These vanilla, almond, and cardamom-spiked blueberry pancakes are thick and fluffy, melt-in-your mouth, and bursting with blueberries.
"Just finished eating one of these incredible blueberry pancakes, and thank you!! These really are quick to make and even better than I could’ve imagined. So good, thank you." - Cindy
We have been eating a lot of blueberry pancakes around here.
For weeks. And weeks. Mostly for breakfast on the weekends, but we've had blueberry pancakes for dinner once or twice as well. (JK. It was at least 4 times.)
With each batch, I tested and tweaked and improved. Plus there was that time when the pancakes were totally delicious but we ate them all before I got pictures so I had to make another batch. Darn it.
Are we sick of blueberry pancakes yet? Not even close.
How many times would I need to indulge in a plate full of these super fluffy, flavorful pancakes packed with sugar coated blueberries and dripping with maple syrup, to get actually sick of them? I have no idea. I LOT. I'm not actually sure it's even possible.
I wanted pancakes that were the MOST of all the things I love about pancakes. The most fluffy. The most tender. The most flavorful and rich and comforting and the most mmmmmmmmm.
After all, if you're going to eat a plate full of blueberry pancakes, they should be of the absolute best variety. Otherwise, why bother?
"Best pancakes I've ever made." - Gloria
How To Make Thick and Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes
In all my pancake experiments, I learned a few things about making super flavorful and fluffy blueberry pancakes. Here's what you need to know:
1. Buttermilk rocks
I made pancakes with regular milk, yogurt, part milk and part buttermilk, and part buttermilk and part sour cream. And now I'm on team ALL buttermilk ALL the time. Just like in my favorite Everyday Pancake Recipe, buttermilk makes these pancakes rise to all their tall, fluffy glorious potential while they cook.
Buttermilk also adds flavor and creates a melt-in-your-mouth consistency that makes you want just one more bite. Ok. Just one more. One more. This is the last one, I prommmmmm.....
2. Blueberry pancakes are even better with a bit of vanilla, almond and cardamom
At the very least, please put some vanilla extract in your pancake batter. But, if you really want to kick it up a notch (and, of course you do), you should also throw in a splash of almond extract and dash of cardamom.
That hint of cardamom mingling with the vanilla and blueberries is THE thing that will have everyone you share these with say "What's in these?" - in the best possible way, of course. And almond extract is the thing you never knew your pancakes needed, but now you can't live without.
3. Toss fresh or frozen blueberries in sugar before adding them to the pancakes
This is something I tried on a whim, and it's kind of magical. It works best if you're using frozen blueberries because as they thaw, the sugar sticks to them. If you're using fresh blueberries, rinse your blueberries in cold water, let them drain a bit, then toss them in a bowl with sugar and you'll get the same effect.
The sugar not only boosts their sweet blueberry flavor, it caramelizes slightly in the pan, creating a kind of delicious blueberry syrup coating over every single berry.
Another unexpected bonus that I'm super excited about: If you have any leftover blueberry sugar after making your pancakes, save it and coat sugar cookies in it. SO. GOOD.
4. Cook blueberry pancakes in butter
I've read a lot of pancake recipes that talk about brushing the pan with oil instead of butter because of the tendency butter has to burn when exposed to heat for a long time. But, while using oil is slightly more practical, it adds absolutely nothing to the flavor of the pancakes.
Also, even a little bit of oil in the pan can make your pancakes, well... oily. Butter makes the outside of the pancakes gorgeously crisp and buttery. Would you like a plate or oily pancakes or buttery pancakes? This is an easy decision.
So, use butter. Yes, you'll have to rinse out your pan after each batch so that the butter doesn't burn. So what? Do you really care?
Flip out your pancakes, run the pan under water to rinse out the excess butter (or wipe it out with a paper towel), put it back on the burner, add a pat of fresh butter and get on with it. The whole process takes bout 30 seconds and you'll be rewarded with a plateful of buttery pancakes.
If you have clarified butter or ghee, even better. Use that and don't worry about rinsing out your pan because it won't burn. If not, use butter.
Quick perfect blueberry pancake recap:
- Buttermilk, all day every day.
- Vanilla. AND almond extract. AND cardamom.
- Roll those blueberries around in sugar.
- BUTTER.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment for me, or take a picture and tag it @ofbatteranddough on Instagram.
Happy baking!
📖 Recipe
How To Make the Fluffiest Blueberry Pancakes
These vanilla, almond, and cardamom-spiked blueberry pancakes are thick and fluffy, melt-in-your mouth, and bursting with blueberries.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment for me!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (10 - 12oz/ 280 - 340g) fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 cup (198g) granulate sugar, divided
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoon (12g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda
- 2 teaspoon (10g) salt
- ½ teaspoon (1g) cardamom
- 6 tablespoon (85g/ 3oz) butter, melted and at room temperature + 4-6 tablespoon (56-85g/ 2-3oz) butter for the pan
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups (473ml) buttermilk (*See note below for buttermilk substitutions)
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Add the blueberries and ½ cup (100g) of sugar to a bowl and toss the blueberries around in the sugar to coat. If you're using frozen blueberries, more sugar will stick to them as they begin to defrost. If using fresh blueberries, rinse and drain thoroughly in the sink, then toss them in the sugar. Their dampness will help the sugar stick to them.
- Add the remaining ½ cup (100g) of the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom to a large bowl and stir with a wire whisk to combine.
- Stir the vanilla and almond extract into the 6 tablespoon (85g/ 3oz) melted butter. (Fat helps to evenly distribute the flavor of the extracts.)
- Add the eggs to the buttermilk and whisk briefly with a fork to combine.
- Add about 1 tablespoon (14.2g) of butter to a skillet and set it over medium heat.
- While the skillet heats, pour the butter and buttermilk mixtures into the dry ingredients and whisk just until the batter is mostly smooth. It's fine if there are a few lumps, but be careful to not over beat the batter.
- Swirl the melted butter around in the pan so that the bottom is completely coated. Pour about ⅓ cup of batter into the pan per pancake. Cook no more than 2 or 3 pancakes at a time. The batter will be very thick, but will spread out a bit as the pancakes cook, so be very careful to not overcrowd the pan. Dot the surface of each pancake with a generous amount of blueberries.
- As the pancakes cook, lower the temperature to medium low. The goal is to regulate the temperature so that the middle of the pancakes have time to cook before the outsides are overcooked or burned. If it looks like the outside of your pancakes are cooking faster than the inside, lower the heat.
- Cook the pancakes on one side until the sides of the pancake are firm up enough to not fall apart when you flip them. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the other side. These are fluffy pancakes, so it can be tricky to know if they are done in the middle. Press gently on the center of a pancake to see if it feels doughy. You can also take a sharp paring knife and cut into the center of a pancake to see if there's any raw batter in there.
- Use a spatula to remove the pancakes from the pan. Rinse out the pan (or wipe it down with a paper towel). Add about 1 tablespoon of fresh butter and repeat the process to cook the remaining pancakes.
Notes
No Buttermilk? Here are two great buttermilk substitutions:
- For each cup of milk, replace 1 tablespoon with lemon juice or vinegar. Stir and let it sit for a few minutes until the milk thickens to a buttermilk-like consistency. I usually prefer the subtle flavor difference of using lemon juice over vinegar, but either works nicely.
- Another great buttermilk substitution is to mix equal amounts plain, unsweetened yogurt and milk. If you happen to have some plain unsweetened yogurt in your refrigerator, this is the easiest option.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 2-3 pancakesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 493Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 1501mgCarbohydrates: 81gFiber: 3gSugar: 34gProtein: 11g
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cindy says
just finished eating this incredible blueberry pancake, thank you!! strangely enough to reward myself for losing some weight. (this can't go on!) it was really quick to make and even better than I could've imagined. I halved the recipe cuz its just me. So good, thank you
Rebecca Blackwell says
Your comment just made my whole day, Cindy! I'm so happy to hear that you liked this recipe so much. I make these for my husband and I whenever we have a leisurely weekend morning and we never get tired of them. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me. I truly appreciate it! xo
Gloria says
Best Pancakes Ive ever made! You go girl!!! Can you make waffles with this recipe?
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am so happy to hear that you like this recipe Gloria! I wouldn't suggest making waffles with this recipe... Waffle batter and pancake batter are actually quite different when you make them from scratch. I'm working on perfecting a good waffle recipe though and hope to have it published in a month or two. So, stay tuned! 🙂 Thank you SO much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! xo
Natalie says
I love blueberry pancakes! These look so delicious and perfect for weekend brunch!
Catherine Brigham says
We had your blueberry pancakes for dinner last night and they were wonderful!!!!
(Actually, I replaced the blueberries in my pancakes with raspberries because I'm not a blueberry fan) Both, the blueberry and the raspberry, versions were big hits!
I really liked the addition of the cardamon.....I've never tried that before.
Definitely one of our new 'favorites'!!!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Raspberry pancakes sound soooo good! And, pancakes for dinner is the BEST. Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment! xo
Carol says
Hi Rebecca! The photos are amazing! I really enjoy all the recipes you post and this is funny. I thought when I saw this post for pancakes that it would not really be much that I haven't already put to practice.I have made more pancakes and used more recipes than I care to remember and (sigh), I have never made pancakes using anything other than oil. I can only imagine how much better they are made with butter.I have never coated the berries with sugar,and I do agree about using buttermilk.So you gave me great inspiration for my next batch of pancakes, whatever type they may be.YUM
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Carol! Thank you so much for the kind words! Butter really does make a difference, because, well... butter is delicious. 🙂 If you make these, I would LOVE to hear what you think. xoxo