American pancakes are made from a thick batter consisting of eggs, flour, milk, and baking powder. Additionally, fruit such as apples, strawberries, and blueberries can also be added to the batter, along with buttermilk or chocolate chips. When served, they are usually stacked on top of each other, then topped with a variety of ingredients such as butter, maple syrup, fruit jam, honey, whipped cream, or peanut butter.

American pancakes are often served for breakfast in the United States of America and Canada, and are sometimes accompanied by fried eggs, bacon, or sausages. In America, there are a few varieties of pancakes, and the most popular ones are johnnycakes (made from fried cornmeal) and silver dollar pancakes (smaller than regular pancakes).

Originally, pancakes were symbolic of the sun and played a key role in the early religious rituals of the Native Americans, who first made them from ground cornmeal that was then cooked on hot rocks.