Cracker Barrel pancakes are big, golden buttermilk pancakes with lacy, crisp, buttery edges and a soft, tender middle. This copycat is made from scratch with flour, baking soda, eggs and low-fat buttermilk, and it is ready in 15 minutes. The batter is thin, the griddle is hot and well buttered, and each pancake is spread wide with the back of the scoop. It is a home version in the style of the restaurant, not the restaurant’s own formula.
How to make Cracker Barrel pancakes: Preheat a griddle to 350°F. Whisk 2 eggs with 2 1/3 cups low-fat buttermilk, then whisk in 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons sugar just until combined. Rub butter on the griddle, pour on 1/2 cup of batter and spread it into a circle. Flip when the second bubble pops, about 2 minutes, and cook until no longer doughy. Serve hot.
Why You’ll Love It
- Crisp edges, soft centers. The contrast is the whole point.
- From scratch in minutes. One bowl and six pantry ingredients.
- No boxed mix. Only flour, soda, salt, sugar, eggs and buttermilk.
- Big pancakes. Each one is a 1/2 cup of batter.
- Great with anything. Butter and warm syrup, fruit, bacon or eggs.
Ingredient Notes
All-purpose flour. Two cups. Spoon it into the cup and level it. Do not sift it.
Baking soda. Two teaspoons. It reacts with the buttermilk to lift the pancakes.
Salt and sugar. A teaspoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
Eggs. Two.
Low-fat buttermilk. Two and a third cups, with no more than 1% fat. It gives the tang and makes a thin, pourable batter.
Butter. For the griddle, before every batch.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/3 cups low-fat buttermilk
- Butter, for the griddle
How to Make Cracker Barrel Pancakes
1. Heat the griddle. Preheat a pancake griddle to 350°F.
2. Mix the batter. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar and whisk just until combined.
3. Butter and pour. Rub butter in a circle on the griddle. Pour 1/2 cup of batter onto the buttered spot and promptly spread it into a circle with the back of the scoop.
4. Flip and finish. Flip when the second bubble pops, about 2 minutes on most griddles. Cook the other side until it is no longer doughy.
5. Serve and repeat. Serve hot off the griddle. Butter the griddle again before adding each new batch of batter.
How to Get Crisp Edges and a Soft Middle
The crisp edge does not come from the batter. It comes from how the pancake is cooked. Four small habits make the difference.
| What to do | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Butter the griddle before every batch | The batter fries a little where it meets the hot butter, and the rim turns lacy and crisp |
| Spread each scoop right away | A thin, wide pancake has a thin rim that crisps, and the middle still stays soft |
| Turn it over once two bubbles have popped | The first side is set and golden, but the center has not dried out |
| Serve hot off the griddle | A stack traps steam, and steam softens the crust |
The butter is the step people skip. On a nonstick griddle, pancakes will cook with no fat at all, but they come out smooth, pale and soft at the rim. A swipe of butter under each one is what gives the browned, crackled surface and the crunchy edge.
The last habit is the hardest at a busy breakfast. Pancakes that are stacked or held in a warm oven keep cooking in their own steam, and the crunch fades. If you can, pass them out as they come off the heat.
Tips for Success
How much should I mix the batter?
Whisk just until the dry flour is gone. A few small lumps are fine. Overmixed batter makes tough pancakes.
Why spoon the flour and not scoop it?
Scooping packs extra flour into the cup, and the batter turns out too thick to spread.
How do I know the griddle is ready?
An electric griddle set to 350°F is ready when its light goes off. On a stovetop pan, a drop of water should dance and sizzle.
When do I flip?
Watch the bubbles. When the second one pops and leaves a small hole, slide the spatula under and turn the pancake over.
How do I know the second side is done?
The pancake feels springy in the center and no wet batter shows at the edge.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftover pancakes within 2 hours, in a covered container, and eat them within 3 to 4 days. For longer keeping, freeze them for up to 3 months. Reheat until hot all the way through, to 165°F. The edges will not be as crisp as they were fresh.
What to Serve With It
Serve the pancakes with butter and warm maple syrup. For a full country breakfast, add the copycat Cracker Barrel hashbrown casserole or the biscuits and gravy casserole. For a savory kind of pancake, try the German potato pancakes. And for dinner in the same style, there is Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings, the Cracker Barrel meatloaf and a Ritz cracker chicken casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do Cracker Barrel pancakes taste so good?
Pancakes in this style get their flavor from tangy buttermilk and from a hot, buttered griddle that browns and crisps the edges.
What is the secret to Cracker Barrel pancakes?
For this copycat, it is buttering the griddle before each batch, spreading the batter thin and serving the pancakes right away.
What mix does Cracker Barrel use for pancakes?
I cannot speak for the restaurant’s own mix. This copycat uses no boxed mix at all, only flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, eggs and buttermilk.
How can homemade pancakes get crisp edges without losing their soft middle?
Cook them in butter on a hot griddle, turn them as soon as the bubbles start to pop and do not stack them.
Final Notes
I keep a stick of butter with the paper folded back next to the griddle, and rub it on like a crayon before each scoop. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Cracker Barrel Pancakes
Want This Recipe Later?
We'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, not sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/3 cups low-fat buttermilk no more than 1% fat
- butter for greasing the griddle before each batch
Instructions
- Preheat a pancake griddle to 350°F.
- Whisk the eggs and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar and whisk just until combined.
- Rub butter in a circle on the griddle. Pour 1/2 cup of batter onto the buttered spot and promptly spread it into a circle with the back of the scoop.
- Flip when the second bubble pops, about 2 minutes on most griddles. Cook the other side until it is no longer doughy.
- Serve hot off the griddle. Butter the griddle again before adding each new batch of batter.
Notes
Nutrition
Made this recipe? Tap a star to rate it.
