Pancakes used to stress me out. I’d stand there watching them turn black on the bottom while the tops stayed raw. Took me forever to realize my burner was just too hot. Felt pretty dumb when I finally figured that out.

These blueberry ones though? They’re pretty much foolproof at this point. My kid asks for them every weekend, and I’ve stopped saying no because they take maybe 20 minutes start to finish. Less time than driving to IHOP and way cheaper.

 

Ingredients for Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes :

 

Dry:

• 2 cups flour (just all-purpose, nothing fancy)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

 

Wet:

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk (I’ll explain substitutes in a sec)
• 4 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for the pan
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Plus:

• 1½ cups blueberries – doesn’t matter if they’re fresh or frozen

Instructions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients – dump flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk it around.
2. Mix the wet ingredients separately – crack your eggs into another bowl, add buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. Whisk that too.
3. Combine them but don’t go crazy – pour wet into dry, stir with a spoon maybe 10 times. It’ll look lumpy and weird. That’s correct. Stop stirring.
4. Add blueberries – toss most of them in, save a few for later. Fold them in carefully so they don’t get smashed.
5. Heat up your pan – medium heat, add butter. When the butter stops bubbling, you’re good to go.
6. Pour the batter – I do about ¼ cup per pancake. An ice cream scoop works great for this if you have one.
7. Wait for bubbles – they’ll start popping up on the surface after a couple minutes. Edges will look set instead of wet.
8. Flip once – just one flip. Don’t keep flipping them like you’re trying to juggle.
9. Cook the other side – another minute or so until it’s golden brown.

 

Makes about 12 pancakes, which feeds 4 people or 2 teenagers.

My Actual Tips

Stop mixing when it’s still lumpy. This was the hardest thing for me to learn because it feels wrong. Those lumps cook out and if you mix too much, your pancakes get tough and dense. My first probably 20 batches were like eating sponges because I kept mixing until smooth.

 

Buttermilk substitutes that actually work: I never have buttermilk just sitting around. Put 2 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar in your measuring cup, pour regular milk until you hit 2 cups, let it sit for 5 minutes. Done. The sourness is what you need because it reacts with the baking soda to make them fluffy.

 

Frozen blueberries are honestly easier. They don’t explode and turn everything purple as much. Just throw them in frozen – don’t thaw them first or you’ll have blueberry soup. Sometimes I coat them in a little flour if they’re being weird and bleeding everywhere.

 

Your stove’s medium isn’t my stove’s medium. Gas stoves run hotter than electric. If your first pancake burns, turn it down. If it’s pale and takes forever, turn it up. The butter should sizzle when you add the batter but not smoke.

 

First pancake is always garbage. I don’t know why. It just is. I feed it to the dog.

Leftover Storage

 

In the fridge: They keep for 3-4 days in a container or ziploc bag. Put a paper towel between layers if you’re stacking a bunch.

 

Freezer: Make extra on purpose. I cook up double and freeze half for lazy mornings. Lay them flat on a baking sheet to freeze first, then bag them once they’re solid. They’ll last a couple months.

 

Reheating: Microwave works but makes them kind of rubbery. I stick them in the toaster which crisps them up again. Way better texture.

 

Food safety thing: Don’t leave them sitting out for hours. They have eggs in them. Fridge them if you’re not eating them within an hour or two.

Nutrition Info

 

Per serving (3 pancakes):

 

• About 320 calories
• 10g protein
• 48g carbs
• 10g fat
• 3g fiber
• 12g sugar

 

I mean, they’re pancakes. They’re not kale. But the blueberries at least add some antioxidants or whatever.

 

What I serve with them:

Real maple syrup. Not Mrs. Butterworth’s – that’s just corn syrup and sadness.

Butter on top while they’re hot.

Bacon. The cheap kind from Costco is fine.

Coffee for me, milk or juice for the kids.

Sometimes I’ll do scrambled eggs too if I’m feeling ambitious but usually just the pancakes is enough.

Questions People Ask

 

Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?

You can but they won’t be as fluffy. Try the lemon juice trick I mentioned up there – it gets you like 85% of the way there and you probably already have lemon juice.

 

Why do mine always turn out flat?

Either your baking powder is old (check the date – it goes bad), you’re overmixing the batter, or your pan isn’t hot enough. Could also be all three. The bubbles that make them fluffy come from the chemical reaction between buttermilk and baking soda, so if that’s not happening something’s off.

 

Can I make the batter ahead?

Technically yes but they won’t be as good. The rising action starts immediately so by the next day they’ll be flatter. Just wake up 10 minutes earlier – it’s faster than you think once you’ve done it a few times.

 

What about other berries?

Raspberries fall apart too easily. Blackberries work okay. Strawberries are fine if you chop them small. Chocolate chips are honestly the second-best option after blueberries, at least according to my kids.

---

 

I’ve been making these pretty much every Saturday for the past year and a half. Sometimes I burn the edges if I’m distracted. Sometimes they’re perfect. It’s a pretty forgiving recipe which is why I like it – you can mess up a little and they still taste good.

Print this entry