Healthy Blueberry Pancakes (One-Bowl Recipe!)
My family is really picky about their blueberry pancakes, but they called these the best blueberry pancakes they’ve ever had! These pancakes are fluffy, moist, and positively packed with juicy berries. We almost never have leftovers! But if you do, the leftovers will keep for at least five days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they freeze and reheat really well too.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp (30mL) distilled white vinegar (see Notes!)
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- ¼ cup (60mL) water
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (135g) white whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 cup (140g) fresh blueberries (see Notes!)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl bowl, whisk together the butter, egg white, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt. Stir in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no lumps remain. Stir in the vinegar until fully incorporated. Stir in the milk and water. Pour the flour evenly over the top of the batter, and evenly sprinkle the baking soda and baking powder on top of the flour. Stir until the flour is just incorporated. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Lightly coat a large nonstick pan or griddle with nonstick cooking spray, and briefly preheat over low heat.
- Using a scant 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake, dollop the batter onto the hot pan, and spread into a circular shape using a spatula or back of a spoon (if desired). Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes, or until a slight skin starts to form around the edges. Slide a spatula underneath, and flip. Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes or until cooked through. Re-coat the pan with nonstick cooking spray, and repeat with the remaining batter.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's really important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your pancake batter.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s very important to sprinkle the baking soda and baking powder on top of the flour before stirring them in! This prevents clumps, which means your pancakes will cook properly and have the best texture.
IMPORTANT BATTER CONSISTENCY NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Remember… Thick batter = thick pancakes. Thin batter = thin pancakes. However, when you add thick batter to your pan, it does not spread, so you’ll need to spread it a bit yourself using a spatula, the back of a spoon, or the bottom of a measuring cup to get that nice, circular pancake shape.
For even thicker pancakes, decrease the water by 2 tablespoons.
For thinner pancake batter, add more water or milk until you achieve your desired pancake batter consistency.
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These pancakes aren’t overly sweet — and that’s intentional! Because my family usually covers their pancakes in lots of maple syrup, I found that adding more sweetener to the batter was completely unnecessary.
However, if you prefer sweeter pancakes, replace 2-4 tablespoons of milk with an equal amount of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave. (For example, if adding 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, then reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons [which would be 6 tablespoons of milk instead of ½ cup].)
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
VINEGAR NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: You cannot taste the vinegar in the fully cooked pancakes! It fully reacts with the baking soda, which helps your pancakes rise and turn puffy in the pan, and it also helps with their moist and fluffy texture.
If you don't have distilled white vinegar, substitute lemon juice instead. Although I haven't personally tried it yet, other readers have had decent success with apple cider vinegar.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour.
BLUEBERRIES NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Frozen blueberries may be substitute for the fresh, if you prefer. Just remember that they often dye the batter a grayish color, and your pancakes may require an extra minute or two per side to cook.
Do not wait to add the blueberries until after you’ve dolloped the batter into your pans! If you do this, the batter can’t cling to and “climb” up the sides of the berries to fully cover them, so the blueberries stick out like little mountains and prevent the second side from fully cooking. They must be folded into the bowl of batter for the best results!
DOUBLING THE RECIPE: This recipe is easily doubled or tripled to make more.
HOW TO STORE: Leftovers will keep for at least four or five days (if not longer) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you have any leftovers, they freeze really well too!
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten free flour, I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, 2 tbsp (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.
EGG FREE, DAIRY FREE + VEGAN OPTION: Use coconut oil (or any other oil!), your preferred non-dairy yogurt (ie almond-, soy-, or coconut-based) and your preferred non-dairy milk. My favorite vegan alternative for the egg white is 1 ½ teaspoons of Ener-G + 2 tablespoons (30mL) of warm water.
For more cooking tips, see the blog post above, as well as the text and pictures in this blog post of mine.
{gluten free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar, dairy free option, egg free option, vegan option}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.