Plump and pillowy, IHOP Pancakes copycat is just as tasty as what you’d find in the restaurant yet costs a fraction of the price. You can easily double the recipe to feed a large crowd or add chopped fresh fruits to the batter for another layer of yum.
I usually don’t go to bed until almost dawn so it’s always a struggle for me to wake up before 10:30 AM. The only time I willingly get out of bed earlier than that is when G and I make a morning trip to IHOP for pancakes. I mean, really. Fluffy pancakes drenched in butter pecan syrup, a couple sides of crisp bacon, and a fresh pot of piping-hot coffee, who wouldn’t, right?
We used to do these delicious breakfast runs at least once a week, up until the beginning of this year when we decided to be more conscientious about our spending and limit our eating out. Nowadays, when we want our pancake fix, I make them from scratch based on an IHOP pancakes copycat recipe I found on Pinterest months ago and which quickly became a favorite in our house.
Seriously, you guys, if you’re looking to replicate the buttery buttermilk pancakes the restaurant is known for, these IHOP pancakes copycat won’t disappoint! They’re just as tasty and delicious as the original yet cost a fraction of the price.
Look at ’em! Plump and pillowy, they’re like sweet heaven on a fork!
This IHOP pancakes copycat recipe serves about four but can easily be doubled to feed large appetites a large crowd. It’s all a matter of stirring the dry and the wet ingredients together, whipping up a batch everyone in the family would love waking up for doesn’t have to be a feat.
And as if their deliciousness wasn’t awesome enough, they’re super adaptable, too. If you prefer whole wheat pancakes, just substitute equal amounts of whole wheat flour for the all-purpose. You can also add fresh berries or chopped fruits to the batter for an extra layer of flavor and texture.
Here a few tips on how to take your breakfast pancakes from good to great:
- For light and airy pancakes, do not over mix batter. Combine the wet and dry ingredients with minimal strokes until mostly smooth, a few lumps here and there are fine.
- A nonstick pan or griddle is best for easy flipping. Do not over grease the pan. Instead of melting butter directly on the pan, I like to quickly swipe a solid bar of butter or rub on melted butter with a paper towel on the surface of the pan to lightly coat.
- Make sure the pan or griddle (this is an affiliate link for the one I use at home) is sufficiently hot before you add batter. Keep on medium-low heat to ensure pancakes cook nice and fluffy on the inside while beautifully browned on the outside.
- Patience, please! I’ve ruined many pancakes in my day because I get too excited to wait. Pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles appear on the surface and the edges begin to brown.
- Do not pat or press down the pancakes as they cook. You’ll end up with heavy, dense pancakes instead of the light and airy texture you want.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons butter and more for greasing pan, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a small bowl, combine egg and buttermilk. Whisk together until blended. Add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Add the two tablespoons melted butter and sugar, and stir until combined.
- Over medium low heat, heat pan or griddle. Lightly grease surface of the pan by lightly brushing with melted butter.
- Drop about 1/4 cup batter on pan in a 5-inch wide circle. Cook until bubbles begin to form on surface and edges begin to brown.
- Gently flip and continue to brown the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve hot with butter and syrup of choice.
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Ana says
Best recipe, just added 1tsp vanilla extract.
Lalaine says
Thank you so much for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 And yes, vanilla extra makes it extra yummy!
Kemah says
Thanks ever so much for your copy cat pancake recipe it’s a bomb. I have been searching for pancake recipe for a long time now and none of them matches your. I’m looking forward to more. Thanks.
Kayla Hawkins says
Can’t wait to give these a try! They are on the list to make this week…is this a good recipe to make and freeze for quick morning breakfasts?
Rayshawn says
It look very very good and I wanna make pancakes like that
Ruth says
Best Pancakes, so easy to make. I used Kerrygold unsalted Butter ,and Bulgarian Buttermilk.
Judy Agee says
I have looked for ages for the Harvest Nut Pancakes at I Hop. They are delicious. Can u help me?
Carol Davis says
If you are like me, I have tried and tried AND TRIED to find a recipe for a light and fluffy pancake. I have tried so many pancake recipes that they all started to running together. I’ve tried the overly complicated and the ridiculously easy, failures all the way across the board..until THIS one! It’s light and fluffy and the flavor is incredible! The secret to the light golden color is cooking it at a lower heat. Those brown to dark brown pancakes are a thing of the past. THANK YOU for posting this incredibly delicious recipe that has now become our one and only choice for pancakes. It’s SOOO good!!
Ree says
NO SYRUP REQUIRED ! I can eat these by themselves without any butter or syrup they i are so good . The only change I made was to add a little vanilla . Delish!
Faye Morris says
Good tips. We sift 2-3 x. They’re crazy fluffy.
Carol Davis says
WOW! Just…..WOW!! The only thing missing was a waitress to clean the table. Wait, we have one of those already, it’s called ME(I bet no one left me a tip either. 🙄
Steph says
Being from the UK and more used to the thin flat type but having tried IHOP pancakes whilst on holiday, you’ve seriously converted me to only ever make these in the future !! They were sooooo good and took me right back to when I tried IHOP ones. I genuinly could not tell the difference between these and the ones from IHOP. Thank you so much for sharing this recipie!!
Maria says
They came out awesome. I doubled the recipe because I had family that stayed overnight. Everyone went crazy over them. I took the buttermilk and eggs out of the fridge about an hour before so they would be room temperature before mixing ingredients. After mixing everything together I let the mixture sit about 10 minutes so the leavening agents would start working and my pancakes came out fluffy, light and delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe this is my new go to pancake recipe.
April says
I’ve made these a few times now & they are FANTASTIC ……. thinking about making them for christmas brunch but doing mini pancakes
Question is…. can I make the batter the night before & refridgerate? I also read you can freeze them, how do you reccomend to reheat?
Thank u
Trina says
This us the third time I’ve made these. Everyone, from my hubby to the baby gobbled them up and asked for more! Thanks so much for my family’s favorite pancakes!
Taccara says
Just made these no more boxed pancakes , Thank You for the recipe. 👏👏👏
Lalaine says
Thanks for the feedback, Taccara! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Steph says
These are so good ! Made these and they are fantastic : D thabks so much for sharing the recipie !