These Sour Cream Pancakes are so light, fluffy, and easy to make. They are perfect for a weekend breakfast or brunch – they turn out perfectly every time.
Homemade pancakes are always a special breakfast treat, and I’ve tried a lot of recipes, but this sour cream pancake recipe I’m sharing today is definitely one of my favorites. The pancakes are incredibly fluffy and have a wonderful flavor from the sour cream.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sour cream
- Milk
- Large eggs
- Pure vanilla extract
- Cooking spray
Flour: This recipe uses AP flour. I haven’t tested it with alternative flours.
Sour cream: This is the key ingredient. Sour cream gives the pancakes a great flavor and texture. For the best results, I recommend using full-fat sour cream.
Milk: You can use fat free milk, 2%, or whole milk.
How to Make Sour Cream Pancakes
Whisk the dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients. I know it means two bowls to wash, but it really does make a difference.
Whisking the flour and baking powder first in a separate bowl ensures that the baking powder is distributed evenly through the batter. This means your pancakes will puff up more while they cook.
When you add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in a large bowl, stir them together until just combined. It’s okay if there are lumps! This means you’ve mixed the batter enough, so don’t keep stirring to get rid of the lumps. Overmixed batter will cause your pancakes to have a tough and chewy texture because the gluten in the flour has been overworked.
Cook your pancakes in a non-stick skillet or on a griddle. I use baking spray to grease the pan, but you can also melt butter in the pan over medium heat.
Cook the pancakes on one side until bubbles form and break on the surface of the batter. This means it’s time to flip the pancake. If you’re worried, you can take a peek and gently lift a part of the pancake to check if it is golden brown.
If you want to make blueberry pancakes or chocolate chip ones, drop the blueberries or chips on top of the wet batter when the pancake is cooking on the first side.
If you want to keep pancakes warm while you cook the rest, keep them in a warm oven on a sheet pan.
Recipe Tips
- You can freeze pancake batter. Just pour it into an airtight container, and it will keep well in the freezer for up to one month. You can also pour the batter into a resealable bag, squeeze out the air, and freeze it flat to save space in your freezer.
- If you cook a big batch of pancakes and have leftovers, you can freeze the cooked pancakes. First, place them in an even layer on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or bag. They will keep for up to two months.
- To reheat the frozen pancakes, you can warm them in the microwave, toaster oven, or regular oven.
Toppings
We love sour cream pancakes with butter and warm maple syrup. Or use your favorite fruit syrup, like strawberry or blueberry syrup.
If you have fresh berries on hand, you can drop them on the batter as the pancakes cook or use them to garnish the stack of pancakes when you serve them.
For a special treat, serve them with some whipped cream on the side with a dusting of cinnamon or grated chocolate over the top.
I wish I could take credit for the recipe, but I found it on Obviously Omnivore but the original recipe was developed by Ina Garten. After trying them I don’t think I’ll try another pancake recipe again. These sour cream pancakes are perfect.
More Pancake Recipes
- Japanese Hotcakes
- 3 Ingredient Banana Pancakes
- Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes
- Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Baked Buttermilk Pancakes
- Greek Yogurt Pancakes
Sour Cream Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest I omitted this
- unsalted butter I used PAM spray
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl combine sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix only until combined. Don’t overmix the batter, or your pancake will be chewy, dense and tough! (I love that you don't need to mix out the lumps)
- Grease pan/skillet with butter or PAM spray. Pour the pancake batter into the skillet and cook until bubbles appear on top and the bottom is nicely browned.
- Flip the pancakes over and cook for another minute or so until its browned.
- Serve warm with butter and/or maple syrup.
Notes
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
These sound delicious! About how many does the recipe make?
Sorry it’s been a long time since I made these and I don’t remember anymore. =(
ebilskivers are so delicious they are flufffy balls of goodness
I really need to try ebilskivers!
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Thanks. I’ll have to look for a spray with no alcohol next time.
i learned at a cooking seminar at willilams-sonoma last month that you should always use a non-stick spray with no alcohol. try getting one of those (read: not PAM) and see if your pancakes come out better! 😀
I usually use Bisquick too, since it is easy to whip up and tastes pretty good. But after trying out this sour cream recipe, this is going to my pancake go-to recipe from now on.
The pan was about $28 bucks. I’ve never tried an Ebelskiver! Sounds interesting.
So cool! The recipe looks easy too – i think sour cream is the trick to make any batter creamier and yummier.
I usually use Bisquick mix to make the batter but I will definitely use your sour cream recipe next time around!
And the pan is so awesome. Was it expensive?
Have you ever tried making an Ebelskiver? It’s that Norwegian or Nordic pancake? I’ve been dying to try to make them but the actual pan is expensive.
Wonderful post!!