Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Blueberry pancakes made with buttermilk, and loaded with blueberries! Learn how to make blueberry pancakes that are light and fluffy, and don't turn purple on you. So easy, the perfect pancake breakfast.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated September 17, 2023
Elise Bauer
Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
Elise Bauer

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Raise your hand high if you love blueberry pancakes! This is a quick and easy blueberry pancake recipe with buttermilk taught to me years ago by my young friend Audrey. Buttermilk is a classic ingredient in pancakes, adding both a light tang in flavor and some acidity for leavening. We don't always have buttermilk in the fridge though, but you can easily substitute it with some diluted plain yogurt.

How to Make Blueberry Pancakes Fluffy

Do you know the secret to making these blueberry pancakes thick and fluffy? Just resist the urge to over mix the batter. Let there be lumps. While we don't want lumps in our mashed potatoes or cake frosting, if you let your pancake batter be a little lumpy, your pancakes will be light, tender, fluffy, and thick.

Now, if you prefer your pancakes to be thin and firm (some people do), just beat the heck out of that batter, until smooth as porcelain.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes ready to serve
Elise Bauer

Blueberry Pancakes That Aren't Purple

A final tip. Audrey was all of ten years old when she showed me how she keeps the blueberries from bleeding into the batter and turning it purple. She likes to add them individually to each pancake once the batter is poured out onto the griddle. This way you can space them out well and they don't turn your blueberry pancakes blue.

Updated from the recipe archive. First posted in 2005.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Servings 3 to 4 servings

Don't have buttermilk? You can substitute the 1/2 cup of buttermilk called for in the recipe with a 1/2 cup of milk to which has been added 1 1/2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice (let sit for several minutes). Or you can mix in 1/4 cup of plain yogurt with 1/4 cup of milk.

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Other ingredients:

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk

  • 1 cup milk

  • 3 tablespoons warm melted butter

  • 1 cup blueberries

  • Butter or vegetable oil

Method

  1. Make pancake batter:

    Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

    In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the milk, and buttermilk.

    Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine, using a wooden spoon. Mix only until the batter just comes together.

    Stir in the melted butter. Do not over-mix! The mixture should be a little lumpy. Lumpy is good. A lumpy batter makes fluffy pancakes.

    Trick to fluffy blueberry pancakes - don't over mix batter
    Elise Bauer

    At this point you can either gently fold in the blueberries, or wait until you pour the batter onto the griddle, and then place the blueberries into the surface of the pancake batter. Placing the blueberries into the pancakes while they are cooking will help keep them from bleeding.

  2. Ladle batter in hot pan:

    Heat a griddle or large pan on medium to medium high heat. (A large cast iron pan works great for cooking pancakes.)

    Oil the pan with either a little butter or vegetable oil.

    Ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle to the desired size (a quarter-cup measure works well for this), anywhere from 4 to 6 inches wide.

    If you haven't already added the blueberries to the batter, you can place several in each pancake while it cooks.

    How to make blueberry pancakes that don't turn blue
    Elise Bauer
    Blueberry pancakes cooking on skillet
    Elise Bauer
  3. When you see air bubbles in the center, flip the pancakes over:

    When air bubbles start to bubble up to the surface at the center of the pancakes (about 2 to 3 minutes), use a flat metal spatula to flip them over.

    After a minute, peek under one for doneness. When golden or darker golden brown, they are done.

    Note that cooking the second side takes only about half as long as the first side. And the second side doesn't brown as evenly as the first side.

    Continue to make the batches of pancakes, putting a little oil or butter on the pan before each batch so the pancakes don't stick.

    Fluffy blueberry pancakes on skillet
    Elise Bauer

    Serve immediately. Serve with butter, maple syrup, and extra blueberries.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
458 Calories
17g Fat
64g Carbs
13g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 458
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 21%
Saturated Fat 8g 38%
Cholesterol 122mg 41%
Sodium 675mg 29%
Total Carbohydrate 64g 23%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 4mg 20%
Calcium 171mg 13%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 264mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.