Name: Best Sour Cream Pancakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: ½ cup whole milk; ¼ cup sour cream (substitute in the notes); 1 ¾ tablespoon white vinegar; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 large egg (Read the notes); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoon oil

Recipe Video

These are the best sour cream pancakes you’ll ever want to try. Fluffy, light, delicious, golden brown, and can magically vanish in minutes. I have been enjoying these bad boys for the past few weeks, and since these pancakes have passed the quality test, it’s time to share them with you, and I’ll be sharing a substitute to sour cream that will make these pancakes taste even better. Don’t forget to watch the video!

The best sour cream pancakes you’ll ever have

There is a story behind each dish, and there is a story behind the Best Sour Cream Pancakes, too; the story, in short, I had sour cream, and it was about to expire, and my brain couldn’t think of better use for it than in pancakes!

If you browse through my blog, you will find several pancake recipes, and I am proud of having such a delicious collection of different flavors. Chocolate pancakes, pancake souffle, yogurt pancakes, the list is yummy and worth trying.

To make a good pancake, you must follow the recipe and the most crucial part, never over mix the batter. I know that seeing small lumps in the batter will urge you to beat some more, but please don’t. The lumps will dissolve while the pancakes are cooking, I promise!

Ingredients you need to make the pancakes

You will need basic ingredients for making pancakes; the only new ingredient is sour cream. Most probably, you have everything in your kitchen already.

Milk – I always use full cream or whole milk, and you can go for lactose-free milk. It works really well with this recipe.

Sour cream – Go for full cream, you can also use lactose-free sour cream for this recipe, and the result will be incredible.

Flour – I have used all-purpose flour. Some might prefer mixing all-purpose with whole wheat, but the pancakes will not come out as fluffy.

Oil – Instead of butter, I went for oil because these pancakes are super delicious, and when I make a batch and freeze it, it stays moist, tender, and tastes as if freshly made when reheated. You can use butter if you wish but believe me, the rich taste is there even if you don’t add butter to the batter.

White vinegar – Yes, we need white vinegar because we are going to make homemade buttermilk. I didn’t use regular buttermilk because I wanted the reaction between baking soda, sour cream, and vinegar to become a little more aggressive to result in tender pancake crumbs.

Sugar – We all need some sweetness in life, and it also helps the pancakes to stay tender longer.

Egg – Besides the richness and the rise, egg also enhances the flavor of sour cream pancakes.

Baking powder and baking soda.

Salt.

Overhead shot of freshly made sour cream pancakes.

How to make sour cream pancakes?

In a bowl, add the milk and vinegar, stir for a few seconds, and your homemade buttermilk is ready.
Add the sour cream, oil, vanilla, egg, sugar, and mix the wet ingredients until combined.
Sift in the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix well with the previous wet mixture but make sure not to over mix, or the pancakes will come out tough.
Cover the pancake batter for three minutes; this will result in small, tiny bubbles appearing on the surface of the batter.
In a hot nonstick pan, pour a quarter cup batter. Let the pancake cook on medium-low heat until the bubbles form on the surface.
Keep the heat on medium-low to prevent the pancakes from burning or undercooking.
Flip the pancake and cook on the other side for around a minute.
Cover the cooked pancakes to prevent them from drying.
Serve hot with fruits, cream, or syrup.

Sour cream substitute

You will love adding this substitute instead of sour cream to the batter! I couldn’t believe it when I first tasted these pancakes with the substitute instead of sour cream the texture was great so was the flavor. The best sour cream substitute is a heavy cream mixed with regular yogurt.

I know it sounds strange, believe me, as much as we love sour cream pancakes, I mostly use this substitute to make it. The taste of cream is very much there, and the yogurt balances all the flavors. It’s a magical substitute. Indeed, it makes the pancakes delicious, fluffy, and mind-blowing! The exact measurements are in the notes section of the recipe card below.

Thin or thick pancakes?

If you are in America, the pancakes will be thick, they like to add a lot of butter and syrup on their pancakes, and I don’t blame them. It tastes heavenly; however, in Europe and other countries, you’ll find it to be a little thinner. But the taste should stay the same.

In the video I have included in this post, you’ll see me, with the help of the measuring cup spreading the pancake batter after pouring it into the pan because this is how we like it; if you fancy thick pancakes, pour the batter in the pan and do not disturb it, this sour cream pancake recipe makes thin and thick pancakes.

9 sides to serve with pancakes

Maple syrup.
Honey.
Strawberry jam.
Fresh fruit.
Whipped cream.
Chocolate sauce.
Bacon.
Scrambled eggs.
Sausages.

How to freeze pancakes and reheat them

If you are making sour cream pancakes, make sure to make a few for later, you will want to have them often for breakfast with some bacon and maple syrup (Yum!), and it is a time saver on those busy mornings.

You can freeze pancakes for up to 2 months, and all you need is parchment paper and a Ziplock bag to store them.

After the pancakes come to room temperature, stack them in a freezer-friendly bag and make sure to place parchment paper between each pancake to prevent it from sticking together.

You can also place the pancakes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze them until they are hard. Then put those frozen pancakes in a Ziplock bag, there won’t be a need to use parchment paper since all the moisture in the pancakes is frozen.

Reheating the pancakes is easy. Place the frozen pancakes on a microwave-friendly plate and microwave for a few seconds (around 30 seconds), depending on your microwave.

A more straightforward method is placing the frozen pancake in the toaster slot. Toast the pancakes on low to medium-low; toasting on high will make the pancakes hard. You don’t have to thaw/defrost the pancakes before toasting. If this is your first time toasting frozen pancakes, keep a close eye since every toaster is different!

Pancakes served with berries and milk on the side.

Pancake variations

Have fun with these pancakes, after pouring the batter into the skillet, sprinkle some blueberries and you get blueberry pancakes or slices of banana on top. If you love chocolate then don't feel shy from adding some chocolate chips to the batter.

In the summer add some freshness to the batter and stir in some lemon zest or orange zest.

Tips for making fluffy pancakes

It’s best to allow the ingredients to come to room temperature before mixing.
Do not overmix; the gluten will develop, and pancakes will come out dense.
I know that seeing lumps in the batter will urge you to mix some more, don’t do it.
Allow the batter to rest for at least 3 minutes; some of the ingredients need to work together to create tender fluffy crumbs.
Make sure to cook the pancakes on low heat to allow it to cook evenly.
Use a nonstick pan and do not grease it; oil or butter in the pan will make the pancake crispy from the outside.