Sour Cream Pancakes Recipe

Sour cream pancakes are thick, tender pancakes made with 1 cup flour, ¾ cup sour cream, ½ cup milk, 2 eggs, and a little melted butter. They take about 25 minutes and make 12 pancakes from ¼ cup of batter each. The one rule: stir the batter only until the flour disappears, lumps and all.

The sour cream does two jobs. Its fat keeps the crumb soft, and its acidity reacts with the baking soda, so the pancakes rise tall on the griddle with a gentle tang you notice under the maple syrup.

The Batter Ratio and Timing

• Makes: 12 pancakes, ¼ cup batter each
• Time: 10 minutes prep, about 15 minutes at the stove, 25 minutes total
• Ratio: 1 cup flour to ¾ cup sour cream and ½ cup milk, with 2 eggs
• Leavening: 1 teaspoon baking powder plus ½ teaspoon baking soda
• Heat: medium, in a nonstick skillet or on a griddle
• Cook time: 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, 1 to 2 minutes after the flip
• Leftovers: 3 days in the fridge, about 2 months in the freezer

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Sour Cream vs Buttermilk Pancakes

Both are tangy, and both use baking soda for lift. The difference is thickness and fat. Buttermilk is thin, so buttermilk batter spreads into wider, lighter pancakes. Sour cream is thick and rich, so this batter barely spreads. The pancakes come out taller and a little denser, with a moist, almost cakey middle that stays soft even after they cool.

That thickness is why this recipe still needs ½ cup milk. Without it the batter would sit in a mound and the centers would cook slowly. If you only have buttermilk in the fridge, it can replace the milk here, and the pancakes will taste a little tangier.

Full fat plain Greek yogurt can stand in for the sour cream cup for cup. It is a bit thicker and tarter, so you may need an extra tablespoon of milk. Low fat sour cream works, but the pancakes are less tender. If you want to try your own, my homemade sour cream works the same way as store bought.

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Ingredients for the Pancake Batter

Plain all purpose flour gives the right structure. Two tablespoons of sugar is enough to help the pancakes brown without making them sweet, and vanilla rounds out the tang. Use sour cream, milk, and eggs straight from the fridge if you like, but whisk them well so the sour cream loosens fully before the butter goes in. Cold sour cream can make melted butter set into little flecks, which is harmless but uneven.

Check that the baking soda is fresh. It does most of the lifting here, and an old box is the quiet reason behind flat pancakes. Sour cream left over? It goes into buttery sour cream biscuits or a batch of sour cream muffins just as well.

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Mixing Sour Cream Pancake Batter Without Toughening It

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl so the leavening spreads evenly. In a second bowl, whisk the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter until smooth and creamy.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir gently with a spatula. Stop as soon as no dry flour shows. Small lumps are fine and keep the pancakes soft. Every extra stir builds gluten, and gluten is what turns a tender pancake chewy.

Look at the batter on the spatula. It should fall back into the bowl in a slow, thick ribbon. If it sits in a stiff mound, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk. Then let it rest for about 5 minutes while the pan heats, so the flour hydrates and the bubbles start to form.

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Cooking on the Griddle: Heat, Bubbles, Flip

Heat a heavy nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat with a little butter or oil. It is ready when the butter sizzles gently, not when it browns. Pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake and leave room between them.

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Watch the top, not the clock: small bubbles rise and pop, and the edges turn matte and set. Flip once, then cook 1 to 2 minutes more until the underside is golden and the center springs back when you press it lightly.

Make one test pancake first. If it browns before the bubbles reach the middle, lower the heat a notch. Wipe the pan with a paper towel between batches so burnt butter does not speckle the next round. To keep a stack warm, set the cooked pancakes in a single layer on a rack in a 200°F oven.

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Flat, Gummy, or Burnt Pancakes: What Went Wrong

• Gummy, pale center: the pan was too hot, so the outside cooked before the thick middle did. Use medium heat and keep each pancake to ¼ cup.
• Flat pancakes: the batter sat too long or the baking soda was old. The soda starts reacting with the sour cream as soon as it is wet, so cook the batter within 10 to 15 minutes.
• Tough or chewy: the batter was mixed until smooth. Stir less and leave the lumps.
• Spreading thin: too much milk went in. Stir in a spoonful of flour.
• Dark spots and a bitter edge: browned butter built up in the pan. Wipe it out between batches.

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Lemon, Blueberry, and Cinnamon Versions

For lemon sour cream pancakes, add 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest to the wet mixture. It brightens the tang without making the batter thinner.

For blueberries, pour the batter first, then drop 6 to 8 berries onto each pancake before you flip. Folding them into the bowl turns the batter purple and the berries sink to the pan and scorch. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon in the dry mix gives a warm, mild spice; for a stronger version, see my cinnamon pancakes. You can also swap ¼ cup of the flour for whole wheat flour for a nuttier flavor.

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Toppings, Including a Spoon of Sour Cream

Butter and maple syrup are the usual stack, and a jar of homemade maple syrup makes it even better. Fresh strawberries and blueberries add color and a little acidity, and a dusting of powdered sugar finishes them simply.

Sour cream on pancakes works too. A spoonful on top with berries or jam gives the same cool, tangy contrast you get with blini. If you like a lighter, cheesier pancake, try my lemon ricotta pancakes next.

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Storing and Reheating Leftover Pancakes

Cool the pancakes completely on a rack so they do not steam soft. Refrigerate them in a sealed container for up to 3 days. To freeze, stack them with parchment between each one, seal in a bag, and freeze for up to 2 months.

Reheat straight from the fridge or freezer in a toaster or a dry skillet over medium heat until warm through. A toaster gives slightly crisp edges, which I like with butter.

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Sour Cream Pancake Questions

Can I make the batter the night before?

Not fully mixed, because the baking soda loses its lift overnight. Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another, refrigerate the wet bowl, and combine them in the morning.

Why use both baking powder and baking soda?

Baking soda reacts with the acid in the sour cream and gives quick lift. Baking powder adds a second rise from the heat of the pan, so the pancakes stay tall after flipping.

Can I double the recipe?

Yes. Double every ingredient for 24 pancakes, and cook in batches so the batter is used within about 15 minutes of mixing.

Do sour cream pancakes taste sour?

Only slightly. The baking soda neutralizes most of the acid, leaving a mild tang, similar to buttermilk pancakes.

More ways to use a tub of sour cream at breakfast: sour cream scones, sour cream blueberry muffins, and cornbread muffins with a sour cream center.