Overnight Pancakes (Yeast-Raised, Easy)

These overnight pancakes are even easier to make than my overnight malted waffles. Just whisk the ingredients together the night before, and in the morning, start making pancakes.

If you’re intimidated by yeast, pancakes and waffles are a great place to start. No worries about kneading or adding too much flour. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the more robust flavor, too!

For ease of browsing, you can find all my breakfast recipes in one place. Now let’s get on with these overnight pancakes, shall we?

Overnight Pancakes, At a Glance

✅Skill Level: Beginner
✅Skills: Whisking, Flipping a Pancake
✅Type: Breakfast pastry/pancake
✅Number of Ingredients: 8
✅Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
✅Cook Time: about 3-4 minutes per pancake
✅Yield: 12 pancakes

Jump Straight to the Recipe

Why You Should Make Pancakes Leavened with Yeast

A yeasted pancake is a beautiful thing.

With chemical leaveners that emit bubbles upon getting wet (both baking powder and baking soda) and heating up (baking powder), you’re in a race against time.

You want to get your batter made and cooking as quickly as you can to take full advantage of the bubbles. Some recipes will tell you to let your batter sit for 10-15 minutes before cooking, but that’s about all the grace you’ll get.

The downside of a quick-rise batter is that your flour doesn’t have enough chance to properly hydrate before you pour it onto your griddle or into a pan.

Making pancake batter with yeast allows you to slow down, whisk up the batter the night before, and then cook in the morning.

One of the magic things about yeast is that it will wait on you. And while it’s waiting, it’s munching on sugar and starch and giving off carbon dioxide and alcohol.

And the longer it can hang out doing that, the more flavor your pancakes will have.

The relatively small amount of yeast in these pancakes along with a cold rise will give you the option of letting the batter hang out in the fridge for up to 36 hours before cooking.

The flavor payoff is pretty fantastic. Almost a bit of a sourdough tang with a lot more character than a chemically leavened pancake.

And unlike baking with baking powder, you can stir your batter down a few times while making your pancakes, and the yeast will still be there, making bubbles. This means that your last pancake will be every bit as light and airy as your first pancake. Huzzah!

Another perk of using yeast is this: if you make a large batch (see Notes section of recipe), you can cook some of the batter the first day, put it back in the fridge, and then make the rest the next morning.

If you make these overnight pancakes and love them, I have a favor to ask:

Ingredients and Procedure

Make these pancakes with only 8 ingredients, most of which you probably already own.

If you want to get straight to it, you’re welcome to jump on down to the recipe.

• all-purpose flour: The bulk of the recipe, all-purpose flour is my choice for a good balance between tenderness and gluten-development. You can substitute whole-wheat flour for up to half of the all-purpose if you prefer
• granulated sugar: Sugar adds a touch of sweetness, assists in browning, and helps to tenderize the gluten. You can use brown sugar or a mixture of granulated and brown for a bit more depth of flavor
• kosher salt: Salt focuses all the flavor, allows the vanilla to “bloom” and have more dimension, and it also moderates yeast growth so your batter doesn’t go crazy and rise up over the top of your bowl
• instant yeast: SAF is my preferred yeast. They have 2 formulations, one for breads and one for sweet breads. Honestly, either will work for whatever you want to make. I think it’s really more of a marketing gimmick, but don’t tell them I said so. Yeast provides the rise and additional flavor. It’s a forgiving leavener in this context because it will keep multiplying and providing lift as long as it has carbs to eat. You can stir the batter down multiple times and it will still rise well once it’s in the pan
• whole milk: The majority of the liquid in the batter, whole milk brings some milk sugars and proteins for milky sweetness and browning. You can substitute any plant milk or use 2% if you prefer
• eggs: Provides some fat and emulsifiers (in the yolk) and additional liquid and proteins (in the whites) My “regular” pancakes for one recipe is a no-egg recipe, but the yeasted test batch without eggs just felt stodgy, so the egg also helps with lightening the batter
• neutral vegetable oil: Fat carries flavor and it also adds tenderness and weakens gluten for an overall tender and fluffy texture. You can try using melted and cooled butter or ghee in place of the oil, but in the fridge, it tends to end up in little pebbles of fat. The flavor will definitely be buttery, though, so it’s your choice entirely
• vanilla extract: Add a creamy, woody, floral roundness to the pancakes

Optional Ingredients/Variations

You can add all sorts of extracts, zests, fruit, etc to change up the flavor of your pancakes. Here are a few ideas:

To Add to the Batter:

• cinnamon or your favorite baking spice/s
• lemon or orange zest
• instant coffee or coffee extract
• other extracts such as almond (be judicious with it–it’s strong!), lemon, or orange

To Add to the Pancakes as They Cook:

As a rule, don’t mix any solids into your pancake batter, because it’s almost impossible to get an even distribution of whatever–blueberries, chocolate chips, etc–straight from the bowl.

The best way to add these “extras” is to scatter a handful evenly across the tops of your pancakes before you flip them.

• blueberries
• chopped strawberries or other fruits larger than blueberries
• sauteed apple (you need to precook harder fruits since they need longer to cook than 60 seconds, so sauté them with a little sugar, butter, and a pinch of salt until soft. See my apple turnovers for an example of a cooked fruit compote you could use in pancakes
• chocolate chips (I like to drizzle the tiniest bit of batter on top of each chip to insulate them when they’re flipped so the chips don’t burn.)

Procedure

There are 8 ingredients in these pancakes: 4 dry and 4 wet

Putting them together is seriously as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl
2. Whisk the wet ingredients together in a pitcher or a medium bowl
3. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients for about the count of 10. A few lumps can remain.

Once the batter is made, the yeast will start doing its thing. If you keep your house pretty cool, you can let it hang out at room temperature overnight. If it’s a bit warmer in your kitchen, you can refrigerate it.

Either way, cover your bowl of batter with a lid or plastic wrap and just walk away.

The next day, when you’re ready to make your pancakes, preheat your griddle/cast iron pan over medium-low heat until it’s nice and hot.

I spray the pan with some avocado oil or Pam and then wipe it out. I generally only do this once every few pancakes. If you have a good nonstick coating, you should be able to do the same.

How to Know When to Flip Your Pancakes

Pancakes can cause all sorts of consternation as they sit there, cooking on the first side. You only want to flip them once, so they have to be perfect. This can cause stress and worry.

But worry not. Stress not. Here’s what to look for:

With yeasted batter, even if you have just stirred it down, the heat of the pan will make the yeast super active, so bubbles will rise up through your pancakes. Toward the beginning of cooking, the bubbles will rise, pop, and fill in with batter.

Closer to time to flip them, some of the holes may not fill in all the way with batter.

Watch the pancakes pretty closely. You will be able to see when the pancakes are no longer wet on the sides and even just slightly on top around the edges. That’s when you’ll know it’s time to flip.

How to Flip Pancakes so They Don’t Break

Pancakes can sense fear. Use a good, not-too-flexible spatula, and in one motion, shove it under your pancake decisively. You want to get a good 2/3 to 3/4 of the way to the other side of the pancake so it doesn’t break when you try to flip it.

A short, quick, and decisive SHOVE will do that for you. Once you’ve got your spatula under your pancake, pick it up only about 3-4″–too far and it’ll splatter when it hits the pan again–and flip it completely over. Again, decisively.

And that’s it. The second side will be uglier than the first. It’s a pancake law. Worry not. It won’t brown as evenly as the first side because of all the bubbles that were forced to the surface while the first side was cooking.

Cook for about a minute or so, and then check the second side. If it looks anemically beige rather than golden brown, give it another 30-45 seconds and check again.

Tada!

Watch the video, which focuses on cooking and flipping the pancakes so you can make them whenever you want, stress- and worry-free.

How Much Oil to Use

One of my testers, Jo-Anne, added a bit of oil to her pan and then proceeded to cook pancakes. Hers looked very much like the second sides of the ones I cooked.

I believe the difference is that I add a little spritz of oil and then wipe most of it away so the pan is almost dry. Cooking pancakes this way will get you a first side (the side that’s the prettiest) that is almost uniformly golden brown. Like this:

Spraying in or brushing oil in the pan without wiping it out will yield pancakes that have a more lacy golden-brown color, more like you’d see on a crepe.

This is how tester Jo-Anne made them, and here is a photo of hers. Note the 2 in the back on the right are more uniform in color. Those are two she made without adding extra oil, so her pan was almost dry.

It is strictly an aesthetic choice whether you want uniform or lacy golden-brown pancakes.

Yeast-Raised Pancake Q&A

Notes from My Testers

I was so happy when some of my readers stepped up to test this recipe for me (and for you). Here are some of their testing notes:

I loved how easy it was to make them. You didn’t have to add additional ingredients in the morning, or wait for it to come to room temperature before cooking. You didn’t have to separate the eggs, and whip the whites. It’s just a super simple recipe that turned out excellent fluffy pancakes with minimal effort. I’ll definitely be making these again!
—Tester Vanessa

The recipe came together in minutes, weights and measurements were accurate. I refrigerated the batter overnight until the next afternoon. I stirred down the batter and nuked the butter and maple syrup while the pan was heating. The 1/3 cup per pancake measure is accurate. Timing depends on pan and heating element. The result is a nicely textured..not too light and not too dense not too sweet..pancake…The recipe is solid…and beautiful, tasty results. —Tester Carol

What a wonderful recipe! I loved how easily everything came together. The directions were clear and easy to follow. The pancakes cooked up light and tender. They’re perfect with just a bit of butter and nothing else. This was my first time trying yeasted pancakes and I have to say, they are delicious! I enjoyed the flavor much more than box-mix pancakes…I made six this time but I’m already looking forward to having a big batch ready next time my Grandkids come over! Thank you Jenni!” —Tester Sara

More Breakfast Goodness

If you are into a more decadent breakfast, try my chocolate pancakes, which are happy to serve as breakfast or dessert. Or give my yeast-raised chocolate chocolate chip pancakes a try.

I already shared the link to my overnight malted waffles at the beginning of the post, so if you love a good, crisp waffle, definitely give that recipe a try.

And as far as syrups to pour over your pancakes, maple syrup or a mixture of maple syrup and honey are pretty standard. But don’t discount white chocolate sauce or a nice mixed berry sauce. You can even spread them with mixed berry jam.

You can also try some good old Southern buttermilk syrup. Good eatin’!

Questions?

If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.

Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.

If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.

A Note About Measurements

My recipes are almost all written by weight, including liquids, unless otherwise specified.

For accuracy and consistency of results, I encourage you to buy–and use–a kitchen scale.

I promise that baking and cleanup will be so much quicker and easier.

This is the scale that I recommend for home use. I have owned and used one for years.

Love These Overnight Pancakes? Please Rate and Review. Thanks!

And there you have it, friends. Yeasted, overnight pancakes that might well be the best pancakes ever!

I hope you enjoy them. Thanks for spending some time with me.

Take care, y’all.