Scorecard Research Beacon
Search Icon
Food September 26, 2026

How to make light and fluffy pancakes at home

WATCH: 'GMA' celebrating National Pancake Day

Celebrate National Pancake Day with a stack of light and fluffy pancakes.

Ron Silver, chef and owner of Bubby's in New York City, joined "Good Morning America" on Saturday to share his signature sour cream pancake recipe, along with his top tips for getting perfectly golden pancakes at home.

While Silver uses Bubby's pancake mix in his recipe, home cooks can use their favorite pancake mix to make their own version.

Silver also shared recipes to accompany the pancakes, including mixed berry compote and fried chicken.

Check out the recipes below.

Bubby's Signature Sour Cream Pancakes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk, minus 1 tablespoon (trust us on this one!)
1 cup of pancake mix

Directions

Heat griddle to medium high (don't let it smoke).

Combine melted butter, egg and milk in bow. Use a fork to stir.

Measure 1 cup pancake mix and gently fold into bowl of wet ingredients until the dry is barely coated. Do not stir. Batter should be lumpy with bits of dry flour (if the batter is overmixed your pancakes will be flat).

Dollop 1/4 cup batter onto skillet. Wait until little bubbles start to pop (cue chocolate chips!). Use spatula to take a peek under the pancake, if it's a golden color, flip it!

Once the second side is golden brown, flip onto a plate. Spread butter and pour warm maple syrup on top.

Taste the pancake and make more.

Tips from Silver

1. First and foremost, you want the pancake batter to be cold before beginning to cook your pancakes. Mix the batter and put it in the fridge for a good 15 minutes before you cook.

2. Once you start, I always recommend testing one pancake out before you put a lot down. Using a nonstick pan is best (though remember to still grease well!), but a griddle is even better because it will give you more surface to get a spatula around.

3. When making pancakes, sticking to low or medium heat is the best -- it's all about the temperature of the pan, griddle or flat top and making sure it's greased well. If the pancakes keep sticking, it's likely from too high of a temperature.

4. When the edges of the pancake start to bubble (usually between 2-3 minutes on the initial side), it's usually time to flip it over. A good rule of thumb is checking with your spatula to peek under -- if you see golden brown, you are ready to flip; if it's too light, wait another minute.

Fried Chicken Marinade

Yield: 1 order (1 leg, 1 thigh and half of a white meat breast)

Ingredients
25 grams black peppercorns
40 grams paprika
15 grams garlic powder
10 grams onion powder
10 grams chili powder
4 bay leaves
450 grams kosher salt
500 grams sugar
2 gallons water

Fried Chicken Flour Batch

Yield: 1 order (1 leg, 1 thigh and half of a white meat breast)

Ingredients
10 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
6 tablespoons sea salt
4 ounces cornstarch

Directions

Combine ingredients in each separate recipe and mix well.

Marinate the chicken. When ready, remove the chicken from the marinade and dredge each piece in the flour mixture.

Place the chicken on a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours to air-dry and develop a crust.

Before frying, coat the chicken again in the flour mixture. Fry at 325 F for 15 minutes. Remove and hold.

To serve, fry the chicken again at 350 F for 1 minute, or until crispy.

Note: Refrigerating the floured chicken overnight helps develop a crust and creates a crispier coating when fried.

Caramelized Bananas

Ingredients
Clarified butter
Bananas

Directions

Heat a saute pan with clarified butter until hot.

Cut the bananas on a bias.

Throw the bananas in the pan and toss until caramelized. That's it!

Mixed Berry Compote

Ingredients
2 cups fresh strawberries
2 cups fresh blackberries
2 cups raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

Combine the strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepot.

Cook the mixture with the sugar for 5 minutes.

Let the compote sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipes reprinted with permission from Bubby's and Ron Silver.

'GMA' kitchen picks

By clicking on these shopping links, visitors will leave ABCNews.com and GoodMorningAmerica.com, and these e-commerce sites are operated under different terms and privacy policies. ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links. SOME PRICES ARE DYNAMIC AND MAY CHANGE FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. Have questions about ordering or a purchase? Click here.