The Ultimate Healthy Buttermilk Pancakes

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. 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. 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. 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! 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! Now all that’s left is to serve yourself a big stack with real maple syrup, fresh fruit, and anything else your heart desires! These light & fluffy pancakes are the best I’ve ever had!

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