These Crispy Buttermilk Pancakes are the best treat for lazy weekend mornings. These are so light and fluffy, but balanced with the perfect crunchy and crispy edges, you’ll be reaching for a third (or fourth)!
I developed this recipe to recreate my wife’s grandma’s long-lost pancake recipe. My wife said her Mamaw Gene’s pancakes used to have the best “crispy edges” and wished that someone had written her recipe down before she passed. I never got the chance to try them, so I was flying blind. After several years of trial and error, I have finally perfected them!
I grew up only eating ultra-soft, fluffy pancakes made from boxed mix. “Crispy” was not something that was really synonymous with pancakes for me. I really had no clue what I was missing and I am proud card-carrying member of the “crispy edge for life” camp.
Pancake Ingredients
This pancake batter is similar to other pancake recipes, and you likely have most of the ingredients in your pantry already. Buttermilk is typically the only exception to that.
Pro Tip: If you have time, resting the batter for 30-minutes helps the flour hydrate more and you get an even lighter and fluffier pancake.
Pancake Process
The higher than usual sugar content of this batter is what helps these pancakes get so crispy around the edges. You need to manage the heat of the pan to ensure that these don’t burn. I keep a cheap infrared thermometer from the hardware store in the kitchen to help manage the heat. Keep the surface of the pan between 350 and 400°F to make sure these cook quickly, but don’t scorch. If the pan is too cool, they’ll absorb too much butter and become greasy. If you cook them too hot, the sugar will burn before they’re ready to flip.
It is ideal to make these with a ⅓ cup measuring spoon to portion; however, you can only fit one pancake in a 12- or 14-inch skillet at a time. Using a ¼-cup scoop allows you to cook two pancakes at a time, which drastically speeds things up.
One other key is to ensure that you have enough butter in the pan to always keep the bottom covered. The pancakes will not brown correctly if there isn’t enough butter in the pan.
These crispy buttermilk pancakes are good enough to be served by themselves. By all means, include the usual sides like scrambled eggs, bacon, or sausage for a complete breakfast. Check out all of my other breakfast recipes for more inspiration!
Did you make this recipe for Crispy Buttermilk Pancakes?
Let me know in the comments below how yours turned out, and don’t forget to leave a rating!
Recipe
Crispy Buttermilk Pancakes
Equipment
- 1 Medium Bowl
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 ½ tablespoon Baking Powder (27g)
- 2 tablespoon Raw Granulated Sugar (31g)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (5g)
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 ¼ Cups Buttermilk (300ml)
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour (140g)
- 2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter (30g) Melted
- 1 Stick Unsalted Butter (227g) For Pan
- Warm Maple Syrup
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt. Whisk until combined.
- Add the egg and egg yolk. Whisk together until combined and fluffy.
- Add the buttermilk, flour, and two tablespoons of melted butter, stirring until just combined and slightly lumpy.
- Optionally, let batter rest for 20 to 30-minutes.
- Heat a 12 to 14-inch cast iron or stainless skillet over medium to medium-high heat. An infrared thermometer should read between 350 – 400°F.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of unsalted butter to the skillet and melt.
- Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop out two pancakes and cook for 2 to 3-minutes, until bubbles begin to form in the center of the pancake, but do not burst.
- Flip and cook for an additional 2 to 3-minutes. Remove the pancakes and place on a heatproof plate. Keep warm in a 200°F oven.
- Add more butter to the pan as needed and adjust heat if too hot or cold. Repeat cooking until all batter is used.
Wendy
I made these exactly as written and I’m wondering if instead of 2 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder it should’ve been 2 1/2 teaspoons? They were bitter.
Spencer Klickman
Hi, Wendy! I’ve never had any issues with bitterness when I’ve made this recipe, so I’m sorry to hear that. These have been thoroughly tested to make sure that everything is just right, and I make them at least once a month (at my family’s request!) without any issues.
Few things that might be leading to your issue:
– Accidentally using baking soda vs. baking powder (I’ve done it plenty of times before!)
– Some brands of double acting baking powder contain sodium aluminum sulfate, which is the leavening agent that reacts to heat. This ingredient can come across as bitter tasting to some people. Single acting baking powder doesn’t contain this and would be a great way to remove that variable. Just be sure to use the batter right away since you’re removing the leavening agent that will hang around in the batter until they are cooked.
– Old buttermilk can be excessively sour/bitter tasting.
I’d encourage you to give this recipe another shot using single acting baking powder to see if that fixes your issue. You can certainly use less baking powder as well, they just may not be quite as fluffy!
Bekah
We made these for the first time 2 weeks ago, and they are seriously the best flavored, crispy but soft pancakes I’ve ever had. Our kids LOVED them. Thanks for sharing!!
Harry K
I made these for the first time last weekend and they were incredible! The contrast of the crunchy exterior and fluffy interior seriously is SO hard to beat. Never would have expected that from a pancake, but you have to try it! It’s delicious!
Michelle
Best Pancakes ever! I bet your son who LOVES pancakes really enjoys these!