Okay, so I’ve always been a huge fan of Cracker Barrel’s pancakes. I mean, who isn’t? But sometimes, you just crave that fluffy goodness at home without the trip. Plus, I realized I didn’t have any buttermilk on hand one morning. Disaster, right? Nope! I decided to get creative and figure out how to make those pancakes without it.
I started by gathering all the usual pancake ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, eggs, and milk. Now, the key to replacing buttermilk is to make the milk a bit acidic. I grabbed some regular milk and thought, “What can make this sour?” Lemon juice! I squeezed about a tablespoon of lemon juice into a cup of milk and let it sit for a few minutes. You could see it thicken up just a bit. That’s exactly what I wanted.
Mixing it all up
First, I mixed all the dry ingredients in a big bowl. I made sure to whisk them together really well so there were no clumps. Then, in another bowl, I cracked the eggs and whisked them with the “soured” milk and a bit of melted butter. Oh man, the smell of melted butter just makes everything better, doesn’t it?

Next, I slowly poured the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. The trick here is not to overmix. I folded everything together gently until it was just combined. You want a few lumps in there; it actually makes the pancakes fluffier. Trust me on this one.
Cooking Time!
I heated up my trusty non-stick griddle to medium heat. You don’t want it too hot, or the pancakes will burn before they cook through. I gave it a light spray with some cooking oil, but you could use butter too. Once it was hot, I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter onto the griddle.
Now, here’s the fun part – watching them cook. I waited until I saw bubbles forming on the surface and the edges started to look dry. That took about 2-3 minutes. Then, with a confident flip, I turned them over. Another couple of minutes on the other side, and they were golden brown and perfect.
The Final Touch
I stacked those beauties on a plate and, of course, I couldn’t resist a generous drizzle of maple syrup. I also added a few fresh berries on top because, why not? It makes it feel a bit fancy, you know?
Taking that first bite was heavenly. They were fluffy, slightly tangy, and just as good as the ones at Cracker Barrel, if I do say so myself. The best part? I did it all without buttermilk, and it was so easy.
Ingredients Recap
- Flour – The base, obviously.
- Sugar – For that touch of sweetness.
- Baking powder & Baking soda – The magic duo for fluffiness.
- Salt – Just a pinch to balance the flavors.
- Eggs – To bind it all together.
- Milk – Soured with lemon juice as a buttermilk substitute.
- Melted butter – Because butter makes everything better.
- Lemon juice – The secret ingredient to sour the milk.
So there you have it. My little adventure in making Cracker Barrel-style pancakes without buttermilk. It’s all about getting a bit creative and not being afraid to experiment. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes. Happy pancake flipping!
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