These blueberry pancakes start with my simple buttermilk pancake base and are loaded with plump, sweet blueberries! This recipe is the best for making pancakes from scratch and yields thick, fluffy pancakes every time!
Oh, hey there, blueberry pancakes.
Let’s just pretend for a moment that I haven’t been neglecting every single other perfectly good summer fruit out there and that I haven’t already shared a blueberry cobbler or blueberry muffins or half a dozen other blueberry recipes so far this summer, and take a minute to, one last time, appreciate blueberries in the form of these thick, fluffy blueberry pancakes.
Are you with me?
While we generally keep our breakfasts pretty lean around here (my homemade granola recipe in yogurt is amazing, but I can only eat it so many days a week), both yesterday and Saturday Zach and I indulged in platefuls of blueberry pancakes, topped with generous pats of butter and drizzled with maple syrup.
As you can probably imagine, we’ve gone through pounds and pounds of blueberries this summer (have you tried my blueberry cake yet!?) to the point where I think I’m going to plant my own bush next year. I’m slightly discouraged from doing this because my parents have tried growing their own blueberries the past few years, but every berry has been devoured by the birds, and after an unfortunate and slightly traumatic netting incident they’ve given up trying to protect their plants that way.
Any tips on raising your own blueberries would be welcome, but let’s get to the actual point here and talk about exactly how to make your own blueberry pancakes from scratch.
Can you use frozen blueberries for pancakes?
Yes, just substitute the same amount of frozen berries for fresh. You do not need to thaw the berries before adding them to your batter.
I’ve found that when I use frozen berries they do tend to streak my batter a bit, so your pancakes may have some purplish/blue streaks, but they’ll still taste perfect!
Why is it so important to not over-mix pancake batter?
When making blueberry pancakes (or any pancakes, really!) it is so important that you don’t over-mix your batter. Over-mixed pancake batter will result in flat, tough pancakes instead of thick and fluffy ones.
When stirring in add-ins like these blueberries, I always recommend adding them about halfway through the process of combining your dry and wet ingredients rather than waiting until they’ve already been combined to add your blueberries (I use this same technique with my blueberry muffins, too). It’s completely acceptable to have a few flour streaks left in your batter when you’re finished mixing, and I usually aim for this to know that I haven’t overworked my batter.
King Arthur Flour did a pretty interesting in-depth analysis on why you shouldn’t overdo it with your batter if you love nerding out about that sort of thing like I do!
If you really want to go overboard with fresh blueberry flavor, you can skip the butter and syrup and top your blueberry pancakes off with the blueberry sauce that I shared a few weeks ago (pictured above) instead.
Enjoy!
More Breakfast Recipes to Try
Blueberry Pancakes
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled for several minutes (57g)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 3 Tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cups buttermilk* (530ml)
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries see notes in post about using frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Melt your butter first and set it aside so that it has time to cool.
- Meanwhile, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk together until well-combined.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Take your melted (slightly cooled) butter and slowly drizzle it into your wet ingredients while whisking, stirring until well-combined (the butter may separate and curdle if your other ingredients are cold and the butter is still hot).
- Pour the wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to stir until dry ingredients are about halfway incorporated into the batter. Now add your blueberries and gently fold them in while continuing to stir your bater. Take care that you do not over-stir your pancake batter or your pancakes will come out flat. Use a gentle hand when stirring, a few flour streaks in the batter are fine.
- Allow your blueberry pancake batter to rest for 5 minutes before continuing.
- Once batter has rested, spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray or lightly brush with canola oil and place on burner on medium-low heat.
- Allow the skillet to preheat before adding batter (this could take about another 5 minutes, and it's good to let your batter rest for this additional time, it will help give you thicker fluffier panckaes). Once skillet is heated (I usually test this by hovering my hand several inches above the pan and making sure I can feel the heat radiating from it) scoop pancake batter into pan (I use about ½-⅔ cup of batter per pancake).
- Allow pancake to cook until edges begin to appear cooked and bubbles in batter begin to burst. Using a pancake spatula, carefully flip pancake and continue to cook several more minutes until pancake is golden brown.
- Repeat until all batter is used -- I recommend spraying or brushing the pan between each batch of pancakes.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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Satyaamina
I love how fluffy they are!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad to hear that you enjoyed them. Thanks for your review! 😊
Marla
I love this recipe! I have tried it with both real and the buttermilk substitute and I think using real buttermilk particularly in this recipe makes a huge difference.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for letting us know how you liked them, Marla! And yes, the substitute is great in a pinch, but the real thing is usually better. 😊
Jamie Ferrandi
there was nothing in the notes about the frozen blueberries!
Sam
Hi Jamie, there is a whole section in the post about using frozen blueberries, as indicated in the recipe 🙂
Sheep
Hello! I was wondering if you could substitute raspberries for the blueberries.
Sam
Sure that should work. Raspberries are just a little bit softer so they may bleed into your pancakes a little bit. 🙂
Wendy
Only had 2 cups of buttermilk so used skim for the other 1/4 cup. They still came out great!
Sam
So glad to hear it! Thank you for commenting, Wendy!
Corrin
I just made these for my dad, Amaaaaaazing! But how do you get your pancakes so beautifully round? Mine looked more like amoebas!
Sam
Haha, I make a lot of amoeba looking pancakes, to be honest! For these I was a little extra careful because I knew I wanted to photograph them. I used a smaller pan (one that was the size I wanted my pancakes to be) and an ice cream scoop to portion the batter. Oh and when you first portion the pancake out if the edges are still amoeba-looking you can nudge the batter into more of a circle with a spoon if you REALLY want them to look nice (if I use the small pan the batter usually spreads while it heats up to be a nice circle shape and I don’t have to do this). Here’s a video showing how I do it with my Buttermilk Pancakes, if that helps!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes!
Corrin
That was so helpful! Thanks! 😸
Doreen
Wonderful recipe! I love making Sunday brunch and these pancakes were wonderful. Thanks! Ps. Also made your chocolate chip muffins and they were a big hit.
Sam
Thank you so much, Doreen! I am so glad everyone enjoys the pancakes! 🙂
Marina
Hi Sam, Just found your site, lovely. Do you like to cook your pancakes on the stove top or on an electric griddle? Thanks
Sam
Hi, Marina. I cook all of my pancakes on the stovetop. I don’t have a griddle unfortunately. Enjoy! 🙂
Hira
Sam, these look absolutely incredible! Have you considered doing a food photography post (or have you)? You always post such beautiful pictures! 🙂
Sam
Thank you so much, Hira! I always beat myself up about my photography so it means a lot to me that you think it’s that good, I haven’t done a food photography post and definitely don’t have the confidence to do one at this point, but thank you so much for writing <3 🙂