How to Make Perfect, Fluffy, Golden Pancakes Every Single Time

When it comes to iconic breakfast and brunch dishes, pancakes are at the top of the list. Nothing beats a fluffy, golden stack of homemade pancakes piled high, drenched in a waterfall of maple syrup.

Related: 23 Most Creative Pancake Recipes

Kids love pancakes, as do adults—plus they're super affordable to make and customize, thanks to pancake-friendly ingredients like berries and chocolate chips. Making pancakes from scratch isn't always that easy, however. You can end up with dry pancakes, or pancakes falling apart when you try to flip them. Even worse, you could be left with clumpy, mushy pancakes no one wants to eat.

To avoid a pancake mishap at home, try Parade chef Jon Ashton's perfect pancake recipe below and keep his tips in mind, for amazingly fluffy, golden pancakes every time!

Ingredients for Perfect, Fluffy Pancakes

You probably already have everything you need in your pantry: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, canola oil, salt, eggs and half & half.

Related: 10 Best Pancake Restaurants in America

How to Make Perfect, Fluffy Pancakes

Start by whisking all your dry ingredients together in a bowl (flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt). Next, in a separate bowl, whisk all your wet ingredients together (eggs, oil, half & half, vanilla extract). Then, add your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, but don't over-mix the batter—you want a light and fluffy batter. About 12-14 turns. Cover and rest your batter for 10 minutes.

Preheat your griddle to 350 degrees F, then oil the griddle. Use a scooper or a 1/4 cup to add your pancake batter to the griddle, spreading out 4 inches apart. You can fit 6 pancakes on a griddle at once.

Once you see bubbles forming on the top of the pancakes and the edges turning brown, flip each pancake over. They should be soft in the middle and golden on the top. If you're adding ingredients to your pancakes (like blueberries, chocolate chips or sausage), add them to the batter before flipping.

Keep pancakes warm in an oven set to 200 degrees F.

Best Pancake Ingredients and Toppings

• Blueberries

• Bananas

• Chocolate chips

• Cooked Italian sausage

• Crisp bacon

What to Serve Pancakes With

The classic pancake combo for serving tableside is to top the pancakes with fresh fruit, butter and maple syrup.

Tips for Making Perfect Pancakes

1. Baking soda helps pancakes brown.

2. If you don't have canola oil you can use almond oil, coconut oil or vegetable oil.

3. Half & half has a higher fat content than regular milk, but you can use regular milk or buttermilk for a lovely tart pancake.

4. Add a drop of water to the griddle to test if the temperature is ready. If it sizzles it's ready for cooking.

5. To know when a pancake is cooked, press the center. If it springs back, it's done.

6. Oiling vs. spraying the surface will result in even browning.

7. Bubbles on the top of your pancakes mean they are cooking perfectly and almost done.

8. Keep the spatula as close as possible to the griddle when flipping; otherwise, the pancakes will splatter.

9. If you're making blueberry pancakes, add the blueberries to the batter on the griddle rather than in the bowl as they sink to the bottom.

Best Pancakes Recipe (Video)

On this episode of Keep It Simple, Chef Jon Ashton shows how to make the perfect pancakes at home. 

How to Reheat Pancakes

Made too many pancakes at breakfast and didn't finish them? Don't let them go to waste! Simply wrap them up for another morning and microwave your pancakes to reheat them. Microwave single pancakes for 10-20 seconds until warm in the middle, or for a minute, for stacks of five pancakes or more.

Best Pancakes Variations

• Bobby Flay's Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

• Fluffy Stack of Pancakes

• Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

• Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

• Fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

• Blueberry and Walnut Pancakes

• Joy Bauer's Healthy Protein-Packed Pancakes

• Tiffani Thiessen's Yogurt Pancakes

• Morning Glory Pancakes

• Finnish Pancakes

Follow along with Jon Ashton as he shows you how to level up your home cooking on Keep It Simple, and subscribe for new videos!

Best Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder

• ¼ cup sugar

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 2 large eggs

• ¼ cup canola oil

• 1½ cups half & half

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

1. Whisk all your dry ingredients together in a bowl (flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt).

2. Next, whisk all your wet ingredients together (eggs, oil, half & half, vanilla extract).

3. Add your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, but don't over-mix the batter—you want a light and fluffy batter. About 12-14 turns.

4. Cover and rest your batter for 10 minutes.

5. Preheat your griddle to 350 degrees F, then oil the griddle.

6. Use a scooper or a ¼ cup to add your pancake batter to the griddle, spreading out 4 inches apart. You can fit 6 pancakes on a griddle at once.

7. Once you see bubbles forming on the top of the pancakes and the edges turning brown, flip each pancake over.

8. If you're adding ingredients to your pancakes (like blueberries, chocolate chips or sausage), add them to the batter before flipping.

9. Keep pancakes warm in an oven set to 200 degrees F.