Lemon Blueberry Pancakes

Light and fluffy Lemon Blueberry Pancakes, filled with fresh blueberries and topped with a lemon blueberry compote, vanilla maple sweet cream, and salty whipped butter. Y’all I’m obsessed with these!

Should I use fresh or frozen blueberries?

Both fresh and frozen blueberries will work for both the pancakes and the compote. That being said I recommend going with whichever has the most flavor at that time. I realize that may seem obvious but different brands of frozen blueberries will have different flavors and depending on the time of year, the blueberries will taste different! So taste and decide!

How do I keep pancakes warm while making all of the batter?

Unless you have a blackstone, you probably have to cook your pancakes in batches. My favorite way to keep them warm, especially for a large group is to turn the oven super low, like 250 F and put a serving platter in there and as you cook the pancakes, just add them to the platter. If you are just making them for yourself, microwave a plate for 30 seconds to a minute and then keep it in the microwave. As you cook the pancakes, add them to the plate and keep the microwave door closed and it will retain the heat!

How to make fluffy pancakes?

There’s a few ways to make fluffy pancakes including whipping the egg whites separately to give them a fluffy soufflé like texture. BUT the easiest way to make fluffy pancakes is to add baking soda and buttermilk or in this case yogurt and lemon juice. When the baking soda and the yogurt react they cause big bubbles in the batter and lead to light and fluffy pancakes.

What’s the best pan to use for pancakes?

I like to use a cast iron griddle or a nonstick pan. This means you don’t need to cook them in a ton of butter and also keeps a nice and soft pancake. Right now I use this griddle pan from Cuisinart.

Additional Recipes to try:

• Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins
• Lemon Ricotta French Toast
• Banana Walnut Buttermilk Pancakes

Tips for making Blueberry Pancakes

• Whisk the dry and wet ingredients separately. This way all the ingredients will be properly mixed and you won’t have to worry about over mixing the batter.
• Pick blueberries that taste good! I realize that may seem obvious but different brands of frozen blueberries will have different flavors. Also depending on the time of year, the blueberries will taste different!
• If you want to make more pancakes, simply double or triple the recipe.
• This batter is meant to be thick so don’t be tempted to add more milk.
• I like using a non stick pan, ideally a griddle pan like this one because I like my pancakes soft and not crispy. If you like a crispy pancake (which I’ll never understand) but if you do, put some butter in the pan once it has heated up.
• Keep the heat low if using gas heat or medium low on electric, the pancake needs to essentially bake on the pan and set up before you flip it. If the heat is too high the pancake will burn and the batter will go flying when you flip the pancake.
• Wait until you can feel the heat coming off the pan to add the batter. The batter should sizzle when you add it to the pan.
• If the pancake is getting too dark before the edges have set at all, turn the heat down. If the pancake isn’t browning you can turn the heat up a little but be careful because once the pan is hot it’s hard to cool it off. Better to go low and slow.
• Once you’ve added the blueberries, press them down slightly into the actual pancake.
• Keep a warm plate in the microwave and add each cooked pancake to the plate to keep them warm while cooking the next ones.
• If you want to prep part of the pancakes in advance, you can whisk the dry ingredients together the night before and store in an airtight container.

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour: I love this recipe because it uses all purpose flour and whole wheat flour, both of which are easy to find. I recommend King Arthur Baking All Purpose flour!
• Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour gives the pancakes more flavor and makes them a little heartier which I love in the morning.
• Granulated Sugar: A little sugar gives the pancakes their classic flavor without overpowering them.
• Lemon: Lemon zest and juice is used in these pancakes.
• Fine Sea Salt: A little fine sea salt enhances the flavors and balances out the sweetness.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda is key in buttermilk pancakes because it’s what reacts with the buttermilk to create the bubbles. Make sure your baking soda hasn’t expired.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder is classic in any pancake recipe to assist with the fluffy rise.
• Olive Oil: I chose to add a little olive oil into the batter instead of melted butter because I didn’t want to melt butter but you can also do melted butter if you prefer!
• Egg: I use standard large eggs. It’s helpful if they’re somewhat at room temperature but if not just run it under warm water in a bowl for a couple minutes and you’ll be good.
• Greek Yogurt: Make sure to use greek yogurt rather than a sweetened other style of yogurt because you need the thick consistency. As you make these more you can play around with the yogurt type but you’ll need to adjust the ratio to milk so the pancakes aren’t too thin.
• Milk: A bit of milk is mixed with the greek yogurt to thin it out.
• Blueberries: As mentioned in the tips, fresh or frozen blueberries will work. Just pick whichever taste best. If using frozen, don’t defrost.

How to make Lemon Blueberry Pancakes

Lemon Blueberry Compote

• In a small pot, combine rinsed blueberries and lemon juice. Place over low heat and allow them to cook down.
• Stir regularly just so they don’t burn. Once they start to look thick and syrupy, remove from the heat and pour into a serving bowl to cool slightly. It will thicken as it cools.

Whipped Butter

• Add the softened salted butter into a medium mixing bowl. If you only have unsalted butter, add salt to taste. It’s important that it’s a bit salty to balance out the sweet and enhance the flavors.
• Use an electric mixer, beat the butter until lighter in color and fluffy.

Vanilla Maple Sweet Cream

• In a glass or jar, add in heavy cream, a bit of vanilla, and a little maple syrup.
• Use a milk frother or add a lid and shake, until the cream has doubled in size and is soft and foamy.

Batter

• In a medium mixing bowl, add in the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers.
• Whisk in both flours, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
• In a separate bowl add in the yogurt, milk, lemon juice, egg, vanilla, and olive oil. Use a fork and whisk to combine.
• Place your non stick skillet over low heat (if gas, medium low if electric), and let it heat slowly.
• Pour the whisked wet ingredients into the dry and use the fork to whisk until just combined.

Cook the Pancakes

• If not using a non stick skillet, add a teaspoon of butter to the pan and let it melt. Swirl it around so that it covers the pan.
• Use a ladle or measuring cup to scoop about a quarter of the pancake batter onto the pan. If it’s too tall, use the back of the ladle to lightly swirl it out on the pan, but keep it thick!
• Sprinkle the surface of the pancake with as many blueberries as your heart desires.
• The pancake batter should be bubbling and the edges should start to look dry. Use a spatula to check underneath the pancake, it should be golden brown – almost a deep golden.
• Once it’s ready to flip, quickly and confidently slide the spatula under the pancake, just to the right of center if you’re right handed (opposite if you’re a lefty) and flip.
• If any of the batter or a blueberry fly a little outside the edge of the pancake just nudge them back under.
• Cook for a couple more minutes until the bottom of the pancake has also become the golden brown color.
• Once cooked, slide the pancake onto a plate. Keep it warm in the microwave or in the oven at 200 F while you cook the rest.
• If the pancake is getting too dark before the edges have set at all, turn the heat down. If the pancake isn’t browning you can turn the heat up a little but be careful because once the pan is hot it’s hard to cool it off. Better to go low and slow.

Serve

• Top the pancakes with a drizzle of the vanilla maple cream, the blueberry compote, a scoop of salted whipped butter, a dusting of powdered sugar and optionally a sprinkle of flaky salt!

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