Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

Pancakes are the first recipe I ever made. 

I remember dumping cupfuls of Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat pancake mix into a heavy bowl, clouds of sweet powder wafting back up at me. 

My mom taught me how to crack an egg and whisk it in a smooth, circular motion. My chubby wrists struggled to get the movement right.

Nearly two decades later, whisking an egg into pancake batter is as natural as walking.

That batter, however, has come a long way from the box. 

this recipe

It keeps the essentials: eggs, milk, flour, sugar, but adds wild cards like cottage cheese, lemon zest and a lot of vanilla extract. 

The pancakes elevate from nine-year-old birthday breakfast to sophisticated, delicious brunch that grown adults request regularly.

Blueberry pancakes pair wonderfully with mimosas.

I got the idea to add cottage cheese from a well-worn, early-2000s cookbook called The New England Bed and Breakfast Cookbook.

One particular recipe for Pancakes Verona in our copy of the book is stained with drips of coffee and still-sticky notes. It perpetually smells like butter.

The original recipe uses 100% cottage cheese and no milk, but this requires breaking out a food processor which I’m not willing to do before breakfast. 

There’s more sugar, less whole wheat flour, and not a blueberry in sight. And they are wonderful. 

Let’s make blueberry pancakes

My version of the pancakes is a bit more wholesome but no less enjoyable. Instead of dessert for breakfast you get a filling, complete meal that won’t leave you tired before lunch. 

The final product is something so good that I’m usually too full to sit down and enjoy it, because I was sampling bites of fluffy, crisp, hot cakes while cooking.

If you can resist the urge to eat them all, standing at the stove, I suggest topping them with good salted butter and roasted pecans. Maple syrup is a given. 

These blueberry pancakes are addictive, healthy, and the best thing to do with extra time on a Saturday morning.

They’re also something I would proudly serve to a nine-year old, as long as there are some for the adults, too.

Print Recipe

Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

(8 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Breakfast – American

By Samantha – Serves: 4, about 15 pancakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 20 minutes – Total Time: 40 minutes

Healthy blueberry pancakes that are delicious enough for a kid's birthday breakfast but wholesome enough for a sophisticated brunch.

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites
• 1 cup cottage cheese or whole milk ricotta cheese*
• 1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
• Zest and juice from 1/2 of a lemon
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup flour (all-purpose or a combo of all-purpose and whole-wheat)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• Salted butter and pure maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

1

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cottage cheese, sugar/maple syrup, vegetable oil, lemon zest and juice, milk, and vanilla extract. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir lightly, just until combined. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the egg whites on high until soft peaks form, 1-2 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

2

Heat a large (10 or 12-inch) skillet or griddle over low heat. It's important that the pan isn't too hot, or else the outside of the pancakes will burn before the inside cooks through. Drizzle oil into the pan and heat until it thins out and shimmers. Using a ¼ cup measure for each pancake, scoop the batter into the pan. While they cook, sprinkle the blueberries into each pancake (5-6 blueberries per pancake). Cook until both sides are golden brown (2-3 minutes per side). Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet or on a large plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding oil to the pan for each batch.

3

Transfer to plates, dot with butter, and drizzle with maple syrup. They are infinitely better if served right away.

Nutrition

• 396 Calories

Notes

*If you don't have cottage cheese/ricotta, use 3/4 cup whole milk total Pair with coffee or mimosas. Enjoying these past 11am? Go for the buttery Chardonnay.