These Sweet Cream Pancakes are ultra fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth soft, and loaded with rich, creamy flavor, just like the ones from Black Bear Diner! Made with heavy cream these pancakes are not your ordinary pancakes. Perfect for a cozy breakfast treat that’ll make you feel like you’re dining out.
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Below you will find tips, tricks and helpful hints for making this recipe including step by step instructions with pictures. If you would like to go directly to the recipe, scroll down to the recipe card or tap "Jump to Recipe" at the top of the page.
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Why I Love these Pancakes
I love pancakes and I think they are probably the BEST breakfast food ever created. I still love a good omelette with a side of crispy bacon, but eating a pancake for breakfast is like going to a party at your breakfast table.
The great thing about pancakes is that you can dress them up however you want, topped with fruit, drizzled with chocolate syrup or salted caramel ganache, sweet cream cheese syrup, caramel syrup, or with classic maple syrup.
How I found out about Sweet Cream Pancakes
Recently, my family and I ate dinner at Black Bear Diner that happened to server breakfast all day. I looked at their breakfast menu and found sweet cream pancakes, so of course that’s what I ordered!
Let me tell you, they were amazing! The pancakes were so sweet and dreamy, they probably didn’t even need syrup. You know I still used syrup though, right?
I knew that I needed to recreated this deliciousness at home for breakfast the next morning. I ended up adapting my buttermilk pancake recipe by replacing the buttermilk with heavy whipping cream.
I also added a little more sugar to make the pancakes a little sweeter. BAM! We had a winner! Love waffles? Check out my recipe for Sweet Cream Waffles here!
Pancake Recipes You Will Love:
- Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes
- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes & Cream Cheese Icing
- Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
*Ingredient amounts are located in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- All-Purpose Flour- You will want to use standard all-purpose flour in this recipe because of the addition of baking powder and baking soda.
- Baking Powder- Baking powder is a made from a blend of baking soda and some sort of acid, such as cream of tartar. It gives your pancakes a fluffier rise.
- Baking Soda- Baking soda is simply sodium bicarbonate, which is used as a leavening agent to make baked goods rise.
- Salt- Salt helps enhance the flavor of the pancakes.
- Sugar- Sugar gives your pancakes that sweet flavoring to them, but not too much! Pancakes should be lightly sweetened.
- Eggs- Eggs will give your pancakes a binding property and prevent them from spreading all over the pan or skillet.
- Heavy Cream & Milk- Heavy cream is giving the pancakes a rich and creamy texture. And of course, milk is giving them their liquid form.
- Vanilla Extract- Vanilla extract enhances your pancake's flavor making it out of this world!
How Does Using Heavy Cream Affect Pancakes?
There are many advantages of using heavy cream instead of milk or water when making pancakes. For starters, the pancakes will be rich and taste good. They will also have a thicker texture than other kinds of pancakes.
If you're cooking the pancakes on the stovetop or a griddle, you'll want to use medium heat so that they can cook slowly and evenly.
You'll also need to make sure that the skillet is coated with cooking spray or melted butter (if not using a non-stick pan) to ensure the pancakes don't stick to the pan. Keep these things in mind when making your next batch of pancakes!
The pancake batter will be thicker than what you are used to. Because of this, the pancakes may take a little longer to cook on the griddle than a standard pancake or buttermilk pancake. This will require a lot of patience, but trust me, it is so worth it!
You will want to wait until the pancakes are beginning to bubble before flipping them. You can even use a spatula to lift the corner and check to see the color on the bottom before you flip them. If you turn them over too soon, they may fall apart.
If the batter is thicker than your liking, feel free to add a little bit of milk to thin out the batter.
How to Make Sweet Cream Pancakes
[Step 1] Begin by combining all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl with a whisk.
[Step 2] In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, vanilla, and heavy cream.
[Step 3] Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together.
[Step 4] THE BATTER WILL BE THICK because you are using heavy cream. If it is too thick for your liking, thin the batter with a little milk.
[Step 5] Heat a griddle to medium high heat (about 300 to 325 degrees) and spray the surface with nonstick cooking spray.
[Step 6] Place approximately ¼ cup of batter on the griddle for each pancake. I like to use a cookie scoop to do this.
[Step 7] Cook for 2-3 minutes until little bubbles begin to appear. Cooking time will be longer than standard pancakes. Be patient and don't flip too soon or the pancakes will fall apart.
[Step 8] Flip the pancakes over and cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
Note: Because the batter is thick and uses heavy cream, expect the pancakes to take a little longer than standard pancakes to cook on each side.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Sweet Cream Pancake Variations
- Classic Pancakes This is by far my favorite way to enjoy this pancake recipe. For this version, all you will need is butter and maple syrup!
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip: For this decadent version, you will need: ¼ Cup Creamy Peanut Butter, ½ Cup Maple Syrup, and Chocolate Chips. Make the peanut butter syrup by heating the maple syrup on the stover over medium heat. Add the peanut butter and stir until mixed. Drizzle over pancakes and sprinkle with chocolate chips. A peanut butter and chocolate lover’s dream!
- Birthday Cake Pancakes: Birthday Cake Sweet Cream Pancakes are the favorite of my kids! To make this version, you will need: Rainbow Sprinkles, Whipped Cream and Maple Syrup. To make Birthday Cake pancakes, add sprinkles to the pancake batter. Top them with whipped cream, maple syrup, and more sprinkles!
- Strawberry Cheesecake: This version could definitely double as a dessert recipe! Sweet Cream Pancakes with a cheesecake topping, chopped strawberries, and graham cracker crumbs! The recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes can be found here, but trust me, they will change your life!
Final Thoughts
Make sure to pin this recipe so you will always be able to make these unbelievable pancakes whenever you crave them!What is your favorite pancake topping? Tell me in the comments down below!
More Breakfast Recipes To Try:
- Perfect French Toast
- Crispy Waffles
- Funnel Cake Waffles
- Butter Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
- Sweet Cream Waffles
- Cinnamon Swirl Banana Muffins
- Red Velvet Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls
Sweet Cream Pancakes Video:
Did you try this recipe? Make sure to give it a five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below!
Melt in Your Mouth Sweet Cream Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ Cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 3 Cups Heavy Cream
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, wisk the eggs, heavy cream, and vanilla extract together.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. BATTER WILL BE THICK.
- Heat griddle to medium high heat (about 300 degrees) and spray with cooking spray.
- Place approximately ¼ cup of batter on the griddle for each pancake.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until little bubbles begin to appear. (These pancakes will take longer to cook than standard pancakes. Be patient and don't flip too soon)
- Flip the pancakes over and cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
- Top the pancakes with butter and maple syrup.
kat says
Love how creative all these different toppings are. We are not having so much a small pancake tradition, but it look like something pretty sweet to try out! thanks for the recipe.
mindymoser says
Thank you! I hope you like them 🙂
Hannah Kraft says
Made these for my Roomate and I since we have no milk in the house and only heavy whipping cream and let me say THEY WERE AMAZING!!!! At first the better was super thick and debating on adding water but I just made as us and they turned out great! we had a lot of left over batter and refrigerated it for the next day and they taste sooo good still. Definitely u suing those recipe for pancakes all the time now.!
Melissa says
OMG, would you believe me if I told you I was just talking to someone about how much I love pancakes? So I'm going to take it as a sign and make some pancakes today...can't ignore fate lol.
mindymoser says
I would definitely take that as a sign and make pancakes immediately 🙂
Bianca Karina says
I just died and gone to Sunday brunch heaven. These pancakes look amazing!
mindymoser says
Thank you!
Chandra says
I love the ideal of this type of pancake. I have made these pancakes now for the second time. The first time I made them, they had great flavor but they were flat, no rise at all. I thought maybe I made an error or maybe my ingredients weren't fresh, so I tried again. I followed the instructions exactly as shown and also bought new ingredients, and again they had no rise. Not sure what went wrong.
Mindy says
Oh no! I actually made this again today, just to double check the recipe and mine turned out fine. I'm sorry you are having problems 🙁
Geni says
It could be if you over stir it that the batter is getting over mixed and therefore losing the air that the baking soda brings
Alexandria says
Ok, I'm hungry now! So delicious!
GiGi Eats says
OMG I AM DROOOOOOOLING. I want. I need. I must have. And um, those birthday cake pancakes too. HAND THOSE OVER as well! hahaha!
mindymoser says
Thank you!
Amanda says
These look amazing! Birthday cake flavor is my absolute favorite, so this is going to be my next weekend meal 😉 Thanks for this!
Mary Ellen Schmitt says
I make these for my grandchildren in Mickey Mouse shape. They are a tradition at our house and are called NanaCakes😆
mindymoser says
How fun! I love anything made in Mickey Mouse shape!
Shavette says
I've been on the search for a good "restaurant-like" homemade pancake recipe that I can use for my family. I tried these today and I can now say, "The search is over!" This recipe changed my life! Thank you so much for sharing!! My family adored them.
mindymoser says
I'm so glad you liked them! My kids like them so much, we make them at least twice a week!
Dawn Schilling says
Just wondering how many pancakes this recipe will make. There are only two of us. Does the recipe divide well?
mindymoser says
This makes about 20 pancakes if you use 1/4 cup of batter. You could divide the recipe easily or I like to freeze the extra pancakes and pop them in the microwave for a quick breakfast. Hope you like them!
Amy says
These pancakes took FOREVER to cook!! I made them for my lil boys bday and gave up on them after I finally got a few for him cooked... Totally disappointed and will not ever make them again... I swear it took 15 mins at least per pancake... ugh
mindymoser says
I'm sorry you had a bad experience with them.
Maretta says
Do you use self rising or all purpose flour in the sweet cream pancakes?
mindymoser says
I used all purpose flour.
Brad says
Krusteaz makes an instant sweet cream pancake mix. We use it at our restaurant.
Stina says
The end result of this recipe is delicious. However, the measurements are definitely off. We added four cups of cream PLUS a cup of milk before it resembled anything close to pancake batter consistency!
Carol says
Have you you used this recipe for waffles? And what adjustments would you make to the recipe for waffles?
mindymoser says
I haven't tried it with waffles, but I would probably add maybe 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and maybe some milk to thin it. Let me know if you try it!
Shanika says
I haven't brought a pre-made pancake mix since finding this recipe. They are freaking delicious. My children love them. I love them. They are oh so sweet and dreamy.
mindymoser says
I'm so glad you liked them!
Valerie says
Does this recipe halve easily? I need these sweet cream pancakes in my life! Tomorrow!
mindymoser says
I haven't tried, but I'm sure it would be ok! I usually make the whole batch then freeze the extra pancakes for later.
Shelley says
I can’t seem to find the measurement for the vanilla extract... is it 1 teaspoon for the sweet cream pancakes?
mindymoser says
Yes, 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Thanks for pointing out the oversight. I will get it fixed in the recipe 🙂
Megan says
The vanilla still isn’t fixed in the recipe. I made them today without and it was delicious, but now I’m sad I missed out on the vanilla!
Vivian says
Still not noted in the recipe, so good thing you already asked 😏
mindymoser says
It's fixed now! It must not have saved when I added it before. Sorry about that 🙂
Tracy says
I halved the sweet cream pancake recipe and it served two adults. The batter was a bit thin and they spread too much so they didn't really rise. After making a few pancakes I added a little flour and some greek yogurt to help them rise a bit more. (For me about 1/4c extra flour would have done it for all the half-batch of batter.) I think letting the batter sit for a few minutes helped as well. The batter was very tender and they were hard to flip before I adjusted the consistency, but fine after that, so if the batter seems a bit thin to you, trust your instincts.
Chrystle says
These turned out amazing. I didn't make any changes to the recipe. I did not have to cook them as long as instructed though. Just about 1.5 min on each side in the pan (I don't have a griddle so I just cooked on medium heat). Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Mindy says
Thank you! I'm so glad you liked them 🙂
Lee says
I made these pancakes (and other of your recipes) using carbalose flour for a very low carb version. I also used a zero-carb granulated sweetener (Erythritol). For grins I used orange extract instead of vanilla. Your recipes are SO good my sons love them, and SO easy even a single dad can make them. Double kudos, and thanks.
Mindy says
Thank you! I might have to try those modifications 😉
Michelle says
I made these pancakes for my kids. They were not what we were expecting. Not a recipe I would make a second time.
Mindy says
I'm sorry you didn't like them 🙁
Lindsay says
I’ll start by saying I am a good baker and cook, but for whatever reason I have had very bad luck with making pancakes. With this recipe I can officially say my luck has turned!
I did make some modifications however since I wanted pancakes but had no whipping cream. I made a full batch of pancakes but had to use 1 cup of 10% creamo and .5 cup of almond milk. This was enough liquid for the whole recipe.
They taste so amazing and rise so perfectly. Light, extremely fluffy and perfectly absorb the maple syrup on the plate.
I can’t wait to try this recipe with real whipping cream once I get my butt to the grocery store! Thanks for sharing
-Lindsay
Mindy says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Neema says
I halved this recipe and it came out delish! I had no issues with the consistency.. in fact it resembled cake batter. Light and fluffy!
Mindy says
Awesome! I'm so glad you liked them 🙂
Dori says
Since discovering this recipe, these are the ONLY pancakes my kids want. I follow the recipie exactly except i don't add milk to thin, and I add a little more vanilla. They are amazing! I am going to try toppings next time! I use a 1/3 cup measuring cup and it makes about 15 pancakes. 🙂
Mindy says
I'm so glad you like them 🙂
Adeena says
These look yummy. This seems almost blasphemy to ask,😬 but do you think they would work with whole wheat or spelt flour?
Mindy says
I haven't tried, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Good luck!
Mama bear says
This was a big fat fail for me, the batter was so hard to work it and it melt way to much. Very messy... I’ll just stick with regular pancakes 😕
Marcia says
Made these this evening and so disappointed.Made exactly as recipe states and flatter than a pancake no pun intended, I’ve made thicker crepes. For as expensive as they were using heavy whip the flavor was blah no one cared for them. Sorry
Lindsey says
Just happened to stumble upon this recipe because I was out of milk and only had heavy cream. This is now my go to pancake recipe. Wow!
Stacey says
My husband and I ate at Black Bear Diner in Arizona, this past Wednesday June 16, 2021. And I had the pancakes and thought I bet I can find the recipe somewhere, funny I stumble upon your page and find that the reason you created the recipe was because you ate there too. The nearest diner to me is I’ve 80 miles. So if I want these pancakes I will need to make them, they are so good.
Karen says
Easy to mix up. Delicious to eat. Perfect for company or a special breakfast.
Stella Mutrux says
Seriously obsessed with this recipe! Thank you so much. I will never use another pancake recipe again!
Any advice on how long the batter lasts in the fridge? Freezer?
Red Steele says
These pancakes are amazing. I halved the recipe without issue.
Tammy says
Can you use this recipe to make waffles?
Mindy says
I have a recipe for Sweet Cream Waffles! Just search "Sweet Cream Waffles" in the search bar.
Angela says
I love black bears fluffy sweet cream pancakes, but this was not even close to fluffy. Everyone was paper thin by the time I got it to the plates. Super disappointed. I followed the recipe exactly. I even had a brand new baking soda and baking powder. Oh well never doing this again.
Richard K. Andrews says
Almost made this, but three cups of heavy cream? I know it's a pancake, but the fat in this......
Julie says
Hi! I am so excited to try the sweet cream pancake recipe but I don’t see where it says the amounts of each ingredient. Could someone please help me with this? Thanks!!
Mindy says
The ingredient amounts are listed in the recipe card toward the end of the post. Above the comment section 😊
B says
So easy to make. I would recommend anyone who has patience problems to put a lid over their skillet before flipping to expedite the cooking process a little. The audacity of the people that are having bad results to blame the author so callously saddens me, knowing from professional experience how difficult it is to write an easy-to-follow, concise recipe. Tastiest pancakes I've ever made, and I've worked with some lovely brunch places before. Thanks for sharing, congratulations on the overwhelming popularity of this recipe.
Shona says
Ok, so I made these for breakfast and I cut all the ingredients in half since it was just me.
They were amazing!!! Moist, buttery and delicious.
Lots of batter left over but I’ll save for tomorrow. Yum!😄
Alexis says
I just made these but added maple extract instead of vanilla and they were delicious. Hands down best pancake I’ve ever had
Momo says
I tried it today. It has a good texture as well as very good taste. I love these pancakes. Earlier I made with fresh milk , today I wanted to try with whipping cream. It’s really good
Katie S says
These were FANTASTIC! In Butte, MT, there is a bar called the M&M Bar. They had the BEST sweat cream pancakes. We stopped there often while traveling through just to have them. It burned down a little over a year ago. I have tried many recipes to replicate their pancakes, all were a failure....until now! Followed the recipe exactly and they were perfect! They taste exactly like the M&M pancakes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Jade IAM says
These pancakes are AMAZING!! This is my go to recipe anytime I want to INjoy some restaurant quality pancakes at home! I even half the recipe and they come out perfect. For halvIN the recipe I recommend addIN IN 4-5 tablespoons of sugar to compensate for the 1/3 of sugar needed for the whole recipe. Thank you for sharIN this INcredible recipe.
Jessica says
These were delicious! Resist the urge to thin the batter. It cooks up right. I think I prefer these to regular pancakes. They were not dry at all like some can be. They didn't need any butter or syrup in my opinion. Thank you for posting. You saved breakfast today!
Yanira says
I don’t typically leave reviews, but I had to for this amazing recipe. Pancakes take longer to cook than other recipes but it is sooooo worth it.
Alan says
Hello Mindy - My wife and I are unfortunately struck down with covid this week after managing to stay free of it till now. I fancied buttermilk pancakes as some comfort food, but all we'd got in was double cream (UK equivalent to USA heavy cream) and we are isolating so couldn't fetch some buttermilk.
I searched for double cream pancakes and your receipe was the 1st I came across. We halved the receipe to match the amount of double cream we'd got and followed your cooking instructions. We have just finished eating them and they were delicious, we will certainly be making these again!!
Thank you for cheering us up 🙂
Basia P says
I didn't have any milk in the house but I did have the cream and needed to use it up. Came across your recipe and made these for breakfast this morning. These are AMAZING !!!!!! This recipe is a keeper for me. Thanks for sharing.
Shareece says
My girls rave about this pancake recipe! It’s simply the best!
Shareece says
Best pancake recipe!