Lemon Blueberry Pancakes Recipe (20 minutes)
Lemon Blueberry Pancakes are a match made in heaven. Zesty lemon, plump juicy blueberries and fluffy pancakes. All smothered in butter and maple syrup or your favorite toppings.
Ok, not exactly one of those super healthy breakfasts, but a great way to start off a Sunday morning.
As usual, there are many similar recipes out there. The only difference in the basic pancake batter is how much baking powder is used. A few add baking soda as well.
What to expect
We gathered all the tips for you in one place so you don’t have to spend the time flipping from one recipe to another.
These pancakes aren’t too sweet because of the lemon and the tart-sweet blueberries. If you prefer sweeter, go ahead and add a bit more sugar or just drown your pancakes in maple syrup 🙂
The batter can be used for any type of pancake you like with any variety of fillings and toppings (we have lots of suggestions below).
Bottom line: This blueberry pancakes recipe makes fluffy pancakes with crispy edges and loaded – yes loaded – with oozing blueberries and citrus flavors. Delish!
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Check out these variations and substitutes you can try.
Flour substitute
- You can substitute all or part of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. If substituting all of it, let it rest for 30 minutes to allow the liquid to absorb or the pancakes will spread too much.
Filling add-ins and substitutes
- Substitute other fresh berries.
- Replace some or all the sugar with mashed banana.
- Add chocolate chips.
- Skip the lemon and zest and just make blueberry pancakes (but the lemon is sooo good!)
Dairy free option
- Use almond milk or another dairy free milk.
- Substitute melted coconut oil for the butter.
Topping options
- Maple syrup (or other favorite syrups)
- Applesauce or blueberry sauce
- Sour cream, Greek yogurt or vanilla or plain yogurt
- Chopped toasted nuts such as pecans, walnuts, macadamia, pistachios
- Caramelized bananas (decadent!)
- Ice cream or whipped cream for a dessert version.
- Sprinkle the surface of the pancakes with cinnamon if you like.
Step by step instructions
Tips for Success
- Don’t over-mix the batter.
- Use a fork to combine the wet and dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. A few lumps are fine.
- Rest the batter for at least 5 minutes or longer. Don’t add the blueberries until you’re ready to cook the pancakes.
- To use frozen blueberries:
- Rinse them under cold water to thaw, then gently dry them with paper towels before adding them to the batter. This will prevent the blueberries from ‘bleeding’ into the batter.
- Be patient when cooking pancakes
- Heat the pan for several minutes before you start. You’ll be cooking the pancakes on medium heat (not Medium High). Yes, they will take a little longer.
- Do NOT flip the pancakes more than once. And do NOT flip them until bubbles have formed on the top.
Make Ahead
- To make a day ahead: Make the batter and leave it in the fridge overnight, covered. Don’t add the blueberries until just before making the pancakes.
- To freeze for up to 2 months: Layer cooled pancakes in between parchment paper in a sealed container or flash freeze the pancakes (instructions in recipe) and transfer them to a sealed container or bag.
How to serve the pancakes
In addition to a Sunday morning breakfast, fluffy lemon blueberry pancakes make a great brunch option perhaps with a breakfast egg bake or no bake berry crumble, but don’t count them out as a dessert too.
And they are great make-ahead pancakes. You can make the batter a day ahead or freeze the pancakes for later for breakfast-on-the-go. Instructions are in the recipe card.
Recipe FAQ
If you over-mix the batter, your pancakes will become dense and flat. You only need to mix until you incorporate the ingredients. A few lumps are good!
Likely your batter is too wet. Try adding a little more flour, a small amount at a time. Remember, don’t over-mix!
Slightly thick (it should drip off a spoon slowly) and slightly lumpy.
Other easy breakfast recipe ideas
- homemade English muffins (easy step by step)
- Dutch pancake recipe (also called German pancake)
- instant pot oatmeal recipe (with steel or rolled oats)
- carrot cake oatmeal
- banana chocolate chunk muffins
And check out our full list of vegetarian brunch recipes for Mother’s Day or any day.
If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟with a comment in the recipe card below. Thanks so much!
Lemon Blueberry Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted slightly cooled
- 1 large lemon (2 tsp zest plus 2 tbsp lemon juice)
- 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, washed and patted dry Note 1
- butter for cooking pancakes, about 1 tsp per batch Oil can be substituted (if necessary).
Instructions
- MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: Whisk together and combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl to ensure blended with no lumps.
- ADD WET INGREDIENTS TO MAKE BATTER: Add milk, egg, melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice. Mix with a fork until blended. Don't over mix. A few lumps are ok. Let batter sit for about 5 minutes while you heat the pan. Gently stir in blueberries.
- MAKE PANCAKES: Heat a non stick pan to medium high for several minutes, then lower to medium. Add a teaspoon butter. Using a 1/4 cup/59 ml measuring cup, scoop batter and place into pan. Repeat for as many pancakes will fit in pan without overcrowding. Wait patiently until bubbles form on the top (I mean it – wait!), about 3-5 minutes. Then flip pancakes and cook another 1-2 minutes. Transfer to plate. Repeat until all batter is used up. Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup or your favorite toppings on top of the pancakes. Or plain.
Video
Recipe Notes
- To use frozen blueberries instead of fresh: Defrost frozen berries in a colander by rinsing under cold water. Dry on paper towels. This will avoid the thawed blueberries bleeding into the batter.
- Topping options:
- Maple syrup (or other favorite syrups)
- Applesauce or blueberry sauce
- Sour cream, Greek yogurt or vanilla or plain yogurt
- Chopped toasted nuts such as pecans, walnuts, macadamia, pistachios
- Caramelized bananas (decadent!)
- Ice cream or whipped cream for a dessert version.
- Sprinkle the surface of the pancakes with cinnamon if you like.
- Make Ahead:
- To make a day ahead:
- Make the batter and leave it in the fridge overnight, covered. DON’T add the blueberries until just before making the pancakes.
- To freeze:
- layer cooled pancakes in between parchment paper in an airtight container. OR
- place pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in freezer to flash freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer pancakes to a ziploc bag or sealed container.
- may be frozen for up to 2 months.
- To make a day ahead:
Consistently fluffy and flavorful, made today with gluten free flour and came out perfect.
Even better with ricotta
LOVE this recipe 😋
Will definitely be making again. I doubled the ingredients and it made 9 average sized pancakes.
Glad you liked it Kim! We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Love this recipe! Best pancakes ever!
🙂 Thanks so much for leaving a comment Rhonda.
Hello from New Zealand🇳🇿,
Just wanted to say I gave this Lemon 🍋 & Blueberry 🫐 pancake recipe a whirl. It was absolutely scrumptious. My family loved it and such a lovely family treat perfect for our Sunday brekkie. The lemon zest and juice in the batter elevated the flavour ten times over. Thank you for sharing. Have a lovely day!!!
We are delighted your family loved the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment Rathi 🙂
Made these for Christmas breakfast, WOW! These are the best pancakes ever! We loved them and will definitely make them again. the recipe is now in my recipe folder. Might try changing to orange instead of lemon, cranberry instead of blueberry and see how that turns out!
Glad you liked them Cindy. Let us know how you like your suggested tweaks if you try them. Thanks for leaving a comment – always appreciated 🙂