddle with nonstick cooking spray, and preheat over low heat.
- Using 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake, dollop onto the hot pan, and spread into a circular shape if desired. Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes, or until a slight skin starts to form around the edges and the bottom is light golden brown. Slide a spatula underneath, and flip. Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes or until light golden brown on both sides. Serve hot.
You must use buttermilk in this recipe. It’s more acidic than regular milk, which is required to react with the baking soda and baking powder.
As a buttermilk substitute, I highly recommend this powdered buttermilk. It’s shelf-stable and keeps for ages. Simply mix 2 tablespoons with ½ cup of water to yield the buttermilk required by this recipe. Alternatively, measure out 1 ½ teaspoons of vinegar into a measuring cup, and pour in regular milk (skim, 1%, or 2%) until you reach the ½-cup mark. However, this second method will not yield the same iconic buttermilk flavor.
For tips on the type of pan to use and how to properly flip pancakes, see the text in the blog post above.
If the batter is too thick to pour and spread easily in the pan, stir in up to 4 additional tablespoons of buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a normal pancake batter consistency.
This recipe is easily doubled to make more. If you have any leftovers, they freeze really well too!
{clean eating optional, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
I followed these instructions to a Tee, the batter was way too thick. Find another recipe out there.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Curtis! I’d love to help solve that issue for you. 🙂 Did you follow the directions in the Notes section if the batter was too thick for your liking? I know it can be easy to miss that bit! Also, how did you measure the flour? Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If the latter, can you describe in detail how you measured? Once I know all of that information, we should be able to ensure your next batch of pancakes turns out better, if you decide to try this recipe again!
Had same issue. Read the measuring page and realized what I did wrong. Scooped with the scoop when measuring flour. Added a but more milk to get them to flow out. Result was tasty flat pancakes because there wasnt enough leavener to compensate.
I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor of these pancakes Tyler! If you measure the flour according to my measuring page, your pancakes should have a much better texture next time too! 🙂
This recipe did not work at all. The ratio of dry to wet ingredients was not right. The batter was thick like bread dough. And the flavor was not good either. It needed to be sweeter.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Sandy! That sounds disappointing and not how these pancakes are supposed to turn out, so I’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. 🙂 Did you make any modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section? How did you measure the flour, with a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If the latter, can you describe in detail how you used the measuring cups? Once I know all of that information, I’ll have a much better idea of what happened!
Also, I intentionally make all of my pancake recipes with very little sweetener because my family always drizzles lots of maple syrup on their pancakes, so it’s overkill to add a lot of sweetener to the batter. If you prefer your pancakes to be sweeter, then you can substitute 2-4 tablespoons for an equal amount of buttermilk!
Hey Amy,
I’m having issues with my transplanted kidney, so I have to really limit sodium. I’m looking at the oatmeal pancakes and it appears that they have a total of 4 grams of in the recipe… if I figured the baking powder and soda correctly.
So, how many pancakes does this recipe make… on average? Thanks so much. I like your website by the way. Hopefully, I can find some other low sodium recipes.
Thanks again, Amy
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Michael! If you look directly underneath the recipe title in the recipe box, that will answer your question about the number of pancakes this recipe yields. (I know it can be easy to miss that bit!) I also include the full Nutrition Information underneath all of my recipes, which includes the sodium content of each serving size. Hopefully you find that helpful! Finally, other readers on low sodium diets have told me that most of my recipes can be made with half of the amount of sodium with minimal effects on the taste and texture. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these pancakes and any of my other recipes!
I have used several other recipes from this website and enjoyed them, but I’m disappointed with this recipe. This batter is way too thick. I used whole wheat pastry flour, and I weighed each ingredient to the gram. The batter ended up looking like biscuit dough. The flavor was just okay.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe MJ! That sounds disappointing and not like how these pancakes are supposed to turn out. I’d love to work with you to solve that issue! 🙂 Did you make any other substitutions besides the flour, including those listed in the Notes section? What kind of buttermilk did you use? Also, did you read the tips in my blog post above as well as the Notes section about why this batter is on the thicker side and how to make it thinner?
Exceptional recipe. Seriously. I’ve tried many and this one is I’d say close to perfect.
All of the pancakes came out fluffy (as long as you don’t overmix the batter) and even though I didn’t have buttermilk, I used the trick with milk and vinegar and it still worked.
And I usually take those internet recipes with a grain of salt because most of them do not come true to life.
And also, the amount of pancakes that came is just perfect.
Thank you, Amy.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these pancakes John! Thanks for taking the time to let me know — that means a lot to me! 🙂
Best pancake recipe I’ve ever made. All the little tips on measuring and how to substitute if you don’t have certain ingredients are brilliant! Thank you!! I love how much my kids love these and they’re so low in sugar!
I’m just wondering, if you were to add fruit (blueberries/raspberries, etc) to the pancakes, when should you add them? Or would that throw out the chemistry and run the fluffiness?
I’m so glad you and your kids loved these pancakes, Sophie! That means the world to me that you’d call them the best pancakes you’ve made. I’m so honored! 🙂 I actually have a blueberry version of these here — hopefully that’s helpful! And you can find the rest of my pancake recipes here. Many of them contain different fruits as well!