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Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

These Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes are perfect for Sunday morning!  Homemade pancakes that are sweet, fluffy, and bursting with blueberries.  (Don’t worry if you don’t have any buttermilk, this recipes uses the “buttermilk substitute” of milk and lemon.)

Stack of pancakes with syrup cascading down the sides

This Best Ever Pancake Recipe is consistently my #1 most searched for and loved post.  And for good reason.  That recipe produces perfect pancakes every time.  I seriously make those pancakes from scratch several times a month (we LOVE breakfast for dinner around here) and they’re so easy that even my kids can make them now without looking at the recipe.

plate of pancakes with blueberries

Last weekend we ventured to a small family farm up the road to pick fresh blueberries.  I say small, but size is all relative in the country.  This farm is actually 110 acres- with almost 10 acres of mature pecan trees and 5 acres full of blueberry and blackberry bushes.  It was such a cute experience and I absolutely loved watching Ian pick his own blueberries with his chubby little hands and put them in his own basket.  (See all of those a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e pictures and more from our outing here.)

white bowl full of blueberries

I get a lot of questions (or suggestions? haha) about using buttermilk in my original pancake recipe.  While we tend to prefer that recipe just the way it is, I decided to try it in this recipe for blueberry buttermilk pancakes.  I rarely keep buttermilk on hand though, so I went ahead and made this recipe using the “buttermilk substitute” trick of mixing whole milk and lemon juice.  It worked beautifully.

If you do have buttermilk available, just substitute that for the whole milk and leave out the lemon juice.  (Use 1 1/4 cup buttermilk instead of milk + lemon juice.)  The role of buttermilk in recipes such as this is to cause a chemical reaction with the leavening agent (baking powder or soda) which adds a light and airy texture.  Substituting milk with lemon juice for buttermilk will create a similar result due to the acidity from the lemon juice.

pieces of blueberry pancakes on a fork

Be sure to hop over and give that post for homemade pancakes a quick read though because I answer a lot of questions about which griddle I use and what I set my temperature at, why I use cooking spray instead of butter, and how to flip the perfect pancake.

Pro tip: I like to mix my blueberries into the batter completely, rather than add them to the pancake mix on the griddle (ie: dropping them in after the batter has already been scooped onto the griddle).  I do this mostly because if the blueberries touch the griddle directly they will make a big mess.  The pancake batter “insulates” them from the heat a bit so you get perfectly soft, warmed blueberries in every bite instead of mushy hot blueberries that explode all over your griddle.

blueberry buttermilk pancakes topped with butter and syrup

Here’s a quick video on how to make these Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes:

If you liked this recipe then you will love these Ham and Cheese Pancakes and Pancake Parfait Tacos, I know my family and I do.

Stack of pancakes with syrup cascading down the sides

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

4.38 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 15 pancakes
Calories: 101kcal
Author: Emily Grace

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 tsps baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • zest from one lemon
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup blueberries, fresh
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in microwave for 30 seconds, set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
  • Stir milk and lemon juice together.  Add in the lemon zest. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
  • Create a well in the center of the flour mixture.
  • Pour the butter, vanilla, egg, and milk mixture into the well. 
  • Use a wire whisk to stir everything together until just combined. It will be slightly thick and lumpy, but should be well incorporated.
  • Gently fold in the blueberries.
  • Allow the batter to rest while heating a lightly oiled skillet or griddle to medium high heat.
  • Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.
  • Cook each side for 3-6 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

Notes

Note: This recipe yields more pancakes than my original (10) pancake recipe because the blueberries work to thin the batter a bit. I can usually get 12-15 pancakes from this recipe depending on the scoop.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 144mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 0.7mg
Did you make this recipe? Mention @GraceGoodEats or tag #graceandgoodeats!

These fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes pancakes are delicious with a pat of butter and traditional drizzle (or drowning) of maple syrup, but feel free to take them to the next level with this Homemade Blueberry Syrup.

4.38 from 16 votes (10 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




Lashanda

Sunday 28th of March 2021

Hi, can I use the flour that’s already premixed with baking powder and salt as substitute for the all purpose flour and baking soda and salt?

Jen

Wednesday 28th of October 2020

Outstanding! I will never need to buy buttermilk again! I always have a lemon on hand - it added such nice flavor - much better than just tossing blueberries into regular batter.

Sushmitha

Thursday 6th of September 2018

Can we use dried blueberries

Issey

Monday 8th of October 2018

When you say lemon zest approximately how much?

Emily Grace

Wednesday 19th of September 2018

Hi Sushmitha, I've never tried dried! Let me know how it turns out.

Maria

Monday 12th of February 2018

I made this with Almond milk, adding lemon juice to it. It was very good!

Bo Jangles

Saturday 25th of November 2017

These don't even use buttermilk!

Emily Grace

Wednesday 29th of November 2017

As stated in the post, I rarely keep buttermilk on hand. Feel free to use buttermilk instead of my milk + lemon juice substitution, but the results will be the same. Hope this helps!

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