These deliciously fluffy American-style pancakes are super simple to make, use only a handful of ‘normal’ ingredients and are virtually foolproof! Perfect for brunch, dessert or whenever you need Easy Peasy American Pancakes in your life.
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A brunch classic
I am a huge fan of pancakes in all their guises, but when it comes to brunch, my favourite has got to be the classic American-style pancake – deliciously fluffy, piled in a huge stack and dripping with maple syrup. Brunch heaven!
Of course, American Pancakes also make a great option for dessert… or even as an alternative to Traditional English Pancakes on Pancake Day (AKA Shrove Tuesday).
5 simple ingredients
Some American pancake recipes have lots of ingredients. Not so with my easy peasy pancake recipe, which has just 5 main ingredients:
- Flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Eggs
- Milk
You will also need some oil for frying, as well as maple syrup, bacon and/or fresh berries (or whatever toppings you prefer!)
A super simple recipe
If you are looking for a really easy American Pancakes recipe then you are in the right place! This recipe is quick and simple to make, uses only 5 basic ingredients, and is virtually foolproof.
I’ve specifically created this recipe to give you maximum fluffiness, with as few ingredients as I could get away with. (No hard-to find or unusual ingredients here – just basic kitchen staples!) The batter is especially designed to make it really easy to get perfect looking pancakes every time – even if you are not usually very good at making pancakes!
How to keep pancakes warm while you cook them?
If you want everyone to be able to eat the pancakes at the same time, you’ll need to keep the cooked pancakes warm while you cook the rest. Fortunately this is very easy.
All you need to do is turn your oven on to 120C (100C fan / gas mark ½ / 250F) and put an ovenproof plate* in the oven. Every time you finish cooking a pancake, simply grab the plate out of the oven (with oven gloves obviously!) and lift the cooked pancake onto the plate. Eventually you’ll have a nice big stack of warm pancakes ready to eat altogether.
(So much nicer than being stuck in the kitchen on your own while your family are tucking into pancakes without you!)
Tips for getting perfect American pancakes every time
Pancakes have a reputation of being tricky to make, but anyone can turn out perfect pancakes with a few simple tricks…
- Make sure you use a good foolproof batter recipe (like the one below). Pancake batter recipes vary enormously and some batter recipes are trickier to cook than others.
- Use a good non-stick frying pan*.
- Always heat your frying pan up over a high heat for at least a minute before you start making your first pancake, then turn down to medium (see #9).
- Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan before cooking each batch of pancakes and swirl it around to coat the base.
- Use an exact measure of batter (see recipe below), so every pancake is the perfect size.
- Use the back of your spoon to shape each pancake on the base of your pan. (Don’t try to swirl the pancake as you would with a Traditional English Pancake!)
- Wait until each pancake is fully cooked on the first side before attempting to turn the pancake over. (Many problems come from trying to turn the pancake too soon.)
- Use a fish slice! I find a fish slice* to be the perfect tool to use to lift up the corner of each pancake to check if it’s done, loosen the pancake ready for turning and also to turn the pancake over.
- Cook your pancakes over a medium heat. This is different to what you would do with Traditional English Pancakes (where you want a high heat). American pancakes are thicker, so need a longer cook on a medium heat to ensure they cook all the way through.
- Don’t wander off or get distracted. Pancakes cook very fast, so need your full attention!
What to serve with American Pancakes
The classic topping for American pancakes is, of course, bacon and maple syrup. And I have to admit, that’s definitely my favourite one. However, there are many other options for toppings if you want to branch out from the traditional version.
Some other good American pancake topping options include:
- Fresh berries
- Nutella / chocolate spread
- Sliced banana
- Stewed apples / apple sauce
- Jam
- Ice cream
- Chopped nuts
- Hundreds and thousands
- Fruit compote
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate sauce
- Nut butters
- Lemon and sugar
And, of course, you can mix and match many combinations of these toppings!
What to drink with American Pancakes?
Typical brunch drinks, like coffee, tea and orange juice are probably the best match with American Pancakes.
Sparkling wines, such as Champagne and Prosecco can also work well with the bacon and maple syrup combo, but ideally go for the sweeter styles – especially if you are having sweeter toppings.
A bucks fizz (orange juice mixed with sparkling wine) would also be a great option.
Sweet dessert wines work best with sweet toppings. Good options here include sweet southern French Muscat, sweet sparkling Mostcato d’Asti from Italy or sweet German Riesling.
Can you reheat cold pancakes?
Absolutely! Simply place the cold pancakes in a stack (or a couple of stacks, if you have a lot) on an ovenproof plate or baking sheet and cover with foil. Place in a pre-heated oven, set to 180C (160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F), and heat for 5-10 minutes until all the pancakes are piping hot. (Exact timings will depend on the number of pancakes in your stack.)
Can you freeze pancakes?
Yes you can! Pancakes freeze very well. Simply layer cooked and cooked pancakes with baking paper (to stop them sticking together). Then, place the pancakes in a freezer bag (or suitable sized freezer-proof container) and put in the freezer, where they will keep for up to 3 months.
Defrost for a few hours at room temperature. Reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Peasy American Pancakes
Equipment
- Teaspoon
- Tablespoon
- Fish slice (or spatula)
- Ovenproof plate (for keeping the cooked pancakes warm in the oven while you make the rest)
Ingredients
- 300 g self-raising flour
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 300 ml milk
- Oil for frying
- Maple syrup, bacon and/or berries (or other toppings of your choice)
Instructions
- Place the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and mix together thoroughly (to ensure the sugar and salt are evenly distributed.)
- Measure out the milk in a measuring jug and add the eggs. Use a balloon whisk to mix the milk and eggs together thoroughly.
- Pour the liquid into the flour slowly, whisking constantly to ensure the flour and liquid are well combined. You should end up with a smooth thick pancake batter.
- Put 1 teaspoon of oil in a large frying pan and place on a medium heat for 1 minute, swirl the oil so it evenly coats the base of the frying pan and put the frying pan back on the heat.
- Pour 1 tablespoon (See Note 1) of pancake batter into the frying pan and use the spoon to shape it into a nice circle shape. Repeat 3 times so you have 3 small pancakes in your frying pan.
- You should allow each pancake to cook for approximately 30 seconds on the first side. In reality, by the time you have shaped the third pancake, it will probably be time to flip the first one.
- Using a spatula or fish slice (See Note 2) lift up one edge of the first pancake to see if it is looking nicely cooked / a light golden brown.
- When the pancake is cooked nicely on the bottom, use the fish slice / spatula to turn the pancake over.
- Cook each pancake for about 30 seconds on the second side – or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Again, you can use a fish slice or spatula to lift up a corner and check it is nicely browned.
- When each pancake is cooked, use the spatula / fish slice to lift it out onto a plate and place the frying pan back over the heat.
- Pour in about ½ a teaspoon of oil and swirl. Put the pan back on the heat and immediately repeat the above process to make the second batch of pancakes.
- Continue until you have used up all the pancake batter.
- Serve the pancakes with maple syrup and bacon (See Note 3) and/or berries… or any other toppings of your choice.
Notes
- 1 tablespoon = 15ml (I mention this since lots of things are colloquially called tablespoons – especially in the UK! But the actual measure 'tablespoon’' is 15mls)
- I find a fish slice* to be the perfect tool to use to lift up the corner of each pancake to check if it’s done and also to flip the pancakes. Much easier than a spatula! However, if you don’t have a fish slice, a spatula will work OK.
- Top tip for perfectly cooked bacon… Heat your oven to 200C (180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F), lay streaky bacon directly onto a non-stick baking tray and place in your pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes. Results in perfectly done bacon, every time!
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Pin Traditional English Pancakes for later
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Disclosure
*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Rick says
This is genuinely both the easiest pancake recipe I’ve tried and the one with the best outcome. I’ve historically used a more involved recipe which promised fluffy pancakes, but this super-simple approach actually produced even fluffier results. This will be my go-to recipe from now one!
Eb Gargano says
Yaaay! I am so happy to hear that. Thank you for this wonderful review… and especially the 5* rating!
Sharon Crispin says
Made these pancakes this evening. Super easy and delicious. Very light and fluffy. Best recipe yet for pancakes!
Eb Gargano says
So great to hear! Thank you for this lovely review 😀
My name says
I love how simple and easy this recipe is. I’ve tried, and failed miserably, with other pancake recipes but after using this one I’ve even had compliments!!!!!
I’ve also mashed 2 banana’s and then added them to the batter before cooking and they taste amazing – perfect breakfast to start the day… thank you!!!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay! I am so happy to hear that 😀 And I love your banana idea – I’m going to have to try that! Thank you for this lovely review and 5* rating 😀
Paul Foster says
Made these this morning as my partner wanted some, they were amazing.
Only difference I made was that I used a 1/4 cup to measure out each pancake! Got 8x12cm pancakes by halving the recipe.
Served with maple syrup – of course – fresh strawberries and some dark chocolate chunks!
Plates were cleared, so always a good sign!!!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for this lovely review and especially the 5* rating 😀
Kat says
Absolutely love this recipe! So easy to make, simple and I halved the recipe quantities and it still works effectively.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay – great to hear! Thanks for this lovely review 😀
Bloke in Kitchen says
Brilliant. Thank you.
Made 2 small changes; baking powder and whisked and egg white.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for this lovely review and 5* rating 😀