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Next level American-style pancakes

Maple syrup being poured on a stack of American-style pancakes

Next level American-style pancakes

Name: Next level American-style pancakes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Makes 6 saucer-sized or 12-18 small pancakes
Ingredients: 50g unsalted butter plus extra for frying; 300g plain flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 tbsp caster sugar; 2 eggs separated; 400ml buttermilk; 1 tsp vanilla extract; sunflower oil or butter, for frying; maple syrup to serve; 8 rashers smoked streaky bacon; 100g unsalted butter softened; 1 tbsp maple syrup

Barney Desmazery

Published: February 11, 2026 at 10:49 AM

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Makes 6 saucer-sized or 12-18 small pancakes

More effort

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 40 mins

plus cooling and resting

A star rating of 2.6 out of 5.3 ratingsRate

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Make the lightest, fluffiest American-style pancakes you've ever eaten with this recipe. They're perfect for Pancake Day or a lazy weekend brunch

Vegetarian

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Despite being a simple dish, there are so many recipes out there, all claiming to be the best. Often, these are American so require swaps for British ingredients, which can affect the result. We’ve gone full US-style here, but have considered the parts that are usually taken for granted. Whisked egg whites make these extra-light, and since eggs are already in the batter, it doesn’t require much more effort (but you can skip this, if you want). We’ve also thought about how pancakes are served: the classic tall stack often disguises a dry, butter-free middle layer, so we’ve made fewer, larger pancakes to get the butter-to-pancake ratio just right. But whether saucer-sized, bigger, or smaller, these are the lightest, fluffiest pancakes we’ve made yet.

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

50g unsalted butter

plus extra for frying
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 eggs

separated
400ml buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
sunflower oil

or butter, for frying
maple syrup

to serve

For the whipped bacon butter (optional)

8 rashers smoked streaky bacon
100g unsalted butter

softened
1 tbsp maple syrup

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Nutrition: Per serving (6) with bacon butter

kcal546
fat31g
saturates17g
carbs48g
sugars9g
fibre2g
protein16g
salt1.8g

Method

step 1

If making the bacon butter, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Arrange the bacon on the tray in a single layer, then cover with another sheet of parchment and a second tray (this ensures the bacon stays flat). Bake for 25-30 mins until very crisp, then leave to cool. Crumble finely. Beat the butter with the maple syrup, then fold in the bacon. Scrape onto a sheet of parchment, roll up into a log, twist the ends to seal, and chill until needed. Will keep chilled for three days or frozen for two months.
step 2

For the pancakes, melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat until foaming, golden and smelling nutty. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Tip the flour, baking powder, sugar and a large pinch of salt into a bowl, and stir to combine. Whisk the egg yolks, buttermilk and vanilla together in a jug, then slowly whisk in the cooled brown butter. Pour the wet mixture into the dry, and whisk briefly until just combined. Don’t worry about small lumps – they’ll disappear as the pancakes puff up. Let the batter rest for 15 mins.
step 3

Tip the egg whites into a clean bowl and whisk until just holding their shape using an electric whisk. Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter – it’s fine if a few streaks remain. Once the egg whites have been added, you should cook the pancakes as soon as possible. (If you prefer not to whip the egg whites separately, add the whole eggs in the wet mixture in step 2.)
step 4

Heat a large non-stick pan over a medium heat, and brush over a little oil or butter. Ladle in enough of the batter to create one or two saucer-sized pancakes, or a smaller amount to make small pancakes (you’ll need to do this in batches). Cook for 2-3 mins until the pancakes are puffed up, small bubbles appear on the surface and the edges look set. Flip and cook for 1-2 mins more until golden and fluffy. Transfer a baking tray and keep warm in a low oven while you repeat with the rest of the batter.
step 5

Warm the maple syrup in a small pan until just steaming, or in the microwave in short bursts (don’t boil). Serve the pancakes topped with thin slices of the bacon butter, if using, and maple syrup.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2026

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A star rating of 2.6 out of 5.3 ratings

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