Let’s talk about these pancakes right here. Omg THESE pancakes. They’re fluffy and perfectly sweet with golden edges and warm molasses and caramel flavors infused into every bite.
I first shared them last year but had to give them a re-share because these brown butter pancakes are my love language, okay? And you might find them so amazing that they might just CHANGE YO LIFE.
My brown butter chocolate chip cookies are famous for good reason, so over the years, I’ve been sneaking brown butter into more delicious baked goods and even brunch treats like my pear baked oatmeal. It gives everything that extra warm delicious flavor you never thought it could have.
Trust me when I say you neeeeed these brown butter pancakes in your life. Make a fluffy stack for your next breakfast or weekend brunch and get ready to fall in love!
The magic of brown butter
So, what is brown butter exactly? It’s simply the result of cooking down regular or salted butter on a stovetop until it turns a deep caramel-y brown color and gives off a rich, nutty aroma. The color, scent and flavor come from essentially toasting the milk solids found in butter. Brown butter adds a richer flavor to baked goods and recipes like these pancakes — making them irresistible and delicious.
How to brown butter
It may seem intimidating, but it’s actually super easy to brown butter! Get all of my tips and tricks for doing so here.
Everything you’ll need to make brown butter pancakes
These easy brown butter pancakes use just 5 core ingredients plus a couple of baking staples. They’re the perfect base for your favorite mix-ins and toppings! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butter: I love using salted butter to make the brown butter for these pancakes, but you can also use regular butter.
- Egg: you’ll just need one egg in this pancake recipe.
- Brown sugar: we’re sweetening these brown butter pancakes with a little brown sugar for that rich, molasses flavor. You can also use coconut sugar.
- Milk: feel free to use any milk you’d like. We like to use unsweetened almond milk.
- Flour: I made these pancakes with regular, all purpose flour for the ultimate fluff factor.
- Baking staples: you’ll also need some vanilla extract, a pinch of salt to pull the flavors together, and baking powder to help the pancakes rise.
Can I use a different flour?
I highly recommend sticking to the recipe and using all purpose flour for the perfect, fluffy texture, but if you’re looking to swap flours here’s what I can suggest trying:
- Whole wheat: if you do want to use whole wheat flour, I suggest using whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour for a fluffier texture. Note that you’ll likely need a tablespoon or two more milk depending on how thick you like your pancakes.
- Gluten free flour: if you’d like to make these brown butter pancakes gluten free I’d suggest trying a 1:1 all purpose gluten free flour. Please note that I haven’t tested this swap so I’m not 100% sure how they’ll turn out.
Have fun with mix-ins and toppings
These brown butter pancakes are the perfect base for all of your fav pancake mix-ins. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Blueberries: add 3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries for a summery twist! Be sure to toss any frozen berries with 1 tablespoon of flour so that they don’t make the pancakes soggy or turn them blue.
- Chocolate: everyone loves chocolate chip pancakes, right? Feel free to add 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips to the batter.
- Nuts: I think chopped walnuts or pecans would also be delicious in or on top of these pancakes.
- Banana: brown butter + banana = match made in heaven. Feel free to add chopped banana into the batter or slice some on top!
- Maple syrup: you can’t beat a drizzle of good old maple syrup on top.
- Brown butter & sea salt: this amazing stack is made extra delicious with a little extra drizzle of brown butter and a sprinkle of sea salt!
Tips for the best brown butter pancakes
If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my best tips & tricks for making pancakes. I have a few must-know tips for you to make the best brown butter pancakes:
- Use room temp ingredients. When you’re mixing the wet ingredient together, be sure your egg and the brown butter are at room temp so that they do not coagulate together and get clumpy. Run the egg under warm water to bring it to room temp, and let the brown butter cool for about 10 minutes before mixing it in.
- Add the milk slowly. To further prevent clumping, whisk in the mix slowly to the wet ingredients.
- Do not overmix. When adding the dry ingredients to the wet, be sure you do not overmix the batter. It’s okay if there are a few lumps! Overmixed batter creates dense, gummy pancakes.
- Choose the right temp. I like to start cooking my pancakes on medium heat, then decrease the heat to medium low to prevent burning. If you’re finding that your pancakes are browning too quickly, be sure to lower the temp.
Use brown butter in these amazing recipes
Looking for more ways to use brown butter? Here are some of my fav ways to use it:
- The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies You’ll Ever Eat
- Vanilla Brown Butter Pear Baked Oatmeal
- Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Brown Butter Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Chickpeas
- The Best Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins You’ll Ever Eat
Make pancakes ahead of time & keep them warm
You can also make these brown butter pancakes ahead of time and keep them warm in the oven. Simply place oven at 200 degrees F, then add pancakes to a baking sheet or oven-safe plate and place in the oven until ready to serve.
How to freeze pancakes
If you want to make your brown butter pancakes ahead of time and serve them at a later date, you can place the pancakes on a baking sheet so they aren’t touching and place in the freezer for 30 minutes, then place them in freezer safe containers or bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to reheat, simply add pancakes to a plate and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warm.
Our favorite pancake tools
- Saucepan
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Square griddle
- Spatula (use the code ‘ambitious’ for 10% off!)
See all of our kitchen essentials here.
More pancake recipes you’ll love
- Carrot Cake Pancakes (gluten free + dairy free!)
- Outrageously Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
- Fluffy Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread Pancakes
- Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes (made right in the blender!)
- Fluffy Yogurt Pancakes (high protein, gluten free)
Get all of our delicious pancake recipes here!
I hope you love these wonderful brown butter pancakes! If you make them be sure to leave a comment & a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Salted Brown Butter Pancakes
Ingredients
- For the wet ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons salted butter*
- 1 egg, at room temperature (very important)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or sub coconut sugar)
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk of choice (we like unsweetened almond milk)
- For the dry ingredients:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Optional mix-ins:
- ¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if using frozen, toss berries with 1 tablespoon flour first)
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
- For greasing the skillet:
- Salted butter
- For serving:
- Extra brown butter (if you’re feeling fancy!)
- Pure maple syrup
- Sprinkle of sea salt
Instructions
- First, brown your butter: add butter to a small saucepan and place over medium heat. The butter will begin to melt, crackle, and then eventually foam. Make sure you whisk constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown and turn a nice golden amber color on the bottom of the saucepan, this usually happens once it foams. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a medium bowl to prevent burning, making sure you scrape all the butter from the pan. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter, room temperature egg, brown sugar and vanilla until it comes together, then slowly whisk in the milk.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a batter forms (DO NOT OVERMIX or pancakes will be gummy); please note the pancake batter doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth. Gently stir in any mix-ins you are using, such as chocolate chips or blueberries. Do not overmix.
- Lightly coat a griddle with butter and place over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup of the batter to the griddle for each pancake and cook for 3-4 minutes until pancakes puff up and you see bubbles along the edges. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside. If you find that pancakes are browning too quickly then you need to lower the heat a bit. I normally start on medium heat, then decrease to medium low later so that my pancakes don't burn.
- Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more oil and remaining batter. Makes 6 large pancakes total. I love serving my pancakes with more brown butter on top, a sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on April 30th, 2021, and republished on February 23rd, 2023.
47 comments
I just made these for breakfast, my husband and I both loved them! So good 😋
So happy to hear that!
These pancakes were delicious! Another new favorite for our house. My 7 year old asked for chocolate chips on hers & gobbled them up. We all loved them! I’m dfinitely saving this recipe to make again & again. Thanks Monique!
Oh YAY I’m so happy you guys are loving them! Thanks, Lori!
Good recipe! I used Coconut Sugar instead of Brown Sugar and might try Brown Sugar next time for increased flavor. The kids also loved their pancakes! Great timing to unveil this recipe – right in time for Saturday morning pancakes. Thanks Monique!
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
These were so good and instantly became a favorite. I kept everything per the recipe but did let some extra butter brown in the pan before frying. At first the mixture looked way too lumpy but after it sat a couple minutes and I got to cooking the pancakes, the batter wasn’t an issue anymore. Also put just a touch of peanut butter on top of one… I regret nothing. Will definitely make again.
Love it! So glad you enjoyed!
These turned out terrible for me!
Followed recipe EXACTLY AS IT SAID!
They were flat, no rise/fluff at all!
I would not recommend this recipe!
Sorry to hear that, Tina! Was your baking powder fresh? Did you by chance overmix the batter? Would love to help troubleshoot as these should turn out just like the photos.
This recipe popped up on my news feed. I love brown butter tea cakes so I figured pancakes would be really good too. As I was reading your instructions for making brown butter, it is nothing like how I was taught. I was told never ever whisk the butter don’t even stir it! Because you want the butter to separate. I’m going to try this recipe and see how it turns out
Interesting! This is how I’ve always done it and it gives my recipes and baked goods delicious flavor. Let me know how it goes!
These were so tasty and fluffy! Definitely our new go-to pancake recipe!
Glad you loved them!
These are delicious! Mine came out rather thin, with a crepe-like flavor. The browned butter give it a depth that makes these special. Followed the directions exactly, using almond milk and all purpose flour. Topped with just a spoonful of cinnamon buttermilk syrup. We really enjoyed these for mother day breakfast, along with a fresh fruit salad.
Sounds delicious! If they’re too thin feel free to add a tablespoon or so more of flour and be sure your baking powder is fresh 🙂
I loved the flavor- change your life is an accurate disclaimer! No need to even add syrup/toppings, these come out slightly sweet and nutty – perfect for that leveled up Saturday brunch!
Seriously the best pancakes I have ever made. They’re just perfect in every way!! Fluffy and delicious and the batter comes together so easily and quickly.
Awesome!! I’m so happy you love these as much as I do 🙂 Thanks for the review, Karen!
Those Pancakes looks so freaking delicious.
Omg I’m so glad you agree!! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
SO happy you enjoyed them!
Probably my favorite pancake recipe out there. So fluffy and delicious!
The fam loved them.
Yay!! I’m so glad to hear that 🙂
Omg. Such a unique party in my mouth. The nutty salted caramel-y flavor make the flavor just pop. The batter was very airy abs I was careful to not over mix as the instructions stated. Resulted in fluffy pancakes and approved by all kids!
Delicious and fluffy! I followed the recipe and used whole milk. Highly recommend!
Wow these were incredible — definitely live up to their name! I used buttermilk and I think that on top of the brown butter made them so flavorful. I added pecans and bananas for an indulgent Saturday treat.
This is a delicious recipe! My favourite thing about brown butter is it just elevates any recipe, and it is so easy to make once you have mastered it.
I totally agree! It’s such a magical ingredient 😍
Hello, Monique. I recently discovered your blog, saw this recipe two days ago, bought the ingredients today, and made it a little while ago and LOVED it.
Hi, Sneha! I’m so happy you’re here! Glad to hear they came out amazing. Isn’t that salty/sweet combo amazing?!
Amazing, as with all her recipes
So glad you enjoyed!
WOW! I am the worst at making fluffy pancakes. I followed the instructions exactly (with a sub for coconut sugar) and they were so fluffy and delicious. Making brown butter is so easy and quick, I’m not sure why I haven’t done this more often. Very simple pancake that you could pair with anything. Like always, this recipe is bomb. Monique is a magician. We love all her recipes. Make these!!!
Uses way too much milk. The pancakes are extremely flat & surprisingly flavorless, even with the added brown butter.
Made these two days in a row with banana slices on top… They’re magical. I cheated and used the brown butter from Trader Joe’s, but they’re delicious!
Yay! Happy to hear these came out great!
WOW! If you need the perfect breakfast pancakes, THIS IS IT! I used regular milk when I made them, and they were delicious!
Ah yay! Thank you so much!
These are my favorite pancakes! So fluffy and delicious. I use Oatly full-fat oat milk instead of unsweetened almond milk, and they turn out great every time. To make sure that my egg is room-temperature, I put it under warm running water for 30 seconds. Yum!
Can I ask a question? Do you know how long the batter can sit out before you make pancakes? I’m definitely going to try this recipe, but I’m cooking for a big crowd and need to arrive with batter already prepared. Thanks for the help!
I had never made pancakes from scratch before and I don’t know why I always bought mix from the store. The recipie was so simple and easy to follow and these pancakes were SO delicious! I am never buying premade mix again!
Followed the recipe exactly with the exception of the butter (used unsalted). These were fluffy and had a wonderful flavor! We added blueberries to ours. Will absolutely make again!
Sounds absolutely amazing, Kristin! Glad you’re loving these pancakes and they turned out amazing for you 🙂
These are so delicious, flavorful, and FLUFFY! So yummy!