When I was young, I don’t think my parents ever took my brother and me to McDonald’s for breakfast. It was all about the burger and fries. And sometimes a chocolate shake. But never these fluffy pancakes for breakfast. Many McDonald’s menus also refer to them as hotcakes.
I think the very first time I went to McDonald’s for breakfast I got one of those Egg McMuffin Sandwiches. It was so long ago I honestly don’t remember.
In any case, years later I remember ordering these pancakes from McDonald’s and thought they were pretty good. I mean don’t most pancakes taste pretty much the same?
Now I get there is nothing complicated about making pancakes. I mean a few ingredients and a couple of minutes on the griddle. Not earth-shattering is it?
Pancakes have been around longer than I have so I am not going to pretend this is some new never-seen recipe for pancakes. That would just be a lie.
But since this pancake recipe is supposedly the same recipe that McDonald’s uses in all their restaurants around the world, I just had to give it a try and see how it compares to the pancakes you would get when visiting a McDonald’s restaurant. Surprisingly pretty dang close!
Serving Suggestions
While the pancakes themselves are good, you might want to drizzle some delicious Maple Syrup over them with a little butter. Only if your diet allows it. I like to have my pancakes with a side of bacon and some scrambled eggs as well. The perfect breakfast combo!
Copycat Rating
Since the goal of a Copycat Recipe is for it to taste exactly like the original, it’s only natural to rate this recipe against the original. This Copycat recipe rates a solid 9 out of 10 in my opinion.
If you enjoy making copycat recipes, especially from McDonald’s, check out my other Copycat Recipes. My copycat Big Mac Sauce recipe is a must-try if you love their Big Macs!
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Copycat Pancakes recipe from McDonald’s (see recipe card for quantities): All Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, White Sugar, Eggs, Milk and Vegetable Oil.
How to Make Copycat McDonald’s Pancakes
- Preheat and grease a griddle or frying pan over medium heat.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients until there are no lumps. Make sure not to overmix.
- Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the griddle. When the edges become dry and the top is bubbly flip the pancake and cook the other side for about a minute.
Recipe Video
Copycat McDonald’s Pancakes
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Ingredients
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 Tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 4 Tbsp White Sugar
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 2 Cups Milk
- 4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Preheat and grease a griddle or frying pan over medium heat.
Make Pancake Batter
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients until there are no lumps. Make sure not to overmix.
- Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the griddle. When the edges become dry and the top is bubbly flip the pancake and cook the other side for about a minute.
Recipe Video
Thanks for sharing your recipe! They are delicious!!
These pancakes are Delicious and just like McDonald’s Hotcakes!!
I agree! Love this pancake recipe.
I made these just as the recipe called for and they are our new favorite go to! I too get worried about baking powder BUT THESE WERE PERFECT! Light, fluffy and my kids said BETTER THAN McD’s! Oh, I did add a splash of vanilla but overall the recipe was FABULOUS! Thank you for sharing, Rodney!
Glad to hear you all enjoyed the pancakes!
I have never eaten McDonalds pancakes, but these are delicious. My kids and I loved them.
I agree with you, Jane! I even used GF flour and they came out great!
Thank you!
I cut the baking powder by half and used buttermilk (2c 2% less 2 TB milk +2 TB white vinegar, mixed well and let sit for at least 5 minutes). Next time I probably would also cut the salt by half, using only 1/2 ts and add 1 ts vanilla extract.
I agree, it’s way too much baking powder. Perhaps it’s compensation since there’s no acid listed in the recipe, relying on the milk lactic acid instead? The ingredients for the McDonald’s pancakes shows both vinegar and citric acid added. This would react with the baking powder to cause air bubbles. So, you wouldn’t need to use much baking powder if an acid is added. Or, buttermilk could be used, which is loaded with acid, and if left to sit a while would create plenty of air bubbles.
You are correct. Most, if not all, home cooks do not have any acid at home. Regardless, these pancakes are delicious.
ok recipe but calm down with the baking powder here, buddy, good lord. MAYBE 1Tbsp
Thanks for your feedback!