Lemon Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Maple Syrup

Things to love about Lemon Blueberry Pancakes: fluffy, light and full of flavor!

Simple enough for weekdays, yet these homemade pancakes feel indulgent enough for weekend brunch too!

Pancakes are always so comforting and remind me of home and weekend mornings. My mom is the master of buttermilk pancakes, and when we stumbled across this recipe we HAD to make a version of it! 

I think most people would agree with me about loving a fluffy pancake…and boy are these fluffy.

There is something magical about adding buttermilk into pancakes that makes little pillows of heaven.

Then adding in the slight flavor of lemon with a sweetness of blueberry makes for a perfect pancake.

I could not resist munching on these blueberries when making these. So fresh and flavorful! Not to mention they are loaded with antioxidants and are heart healthy. 

If you’re a big fan of lemon sweet treats like I am, make sure to check out my Lemon Blueberry Cookies, Lemon Cheesecake Bars, and Lemon Pound Cake! And if you need to make pancakes for a crowd, try my Sheet Pan Pancakes!

Ingredients you will need for these lemon blueberry pancakes

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

For the pancakes:

• All-Purpose Flour: I’ve made these with white-wheat flour too and they turned out delicious. If you need a gluten free option, I recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 gluten free flour.
• Sugar: A little sugar helps not only for flavor but helps to create a soft pancake and helps give you those crispy edges. 
• Eggs: I stand by seperating yolk and whites and beating the egg whites with a hand mixer until you get soft peaks. Beating the eggs whites and folding them in is extra work, but it will help to make your pancakes fluffy & soufflé-like! Right before cooking, fold in the egg white peaks into the batter, it’s like folding in clouds! (see the video)
• Buttermilk: I love adding buttermilk to pancakes. The acid in the buttermilk actually kickstarts the baking soda into action for extra height and helps to create a fine and tender crumb.
• Whole Milk: I like to add a little milk in addition to the buttermilk for a soft, tender pancake.
• Grated lemon zest and juice: add more zest for more lemony flavor! I find that the zest of 1 lemon is usually enough.
• Other ingredients needed: vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, salt and butter

For the blueberry maple syrup:

• Blueberries: I usually use fresh blueberries but you can use frozen as well.
• Maple Syrup: I recommend using real maple syrup, and not the pancake syrup.
• Butter: A subtle buttery flavor goes a long way in this syrup
• Cornstarch + water: whisking cornstarch and water together creates a slurry used to thicken the syrup
• Lemon Juice: the lemon juice balances out the flavors

How to make Lemon Blueberry Pancakes

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

1. Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda and power, and salt.
2. Mix the wet ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and 2 Tbsp. melted butter.
3. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until they form soft peaks.
4. Pour the buttermilk mixture into flour mixture; stir to blend. Add egg whites and fold in gently.
5. In a large non stick skillet over medium heat, melt a tablespoon of butter. Pour batter into size of pancake you prefer (I use ~1/4cup). Cook until golden brown on each side.
6. In a saucepan over medium heat make the blueberry sauce. Full directions are below.

Tips and Variations

• Careful not to over mix the batter: When mixing the liquid ingredients into the dry, mix just until the ingredients are incorporated. Don’t over do it. Over mixing can result in a tough and chewy pancake instead of a light, tender one.
• Some lumps are OK – they magically disappear when they cook on the griddle.
• We love this pancake & waffle iron. It comes with pancake plates and waffle plates that you can switch out. It’s amazing! Here is a link: Belgian Maker with Pancake Plates & Waffle Iron
• If using a regular pan: we love this Square Griddle (nonstick). Keep your pan at the right temperature: I call it the Goldilocks method. The pan cannot be too hot and the heat also can’t be too low.
• I let the pan heat on medium heat and let it get hot for about 1-2 minutes. Then test out the pan with a little bit of water or a small pad of butter to see if it’s hot enough.
• Lightly grease the pan with butter or canola oil so it coats the pan and scoop the batter onto the pan right after so the butter or oil doesn’t burn. If using butter, can burn easily so I like to carefully wipe the pan clean between batches and add new butter.

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