Butterscotch Pancakes (Easy and Delicious!)

Our easy and delicious buttermilk butterscotch pancakes are perfect when you're looking for something sweet for breakfast. The batter is flavored with a foolproof homemade butterscotch sauce and the recipe makes enough sauce to pour over the top. Double yum!

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Butterscotch sauce being poured on a stack of butterscotch pancakes

If you're looking for heaven on a plate for breakfast, look no further than these crazy good butterscotch pancakes. I thought our cornbread pancakes with butter pecan syrup were good, but these beauties take the pancake goodness to a whole 'nother level! Seriously. If you like these, you will love our bananas Foster pancakes. They're like having dessert for breakfast.

The homemade butterscotch sauce is well worth the effort to make. You can even make a second batch to use as a dessert topping or in this tasty butterscotch milkshake! This all-American pancake recipe has got to be one of the best I have ever tasted!

Table of Contents

🧾 Ingredients
📝 Instructions
🥄 Equipment
Complete Pancake Guide
❓ FAQs
🥞Related Recipes
Recipe
📚 References
Comments

🧾 Ingredients

Butterscotch Sauce

Unsalted butter (½ cup). It's important to use unsalted butter because you will be adding kosher salt. We don't want the sauce to be too salty.
Dark brown sugar packed (½ cup). When measuring out the dark brown sugar, press it down into the measuring cup with the back of a spoon. See photo below.
Heavy cream (1 cup). This may be labeled heavy whipping cream. Be sure to use fresh cream.
Kosher salt (½ teaspoon). Adds flavor.
Vanilla extract (2 teaspoons). Adds flavor.
Scotch whiskey (1 tablespoon). This is an optional ingredient. It adds flavor if you choose to use it.

Brown sugar being pressed into a measuring cup with a spoon — When measuring out the dark brown sugar, be sure to use the back of a spoon to pack it down into the measuring cup.

Pancakes

This recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder which makes for fluffy pancakes despite the additional of the butterscotch sauce, which could weight them down a bit. The flavor payoff is well worth it!

All-purpose flour (1½ cup).
Baking powder, double acting (1½ teaspoon). Necessary to add rise. Double acting baking powder is the most common and what you are likely to find in your grocery store. It is first activated when you add liquid to it, then it is activated again when baked (in this case on a griddle or skillet).
Baking soda (¾ teaspoon). Adds rise. This ingredient needs to be very fresh to be effective. It only lasts a couple of months. If your box of baking soda is very old, put it in your fridge to absorb odors and buy a new carton.
Salt (¼ teaspoon). Helps to bring out the butterscotch flavor.
Large eggs (2). Adds structure and rise.
Buttermilk (1 cup). Adds tangy flavor and helps with the rise.
Homemade butterscotch sauce (1 cup). The recipe for this sauce is included here. This is where the flavor and sweetness lies. Good stuff!
Unsalted butter, melted and cooled (3 tablespoons). Using unsalted butter allows us to control the salt content. It's a good idea to melt it and allow it to cool fully before using it in this recipe. If you forget to allow it to cool, it's no biggie, but I usually try to avoid adding anything hot to raw eggs. We don't need to make scrambled eggs here! 😉

📝 Instructions

Butterscotch Sauce

Butter melting in a saucepan — **Step 1.** In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Brown sugar melting in a saucepan — **Step 2.** Add the brown sugar.

Brown sugar and butter in a saucepan — Stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce to a slow and steady boil and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes.

Heavy cream in a saucepan with a red spatula. — **Step 3.** Carefully add the heavy cream and salt. Stir to combine. Bring mixture back to a slow boil. While stirring, cook another 3-4 minutes.

Vanilla extract being added to a saucepan — **Step 4.** Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and Scotch (if using).

Red spatula stirring butterscotch mixture in a saucepan — **Step 5.** Set aside and allow to cool. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Pancakes

Wet ingredients in a medium glass bowl with a whisk — **Step 2.** In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, homemade butterscotch sauce (recipe included here) and melted butter.

Wet and dry ingredients in a large glass bowl — **Step 3.** Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture.

Wet and dry ingredients in a large glass bowl being stirred with a red spatula — Stir until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will still be slightly lumpy.

Step 4. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat generously with butter, then ladle ⅓ cup batter onto griddle for each pancake.

Butterscotch pancakes cooking on a griddle — **Step 5.** Cook until the edges are golden and bubbles form and pop on the surface, about 2-3 minutes.

Cooked butterscotch pancakes on a griddle — Flip and continue cooking, about 2-3 minutes longer.

🥄 Equipment

This recipe uses the following equipment (affiliate links):

Griddle (not needed if using a skillet).
Large skillet (not needed if using a griddle).
Large glass bowl.
Medium glass bowl.
Whisk.

Stack of butterscotch pancakes on a dark blue plate with a gold fork

Complete Pancake Guide

Looking for more information about making pancakes? Visit our complete guide for making homemade pancakes from scratch, including detailed ingredient information, step-by-step instructions and more!

❓ FAQs

How do I store leftover butterscotch pancakes?

You can store leftover pancakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. To freeze, cut a few pieces of wax paper to size and place a sheet between each pancake. Place the pancakes in a freezer bag and seal tight. You can reheat each pancake in the toaster as needed. Making pancakes ahead and freezing them is a great way to have homemade pancakes ready to go during the week when everyone seems to be so busy. Step aside Eggo!

Why are my pancakes flat?

Your baking powder and/or baking soda may have expired. Make sure that you use fresh baking powder and baking soda. Once opened, baking soda is only good for a couple of months.

🥞Related Recipes

Love pancakes? Here are a few more recipes to try!

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