Fluffy, moist and flavorful blueberry pancakes! These healthy pancakes made with fresh berries will become a hit with your tiny humans any day of the week.
Does your toddler get excited for pancake breakfasts? Mine certainly does.
Although I think it’s the fruits and maple syrup that comes along with the pancake that makes the whole meal more alluring to my toddlers. We have officially made Saturdays and Sundays pancake mornings in our household. I want the weekends to be relaxing, where I don’t have to worry about kids not finishing their food. And pancake mornings help me achieve that!
If you love making pancakes but tired of standing in the kitchen then you need to try these sheet pancakes for busy mornings.
We made these blueberry pancakes a lot this summer. We ended up with a big batch of blueberries after a weekend outing of berry picking and those freshly picked berries got turned into muffins, jams and other dishes. They also went into some fluffy pancakes at my kid’s request. Since blueberries are available all year long in the markets, you can make this any time of the year. Out if fresh berries? No worries. Use frozen berries instead, but remember they will take slightly longer to cook.
Did you know blueberries are one of the healthiest amongst all the berries? They are a powerhouse of energy and nutrition. Blueberries are a great source of vitamin C, Vitamin K, fiber and Manganese. They are also rich in antioxidants which helps in maintaining a good immune system and promotes brain health in children. These naturally sweet nutrition packed berries are perfect for young children and can be served as a part of their breakfast, snack or dinner.
What goes inside these blueberry pancakes?
Blueberries – You can use either fresh or frozen.
Organic white wheat flour – I love using white wheat flour in recipes like these instead of all purpose flour. They are healthier than regular flour and also taste better than whole wheat flour. You can always use the flour of your choice. Remember the pancakes will be a little dense if you do end up using whole wheat flour.
Egg – for some structure and binding
Rising agents like baking powder and baking soda
Maple syrup or honey for some sweetness. You can very well substitute it with any sweetener of your choice like coconut sugar, agave or normal sugar
Oil or melted butter – They help keep the pancakes moist and fluffy. I like to avocado oil or melted butter in the recipe
Milk and vinegar – A classic substitute for buttermilk. If you do have buttermilk, feel free to use them directly instead. Milk and vinegar helps the pancake to be moist.
Pure Vanilla extract or vanilla seeds/paste– For that amazing flavor. You can skip it or replace it with flavoring of your choice.
Salt – Enhances the flavor
More butter/oil for frying the pancakes.
Most of these ingredients are easily available in our pantry and therefore these pancakes are fairyly simple to make.
How do I make these pancakes vegan or dairy free?
To make it dairy free, substitute oil for butter and use plant-based milk in place of cow’s milk.
To make it vegan, you will have to additionally replace the egg with a flax egg or vegan egg of your choice.
How do you make these blueberry pancakes?
These pancakes are fairly simple to make.
First step is to make the buttermilk by mixing the milk and vinegar and letting them sit for about 5 minutes.
Next combine the wet ingredients and add the dry ingredients to the wet and make the batter. One important thing to remember while making pancakes is not to overmix the batter. As tempting as it is to mix the batter until it looks smooth and lump free, overmixing will give you dense pancakes. It’s okay to have some lumps here and there. Mix the batter gently until almost most of the lumps are gone.
Now you could add the blueberries directly to the batter, but I find adding the blueberries in the end as the pancakes are cooking, helps them cook better.
Also remember to cook the pancakes on a hot well-greased griddle/ pan. I like to use my well seasoned cast iron pan for this purpose. Cook the pancakes on one side until you see bubbles on the surface.Then flip and cook on the other side until the pancakes are cooked through.
I love serving these with more fresh blueberries, maple syrup and nut Butter on the side.
Add ons and toppings to the recipe –
Chocolate chips
Mashed banana instead of an egg
Flax meal
Chia seeds
Other berries like chopped strawberries, raspberries etc
Chopped up nuts
Coconut flakes
Why should you make this blueberry pancake?
- Kid friendly
- Healthy and does not contain processed sugar
- Can be made ahead
- Can be easily made vegan or dairy free
- Allergen friendly
- Healthy and easy breakfast option
Lets see how to make these delicious blueberry pancakes
Toddler Blueberry pancakes Recipe:
Makes approximately 8 pancakes
Prep time – 10 minutes
Cook time – 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole white wheat flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp oil/melted butter
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup blueberries
- Butter for frying
Instructions
- Mix the milk and vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda)
- In another bowl combine the milk and vinegar mixture, egg, maple syrup, oil, vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix gently until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Heat a nonstick pan or iron griddle and grease it with butter or oil.
- When it is hot, pour about ¼ cup of batter into the skillet. Arrange the blueberries on top. I add about 3 to 4 blueberries depending on the size of the pancake.
- Cook until you see bubbles on top.
- Flip and cook on the other side for about a minute or two until the pancakes are cooked through.
- Serve with maple syrup and more blueberries.
