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Home » Recipes » Sour Milk Pancakes

Sour Milk Pancakes

Published: May 27, 2020 · Modified: Jun 7, 2020 by Farah Abumaizar · 22 Comments

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Stack of fluffy and delicious sour milk pancakes with strawberries on the side and bite taken out

Sour milk pancakes are the fluffiest pancakes you could have, made with a homemade version of buttermilk that gives them just a little tang and so much tenderness. Baking powder and baking soda work together to give these pancakes a lot of lift, and they are fantastic!

This recipe is barely adapted from an allrecipes one, with over 11,000 reviews. Great reviews, so I knew it would be a winning recipe. I’ve been making it for years now and it’s never failed to please!

How to sour milk at home:

Sour milk is the equivalent of buttermilk, but instead of buying ready made buttermilk that you might not have so many uses for, just make your own easily at home!

The way you sour milk is to add vinegar or lemon juice (I always prefer vinegar so I don’t have to juice a lemon) to regular milk. Let it stand for 5 minutes or so at which point you’ll start to see some curdled clumps form. Whisk briefly to combine, and you can use as directed in recipes.

Why use sour milk or buttermilk in pancakes?

The acidity of the soured milk helps to activate the baking soda in the pancakes, giving them that fluffy height that is a trademark of this recipe. It also helps to break down the gluten in the flour, which also gives a tender crumb.

Ingredients in sour milk pancakes:

Ingredients needed to make pancake batter

Milk+ White Vinegar to give us the sour milk

All Purpose Flour

Granulated Sugar- just a little for sweetness

Baking Powder + Baking Soda- using both together is another way to get great lift and fluffiness

Salt: I reduced the amount slightly from the original recipe, I found 1/4 teaspoon to be just enough for me!

Egg: Make sure it’s room temperature so it combines with the rest of the batter easier. Just take it out of the fridge about 30 min before starting your batter, or you can dunk a cold egg in some warm water for 5 minutes

Vanilla: The original recipe didn’t have this but I love adding vanilla to my pancakes for a little flavor.

Butter: melted, plus I recommend extra grease your skillet with. Gives a great flavor, just make sure the heat isn’t too high so the butter doesn’t burn.

Pancake batter in a mixing bowl

How to make pancakes:

First make your sour milk. In another bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Once the milk has soured, add the remaining wet ingreients to it )the egg, vanilla and melted butter).

Finally, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once and stir until just combined. Lumps are ok!

I like to let the batter rest, just 5- 10 minutes. This gives me enough time to heat the skillet, and also allows the gluten in the batter to relax and the batter to hydrate evenly. This also helps any lumps in the batter to ease!

I like to cook 1/4 cup measures of pancakes at a time, this gives you really uniform sized pancakes. Wait until bubbles form and edges set before flipping the pancakes.

For the most flavor, cook your pancakes in melted butter. Just make sure the heat isn’t too high so the butter doesn’t burn. You might need to add a little more butter to the pan as you go on.

Pancake batter being cooked in a pan

Tips for pancake success:

Ingredient temperature: Make sure your egg is at room temperature so they combine well with the other ingredients. The milk can be room temperature too, which will tend to happen anyway since you are letting it sit for five minutes to combine with the vinegar.

Mixing: Don’t over mix the ingredients! That’s what will give you tough and chewy pancakes. Mix just enough so that ingredients are combined, and don’t worry too much about lumps.

It’s really hard to get these pancakes wrong!

Scale up: If making these pancakes for a crowd, scale up. Double the recipe. This makes six pancakes, so in my book its perfect for two!

Keeping pancakes warm while you finish cooking:

One of the best pancake making tips I got from Joy the Baker . Heat the oven on really low heat, 200 F (100C), and place a baking sheet in the oven. As soon as a pancake is done, transfer it to the baking sheet. Spread them out so they aren’t on top of each other so they don’t get moist. This will keep them warm without drying them out until you are ready to eat!

How to store leftover pancakes:

Leftover pancakes last 2-3 days in the fridge, or you can freeze them (first on a baking sheet separately so they don’t stick, then once solid you can transfer them to a freezer bag) for 2-3 months.

You can heat them in a microwave, an oven at low heat, or even in a toaster. They’ll still taste really good!

What to serve pancakes with:

You can keep them simple with maple syrup and a pat of butter.

You can top with chocolate chips (and even dot chocolate chips to the batter once it’s on the skillet), and pecans.

Sliced bananas, berries, greek yogurt.

These are extremely versatile!

Stack of fluffy buttermilk pancaks with strawberries on the side

Sour Milk Pancakes

The fluffiest pancakes you'll ever have, these use sour milk (homemade buttermilk) to give tenderness. Fluffy and soft and absolutely delicious, you'll probably never make pancakes another way again!
5 from 13 votes
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Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 205kcal
Author: Farah Abumaizar

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup milk 170g
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 cup flour 125g
  • 2 tablespoon sugar 25g
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoon butter, melted 28g

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the milk and vinegar, and let aside to stand for 5 minutes until curdled. Whisk to combine.
  • In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • Add an egg, the vanilla and the melted butter to the buttermilk and whisk to combine.
  • Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet, and whisk until flour patches disappear. A few lumps are fine, but don't over mix.
  • Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes while you heat a pan on the stove.
  • lightly grease the pan with nonstick spray or butter, and pour about 1/4 cup of batter on the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. (Flip the first time once you see bubbles form and the edges of the pancake dry up)

Notes

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.

Nutrition

Calories: 205kcal
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. sahar says

    January 07, 2022 at 7:29 am

    5 stars
    This is my family’s go-to pancakes recipe. it is perfect every time! Thanks ELC

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      January 07, 2022 at 9:58 am

      Aw thanks Sahar for taking the time to comment! So happy your family and you enjoy the pancakes as much as my family does ❤️

      Reply
  2. Janie says

    November 16, 2021 at 8:08 pm

    5 stars
    I added one mashed banana and a shake of cinnamon. Used naturally slightly soured milk that had soured before the expiration date. They were great!

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      November 17, 2021 at 5:28 pm

      So happy to hear it Janie! Love the idea of banana

      Reply
  3. Loucine Tamargo says

    November 14, 2021 at 9:52 pm

    5 stars
    They’re pretty easy to make and saved me from the guilt of throwing away the sour milk I have in the fridge, it was just about to turn bad in a few days!

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      November 15, 2021 at 6:06 am

      So happy you found a good use for that milk!

      Reply
  4. Kathy Lasky says

    February 08, 2021 at 7:20 pm

    5 stars
    Taste very good and easy.

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      February 08, 2021 at 7:23 pm

      Thanks for the comment Kathy! So glad you enjoyed the pancakes

      Reply
  5. MarieTherese says

    November 19, 2020 at 9:34 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my. Best ever. Husband loved them. Light and fluffy.

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      November 19, 2020 at 9:40 pm

      I’m so glad to hear that!! So glad you had a great breakfast, these pancakes are definitely one of my fave breakfasts ever. Thanks Marie!

      Reply
  6. Amarie says

    November 19, 2020 at 9:30 pm

    5 stars
    Made these this morning. Added some leftover blueberries I was trying to use up. A. Ma. Zing. Saving this recipe. My husband said “Hmm. These are good pancakes.” He usually likes what I make but these were extra delicious. I also added a little more milk as they got kind of thick but were definitely light and fluffy.

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      November 19, 2020 at 9:40 pm

      I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for your comment and for letting me know about that splash of extra milk- hope you enjoy these for many more breakfasts to come!

      Reply
  7. Roxana says

    May 28, 2020 at 2:24 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my, these pancakes look so soft and fluffy. Going to try these now for breakfast. Easy recipe too.

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      May 28, 2020 at 7:25 pm

      So easy and so good!!

      Reply
  8. Danielle Wolter says

    May 28, 2020 at 1:42 pm

    5 stars
    These pancakes were awesome! So light and fluffy and delicious I am already ready for my next batch 🙂

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      May 28, 2020 at 2:17 pm

      Thanks Danielle!

      Reply
  9. Jo says

    May 28, 2020 at 12:43 pm

    5 stars
    I totally agree, you cannot beat buttermilk pancakes, so fluffy and just delicious! Weekend is almost here and so is pancake breakfast!

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      May 28, 2020 at 1:25 pm

      Thanks so much Jo!

      Reply
  10. Shashi says

    May 28, 2020 at 12:27 pm

    5 stars
    I usually save pancakes for the weekend and you are making me rethink that with this fluffy stack!

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      May 28, 2020 at 12:27 pm

      Every day can be pancake day 😍

      Reply
  11. Anjali says

    May 28, 2020 at 8:18 am

    5 stars
    These pancakes turned out to be absolutely delicious! They were light, fluffy and just slightly sweet. Perfect for a weekend brunch!

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      May 28, 2020 at 8:19 am

      So glad you enjoyed them Anjali!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Farah! I've been cooking and baking most of my life. I love Middle Eastern food, and decadent breakfast and desserts. Welcome to my food world!

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