Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

Name: Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon (14 g) baking powder, fresh (less than 6 months old); ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt; 1 teaspoon (2 g) lemon, zest, finely grated (optional); 1½ cups (360 ml) whole milk, at room temperature; 2 large (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature; 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract; 1½ cups (225 g) blueberries, fresh, rinsed and dried, or frozen (not thawed); 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter, for greasing the griddle, plus more for serving; ½ cup (120 ml) pure maple syrup, warmed, for serving

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tall, tender griddle pancakes with a golden crust and bursts of juicy blueberries in every bite. The batter comes together in one bowl and works with fresh or frozen berries.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Wait: 10 min
Total: 45 min
Makes: 12 pancakes (about 4 inches / 10 cm each)

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the batter
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled
2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (14 g) baking powder, fresh (less than 6 months old)
½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt
1 teaspoon (2 g) lemon, zest, finely grated (optional)
1½ cups (360 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
2 large (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1½ cups (225 g) blueberries, fresh, rinsed and dried, or frozen (not thawed)
For cooking and serving
1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter, for greasing the griddle, plus more for serving
½ cup (120 ml) pure maple syrup, warmed, for serving

Equipment (9)

Large flat griddle or 12-inch (30 cm) nonstick skillet
Large mixing bowl (3–4 qt / 3–4 L)
Medium bowl or 4-cup (1 L) liquid measuring cup
Whisk
Rubber spatula
¼-cup (60 ml) measuring cup or scoop
Thin flexible spatula
Baking sheet with wire rack (for keeping warm)
Instant-read thermometer (optional)

Steps

Before you start

Take the eggs and milk out of the fridge 20–30 minutes ahead so they mix smoothly and don't re-solidify the melted butter.
If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them. Keep them in the freezer until the moment you fold them in so they don't bleed purple through the batter.
Plan on cooking in 3–4 batches. Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) to keep finished pancakes warm on a wire rack set on a baking sheet.
Don't overmix: lumps in the batter are good and are what keep the pancakes tender.

1
Warm the ovenOven 200°F / 95°C
- Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C).
- Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and place it on the middle rack.
- This keeps finished pancakes warm and crisp-edged without steaming them.
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Ready when: Oven reads 200°F (95°C).
Tip: Don't stack pancakes on a plate to keep warm; they will turn soggy.
2
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest (if using) for 20 seconds, rubbing the zest into the sugar with your fingertips so it spreads evenly.
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Ready when: No streaks or clumps of baking powder remain.
3
Mix wet ingredients
- In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the milk and eggs until fully blended and slightly frothy, about 30 seconds.
- Slowly whisk in the cooled melted butter and the vanilla.
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Ready when: Mixture is smooth with no visible butter pools or egg streaks.
Tip: If the butter is hot it will scramble the eggs, so let it cool for about 5 minutes first.
4
Combine the batter
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture.
- Stir with a rubber spatula in a few broad strokes, just until the flour disappears, about 12–15 strokes.
- The batter should be thick, pourable, and still lumpy.
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Ready when: No dry flour pockets remain; small lumps about the size of peas are fine.
Tip: Overmixing develops gluten and makes tough, rubbery pancakes.
5
Rest the batter
- Let the batter rest undisturbed for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, set the griddle over medium heat (or an electric griddle to 375°F / 190°C) to preheat.
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Ready when: Batter looks slightly puffed with a few small bubbles on the surface.
6
Test the griddle
- Brush the griddle lightly with a little of the 1 tablespoon butter.
- Flick a few drops of water on it: they should dance and evaporate within a couple of seconds.
- If they vanish instantly or the butter browns right away, lower the heat slightly.
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Ready when: Water droplets sizzle and skitter; butter foams but doesn't brown within 10 seconds.
Tip: The first pancake is a test. Adjust the heat after it, not during.
7
Pour and add berries
- Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) batter per pancake onto the griddle, leaving 2 inches (5 cm) between them.
- Immediately scatter about 1 tablespoon of blueberries (roughly 10–12 berries) over each round, gently pressing them in slightly.
- Keep the rest of the blueberries for later batches.
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Ready when: Rounds spread to about 4 inches (10 cm) across.
Tip: Sprinkling berries on top instead of stirring them in prevents purple batter and burst berries.
8
Flip and finish
- Cook 2–3 minutes, until the edges look set and matte, bubbles pop and leave holes on the surface, and the underside is golden brown when you peek.
- Flip once with a thin spatula and cook another 1½–2 minutes, until golden and the pancake springs back when pressed lightly in the center.
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Ready when: Both sides golden brown, center springs back, and the interior reads 200°F (93°C) if checked with a thermometer.
Tip: Don't press down on pancakes after flipping; it squeezes out the air and makes them dense.
9
Keep warm and repeatOven 200°F / 95°C
- Transfer finished pancakes in a single layer to the rack in the oven.
- Wipe the griddle, rebrush with a bit more butter, and repeat with the remaining batter and blueberries, making 12 pancakes total (3–4 batches).
- Adjust the heat down slightly if the later batches brown too quickly.
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Ready when: All batter used; pancakes uniformly golden.
Tip: Wipe away any burst-berry residue between batches or it will scorch and make later pancakes bitter.
10
Serve
- Stack 3 pancakes per plate, top with a pat of butter, and serve right away with warmed maple syrup.
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Ready when: Butter melts into the hot pancakes.

Good to know

Tips

Use a ¼-cup measure or scoop for uniform pancakes that finish cooking at the same time.
If the batter thickens as it sits, thin it with a tablespoon of milk to keep pancakes from being too dense.
Flip only once, when bubbles on top have popped and edges look dry; flipping early makes a messy, pale pancake.
Frozen berries make pancakes a bit more purple and need an extra 30 seconds per side, so lower the heat slightly to cook the centers.

Make ahead

"Whisk the dry ingredients together and the wet ingredients together separately, cover, and refrigerate the wet mix up to 12 hours (keep the dry mix at room temperature). Combine just before cooking. Fully cooked pancakes can also be made ahead and frozen (see storage)."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: up to 1 hour, loosely covered. Refrigerator: cool completely, then store in an airtight container with parchment between layers up to 3 days. Freezer: freeze in a single layer on a tray until solid, then bag for up to 2 months. Reheat from fridge or frozen in a toaster or 350°F (175°C) oven on a rack for 5–8 minutes until hot and slightly crisp at the edges; microwave 30–45 seconds for a softer result."

Substitutions

whole milk → Buttermilk, or an unsweetened plant milk. With buttermilk, use 1½ cups (360 ml), reduce baking powder to 2 teaspoons (9 g), and add ½ teaspoon baking soda for extra tang and lift. Plant milks work 1:1 with a slightly less rich result.
all-purpose flour → Half whole wheat flour. Replace up to 1 cup (125 g) of the flour with whole wheat; add 1–2 tablespoons extra milk if the batter seems too thick.
unsalted butter → Neutral oil such as canola or avocado oil. Use 4 tablespoons (60 ml); pancakes will be slightly less flavorful but equally tender.
blueberries → Chopped strawberries, raspberries, or chocolate chips. Use the same volume; pat juicy fruit dry before sprinkling on.