Start your weekend morning with these fluffy sweet cream pancakes. They're everything you want in a pancake--golden-crisp edges, pillowy centers, and a vanilla sweetness that makes them perfect for your favorite toppings--no buttermilk necessary!
That's right: These pancakes achieve that perfect, fluffy texture without buttermilk thanks to heavy cream and a touch of vinegar and baking soda for lofty lift.
Sometimes, I'm just not in the mood for savory breakfast, as delicious as cheesy, crispy potato rösti can be on a quiet weekend morning. THat's when it's time for the sweet comfort of pancakes or muffins--and these sweet cream pancakes hit all the right notes.
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🥘 Ingredients
- AP flour: I ALWAYS use King Arthur unbleached AP flour. They display the gluten content (11.7% for unbleached AP), and because I use the same flour I get consistent results no matter what recipe I'm developing. Gluten content determines the structure and texture of your final dish--higher gluten (like bread flour at 12.7%) creates chewier textures with larger air pockets, while lower gluten (like cake flour at 10%) produces more tender, delicate results.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps with browning for perfect golden edges.
- Baking powder: Primary leavening agent that creates fluffy bubbles throughout the pancakes.
- Baking soda: Reacts with the vinegar to create air bubbles for lighter, fluffier pancakes.
- Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt: The preferred salt for many chefs and home cooks.
- Egg: Provides structure, binding, and richness!
- Heavy cream: The star ingredient! According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in the United States the terms "heavy cream" and "heavy whipping cream" are used interchangeably and contain no less than 36% milkfat. This should not be confused or substituted with light whipping cream which by regulation contains less between 30-36% milkfat.
- Whole milk: Adds moisture and thins out the batter a bit.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a warm flavor profile.
- Vinegar: Acid used to activate the baking soda to create additional lift for lighter, fluffier pancakes.
- Ghee, clarified butter, or high smoke point neutral oil: For cooking the pancakes without burning. For more info (if you're a nerd, check out "Tips and Tricks" below!).
See recipe card for quantities.
👯 Substitutions
- Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar, white distilled vinegar, white wine vinegar, and lemon juice work great for this pancake recipe.
This sweet cream pancake recipe hasn't been tested with gluten-free flours, so I'm not sure how the results might turn out.
🍽 Equipment
- Skillet OR griddle (electric nonstick or cast iron on the stove)
- Large bowl for dry ingredients
- Medium bowl for wet ingredients
- Rubber spatula for scraping batter and mixing ingredients
- Spatula for flipping the sweet cream pancakes
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
I love my cast iron griddle. While it has some hot and cold spots (which I expect for the $30 I paid for it years ago) and maintaining it is more of a pain than a nonstick skillet, it creates beautiful golden pancakes with crisp edges. The large surface lets me cook multiple pancakes at once, perfect for serving everyone quickly.
🔪 Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Combine all wet ingredients in a medium bowl.
Step 3: Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined. DO NOT overmix. Lumps are totally fine.
Step 4: Let combined batter rest for 20 minutes. Want to know why? Check out my top tip below.
Step 5: Heat ghee/clarified butter/oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Step 6: When skillet it hot, drop about ¼ cup of batter onto the surface.
Step 7: When bubbles rise to the surface and leave tunnels that do not fill back in with batter it's ready to flip!
Flip the pancake and cook until brown on both sides.
🫙 Storage
While these sweet cream pancakes are most delicious fresh off the griddle, they reheat well making them perfect for a make ahead or meal prepped breakfast, brunch, or even midnight snack. Here's how to store them to keep them fresh and fluffy.
Refrigerator
- Completely cool sweet cream pancakes to room temperature.
- Layer wax or parchment paper between each pancake to prevent sticking (optional but recommended).
- Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator.
- Enjoy within 4-5 days.
Freezer
- Completely cool sweet cream pancakes to room temperature.
- Layer wax or parchment paper between each pancake to prevent sticking.
- Store in a freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
- Remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn.
- Don't forget to label with the date!
- Enjoy within 1 month.
Reheating
- Microwave: Heat for 20-30 seconds for refrigerated sweet cream pancakes OR 60-90 seconds for frozen pancakes.
- Toaster: Frozen pancakes can be popped directly into the toaster for a crisp exterior.
- Oven: Place pancakes in a baking sheet, cover with foil, and bake for 5-10 minutes at 350F.
💡 Tips and tricks
Resting the batter
Resting the pancake batter for 20 minutes is my top tip for fluffier pancakes. This gives the flour time to fully hydrate and the gluten to relax, resulting in more tender sweet cream pancakes. During this time, the baking powder and baking soda also create air bubbles throughout the batter that further expand when cooking. The batter will also thicken.
Don't overmix the batter
Lumps are gold for tender, fluffy pancakes! While the high fat content of these sweet cream pancakes will hinder gluten development, the more you mix, the more gluten (enemy of the pancake--kinda) will develop, which will make your pancakes tough.
Use high smoke point fats for cooking
I love regular butter, but it burns too damn fast in my skillet when making pancakes, so I switched to using ghee, and haven't looked back since. Regular butter has milk solids that burn quickly at high heat, while these alternatives can handle higher temperatures for perfect golden pancakes without any scorching. You can also use clarified butter, or a neutral oil with a high smoke point such as avocado or canola oil.
Flip at the perfect moment
The ideal time to flip a pancake is when:
- Bubbles rise to the surface of the pancake, pop, and leave little "tunnels" that don't fill back in with batter.
- The edges will start browning.
- The surface will lose its initial sheen as it dries out.
Once you see those signs, you're ready to flip!
Adding blueberries and/or chocolate chips
If you want to add blueberries or chocolate chips to these pancakes, DO NOT mix them directly into the batter. Instead, sprinkle them directly onto the pancake after pouring the batter onto the hot pan.
Serve immediately
Pancakes are best served straight off the griddle or pan. Why? Let's talk science.
During cooking, starches in flour absorb water and swell - this is called gelatinization. However, as the pancake and therefore starches cool, a reaction called starch retrogradation begins.
As food science expert Harold McGee explains in his classic book On Food and Cooking, during starch retrogradation, starch molecules return to a more crystalline state. This pushes out water that the starches had previously absorbed, causing the pancake to become more dense and firm. It's not that the water content decreasing a crazy amount--it's more that the water becomes less evenly distributed and bound within the starches. Thank you, Harold McGee, for teaching me this! The water and fat content of this recipe also affect retrogradation.
So serve them immediately; buy a griddle (electric or cast-iron) to make a bunch at once; OR keep them warm in a 150F oven covered with a damp towel until ready to serve.
If you're a nerd too, check out this fun and easy-to-digest article written by Orlando Science Center called "The Science of Pancakes".
🥧 Topping ideas
While these sweet cream pancakes are delicious and a little sweeter than your average old-fashioned pancake, toppings can take them to the next level. I love topping my pancakes with too much butter and a bit of maple syrup, but here are some other fantastic topping ideas (perfect for a pancake bar!):
- Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, and honey (my second favorite topping)
- Peanut butter and chocolate chips
- Fresh fruit (berries, sliced bananas, peaches, etc.), homemade whipped cream, and powdered sugar
- Nutella and chopped nuts
- Biscoff spread
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetened mascarpone and lemon curd
🙋 FAQ
When is the pancake ready to flip?
When bubbles rise to the surface of the pancake (especially toward the middle) and create tunnels that don't fill back in with batter, the pancake is ready to flip! Check out the "Tips and Tricks" section for more info and a descriptive GIF.
What should the pancake batter look like?
This pancake batter will be thicker than you might be used to. Don't worry! The thick consistency creates lofty, pillowy pancakes with amazing texture. Also DO NOT overmix it. It should be slightly lumpy.
Why should pancake batter be lumpy?
Overmixing pancake batter will start gluten development, which will make your pancakes tough and rise less during cooking. Pancake batter SHOULD NOT BE smooth.
Why aren't my pancakes fluffy?
A successful end result is just as much about technique as it is about ingredients since good ingredients can only take you so far. If your pancakes come out dense, you might have overmixed the batter or not given it enough time to rest to allow the leavening agents to activate.
Can I substitute the heavy cream for something less fatty?
No. The fat content is crucial to the light and fluffy texture of these pancakes.
🤩 Recommended
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Sweet cream pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
Wet ingredients
- 2 egg large
- 1 cup heavy cream (also called "heavy whipping cream")
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
For cooking
- ghee or high smoke point, neutral oil Avocado oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, etc. (See "Tips and Tricks")
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, beat the egg, heavy cream, milk, vanilla extract, and vinegar until well combined.
- Combine batters. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir gently until just combined and there are no more large clumps of flour. The batter should remain slightly lumpy for tender pancakes.
- Rest the batter. Let the mixture rest for 20 minutes to activate the leavening agents. See "Tips and Tricks" above to learn more about why you should let the batter rest.
- Heat cooking surface. When the batter finishes resting, heat 1 or 2 teaspoons of ghee (or oil) on a griddle or in a frying pan over medium-low heat.
- Test surface temperature. The surface is ready when a small drop of batter sizzles upon contact.
- Cook first side. Ladle approximately ¼ cup of batter onto the hot surface. Cook until bubbles appear on top and leave holes that don't fill back in. Be patient.
- Flip and finish cooking. Flip pancakes and cook until the second side is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes more.
- Repeat and serve. Continue with remaining batter, adding more ghee as needed. Serve pancakes immediately, or keep warm in a 200°F oven until ready to serve.
Justin says
Very fluffy and nicely balanced! Not too sweet, perfect with yogurt
SW says
I used dairy-free heavy cream and these turned out fantastic -- probably the fluffiest pancakes I've made. My friend's toddler (i.e., incapable of white lies) also approved and helped himself to seconds.
SW says
I used dairy-free heavy cream and these turned out fantastic -- probably the fluffiest pancakes I've made. My friend's toddler (i.e., honest and incapable of white lies) also approved and helped himself to seconds.
Liz says
These sweet cream pancakes are a game changer for me, I love the texture and amount of sweetness these have, so good!
John says
These were some of the fluffiest pancakes I've ever had. I never realized the secret was letting everything rest!