Homemade Funfetti Pancakes

Homemade funfetti pancakes are the perfect way to start a fun day! This quick and easy pancake recipe uses standard pantry ingredients and rainbow sprinkles to make an unforgettable breakfast. 

Is there anything better than a big stack of homemade pancakes? Or any food more joyful than sprinkles? Mix these two things together to create the happiest and most fun pancake experience.

If you’ve been looking for birthday breakfast ideas, funfetti pancakes from scratch are super easy to do, and sure to bring a smile to a special someone celebrating a birthday!

This easy pancake recipe would also be super fun to make when hosting a sleepover. Or on a Tuesday night for brinner (breakfast for dinner) because adulting is hard sometimes and sprinkles are fun (we did this last week…no judgment!).

If you love this funfetti pancake recipe, you should definitely try these super fluffy oat milk pancakes, and double chocolate protein pancakes too!

Ingredients Needed

• Sprinkles! Rainbow sprinkles are key to making homemade funfetti pancakes.
  • Type of sprinkles to use: The best type of sprinkles to use for this recipe are the long, cylindrical shaped sprinkles often called jimmies (sometimes called sugar strands). Confetti sprinkles (also known as quins or sequins) can also work for this recipe. Both of these sprinkle types work well in bakes as the colors from the sprinkles will not bleed into the batter. 
  • Types of sprinkles to avoid: Do NOT use nonpareils (the small ball shaped sprinkles). The color will bleed into the batter, making it tye-dye like and splotchy. 
• Vanilla Extract and Almond Extract. Using both of these extracts in this recipe helps give these pancakes that classic birthday cake flavor

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for a full list of ingredients and all ingredient measurements.

Possible Dietary Restrictions?

This homemade funfetti pancake recipe is vegetarian as written. 

Make these into dairy free pancakes by using a non-dairy milk in the batter. Be sure to select dairy-free toppings too. 

To make this into a gluten free pancakes recipe, replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour or gluten free all-purpose flour.

• Please note: I have not tested this myself, but have used this 1-to-1 baking flour in other recipes with success. Review the gluten free flour label for substitution ratios.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Add egg, oil, and milk to a large mixing bowl.

Whisk to combine.

Add granulated sugar and salt.

Add vanilla extract and almond extract. Whisk again to combine.

Slowly add in baking powder and flour and whisk until nearly combined (a few lumps / streaks of flour are ok!).

Add in rainbow sprinkles and gently fold in to distribute throughout the batter.

Heat griddle (or pan of choice) over medium heat. Lightly spray with cooking spray if using a pan that requires it. Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop batter onto the griddle.

Watch your griddle (or pan) closely, and use a spatula to turn pancakes when they begin to bubble and the edges begin to firm up.

Optional Vanilla Icing Instructions

Add powdered sugar, milk of choice, and vanilla extract to a small mixing bowl.

Use a fork or whisk to combine the ingredients and create a glaze. Add more liquid to thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken.

Sprinkle Pancake Toppings Ideas

Looking for pancake topping ideas for these fun pancakes? Here is a list of some of my favorite toppings that would be great on these confetti pancakes.

• Vanilla glaze (recipe outlined in the recipe card below)
• Vanilla glaze with whipped cream and more sprinkles
• Butter and pure maple syrup
• Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt, pure maple syrup, and berries
• Almond butter and pure maple syrup
• Whipped cream and berries
• Fresh fruit compotes or syrups
• Nutella hazelnut spread or chocolate syrup
• A drizzle of warm peanut butter (on a personal note, I love peanut butter and maple syrup together on pancakes and waffles!)
• Ice cream – if you’re really leaning into birthday pancakes, a generous scoop of your favorite ice cream can be a fun addition!

Have Leftovers? How to Store Pancakes, How to Reheat Pancakes

Store fully cooled leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat pancakes in the microwave, starting with 1-minute (adjust the time to heat your pancakes as needed to reheat to your desired temperature).

Alternatively, freeze to enjoy at a later date! The best way to do this takes a few steps, but they are worth it to make a future morning easy! Reheat frozen pancakes (from frozen!) in the microwave for about 1-minute. Option to then pop them into the toaster to crisp them up a little too.

How to Freeze Pancakes

• Step 1: allow pancakes to cool completely to room-temperature on a cooling rack.
• Step 2: do an initial freeze of your pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet. This only needs to be for about 30-minutes, but this will help prevent your frozen pancakes from sticking together.
• Step 3: transfer pancakes to a ziplock bag labeled with the type of pancake and date made, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Helpful Equipment

It’s easy to make a lot of pancakes at one with the use of a griddle! We personally love and use an electric griddle. There are also griddle pans that sit on top of your stove’s burners that can work too. I will note we did upgrade to the electrical griddle because it was harder to get even cooking with a griddle pan (at least on our electric stove with multiple sized burners). 

Using a ¼ cup measure is helpful to get even sized pancakes. I usually just use a measuring cup that I’ve already used for measuring out ingredients for the recipe to minimize dishes.

Don’t forget a good spatula for flipping your pancakes! If you have non-stick cookware, be sure to use a spatula that won’t damage your griddle or pan.