20-Minute Fluffy Funfetti Pancakes

Want to make breakfast special? These Funfetti Pancakes are a celebration of color and fun in the form of fluffy pancakes. Plus, they come together in just 20 minutes and are sure to make you smile!

Reminiscent of the classic Funfetti cake, these sprinkles pancakes are loaded with rainbow color and sweet flavor. But what truly makes them special is the buttery crisp outer layer encapsulating the light and airy pancake center!

This is a simple, from-scratch recipe with no cake or pancake mix. A playful twist on my foolproof classic brown sugar pancakes, these truly put the fun in Funfetti!

Plus, as a busy mom who likes to have fun with her family in the kitchen, a playful and colorful recipe that’s foolproof like this comes in handy!

What are Funfetti Pancakes?

Funfetti Pancakes are essentially pancakes with rainbow sprinkles in them, making them extra fun and celebration-worthy!

Funfetti originated as a cake mix by Pillsbury that consists of classic birthday cake mix filled with rainbow sprinkles. Now, they’ve expanded the Funfetti flavor into icing, donuts, brownies and even pancake mixes!

This Funfetti Pancakes recipe takes a fluffy pancake batter and adds a generous amount of rainbow sprinkles to give you the classic Funfetti cake flavor in pancake form!

Funfetti Pancakes Ingredients

---

Here’s everything you need:

• Milk. Really any kind of milk will do. You can use anything from skim to whole cow’s milk, or even your favorite unsweetened nondairy milk.
• White distilled vinegar. Or lemon juice. This will be added to your milk to make your own buttermilk, giving you a thicker pancake batter.
• All-purpose flour. It acts as the base of your pancake batter.
• Brown sugar. For that coveted caramelization on the outside of your pancakes.
• Baking powder. For that fluffiness we are seeking. You can use 2/3 teaspoon of baking soda in its place in a pinch.
• Salt. To ramp up all the other natural flavors.
• Egg. To bind your batter together and help the pancakes rise. A flax egg works here, too, if you want to make these vegan!
• Vanilla extract. For extra flavor.
• Rainbow sprinkles. Or you can choose a color and stick to it!
• Butter. This is just to fry your pancakes in. Nondairy works here, too. Just make sure it’s unsalted.
• Maple syrup for serving (optional). This is optional, as these fun pancakes are sweet enough without it, but it does add some much welcomed moisture!

Sprinkles Pancakes Tips and Tricks

---

Start by Making Your Buttermilk

This recipe calls for acidified buttermilk. This will give you a thicker pancake batter and thus, fluffier Funfetti Pancakes. Unlike store-bought buttermilk, acidified buttermilk can just be made quickly at home and can be made with any type of milk (dairy or not!).

I always choose to make this quick version of buttermilk for my recipes because I rarely have buttermilk on hand (if ever), and I don’t want to buy a whole carton just to make the occasional batch of homemade pancakes.

To make your buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar (or lemon juice) to 1 cup of milk and set it aside. I usually make mine in my measuring cup. In just minutes, the milk will slightly curdle and thicken. Don’t worry, it’s definitely still safe to consume!

Start with Your Dry Ingredients

Once you’ve set your buttermilk aside, grab a large mixing bowl to make your pancake batter in.

Start by adding your flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Use a whisk to mix them together. Pre-whisking the dry ingredients will just ensure you don’t end up with any lumps in your batter.

Whisk in Your Wet Ingredients

Next, it’s time to add your wet ingredients! Add your egg, vanilla extract, and buttermilk mixture and whisk until smooth.

It’s always best practice to crack your egg into a separate bowl first, instead of cracking it directly into your batter. It helps you to identify if any eggshells fall into your bowl and gives you an opportunity to remove them before the egg gets added to the batter.

It also means that if in the small chance you got a bloody egg, you won’t have to waste the rest of your ingredients that are already in the bowl.

Fold in Your Sprinkles

I like to fold my sprinkles right into my batter using a spatula. Please note that the longer the sprinkles sit in the batter, the more likely the color from the sprinkles will bleed into the batter.

This will give you almost a tie dye effect by the time you are pouring your last few pancakes. It’s beautiful and tastes delicious!

However, if you want a cleaner look, you can always add the sprinkles to each pancake after pouring them into the pan.

This also means that if you only plan to fry up half the batter, and save the rest to make more pancakes later, it’s best to only add sprinkles to the batter you are using.

Get the Butter Hot in the Pan

Before you even add your batter, get your frying pan or pancake griddle nice and hot on the stove with about 1 tablespoon of butter.

The butter should be melted, and the pan should be nice and hot before you add your pancake batter. This will get you that perfect golden-brown crispy exterior and make it so that your pancakes don’t spread and flatten too much.

Time to Fry Them

Once your butter is nice and hot in your pan, you’re ready to fry your Funfetti Pancakes! I like to transfer my batter from the mixing bowl to a measuring cup or other container with a spout. This just makes pouring your batter into the pan much easier.

Make sure to leave at least an inch of space in between each pancake so you have enough room to work with your spatula and flip. I typically make no more than 3 homemade pancakes at one time in an 11-inch pan.

Pro tip: For thicker, perfectly round pancakes, use these pancake molds!

Each pancake will take about 3 minutes on each side over low-medium heat. You’ll know they are ready to flip when you see little air bubbles forming in the pancake batter (as pictured below).

Fry until they are golden brown on each side, making sure to add more butter as needed (you may not need all three tablespoons of butter).

How to Properly Store and Reheat Leftover Birthday Pancakes

These Fluffy Funfetti Pancakes will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them to last up to 3 months.

There are two preferred ways to reheat your pancakes. You can either refry them in a pan (no extra butter needed!) or reheat them in the oven at 350°F for about 5 minutes (or until heated thoroughly).

Of course, in a pinch, you can microwave on high for 10-15 seconds (per pancake). Just know that microwaving may make them a little bit rubbery if you overdo it. It’s also best to not stack the pancakes while microwaving them for more even heating.

If you do freeze your pancakes, just allow them to thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating the homemade pancakes using one of the methods listed above.

The Secret to Good Pancakes

Though many factors play into the success of your pancakes, the most critical step is frying them.

Make sure you always have some hot butter in your pan. This means allowing your pan to heat up and butter to melt before frying your first pancake.

This also means adding more butter as needed as you continue to fry more and more pancakes.

Milk Vs Water in Pancake Batter

Making pancakes with milk rather than water will yield thicker and fluffier pancakes. This Sprinkles Pancakes recipe uses homemade buttermilk for a thicker batter to give you the fluffiest pancakes possible.