Peanut Butter Pancakes

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: Attention peanut butter lovers! These fluffy peanut butter pancakes are absolutely packed with the PB flavor you crave. Just add your favorite toppings and dig in.

How long it takes: 10 minutes to make batter, about 7 minutes per batch to fry
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, griddle, spatula
Servings: 6 (3 pancakes each)

Stack of pancakes topped with peanut butter and nuts on a plate, with a bottle of milk and a red straw in the background.

Pin this now to find it later

Pin It

Fluffy Peanut Butter Pancakes

Extra peanutty! These peanut butter pancakes are full of nutty flavor. There’s three-quarters cup of peanut butter in the batter and another three-quarters cup of chopped peanuts stirred in. That’s a lot of peanuts!

Homemade buttermilk pancakes, with a spin. Buttermilk pancakes are the best pancakes because of their light, fluffy texture. We took this classic recipe and put a peanut butter spin on it. You’ll find that made-from-scratch pancakes aren’t difficult to make and are so much better-tasting than boxed mixes.

With extra protein. These pancakes are reasonably healthy because peanuts are protein-packed. Basically, peanut butter pancakes check all the boxes you’re looking for in a pancake breakfast.

Get creative with toppings. Obviously, we’re fans of serving these pancakes with classic maple syrup and a garnish of chopped peanuts. Peanut butter pancakes are amazing with even more melted peanut butter (as pictured). You can totally add some chocolate chips and make yourself chocolate peanut butter pancakes. Surprise your kids by using these pancakes instead of bread when making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

A stack of pancakes with peanut butter syrup and nuts.

Ingredient Notes

Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt.
Ingredients: Eggs, buttermilk, water, vanilla extract.
Creamy peanut butter: I find that regular peanut butter, rather than natural peanut butter, works best. You can also use crunchy peanut butter if that’s your preference. Melt the peanut butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds until it’s pourable. Stir well and set aside to cool slightly. Feel free to make a little extra for topping the pancake.
Chopped peanuts: Added peanuts are optional but I highly recommend them if you want maximum peanut flavor in your pancakes. If you’re not a fan of crunchy peanuts in your pancakes, feel free to leave them out.

A group of bowls of food on a white surface.

Buttermilk Substitute

If you don’t happen to have buttermilk in the house, you can make an easy substitute. Your pancakes won’t taste exactly the same but it will work in a pinch. To make 1 cup of buttermilk substitute, measure out 1 tablespoon white vinegar OR 1 tablespoon lemon juice OR 1 ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar (don’t use all three!) and add it to a measuring cup. Add regular milk to the 1 cup line and stir well to combine. Set it aside for 5 to 10 minutes before using. It will look curdled but that’s okay.

How to Make Peanut Butter Pancakes

Make the pancake batter. Whisk together the melted peanut butter and eggs until the mixture is smooth. Make sure the peanut butter isn’t boiling hot because hot peanut butter may cook the eggs.

A glass bowl with peanut butter and two egg yolks, surrounded by bowls of chopped nuts, brown sugar, cream, and vanilla. Eggshells and a red-striped cloth are nearby on a white surface.

A glass bowl with peanut butter mixture and a whisk surrounded by bowls of chopped nuts, brown sugar, a measuring cup, eggshells, and vanilla on a white surface.

Whisk in the buttermilk, water, and vanilla until the mixture is completely combined.

Whisking milk into a peanut butter mixture in a glass bowl, with a small bowl of chopped nuts in the background.

Mixing bowl with batter and a whisk, surrounded by chopped nuts, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cracked eggshells on a white surface.

Measure out the dry ingredients, putting them into the same bowl. Once you have the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl, whisk the mixture until the dry ingredients are combined with the wet ingredients. The batter should be fairly smooth although you might see a lump or two, and that’s okay.

Fold in the chopped peanuts. Set the batter aside to rest for five minutes. This will allow time for the acid in the buttermilk to interact with the baking powder, creating tiny air bubbles which make pancakes light and fluffy.

A mixing bowl contains batter, flour, and brown sugar with a whisk. Eggshells and a red-striped cloth are nearby on a white surface.

A glass bowl filled with cake batter topped with crushed nuts on a white wooden surface. There are cracked eggshells and a red-striped cloth nearby.

Preheat your cooking surface. While your pancake batter rests, set an electric griddle to 375°F or place a non-stick frying pan or griddle over medium-low heat.

Cook the pancakes. Drop large spoonfuls of batter onto the preheated griddle or frying pan, spreading the batter a bit if needed. If you feel like the batter is too thick for your liking, whisk in a little regular milk until the batter is the consistency you like.

Cook the pancakes for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles form on top and the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes on the other side, or until the pancakes are done.

Repeat with remaining batter. Cook the rest of the pancake batter. Depending on how large you make your pancakes, you should end up with around 18 pancakes.

Serve. The pancakes can be served immediately with your choice of toppings.

A pile of pancakes on a white plate with jars of peanut butter and peanuts, and a stack of plates with forks in the background.

A spoon drizzles peanut butter over a stack of pancakes on a plate. Plates of additional pancakes, a glass of milk, and jars of spread are visible in the background.

Nonstick Stovetop Griddle

I’ve had this griddle for a long time and use it frequently (we’re big fans of pancakes!). It’s quite heavy and heats evenly. You can easily fry up 4 pancakes at a time. It works great for grilled cheese sandwiches, too.

Recipe Variations

Make whole wheat pancakes. Substitute whole wheat flour for some or all of the flour. The pancakes will have a slightly different texture, depending on how much whole wheat flour you use.
Use a different type of nut butter. Almond butter or cashew butter can be used instead of peanut butter. For nut-free pancakes, sunflower seed butter (such as SunButter) can be substituted. You might have to rename your peanut butter pancakes though!
Make honey roasted peanut butter pancakes. Use honey roasted peanuts in the batter and as garnish, then drizzle the pancakes with honey before serving.
Go decadent. Top your pancakes with chocolate syrup, hot fudge sauce (be sure to try the peanut butter variation!), caramel sauce, whipped cream, chocolate chips, Reese’s pieces, or chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups.
Go fruity. Sliced bananas are perfect with peanut butter pancakes, and so is our strawberry sauce.

Serving Suggestions

Looking for something to round out your pancake breakfast? Serve the pancakes with easy baked bacon or air fryer bacon. Breakfast sausage links can be cooked in the oven or air fryer, too, as well as a skillet. If you lean more toward eggs, try sheet pan eggs or egg muffins for something a little different than regular scrambled eggs.

Refrigerate/freeze: Peanut butter pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to make a double batch so I have plenty to freeze. Freeze the pancakes in an airtight storage container or in a freezer bag with parchment paper between the layers to keep the pancakes from sticking to each other. They’ll keep for up to 3 months.

Reheat: Microwave leftover pancakes until they’re warmed through, or place them on a sheet pan, cover it with foil, and heat them in a 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes. Covering the sheet pan with foil keeps the pancakes from getting dry in the oven. You can also heat them right on the rack in your toaster oven. If you’re reheating frozen pancakes, simply add a few more minutes to the cooking time.

Whisk together melted peanut butter and eggs until smooth. Add buttermilk and whisk until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add water and vanilla, whisking until completely combined.
¾ cup creamy peanut butter, melted and cooled slightly, 2 large eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, ¾ cup water, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Add flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Whisk until smooth and combined. Stir in the chopped peanuts, if using.
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup chopped peanuts, optional but highly recommended
Allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat electric griddle to 375°F or a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat.
When pan is hot, drop batter by spoonfuls onto the preheated griddle/pan. Gently spread the batter slightly, being careful not to deflate the air bubbles.
Cook on the first side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve immediately with your choice of toppings.

Choosing peanut butter: I’ve found that regular peanut butter works better for this recipe than natural peanut butter. If you prefer, you can use crunchy peanut butter, too.
How to melt peanut butter: Put the peanut butter into a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave for about 30 seconds or until peanut butter is pourable, stirring occasionally. Don’t overheat it. Heat up extra peanut butter for topping the pancakes if you like.
Storage: Once the pancakes have cooled completely, refrigerate them in a covered container for up to 5 days. If you have extra pancakes, freeze them in an airtight storage container or in a freezer bag with parchment paper between the layers to keep the pancakes from sticking to each other. They’ll keep for up to 3 months.

Serving: 3pancakes, Calories: 518kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 66mg, Sodium: 628mg, Potassium: 448mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 156IU, Calcium: 281mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!