Easy Mini Pancakes

Miniature pancakes are the adorable bite-sized version of classic soft and fluffy buttermilk pancakes. Made with basic pantry ingredients and buttermilk, each stack is buttery, soft, and has those perfectly crisp edges. They’re a little bigger than the size of a silver dollar, so these 5-minute pancakes make a great snack for little hands and a fun breakfast for everyone!

Easy Buttermilk Mini Pancakes Recipe

These silver dollar pancakes are made about 2.5 inches in diameter, so they cook faster than regular pancakes, and you can make more of them at a time. They look dainty and elegant on the plate, but they’re also fun to eat!

With just five minutes of prep time, it only takes five minutes of cooking time per batch, so they make a fun little breakfast on any given morning. They’re made with buttermilk which gives them an extra soft texture, and because they’re so good, they don’t need much in the way of toppings.

Although, a drizzle of maple syrup and some fresh fruit on top is always welcome!

Miniature pancakes are a great addition to breakfast boards and an assortment of brunch items like monkey bread muffins blueberry yogurt muffins, sourdough pancakes, and breakfast rolls.

My kids have loved them since they were little because they could easily hold them in their hands and use them as little dippers.

Now that they’re bigger, I still pack them in their lunchboxes!

But don’t just think they’re for kids – these adorable mini pancakes are also perfect for bridal showers, baby showers, and any time you want to have a brunch party!

1. All-purpose flour – measure your flour accurately. These little guys can’t handle too much flour. If they’re too dense from too much flour, they’re too small to hide it!
2. Granulated sugar – just a bit to sweeten up the batter. If you plan to use a sweet topping like powdered sugar, maple syrup, berries, or any sort of sweet sauce, you can omit the sugar in the batter, if preferred.
3. Baking powder – this is what helps the pancakes to become nice and soft. It’s a leavening agent that reacts with the acid in the buttermilk giving them a nice fluffy rise as well.

4. Salt – a flavor enhancer that brings out the flavors in the recipe.
5. Buttermilk – a tangy, sour, milk that adds richness and added moisture. If you don’t want milk, you could try this pancakes without milk recipe!
6. Melted butter, cooled – provides the necessary fat to keep them rich and moist.

7. Pure vanilla extract – for extra flavor.
8. Egg – to help bind the mini pancakes as they cook so they don’t fall apart.
9. Additional butter for coating the pan – so they don’t stick, but it also helps the edges crisp up nicely.
10. Optional toppings for serving – fresh fruit, powdered sugar, maple syrup.

If you’ve ever made homemade pancakes, making mini pancakes is pretty much the same thing except we’re going to make them mini! It’s just a batter of making the pancake batter, cooking on a griddle (or skillet), flipping, and cooking until they’re done!

Oh and of course adding all of your favorite toppings!

1 – Make the Mini Pancake Batter

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium or large bowl.
2. Combine the buttermilk, melted (and cooled) butter, vanilla extract, and egg together in a separate bowl. Whisk to combine everything together.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix by hand until just incorporated so you don’t have any dry spots left, but make sure not to over mix.

2 – Cook the Mini Pancakes

1. Heat a large non-stick griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Melt a little butter on your chosen pan to keep it from sticking.
2. Once the pan is hot, pour one tablespoon of the mini pancake batter onto the pan.
3. Repeat, spacing the pancakes out enough so that when they cook they don’t run into each other. I found that I could fit 5-7 mini pancakes in a skillet and a lot more than that on an actual griddle.

4. Cook for 2-3 minutes or just until the tops begin to bubble (I like to look for the bubbles on top). Use a spatula to carefully flip each of the pancakes over and cook on the other side for about one minute, until the bottom just begins to brown.

4. Remove from the hot pan and place on a plate until you’re ready to serve.

3 – Serve and Enjoy

Once all of the pancakes are cooked, serve topped with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or even powdered sugar! They’re delicious pretty much every way I’ve made them so far!

The Best Pancake Toppings

If you’re looking for the best things to put on top of your pancakes, some of my personal favorites include:

• Syrup – real maple syrup, fruit syrups, and buttermilk syrup would all be good on these.
• Fresh berries – raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries all make great pancake toppings! I do not recommend frozen berries unless you want to make something like a raspberry sauce.
• Soft fruits – other soft fruits like bananas or peaches are great too!
• Spreads – pancakes are great topped with things like Nutella, peanut butter, Biscoff (although sometimes it can be a little too sweet), and almond butter. Jams are also a great option!
• Whipped toppings – homemade whipped cream, Cool Whip, or even something like our blueberry whipped cream would be good. Oh and of course, ice cream is good on dessert pancakes!
• Toppings – caramel, chocolate, melted chocolate chips, or butterscotch syrup (or even this homemade hot fudge) would also be delicious if you want more of a sweet dessert pancake breakfast.

Store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container (or zipper top bag) in the fridge for up to four days.

These also freeze great! Place one layer of mini pancakes in an airtight container or freezer safe zipper top bag, add a layer of parchment paper (to keep them from sticking together when they freeze), add another layer, and repeat until you fill up the bag.

Reheat pancakes by placing them on a baking sheet in the cold oven, turning the oven on to 350 degrees, and allowing the mini pancakes to warm up with the oven. Remove and enjoy once warm!

Recipe FAQs

If you’re looking for some other great breakfast or brunch recipes, these are some of our readers’ favorites!

• White sausage gravy – is there anything better than biscuits and gravy? Pair this gravy with these drop biscuits for a breakfast match made in heaven!
• Nutella muffins – these Nutella stuffed muffins are perfect for a decadent brunch treat that’s also breakfast!
• Breakfast muffins – egg muffins with bacon and a hash brown crust, it’s like a full breakfast meal in one bite-sized snack!
• Ham and egg casserole – this breakfast casserole combines ham, egg, and cheese in a great brunch dish!
• Breakfast rolls – everything you want for breakfast all wrapped in a cute little roll, one of the best breakfast appetizers!