Recipe

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These funfetti pancakes are soft, fluffy, and bursting with sprinkles. They're just like a slice of yellow birthday cake, but for breakfast!

Start with your favorite pancake mix, stir in a few extras, and create a stack of birthday cake pancakes with sprinkles that looks and tastes like a party on a plate.

Stack of funfetti birthday cake pancakes on a plate, with whipped cream on top and rainbow sprinkles

Funfetti Pancakes

I've made these funfetty pancakes many times over the years when my kids had birthday sleepovers. They wake up to a sprinkle-filled stack that tastes like birthday cake, and the kids think I'm the coolest mom ever.

Other times, I’ve made birthday waffles or sheet pan pancakes, which require no flipping since the oven does all the cooking.

Ingredients

You can use a pancake mix or a great fluffy pancake recipe as the starter. Then, you’ll add vanilla and a few drops of yellow food coloring to turn it into cake-like batter. Colored sprinkles (lots of them!) turn them into funfetti pancakes.

Can You Use a Cake Mix to Make Pancakes?

Taking cake mix and turning it into pancake batter might sound like a good idea, but it doesn't actually work. The batter can't handle the heat, so the pancakes fall apart as soon as you try to flip them (ask me how I know, I've tried).

How to Make Birthday Cake Pancakes

Follow the recipe to make the pancake batter. Then, add the vanilla, food coloring, and sprinkles.
Cook the pancakes over medium heat in a greased non-stick pan for about 2 minutes per side.
Serve them as you cook them and stacked high, or keep them warm in the oven at 200F on a sheet pan, while you cook up the rest of the batter.

stack of birthday cake pancakes sliced to show the funfetti sprinkles inside and fluffy texture. they're topped with whipped cream and sprinkles

Festive Birthday Toppings for Pancakes

My kids always top these with whipped cream and extra sprinkles. You can also make a simple icing with powdered sugar and milk to drizzle over the top, or use cake frosting. Oh, and a candle plus another round of singing Happy Birthday is always a good idea.

Birthday Cake Funfetti Pancakes

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

These funfetti pancakes are soft, fluffy, and bursting with sprinkles. They're just like a slice of yellow birthday cake, but for breakfast!

5 from 4 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

2 cups complete pancake mix
1 ½ cups water*
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 drops yellow food coloring
¼ cup rainbow sprinkles, more for topping

Instructions

Make the batter:

In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, water, and vanilla. Once the batter is mixed, add 2-3 drops of food coloring. I recommend you start with 2 drops and then add a third for a more yellow batter. Add the rainbow sprinkles and mix them into the batter.

Cook:

Heat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat. Grease it lightly with oil, and immediately pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake and cook each side for about 2 minutes, making sure only to flip the pancakes once and never press down with the spatula. Remove the pancakes from the stove and keep them warm while you cook the rest of the batch.
Cook's note: some non-stick griddles can let you get away without greasing the hot surface, which will yield solid circle pancakes. A light coat of oil will also yield nearly smooth pancake tops, while using butter will yield the classic pancake circles.

Serve:

Stack them high, top the pancakes with whipped cream and additional sprinkles.
Refrigerate leftover pancakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat for 30 seconds in the microwave or in the toaster.

Notes

Use this pancake recipe to make the batter from scratch (it’s thick and fluffy). Then add the vanilla, food coloring, and sprinkles.
Some complete pancake mixes call for 1 ¼cups of water, while others call for 1 ½ cups of water for 2 cups of mix. It's important that you check the amounts in the back of your box and use the amount of liquid specific to your pancake mix.
If using a non-complete mix (like Bisquick) where it asks to add milk and eggs, follow the amounts listed for 2 cups of mix. Then, add the vanilla, sprinkles, and food coloring as listed in the recipe.