Blueberry Pancake Recipe

Pancake recipes are simple but why are they so hard to make? I’ve been working on making fluffy blueberry pancakes and have tips to help you too. My pancake making skills are not perfect but I’ve made great progress!!

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Why Do I Want to Learn How to Make Pancakes?

The short answer is that learning how to make pancakes is easier than learning how to make croissants. LOL That might not make any sense as a stand alone sentence.

When I was a child, I tried to make croissants from a recipe in a library book and it was an epic failure. But my dad let me try, and I learned an important lesson that it’s ok to fail because it’s a part of learning and I can try again when I’m ready.

I’m still not ready! But I wanted to share a recipe that is personally challenging. Lately, I’ve been sharing fun, easy, delicious recipes such as Potato Salad and Cucumber Salad. I’ve been making pancakes once a week for the last 6 weeks to experiment and to practice.

I love the idea of using simple pantry staples and making delicious, fluffy pancakes but my pancakes are laughably ugly or burnt. It turns out there are a lot of variables which factor into making beautiful and delicious pancakes.

Best Basic Pancake Recipes

I tried Martha Stewart’s Basic Pancake recipe as well as the pancake recipe from The Joy of Cooking with similar results even though the recipes are slighty different. Martha Stewart’s recipe is easier to double or triple. The recipe from The Joy of Cooking uses more egg in proportion to the rest of the ingredients. What’s important to making delicious pancakes is a lot of good technique.

How to Make Pancake Batter That Turns out Fluffy

• Check that your baking powder is still active. You can test it by adding 1 teaspoon of baking powder to 1/2 cup of water and if it’s fresh, the mixture should fizz immediately. If it doesn’t fizz, then it’s time to buy a fresh container.
• It’s important to mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in separate bowls first. I mix the wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl and the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and then pour the wet ingredients into the large mixing bowl.
• I also melt the butter in a small sauce pan and there’s usually a little bit extra leftover for the frying pan. I learned the hard way that it’s not a good idea to melt butter in a microwave (check your manual!).
• Mix gently and don’t overmix. When you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix gently until the batter is mostly combined. I like to add fruit to my pancakes at this point, 1/2 cup of blueberries or 1 mashed banana. Do not overmix.
• Rest the batter for 10-30 minutes to allow time for the batter to relax from any gluten formation and to hydrate the flour. This is a great time to take your maple syrup out of the refrigerator or prepare the rest of your breakfast.

Fry with a Frying Pan, Griddle, or Electric Skillet

I use a large non-stick frying pan to fry pancakes so that I can use the tiniest amount of oil so that the pancakes aren’t overly oily or heavy. Non-stick pans are also easy to wipe clean with a paper towel in between batches. This is the simplest way but takes the longest to fry.

I also have an electric skillet that I use for steaming rice noodles and some people might have an electric griddle. Both are perfect for making two to three perfectly round pancakes at the same time. Set the temperature for 350°F. Watch out for hot spots so rotate your pancakes after you flip them. It’s easy to make beautiful and round pancakes in a roomy skillet.

A stovetop griddle is great for cooking more pancakes at once. My electric cooktop has back burners that are smaller than the front burners, so I need to be sure to pour the batter only over hot spots. This also faster but requires more attention to temperature and timing.

Check pan temperature and know your burners

Preheat your frying pan for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat. It’s hot enough when a sprinkle of water sizzles. If you notice that your pancakes start to brown too fast, you might need to lower the temperature slightly. If you have an infrared thermometer device, use it to periodically monitor that the pan temperature is between 350°F to 375°F and adjust accordingly.

It’s important to adjust the temperature and/or timing. Sometimes I use two non-stick frying pans over two burners at the same time to speed up my pancake making time. But I notice that one side makes pancakes faster than the other. It turns out that my left burner runs a little bit hotter than the right burner.

I usually preheat my pans on medium and when I start cooking, I check the temperatures and lower them just a tiny bit (or a medium-low for the left burner) so that the pancakes can cook through without browning too much.

How to fry the pancakes evenly, until golden brown

Lightly oil the pan with a light, neutral tasting oil (I like olive oil, it’s what I have at handy, or avocado oil) and/or a dab of butter. I use a silicone brush to spread the oil and/or butter around and then use a wadded up paper towel to wipe off excess oil. Be sure to wipe away any pancake crumbs in between batches.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancake and wait for bubbles to appear and pop. I tried using a measuring cup but that is a little bit messy. A 1/3 cup soup ladle is easier to use but don’t overfill the ladle with batter.

Know when to flip the pancakes. When the edges of the pancakes look a little dry, it’s time to use a flat and wide spatula to flip the pancakes over gently. I like my silicone spatula because it is very thin to get under the pancake and doesn’t melt.

One of my personal challenges in making pancakes in the morning is that I am sleepy and I also try to make coffee, eggs, fruit, etc. at the same time. And what inevitably happens is that I burn the pancakes.

Stay focused and watch for the bubbles. It takes about 2-3 minutes for the first side and about 1-2 minutes on the second side, about 3-5 minutes total per batch of pancakes. Remember to check the pan temperature in between batches.

If you want to make the pancakes and serve them all at the same time, you might want to keep the cooked pancakes warm in your oven preheated to 200°F as you finish frying the pancakes. Lightly cover your serving dish with foil to keep the pancakes from drying out.

How to make round(ish) pancakes

Don’t overcrowd your pancakes. I use a 12 inch frying pan and if I aim carefully I can fry 3 pancakes at a time. If the pancakes are too close to the edge they end up with irregular shapes. Ultimately that’s fine, round and irregular shaped pancakes taste the same. But the edges of the pan might not be as hot, so rotate the lighter side of the pancakes toward the center of the pan so they cook through evenly.

My other obstacle to round pancakes is added fruit. The batter doesn’t flow evenly around a lump of banana or a blueberry. If you like to add fruit to your pancakes too, drop a teaspoon of batter on the other side of the fruit toward the edges and the pancake will look more roundish.

Recipe Variations

When I share my pancake making struggles on social media, some of you were so kind to let me know that it’s hard for you too. I hope that this simple and basic recipe to highlight the basic techniques of making pancakes.

I like to mash up a banana and/or add a handful of blueberries to the batter. When you feel ready, you can vary the recipe by adding chocolate chips or other fruits to the batter.

Or you can serve it plain, or with maple syrup, or make a simple fruit sauce.

Allergy Aware Pancakes

This recipe is free of peanuts, tree-nuts, soy, fish, shellfish, and sesame as written.

It’s possible to make this recipe dairy-free by using alternative milks instead of milk and a neutral oil instead of butter.

It’s also possible to make this recipe egg-free by omitting the eggs and adding a mashed banana. If you can’t use a banana, omit the eggs and mix together 3 tablespoons vegetable oil mixed with 3 tablespoons water (or milk) and 2 teaspoon baking powder and add to step 3.

Instead of using wheat, you can easily use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free, wheat-free flour substitute.

5 from 2 votes

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Blueberry Pancake Recipe for Beginners

Pancake recipes are simple but why are they so hard to make? I've been working on making fluffy blueberry pancakes and have tips to help you too. This recipe is inspired by Martha Stewart's Easy Basic Pancakes recipe and The Joy of Cooking's section on making pancakes. Be sure to read the recipe post for all the tips and instructions.

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword pancake, pancakes

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 12 pancakes

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil or neutral oil
• 2 cups flour all purpose
• 1/4 cup sugar granulated
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups milk any kind
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries plus more for serving
• Olive oil or neutral oil for the pan

Instructions

1. If using butter in this recipe, melt the butter in a small sauce pan and remove from heat to allow the melted butter to cool slightly.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a whisk or a fork until thoroughly combined.

3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, lightly beat two eggs. Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until the milk and eggs are combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, add the melted butter (or 3 tablespoons neutral oil) and and gently stir with a spatula until barely combined. Fold in blueberries. Avoid overmixing, allow the batter to rest for at least 10 minutes.

4. Preheat a non-stick frying pan for 5 minutes on medium heat and preheat your oven to 200°F if you want to keep your cooked pancakes warm before serving.

5. The pan is hot enough when a drop of water sizzles and/or approximately 350°F. Lightly oil the pan with a small amount of oil (a few drops) and use a paper towel to wipe away the excess.

6. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. When bubbles start to pop and the pancake edge looks set (2-3 minutes), gently flip the pancakes over, and cook until the second side is golden brown (1-2 minutes). Transfer the finished pancakes to a serving dish and keep warm in the oven as needed.

7. Lightly oil the pan and wipe the excess oil as well as any crumbs and repeat step 6 until all the pancake are fried. Serve warm with your favorite syrup, sauces, and/or toppings. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3 days.

Related recipes:

My next project will be to share some Asian inspired breakfast recipes, such as Japanese souffle pancakes. If you know what I’m talking about or have requests, let me know in the comments.

Some other breakfast or brunch recipes you might enjoy are Blueberry Lemon Muffins Recipe: Easy, Moist, & Delicious, a hearty plate of Loco Moco, or a Mung Bean Sprouts and Herb Frittata.

Instead of making pancakes, I also have a recipe for Hong Kong style bubble egg waffles which you can eat plain or as a Easy Bubble Egg Waffle Sundae Dessert Recipe.

And lastly, I also have a recipe for scallion pancakes which is savory and pan-fried flat bread that is enjoyed as an appetizer or snack.

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