A Classic Breakfast Delight: Our Family’s Favorite Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes

These fluffy and flavorful buttermilk pancakes freeze well once cooked.

In my quest to find the perfect old-fashioned buttermilk pancakes, I’ve tried at least several dozen different recipes.  I’m telling you all, the recipe I’m sharing with you today is BY FAR, my family’s absolute favorite! This recipe was shared with me years ago by a dear friend of mine and this is the only buttermilk pancake recipe we make now…

Welp…other than my awesome pumpkin pancakes, which are absolutely delicious, (by the way)!

Anyway, just the other day, I was just chatting with that same friend that gave me her recipe that I’m about to share with you.  I told her about culturing your own buttermilk with store-bought buttermilk or a culture.  I told my friend that she should try culturing buttermilk so she doesn’t have to keep buying it.  Shock and confusion ensued as she told me she NEVER actually uses buttermilk in her pancakes.  Whaaaat?!

Okay, it really wasn’t that dramatic but I did try to convert her to using real buttermilk because lemon juice added to milk just doesn’t cut it in this recipe in my opinion.  I have tried, and it is not nearly as good.  However, my friend emphatically said that she never uses real buttermilk in her recipe, she just adds lemon juice to milk.

Trust me, people, get buttermilk if you’re going to make this recipe for truly old-fashioned buttermilk pancakes.

Buttermilk Versus Milk & Lemon Juice?

Now if you’re using real buttermilk, you should adjust your baking soda and baking powder.  I get into the why of this a little in my buttermilk culturing post but essentially, baking powder does not respond as well to buttermilk and baking soda LOVES real buttermilk.

To make this simple, below are the measurements you’ll want to follow depending on if you use the shortcut of lemon juice or vinegar with milk versus cultured buttermilk.

Conversion for this recipe:

3 cups of buttermilk  ~ 1 tsp baking powder ~ 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar) + enough milk to make 3 cups ~ 3 tsp baking powder ~1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Now that we’ve set the conversions straight, let’s get to the recipe…

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes

These fluffy and flavorful buttermilk pancakes freeze well once cooked.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buttermilk, pancakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 248kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 3 cups buttermilk
  • ¼ cups butter melted and cooled
  • 3 cups flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 ½ tsp. baking soda
  • 1 ½ tsp. salt

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and buttermilk.
  • Slowly add cooled and melted butter to the egg mixture, whisking continuously.
  • Pour your egg mixture into your bowl of dry ingredients. and whisk until almost even consistency. (some chunks are normal).
  • Let pancakes batter sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
  • On a heated 350° griddle or medium-high heated pan, pour pancake batter ¼ cup or ½ cup size amount.
  • Cook for around 5 minutes on one side or until the edges of the pancakes start to look dry.
  • Flip and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes. Remove from pan when fully cooked.

Notes

Using Real Buttermilk
  • 3 cups of buttermilk 
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
Using Shortcut/Substitution
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar) + enough milk to make 3 cups
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Nutrition

Serving: 2pancakes | Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 669mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g

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