Cornmeal Pancakes

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These thick cornmeal pancakes have a tender, cornbread flavor. Serve with our homemade, 4 ingredient brown sugar maple syrup.

It’s been awhile since we’ve talked breakfast pancakes. We’ve been looking at pictures of these cookies and these candies, but today we’re heading back to the basics of breakfast…pancakes.

Cornmeal Pancakes with Brown Sugar Maple Syrup to be exact. This recipe is adapted from an Amish Cookbook that I’ve had since we’ve been married.  I made a couple of small tweaks to that recipe to give the pancakes a bit of a lighter texture and sweet flavor. If you love cornbread, this pancake recipe is for you.

4 pancakes on a plate with a fork

Why you’ll love these fluffy cornmeal pancakes:

  • A nice change from your traditional pancake recipe.
  • Perfect flour to cornmeal ratio for the best blend of taste, flavor and texture.
  • Takes only 5 minutes to mix up and they cook quickly, too.
  • Any leftovers can be stored in the freezer for quick breakfasts on the go.

How to Make Cornmeal Pancakes

  • In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and vegetable oil.
  • Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
  • Heat a pancake griddle or skillet to 350º Fahrenheit (medium heat). Spray with cooking spray or grease with a tablespoon of butter or oil.
  • Use a ladle or a ⅓ cup measuring cup to scoop the pancake batter onto the hot griddle. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on one side. When you see bubbles form on the top of the pancake, it is time to flip it. After flipping the pancake, let it cook for another minute or two, then move it to a plate to cool.

If I’m making a lot of pancakes, I place my cooked pancakes on a large baking sheet or baking pan so that I can cover them with foil and keep them warm between batches.

a stack of pancakes with one bite missing

Homemade Pancake Syrup

Although we often serve our pancakes with brown sugar or maple syrup, we tried something new with this pancake recipe: homemade brown sugar maple syrup.  It takes less than 10 minutes to make and soaks into the pancakes perfectly.

  • In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar and water to a boil. Allow this mixture to boil for 3 minutes and stir it several times during cooking. Then remove it from the heat.
  • Add in the butter and maple flavoring. Mix until the butter is melted.

Slather the pancakes with melted butter and then pour the syrup over the stack.

This recipe makes just about 1 ½ cups of syrup. If you don’t need that much, you can halve the recipe. Or you can store the syrup in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

cornmeal pancakes with a for cutting one bite

Recipe Variations

  • Add blueberries. Blueberry cornbread pancakes are amazing and such great comfort food.
  • Add only two tablespoons sugar, then add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, minced onion and a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese for a savory pancake.
  • Add sprinkles for birthday pancakes.
  • Top with honey butter or cinnamon butter and skip the syrup.
  • Use all-purpose gluten free flour in place of the regular flour for a gluten free pancake.

Storage Instructions

Store the pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the pancakes and reheat them as needed in the microwave.

closeup of a plate of cornmeal pancakes
closeup of a plate of cornmeal pancakes

Cornmeal Pancakes Recipe

4.60 from 20 votes
These thick cornmeal pancakes have a tender, cornbread flavor. Serve with our homemade, 4 ingredient brown sugar maple syrup.
Servings 12
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

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Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 260 grams
  • 1 cup cornmeal 148 grams
  • 3 tablespoons sugar 42 grms
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda 5 grams
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2 grams
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 grams
  • 2 1/2 cups buttermilk* 16 ounces
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 39 grams

Syrup:

  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons maple flavoring
  • 2 ounces salted butter** 4 tablespoons

Instructions
 

Make the pancakes:

  • In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and vegetable oil.
  • Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
  • Heat a pancake griddle or skillet to 350º Fahrenheit (medium heat). Spray with cooking spray or grease with a tablespoon of butter or oil.
  • Use a ladle or a ⅓ cup measuring cup to scoop the pancake batter onto the hot griddle. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on one side. When you see bubbles form on the top of the pancake, it is time to flip it. After flipping the pancake, let it cook for another minute or two, then move it to a plate to cool.
  • Continue with the rest of the pancake batter. We get about 12 6" pancakes.

Make the syrup:

  • In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar and water to a boil. Allow this mixture to boil for 3 minutes over medium-low heat. Then remove it from the heat.
  • Add in the butter and maple flavoring. Mix until the butter is melted.
  • Serve the syrup immediately over the pancakes.

Notes

*Buttermilk Substitution: To make buttermilk, place two tablespoons of white vinegar in the bottom of a 2-cup measuring cup. Fill the rest of the measuring cup up with milk. Allow it to stand for 5 minutes. Then you’ll have buttermilk. (When we do this we simply add the last ½ cup of milk in as regular milk.)
**You can use unsalted butter if you’d like, but add a dash of salt to help cut the sweetness of the syrup.
Store the syrup in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 3 weeks. Warm it by microwaving in short 15 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the syrup is heated through.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 12 pancakes, with 1 serving being pancake with syrup. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 195mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 246IU | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 2mg
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Calories 308
Keyword breakfast recipe, easy pancake recipe

Pancake Recipes

Our family loves to make pancakes on Saturday mornings or for a weeknight brinner. If you are looking for a new type of pancake, give one of these a try:

About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
10 years ago

These pancakes look great, but I’m super in love with that syrup! Going to try it this weekend!