Cornbread Pancakes

These cornbread pancakes taste just like a fluffy version of cornbread with crisp edges and light and fluffy centers! These are a little heartier than classic buttermilk pancakes thanks to the slight grit from cornmeal and have a lightly sweet corn flavor on their own–best enjoyed with a blueberry compote and maple syrup.

Corn is one of my favorite flavors (this corn cake was one of my all-time favorite birthday cakes and I loved this sweet cornbread bake off), so a cornbread pancake was only natural.

These feel like a cornbread shortcut: they capture the corn flavor and a hint of the hearty texture that I love in cornbread–but in a fluffy pancake that you can throw together and cook in under 20 minutes.

How I developed this recipe

These pancakes drew on a combination of my cottage cheese pancakes, these cornmeal mountain pancakes and a recipe my friend sent me for the cornmeal flapjacks at The Dutch (which got a special mention on my NYC pancakes list!). I liked the grittiness that comes from using a higher cornmeal than flour ratio from The Dutch flapjacks, the flavor of the buttermilk-heavy cornmeal pancakes, and the fluffiness of my cottage cheese pancakes.

In my first iteration, I used a higher ratio of cornmeal to flour, a combination of baking soda and powder and mainly yogurt as the liquid. These pancakes had a satisfyingly thick texture and nice grittiness from the cornmeal, but they were a little too dense and gritty.

In my second iteration, I tested the same recipe again but tested corn flour, masa harina and slightly less cornmeal in separate tests along with some milk to thin out the batter. This batch was slightly better, but still a little drier and less flavorful than I wanted. The corn flour and masa harina provided similar results–a finer texture with a very mild corn flavor. They both absorb liquid more readily than cornmeal or all-purpose flour, so both versions were a bit drier than the original. I decided to just stick with cornmeal as the corn ingredient based on this test!

In my third iteration, I added even more milk to thin out the batter, reduced the yogurt, increased the oil, baking soda and salt slightly, and I tested a batch with 1 tbsp molasses, 1 tbsp sugar. These tasted AMAZING, but my friend and I agreed we didn’t love the look of the pancakes with molasses (and flavor-wise it didn’t have the summery corn feel that I wanted).

My last iteration was the same as the third iteration, but with 2 tbsp honey. These were our winner–flavorful, fluffy yet still moist, subtly sweet with a gentle corn flavor and just a hint of cornmeal grit.

Ingredients

• Cornmeal: I used a medium grind of cornmeal in this recipe, but it should work with anything from finely ground to coarsely ground cornmeal since these pancakes are relatively forgiving. Personally, I prefer the less gritty texture of a fine to medium ground cornmeal over a coarser polenta cornmeal. If you’d like to try subbing corn flour or masa harina into the recipe, you can swap in the same amount and add 2 tbsp milk to the batter to help provide additional hydration.
• Greek yogurt: The combination of Greek yogurt and milk serves the same role buttermilk typically does in a pancake recipe. I prefer using Greek yogurt since I typically have it on hand and it gives the pancakes a nice protein boost. But you can also substitute 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp buttermilk in place of the Greek yogurt and milk.
• Milk: You can use any milk in this recipe–I used whole milk, but an alternative milk like soy, almond or oat will also work.
• Honey: Corn and honey feel like a flavor match made in heaven. If you don’t have honey on hand, you can sub 2 tbsp granulated sugar, maple syrup or even molasses in its place. I personally like the flavor and texture of using 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp sugar (but I wrote the recipe with 2 tbsp of honey for simplicity).
• Neutral oil: I prefer using oil in pancake batter because there’s no need to melt the butter and cool it before adding it to the batter (and no need to keep the batter at room temperature to prevent the butter from seizing). You can use any oil like avocado, refined coconut, grapeseed or even olive oil if you don’t mind the flavor. You can also sub in melted, cooled butter if you like (just make sure to get the milk and eggs to room temperature before adding them to the batter).
• Baking powder: A generous amount of baking powder helps give these pancakes lots of lift.
• Baking soda: Adding a bit of baking soda also helps react with the acidic yogurt to give these even more lift.

How to make cornbread pancakes

These pancakes are easy to make in one bowl–just mix the wet ingredients together until incorporated, then fold in the dry ingredients until you have a thick batter. I like cooking them in a little butter for the best flavor!

Storing and reheating

These cornbread pancakes will keep well for at least 3-4 days in the fridge. I like to reheat pancakes in a toaster oven or in a pan for the best crisp (they’ll taste almost like new), but if you’re in a rush, you can also microwave them with a few drops of water for a soft, spongier texture.