No.9 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Buttermilk pancakes

Made famous by Irma S. Rombauer

Photo: Maame1Yaa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From Joy of Cooking, 1931 and every edition since.

Pancakes are the most made weekend breakfast in America, and Joy of Cooking's buttermilk version is the template most families still use.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in Joy of Cooking.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 2 cups (480 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for the pan
• Maple syrup and butter, to serve

Steps

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk and eggs, then whisk in the melted butter.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold with a spatula just until there is no dry flour. The batter should be thick and lumpy. Let it rest 5 minutes while the pan heats; it will puff a little.
4. Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat until a drop of water dances and evaporates in a few seconds (about 375F). Brush with a little butter.
5. Pour 1/4-cup portions of batter, leaving room to spread. Cook until bubbles cover the surface, a few pop and stay open, and the edges look dry, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Flip once and cook until the second side is golden and the center springs back, about 1 1/2 minutes. Don't press them down.
7. Keep warm on a rack in a 200F oven while you cook the rest. Serve with butter and warm maple syrup.

Chef's tips

• No buttermilk? Stir 2 tablespoons lemon juice into 2 cups milk and let it sit 5 minutes.
• If the first pancake is pale, the pan wasn't hot enough; if it's dark outside and raw inside, turn the heat down.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer: get the book, No. 2 on The 100 Greatest Cookbooks.

← No. 8Guacamole→ No. 10Chicken tikka masala