Sweet Cream Pancakes
Sweet cream pancakes are what happens when you turn your basic pancake recipe into a rich, decadent and creamy bite of heaven!
This recipe uses basic pancake ingredients and replaces most of the milk or buttermilk normally used, for heavy cream. Add in a splash of vanilla and sugar and what you’ve got is exactly what you think of when you’re trying to describe the perfect pancake. Creamy, pillowy, and melt in your mouth amazing!
About these sweet cream pancakes
Sweet cream pancakes are all kinds of delicious. If you’re a fan of cream in your coffee, or even half and half, you’ll know what a difference it makes. It’s a thick, luxuriously fat liquid that has a naturally sweet taste to it.
You can, of course, add more sugar to this recipe if you’d like it a little sweeter, but it’s a perfect balance just the way it is.
If you’ve ever looked into sweet cream pancakes you may have noticed it seems to have originated (or made popular) from a restaurant chain in the U.S. called Bear Creek Diner. A community-oriented family restaurant that serves homestyle comfort meals. So, naturally, amazing breakfast items would be on the menu, including their famous sweet cream pancakes!
This homemade recipe brings restaurant-quality pancakes right to your kitchen. Coming together in 15 minutes, this made-from-scratch pancake recipe yields a ton of pancakes! 24 in fact, which is enough to feed a hungry crowd plus freeze some for later!
Tip: Not looking for quite so many pancakes? This recipe can easily be halved.
Use it as a base recipe and add whatever additional flavors you would like, perhaps some added fruit or chocolate chips. However you decide to serve these creamy and dreamy pancakes, you’re in for a sweet treat!
Can you use cream instead of milk for pancakes?
This may be an obvious answer at this point, but it bears repeating! A resounding yes, you can! In fact, you can actually use milk, buttermilk and cream interchangeably. Depending on what you use, you’ll end up with a slightly different flavor and texture. Regular milk will do the job, but it won’t give you the same amount of richness as buttermilk or cream. Buttermilk is amazing as it creates a light and fluffy texture and has a slightly tangy taste. And your pancake’s new best friend, cream, adds richness and decadence.
What’s in sweet cream pancakes?
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Both the baking soda and powder will give a lovely rise resulting in fluffy pancakes. The sugar will complement the subtle natural sweetness in the cream.
- Wet ingredients: Eggs, heavy cream, milk, and pure vanilla extract. You can decide to use all cream, but the combination of 2% milk and heavy cream is great. It’s thick and creamy, but not too heavy. The addition of milk also prevents the batter from being too thick.
How to make it
Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate mixing bowls until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat and grease with butter, oil, or nonstick cooking spray, if needed.
Cook pancakes for 2-3 minutes per side, or until bubbles appear and don’t disappear.
Serve warm with all of your favorite toppings. Truth be told, these are sweet enough that you may not even need any!
How to make these pancakes your own
- Skip the milk and just use heavy cream for a thicker heavier batter.
- Use half and half instead of cream for a slightly lighter texture.
- Top with a pat of butter and maple syrup for a classic topping choice.
- Making breakfast for a special occasion? Top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup and embrace the indulgence!
- Balance the sweet with some citrus with this lemon cream cheese glaze.
Storage Suggestions
This recipe makes about 24 average-sized pancakes. You could very well have some leftover, in which case, keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Transfer them to the freezer for up to 2 months if not eaten by then!
Reheating Tips
Stick them in the microwave for 20 second intervals, or if you’ve got a lot to reheat at the same time, reheat them in the oven at 250ºF until warmed through.
Top it!
Here are some of our favorite pancake toppings – they’d all be great on these sweet cream pancakes!
Get the Recipe: Sweet Cream Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk we recommend 2%
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg, cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix only until just combined, do not overmix.
- Heat a griddle over medium heat. If desired, grease with butter, oil, or nonstick cooking spray.
- Add batter by about 1/4 cup scoops.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or until bubbles appear and don’t disappear.
- Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Notes
- This is a great base recipe that tastes terrific with 1/2 – 3/4 cup of chopped fruit or chocolate chips added to the batter.