Transport yourself to a classic diner with a stack of these irresistibly fluffy pancakes.
I’ll start by saying that I’m a sucker for any breakfast that you can prep the night before.
Each week, I whip up a batch of overnight oats to take to work in the mornings, and then on weekends I’ve been loving overnight egg bakes and french toast casseroles.
But I’d never thought to prep flapjacks the night before until I discovered this recipe.
Not only do you not have to worry about measuring out ingredients and whisking everything together when you’re bleary-eyed in the morning, but the resulting texture is melt-in-your-mouth perfection that I’ve only experienced from diner pancakes.
While part of this is due to letting the batter sit overnight, using yogurt in the batter also plays a big role.
By adding strained Greek yogurt in place of some of the milk that’d be added to a traditional recipe, you add a little thickness to the batter as well as a sour note, similar to buttermilk. It’s also the perfect flavor profile for cakes, like our lemon yogurt cake.
From experimenting with regular and Greek, I’ve found that Greek yogurt results in thicker, creamier pancakes thanks to its lower water content.
It also doesn’t hurt that Greek yogurt also gives this breakfast a little protein boost! I like using 2% fat as it gives a little richer texture; however, whatever you already have in your fridge will work fine!
So back to making these pancakes. When mixing together the batter I was pretty excited: it was thick without being sticky, the melted butter and egg yolks gave it a beautiful pale yellow color, and the smell reminded me of buttermilk flapjacks.
However, when it came time to pour the batter onto the heated skillet, it just seemed so thin and flat. While I had no doubt that they’d still be buttery and soak up maple syrup just fine, I was slightly disappointed.
I turned my back to do some dishes, and to my surprise, by the time I went back to flip them, it was like someone had replaced those thin circles of batter with perfectly fluffy cakes.
The key is only touching them when it’s time to flip. No early flipping, no patting them down with a spatula. You want to give that baking soda plenty of room to do its thing.
So treat yourself to a stack of fluffy flapjacks tomorrow morning – you won’t be sorry!
PrintYogurt Overnight Pancakes
- Total Time: 12 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 pancakes 1x
Description
Skip a trip to the diner with these Yogurt Overnight pancakes. Perfectly fluffy, every maple-syrup-drenched bite just melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups einkorn flour (or white whole wheat flour)
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup whole milk, plus more as needed
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, yogurt, and milk.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry, and stir until just combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight.
- In the morning, remove batter from fridge and stir. Add additional milk if needed to thin out batter slightly.
- Heat a pan or griddle over medium-low and lightly grease with butter or cooking oil spray.
- Ladle ¼ cup of batter per pancake onto the heated pan. Once the bubbles that have formed on top start to pop, flip and cook another 2-3 minutes, or until bottom is golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve immediately with real maple syrup, butter, and fruit.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Pancakes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Breakfast
Keywords: overnight pancakes, yogurt pancakes, pancakes, brunch
Cooking By the Numbers…
Step 1 – Melt Butter and Measure Ingredients
Melt butter and allow to cool slightly while you measure out the remaining ingredients.
Step 2 – Prepare Batter and Chill Overnight
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, vanilla extract, Greek yogurt, and milk. You can use regular yogurt instead of Greek, but the batter and pancakes will be slightly thinner.
Pour wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. There should still be a few lumps in the batter.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.
Step 3 – Cook
In the morning, remove the batter from the fridge and add an extra splash of milk if needed to slightly thin it out. Give it a good stir.
Heat a large pan or griddle on medium-low and lightly grease with butter or cooking spray. Turn the oven on to its “keep warm” setting, or the lowest that it will go.
Make pancakes by ladling ¼ cup of batter each onto the heated pan. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the bubbles that have formed on top start to pop. Flip, then cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the bottom of each flapjack is golden brown.
Place the cooked pancakes on a baking sheet in the warmed oven, and repeat the process with the remaining batter.
Step 4 – Top and Serve
Serve with pure maple syrup, butter, fresh berries, or your toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Tired of the Same Old Maple Syrup on Top?
I know it might sound scandalous to some, but there are mornings when I want something a little more exciting than the traditional maple syrup and pancake combo. While peanut butter is a common alternative, I like making the morning feel a little fancier with a simple red berry pudding or a drizzle of homemade fresh strawberry syrup.
Want to play with traditional pancake flavors? Make our tasty coconut orange version or einkorn rye chocolate chip! And if you’re avoiding gluten, we highly suggest trying our coconut flour pancakes recipe!
Looking for other breakfast recipes that you can prep the night before? We’ve got you covered:
What are your go-to overnight breakfasts? Share in the comments below, and be sure to give these pancakes a rating after you try them!
Photos by Kelli McGrane, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published by Shanna Mallon on January 11, 2013. Last updated: April 10, 2023 at 16:20 pm.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
The written contents of this article have been reviewed and verified by a registered dietitian for informational purposes only. This article should not be construed as personalized or professional medical advice. Foodal and Ask the Experts, LLC assume no liability for the use or misuse of the material presented above. Always consult with a medical professional before changing your diet, or using supplements or manufactured or natural medications.
About Kelli McGrane, MS, RD
Kelli McGrane is a Denver-based registered dietitian with a lifelong love of food. She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in nutrition science from Boston University. As a registered dietitian, she believes in the importance of food to nourish not only your body, but your soul as well. Nutrition is very personal, and you won’t find any food rules here, other than to simply enjoy what you eat.
Been looking for a go-to recipe for pancakes for a long time! Planning on mixing these up later this afternoon – they look fabulous!
Thank you for another great post and I’m excited to try this pancake recipe!
Tried this recipe… Extremely delicious! Thank you 🙂
Is the sugar (coconut) necessary? I would like to leave out any added sugar.
Sugar adds sweetness, but it also helps with browning. You can try leaving it out, but we haven’t tested this.