Learn how to make these easy and delicious 'Healthy' Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes with simple ingredients from a dietitian! I use the word 'healthy' loosely because it can mean something different for everyone. Regardless, I know you'll just love these pancakes!
My kids could literally eat pancakes (or French toast!) every day of the week! So, now that they are older and eating more, I often double or triple this recipe so that we have leftovers to reheat throughout the week.
I'm so thankful pancakes reheat easily. Just warm them up in a microwave, toaster oven, or air fryer and you're set. Or if your kids prefer to eat blueberry pancakes cold, that's fine, too!
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Why You'll Love This Pancake Recipe
Blueberries add fun color, natural sweetness, and anti-inflammatory properties to these pancakes. My kids enjoy these whole wheat blueberry pancakes by themselves or with a drizzle of pure maple syrup.
- Easy Recipe This is an easy recipe for being a 'from-scratch' for being a blueberry whole wheat pancakes recipe. I realize the list of ingredients may seem long, but the recipe is actually very easy as long as you follow the steps in order. And, if you use two pans, you'll have a whole batch of pancakes ready in no time! 😅
- Simple Wholesome Ingredients This is my favorite blueberry pancakes recipe. It's made with maple syrup instead of refined sugar, golden wheat flour (white whole wheat flour) instead of all-purpose flour, and juicy blueberries.
- Light and Fluffy Oftentimes whole wheat pancakes are dense. Thankfully, the golden wheat flour and 'buttermilk' help to make lighter-than-expected whole-grain pancakes. 😍
- Meal Prep I don't always meal prep but when I do, it's usually when I make breakfast on a Saturday or Sunday morning. In my opinion, pancake recipes are easy to double or triple. What makes it even better, is that pancakes reheat quickly, which makes them perfect for busy mornings.
- Kid-Approved My kids enjoy eating these pancakes as they are. In fact, they eat these blueberry pancakes without maple syrup, if you can believe that ;).
Dietitian Tips
Tip 1 Using white whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour is an easy way to add whole grains to your diet without sacrificing taste. I use white whole wheat flour to make everything from pancakes to cookie bars.
Tip 2 Kids like to have a say in what they eat. For this reason, consider giving your kids a few options of what to top their pancakes with. Afterall, sometimes the toppings are the best parts to having pancakes. Examples: maple syrup, peanut butter, granola, Greek yogurt, or slices of fresh bananas.
Ingredient Notes
- White Whole Wheat Flour Also known as Golden Wheat Flour. White whole wheat flour is an unbleached, whole grain flour that can be found in the baking aisle (with the other types of flour) in most grocery stores. It has the same nutritional value as whole wheat flour, but because of the variety of wheat used to make it, white whole wheat flour has a milder flavor, a lighter color, and a softer texture.
- White Vinegar The acidity of vinegar helps make these pancakes "fluffy". Can use lemon juice instead.
- Milk Provides protein, calcium, and vitamin D. I use skim milk.
- Egg Help with the consistency of the pancakes. Provides protein and other nutrients.
- Blueberries Contain phytochemicals, including anthocyanins along with a variety of other nutrients. Fresh blueberries add color and flavor to this pancake recipe.
- Olive Oil Use extra virgin olive oil. Can use avocado oil or melted butter instead.
- Maple syrup Use pure maple syrup. Added for sweetness.
- Vanilla Added for flavor.
How to Make Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes
Here’s a quick overview of the steps to make these blueberry pancakes. For the full list of ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to a one-cup liquid measuring cup. Next, pour the milk in with the vinegar until it reaches the one-cup mark. Let this sit and curdle for a few minutes while you mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add vanilla, maple syrup, and one whisked egg to the flour mixture. Stir. Next, whisk in the curdled milk to smooth it out. Whisk batter well. The should still have some lumps. Let the batter sit while a greased skillet warms up on medium heat.
- Pour about one-quarter cup of batter per pancake onto a hot, greased square griddle pan or large skillet. Top batter with about 5-8 blueberries per pancake. Use the tip of a fork to move some of the batter to cover the tops of the blueberries.
- Once bubbles form and cover the top of the pancakes, flip the pancakes and continue to cook for one or two minutes, until the edges are golden brown, and the pancakes are cooked through.
Helpful Tips
- Grease the skillet with cooking spray, avocado oil, coconut oil, or butter. This will keep the pancakes from sticking.
- Blueberries are added at the end, after the pancake batter is poured, to help ensure even cooking.
- Whisk the egg well in a separate small bowl before adding it in with the other ingredients.
- Let the pancake batter rest for five minutes before pouring it onto the pan. This will give the baking soda time to activate. If you don't do this, you may end up with flat pancakes.
- About three pancakes can fit on a square griddle pan and still be easy to flip without mashing the others.
- To cut the cooking time in half, use two square griddle pans or skillets.
- A combination of baking powder and baking soda are used to get the best texture without sacrificing taste.
- You can substitute the baking soda for more baking powder, but don't substitute baking powder for more baking soda.
- There is no need to use separate bowls to separate the wet ingredients from the dry ingredients for this recipe.
- Cook pancakes on medium heat, not medium-high heat. I've tried rushing the process by increasing the temperature of my skillet and it resulted in golden brown pancakes that were undercooked in the center.
- Frozen blueberries can be used in place of fresh. Using frozen blueberries will increase cooking time slightly.
- These pancakes freeze well.
Questions You May Have
Yes. Vinegar reacts with the milk to create a 'sour milk' that is similar to buttermilk.
Let the pancakes cool to room temperature. Then, stack the pancakes and place them in a resealable bag before freezing.
To make it so that the pancakes are easier to pull out one at a time, place parchment paper between each pancake as you stack them, before placing them in a resealable bag to freeze.
These pancakes are easily reheated in a toaster oven or microwave. Or, if you are reheating a lot of pancakes at one time, lay them out on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
Did you make these whole wheat blueberry pancakes and love them? Please leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below to let me know! A 5-star rating is the best compliment!
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📖 Recipe
Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes
Equipment
- Griddle pan or large flat skillet. use two pans or skillets to cut the cooking time in half.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour Also known as Golden Wheat Flour
- 1 cup milk minus two tablespoons (step 1)
- ½ cup blueberries rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar can substitute with fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- 1 egg whisked with a fork
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add vinegar to the bottom of a one cup liquid measuring cup. Add milk to the one cup line and let sit for 5 minutes.
- While the milk and vinegar are sitting, mix together all other ingredients.
- Add vinegar and milk mixture to the batter. Wisk until all ingredients are incorporated. Batter should still be a little lumpy.
- Heat a well-oiled skillet over medium heat.
- Let batter sit for 3-5 minutes to let the baking powder activate, while the griddle is heating up.
- Pour batter onto a hot square griddle pan or skillet. 3-4 small pancakes should fit on one square griddle. 3 small pancakes can fit on one large skillet.
- Place 5-8 blueberries on top of each pancake as the bottom cooks (about 5 blueberries on small to medium pancakes, or up to 8 on larger pancakes). Cook until bubbles cover the top of the pancake, about 2-3 minutes.
- Flip pancakes and cook for an additional two minutes, or until the pancakes are cooked through. Remove pancakes from griddle and keep warm on a separate plate.
Notes
- This recipe is easily doubled.
- Store-bought buttermilk can be used in place of the milk and vinegar.
- The greased pan should be hot before pouring the pancake batter on it.
- If you do not let the batter sit for a few minutes before cooking, the first pancakes you make will be very flat.
- To make pancakes fast, use two griddle pans to make more pancakes at the same time.
- Grease the skillet with cooking spray, avocado oil, coconut oil, or butter. This will keep the pancakes from sticking.
- Blueberries are added at the end, after the pancake batter is poured, to help ensure even cooking.
- Let the pancake batter rest for five minutes before pouring it onto the pan. This will give the baking soda time to activate. If you don't do this, you may end up with flat pancakes.
- About three pancakes can fit on a square griddle pan and still be easy to flip without mashing the others.
- To cut the cooking time in half, use two square griddle pans or skillets.
- A combination of baking powder and baking soda are used to get the best texture without sacrificing taste.
- You can substitute the baking soda for more baking powder, but don't substitute baking powder for more baking soda.
- There is no need to use separate bowls to separate the wet ingredients from the dry ingredients for this recipe.
- Cook pancakes on medium heat, not medium-high heat. I've tried rushing the process by increasing the temperature of my skillet and it resulted in golden brown pancakes that were undercooked in the center.
Isabelle says
Yummy recipe! Secret ingredient makes them fresh and tasty.
Kristi says
Thank you! I agree, it's so fun to add extra ingredients to change up the flavor!