The Best Pancake Recipes (from the Internet)

If there’s one thing I really love, it’s making breakfast. Don’t get me wrong, something homemade doesn’t always happen on busy weekday mornings. Cereal is really easy to pour and serve. 😉 But it just doesn’t hit the same as when I’ve made something from scratch — or at least turned on a griddle or something! Breakfast is often my kids’ biggest meal of the day, too, so I like to make it count.

Pancakes are universally appealing for babies, kids, AND adults — if you can find the right recipe, that is! There’s something so comforting about a big round stack of carbs to start your day. And I really think they are the best breakfast food. Hear me out.

Pancakes are:

• portable (skip the syrup to avoid a sticky mess)
• sandwich-able (add some nut butter!)
• lunch-box-throw-in-able (2 birds with one stone!)
• freezer-friendly (let cool then place in large ziplock bags; can pop in toaster straight from frozen)
• baby-friendly (soft texture! cut into strips!)
• easily adapted for small or large groups
• the least likely food item to be refused by your child (in our personal experience)

I’ve only included pancake recipes that we:

1. make regularly
2. have loved for years
3. found on the world wide web (food bloggers, you are the best!)

We of course have some other beloved family pancake recipes that we make a lot in our home too, but everything posted today is link-able and find-able on The Internet.

Classic Buttermilk Pancakes

First up: Classic Buttermilk Pancakes!! This buttermilk pancake recipe is listed as “Fluffy Pancakes” on Allrecipes.com. And truly they are SO fluffy and divine, it’s like eating a cloud. A buttery, soft cloud.

I’m calling these buttermilk pancakes but in truth the recipe just calls for plain old milk which you then sour with vinegar and turn into a makeshift “buttermilk.” I think this is fabulous because I often don’t have buttermilk on hand, but I can still make diner-style pancakes!

This is a sweeter pancake, so I think it works better as a weekend specialty than a weekday staple. It’s all of my boys’ favorite pancake recipe (husband included)– hands down–and the recipe that we usually make for company.

I also think this is the best recipe on this list to turn into a blueberry pancake because of its’ thick batter and simple buttermilk flavor base.

Banana Blender Oat Pancakes

The second pancake on our list can be made in the blender, eliminating any need for a mixing spoon! These are gluten free (assuming your oats are certified GF). I rave about these in a recent post about 4 filling breakfasts that kids AND adults love. I really think if I had to choose ONE breakfast food for the rest of my life, it would be these pancakes…with dark chocolate chips blended in and peanut butter melted on top. They are delicious, sweet, and filling without feeling heavy.

There are tons of recipes out there on the web for these but our favorite by far is: Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes by Ambitious Kitchen.

We really make these all the time. I regularly look forward to having 2 (or 4 if doubling) overripe bananas on the counter because it means we can make these banana blender pancakes!

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Up next is another banana pancake– this recipe is found over on the amazing food website by Cookie and Kate. I know that having more than one banana pancake up your sleeve may feel like overkill. It’s totally not. These pancakes taste night and day different than the previous recipe. Whereas the blender pancakes are denser and flatter, these whole wheat ones are a lot fluffier and more decadent.

I like these best with pure maple syrup on top, but they are definitely sweet enough to eat on their own on-the-go if needed!

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

Next up, this whole wheat buttermilk pancake recipe comes from Genius kitchen and I’ve been using it for…our whole marriage I’m pretty sure. I love the subtle sweetness that comes from the honey. I get so excited when my babies approach their 1st birthday because it means our family can start enjoying THIS PANCAKE RECIPE AGAIN! (amongst other important milestones of course haha).

This is our favorite pancake to turn into chocolate chip pancakes. The whole wheat flour feels more filling and substantial so it pairs well (for us) with the sweeter chocolate chips.

Pumpkin Whole Wheat Pancakes

Second-to-last on the lineup is a second pancake recipe from the Queen of Healthy Pancakes: Cookie and Kate. Find her pumpkin pancakes recipe HERE!

These can seem at first glance like a seasonal item but don’t be fooled; canned pumpkin is shelf-stable year-round these days, you know. Adding pumpkin puree in pancakes and muffins is one of my favorite hacks to get more vegetables on my plate at any time of year!

I rave about these pumpkin pancakes in this post of my 3 favorite pumpkin recipes, and they really are perfection. They are perfectly spiced, and sweetened with a bit of maple syrup. I always love a whole wheat pancake to start my day, too.

I know it sounds a little odd, but my favorite way to enjoy these is with a dollop of greek yogurt and some apple butter (they sell an amazing caramel pecan apple butter at Silver Dollar City’s Cinnamon Bread shop btw!!! Our full guide to Silver Dollar City Theme Park HERE!).

Mel’s German Pancakes

Last but not least, german pancakes! Mel’s Kitchen Cafe has never disappointed me, and has probably never disappointed anyone. Therefore you can expect great things from her german pancake recipe. It’s very straightforward and made with very humble pantry ingredients. Well, except for the multiple eggs you’ll need, which at this point in 2023 feels completely luxurious!

I like that you can do a combination of whole wheat to make them a little more filling, and with all of the eggs they are definitely heartier in protein than your typical pancake.

My favorite part is that I can stick the whole pan in the oven and forget about it for awhile. With typical pancakes one of us has to be flipping at the stovetop for the unforeseeable future/ keeping our cute climbing curious toddler away from the dangerous heat.

I almost always skip the butter syrup she mentions. Instead, I dust the whole pan with powdered sugar when it comes out of the oven and serve it alongside whatever fresh or frozen berries we have on hand at the moment.

A Final Note:

I can’t close out a blog post on our favorite pancake recipes without noting the many mornings that we use Kodiak Pancakes (we find ours at Costco). Of the “just add water” brands, I think Kodiak has the best results. Topped with nut butter, bananas, and maple syrup… they are pretty decent! You can even add milk or eggs to elevate the taste a bit.

What pancake recipes do you keep coming back to?? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear!

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Cover Photo by Nicole Goulart on Unsplash