The Pancake Recipe That Works Every Way (Including Sheet Pan Pancakes)
Flexible Pancake Recipe to Fit Your Family
This is the pancake recipe I come back to again and again, not just because it makes good pancakes (it does), but because it fits real life.
It works when I’m standing at the stove making individual pancakes. It works even better as sheet pan pancakes when I want breakfast done all at once. And it works when I make a batch ahead of time and freeze them so the kids can grab one whenever they want.
That flexibility is why this recipe stuck.
Why We Make Sheet Pan Pancakes Most of the Time
I used to make pancakes the traditional way more often. Now? If I’m making pancakes for breakfast or sometimes dinner, I almost always make sheet pan pancakes instead.
They’re easier. They’re faster. And everyone eats at the same time. We pour the batter into a sheet pan, add toppings, bake, and slice. No standing at the stove flipping. No cold pancakes waiting on the counter.
So far, our favorites have been:
- Blueberry
- Strawberry
- Cinnamon with a simple cinnamon-sugar crumble on top
They’re soft, fluffy, easy to customize, and rectangle!
When I Still Make Regular Pancakes
The only time I regularly make individual pancakes anymore is when I’m making them ahead of time, and I don’t do this as much as I used to, but it is helpful for busy mornings.
I’d make a batch for breakfast or dinner and then double or triple it. I’d let the extras cool, freeze them, and the kids can pop one in the toaster or microwave whenever they want. It’s one of those small systems that makes mornings easier without much effort.
This works best with the regular pancakes because they aren’t cut then frozen. This helps with the freshness during freezing.
Tips for this to work…
- Freeze the pancakes separately on a parchment lined baking sheet. This way they can be taken out of the container individually and not in stacked clumps.
- For the freezer storage, make sure to use a freezer safe container.
- To reheat, pull out the night before and reheat. We don’t have a microwave anymore but that is often how the kids did it. Today, we would just use the reheat function on our air fryer.
- Heating from frozen can be done in a toaster but this is probably best for the plain ones because of the fruit.
A Fun Twist for Special Days
Without turning this into a holiday recipe, this is also one of those meals that adapts easily for special mornings.
For those done in a skillet on a stovetop, we have used pancake molds to make fun shapes… mainly heart shapes. You can see the butter below is even heart shaped. I simply sliced a bit of butter and used mini cookie cutters to cut the shapes.
With sheet pans, you can use a cookie cutter to cut them into shapes once the pancakes have cooled just slightly… hearts, circles, whatever fits the moment. Yes, there’s a little waste, but it’s minimal and usually gets eaten anyway.
For stovetop or sheet pan pancakes you can tailor them to any special day. Is it Valentine’s Day… add strawberry powder and strawberry slices. Is it Thanksgiving… add some cranberries. Christmas… add some red and green sprinkles!
It’s an easy way to make breakfast feel special without changing the recipe or adding stress.
Ingredients
The recipe card below has specifics but these are the basics…
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- milk
- eggs, room temperature
- butter, melted
- vanilla extract
A Few Things That Make It Easier
You don’t need anything special to make this recipe, but a few tools make it easier and more fun…
- A good, rimmed sheet pan for baking pancakes
- Pancake molds if you like shaped stovetop pancakes
- Cookie cutters for cutting shapes from sheet pan pancakes
- Mini cookie cutters for the butter hearts
❤️ Final Thoughts
This recipe has served us well. It worked when the kids were little and liked the shapes, it worked for sleepover breakfasts, it worked when they were older and wanted something quick before practice, and it worked for holiday mornings!
If the recipe helps make breakfast easier or introduced you to sheet pan pancakes, I’d love to hear what you think. Share your experience in the comments or tag me with your pics on Instagram or Facebook!
BEM and Fam 🙂
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👇 Print this Sheet Pan Pancake Recipe
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1½ cups fruit or chocolate
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Preheat the oven to 425℉ for sheet pan pancakes or heat up a skillet for stovetop pancakes
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Mix eggs and milk together until fluffy. Then add the other wet ingredients.
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Add the baking powder and soda and sugar into the wet ingredients and mix. Slowly add the flour until combined.
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Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. While it is sitting, prepare your sheet pan with parchment paper if making sheet pan pancakes.
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After the 10 minutes, pour any fruit or mixture ingredients you'd like.
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Pour the mixture onto the sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes or until it starts to brown on top. If using a skillet, pour about 1/4 of the mixture into the skillet per pancake and flip when bubbles form.
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For sheet pan pancakes, pull them out and let sit for a few minutes. Then cut into squares or rectangles.
