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Cracker Barrel Buttermilk Pancakes
Stack up fluffy Cracker Barrel-style buttermilk pancakes at home — thick, tender, and golden with crispy edges.
cracker-barrel · casual-dining · breakfast
🕑Prep10 min
🍳Cook15 min
⏱Total25 min
🍽Serves4
⭐DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Butter and maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- 1.Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- 2.Combine the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
- 3.Make the batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until just combined. The batter should be lumpy — do not overmix. A few streaks of flour are perfectly fine. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
- 4.Cook the pancakes. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Grease lightly with butter. Pour 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look set, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
- 5.Serve hot. Stack the pancakes on warm plates. Top with a generous pat of butter and warm maple syrup. Serve immediately.
Cracker Barrel’s buttermilk pancakes are the kind of pancakes that remind you of Sunday mornings at grandma’s house — thick, fluffy, slightly tangy, and with those beautiful golden-brown spots on the surface. Served as part of their famous country breakfast, these pancakes are simple perfection. This recipe nails the texture and flavor every time.
The Secret
Three things make these pancakes exceptional: buttermilk, lumpy batter, and resting time. The buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to create extra lift, producing those thick, airy pancakes. Leaving the batter lumpy (with some flour streaks) prevents gluten development, which is what keeps the pancakes tender instead of chewy. The 5-minute rest lets the flour hydrate and the leavening activate.
Pro Tips
- If you do not have buttermilk, mix 2 cups of milk with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Medium heat is critical. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks; too low and they spread too thin.
- Flip only once — when you see bubbles across the entire surface and the edges look dry. Multiple flips make flat pancakes.
- Keep finished pancakes warm on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven while cooking the rest of the batch.
