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Is there anything better than waking up to the smell of cooking pancakes? With their golden brown edges, melted butter and a drizzle of maple syrup, they always turn good days into great ones.
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The Most Delicious Pancakes You’ll Ever Make
One thing I missed when living in Belgium was breakfast. Sure, there are numerous patisseries with gorgeous shelves of croissants and fresh pastries. And no doubt, they have the best waffles in the world, but there were no sit-down restaurants where you could get all that plus a fried egg, a side of bacon and some grits or gravy.
Fortunately, eggs and bacon are a breeze to make at home, but the one accouterment that I missed most on my home-cooked breakfast plate was a stack of golden pancakes.
Through the years, I never need to master the pancake because I could run to McDonalds, Ihop, Cracker Barrel, Dennys, etc. But now I found myself thousands of miles away without a pancake in sight. So weekend after weekend, I experimented, until I nailed it—and they’re made with pantry staples, no need to make an extra trip to the grocery store.
This recipe creates light and fluffy pancakes with a hint of sweetness. They’re airy on the inside, but moist enough to soak up the butter, syrup and the broken yolk from a fried egg.
I made these weekend after weekend while living in Belgium and one day I made a batch and brought them to work. My Belgian co-workers loved them and couldn’t believe they were made with Sprite. Don’t let that ingredient deter you. It’s the key to this pancake’s texture.
Now that I’m in Texas, breakfast food chains roll along the highway block after block, but there is still nothing like homemade pancakes with a fried egg on top and a side of bacon in your PJs.
Light and Fluffy Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups Bisquick
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup Sprite, 7-Up or Squirt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Whisk: In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients then add your wet ingredients until fully combined.
- Heat: Warm a griddle, frying pan or large skillet over medium heat. Apply cooking spray.
- Pour: Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, pour the pancake batter onto the hot griddle.
- Cook: Fry until bubbles form on the top of the hotcake, about 1-2 minutes.
- Flip: Cook the second side until lightly golden brown, about 1 minute.
- Place: Once cooked on each side, place pancakes on a cake pan and top with an upside-down pan or baking sheet of the same size to keep warm.
- Repeat: Until you're out of pancake batter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients for fluffy pancakes
- Bisquick. Or your favorite box mix or homemade pancake mix.
- Water
- Sprite. Trust me here!
- Sugar. You can easily swap in light or dark brown sugar here as well.
- Vanilla
- Salt
How to make the perfect pancake recipe
- WHISK: In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients then add your wet ingredients until fully combined.
- HEAT: Warm a griddle, frying pan or large skillet over medium heat. Apply cooking spray.
- POUR: Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, pour the pancake batter onto the hot griddle.
- COOK: Fry until bubbles form on the top of the hotcake, about 1-2 minutes.
- FLIP: Cook the second side until lightly golden brown, about 1 minute.
- PLACE: Once cooked on each side, place pancakes on a cake pan and top with an upside-down pan or baking sheet of the same size to keep warm.
- REPEAT: Until you’re out of pancake batter.
How to serve fluffy pancakes
The best part of making pancakes is you can do almost anything with them. You can toss chocolate chips, crushed blueberries or cinnamon into the batter. Top them with your favorite toppings like fresh fruit and nuts, whipped cream or maybe even some ice cream if you’re feeling decadent. But, don’t forget the classics—a small pat of butter and maple syrup go a long way. If you’re feeling adventurous, try my bacon maple syrup for a whole new flavor profile.
Pancakes are so easy to make but always feel like a big occasion. Try making them for your partner’s birthday or Mother’s day or turn a regular day into a wonderful one with these fluffy pancakes. You won’t be disappointed.
Storage
It’s hard to imagine leftover pancakes, but if you have some they can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Throw them in a freezer bag and they’ll keep for up to three months, thaw them out gently and heat them up in 30-second intervals in the microwave when you’re ready to eat them again.
Frequently Asked Questions
When it comes to pancakes, it’s all about using the freshest ingredients and not overmixing. Luckily, the bubbles from the soda should keep your pancakes from becoming too heavy. You can always try thinning your batter out with a little water too.
This recipe doesn’t call for it, but I say if that’s how you like them, go for it. Swap the water for whole milk or your favorite non-dairy milk.
Not this time. We want to keep the carbonation from the soda so take It straight from the mixing bowl to the griddle.
More recipes
- Cachapas (Corn Pancakes)
- Bacon German Pancakes (Yorkshire Pudding)
- Blueberry Fire Pit Flapjacks with Maple Blueberry Syrup
Is it 200 g or 1 â…“ cup. If you go by the weight given on the box, â…“ cup is 41g, that makes 164g for 1 â…“ cup.
I use 1 1/3 cup on a regular basis.
no egg?
i can see these being light. best waffle recipe i have calls for seltzer in place of water. cannot wait to try these!!!
Christie, I have never used 7-Up but I do use a little squeeze of lemon juice in my Bisquick. It does make them a little more airy. Breakfast is my favorite meal any time of day.
Pancakes are my favorite. Thanks for sharing.
Nice fluffy pancakes-ready to soak up honey, fruit juice or maple syrup. Who could resist these-Yum!