This is a variation of our whole grain pancakes base recipe. Pre-made pancake mixes can be enticing for their simplicity, but homemade pancakes are super easy and you get to control the ingredients that go into your body! Bananas and blueberries are a delicious combination – why not put them in a pancake? Jazz up your pancake breakfast with this easy banana blueberry pancakes recipe!
Three Must-Know Cooking Skills
For fluffy pancakes, learn how to:
Culinary Tips for Banana Blueberry Pancakes
Once you learn how to make banana and blueberry pancakes at home, you will realize how easy it is to make a fun, tasty, and balanced breakfast!
Be sure to use a ripe banana; it should have lots of dark spots. If you want to make this recipe but your bananas aren’t quite ripe, you can always roast them! Don’t worry if you have slightly more or less than ½ cup mashed banana; the recipe will still work. Add a splash more buttermilk if the batter is too thick.
Be sure to measure the flour correctly. Fluff, spoon, and level! Packing it into the cup creates dense pancakes. We use white whole wheat flour to keep the color light and the flavor mild. Trust us, your kids and family won’t even notice!
Don’t overstir! Too much mixing can result in tough pancakes which is not what you want when making fluffy buttermilk pancakes. Stir gently until all ingredients are just moistened; the batter should be slightly lumpy.
Have you ever noticed how the first pancake or batch looks splotchy? It is all about the pan! It takes time to distribute heat evenly across the pan’s surface. Oftentimes, you need to adjust the heat as you cook multiple batches. Also, be sure not to coat the pan with too much butter – excess will lead to splotches! Use as little as possible.
Either add blueberries to the pancake mix, add them during cooking, or sprinkle them over the pancakes after cooking – the choice is up to you!
Don’t have time to make the batter in the morning? Whisk the batter together the night before and give it a gentle stir in the morning. Now all you have to do is heat the griddle and get cooking!
If you have kids, have them help you make these easy fruit pancakes. It keeps them distracted from their hunger while they help cook, and they have fun measuring, mixing, and sprinkling! Older kids can even help flip the pancakes!
Ingredient Substitutions
- White Whole Wheat Flour: substitute whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour. You can also substitute regular whole wheat flour, but the flavor, color, and texture won’t be quite as light. If you don’t have white whole wheat flour, you can substitute half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour, although this will slightly decrease the fiber content.
- Sugar: substitute honey, maple syrup, or agave. Mix liquid sweeteners in with the wet ingredients.
- Banana: substitute any other fruit or vegetable puree – sweet potato, pumpkin, or applesauce. Just keep in mind that they will no longer be banana blueberry pancakes!
- Buttermilk: substitute kefir or homemade buttermilk. To make your own buttermilk, combine 1 cup milk with 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice and let sit for 10 minutes to allow the milk to curdle. If you want to make vegan whole wheat pancakes, use soy milk.
- Butter: substitute coconut oil or canola oil. However, there’s just no replacing the flavor of butter!
- Egg: substitute a flax egg to make vegan banana blueberry pancakes. To make a flax egg, mix 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseeds with 3 Tablespoons water. Let sit for 10 minutes until thickened.
- Almond Extract: substitute or add ¼ teaspoon of any other flavor extract – coconut, lemon, vanilla etc.
- Blueberries: substitute any berries of your choice or slightly thawed frozen blueberries. If using frozen blueberries, toss them in a bit of flour before adding them to the batter and fold gently to prevent purple pancakes (unless, of course, you want purple pancakes!).
Recipe Variations
Add any other toppings of your choice – coconut flakes, flaxseeds, nuts, nut butters, chocolate chips, fruit, etc. Feel free to mix into the batter, add during cooking, or garnish at the end.
Turn these into whole wheat oatmeal pancakes by adding ½ cup oats to the batter. This will create a slightly thicker texture, but you may like the added nuttiness that oats add. If too thick, add more buttermilk. With the added oats, you now have multigrain buttermilk pancakes!
Want to make banana blueberry protein pancakes? Give this recipe an added protein boost by replacing half of the buttermilk with plain Greek yogurt. If necessary, add more buttermilk or water to adjust the batter thickness to your preference.
Need some pancake recipe inspiration?
Use our whole grain pancakes base recipe as a guide, or check out some of our favorite variations!
Equipment Recommendations
Use these kitchen tools for recipe success!
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Dry Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Spatula
- Masher
- ¼ cup Portion Scoop
- Griddle
- Wide Turner/Spatula
Are banana blueberry pancakes healthy?
These banana blueberry buttermilk pancakes are full of nutritious ingredients that will keep you satisfied and energized for hours: whole wheat flour, low-fat buttermilk, low added sugar, and fresh fruit.
Whole Wheat Flour
Whole wheat flour is a good source of fiber, B vitamins, Vitamin E, trace minerals, and phytochemicals. Replacing refined grains (i.e. white flour) with whole grains (i.e. whole wheat flour) may reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. (1)
Confused about the pros and cons of gluten? Check out our gluten article that provides evidence-based information about this controversial protein!
Buttermilk
The words butter and milk imply that this liquid is a high-fat, creamy beverage, but actually, buttermilk doesn’t contain any butter! It was traditionally the liquid left behind after churning butter, but nowadays, food manufacturers have altered the process by culturing and fermenting milk to create a sour-tasting dairy product. Therefore, buttermilk contains many of the healthy nutrients found in milk: calcium, protein, and B vitamins.
Less Added Sugar than Leading Brands
High sugar consumption is not good for health, and in general, most Americans eat way too much! Men should aim to consume less than 9 teaspoons (~36 grams) of sugar per day, and women and children should aim to consume less than 6 teaspoons (~24 grams) of sugar per day. (2) This entire recipe only contains 1 Tablespoon of added sugar, which is just over 1 gram per pancake!
Learn more about hidden sugars in this article.
Fresh Fruit
These fruity pancakes are packed with blueberries and bananas. Blueberries are rich in Vitamin C, fiber, and phytochemicals. Bananas contain fiber and potassium. The natural sugar in fruit does not count against your daily sugar budget. Aim to include fruit in all of your meals so that you fill up on beneficial vitamins, minerals, fiber, water, and phytochemicals!
Blueberry Pancakes Serving Suggestions
Hold the pancakes in a warm oven (170 ºF) or the warm setting in a microwave until ready to eat. Serve with Greek yogurt, nuts or nut butter, or a side of scrambled eggs for a balanced breakfast full of healthy carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
How to Store Leftover Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes
Want whole grain pancakes from scratch every morning? Cook once, and eat all week! Multiply the recipe by your desired final yield, cook, and cool. Place cooled pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Frozen whole grain pancakes are great for a quick “reheat and eat” breakfast. For best quality, place cooled pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze for 1-2 hours, then place in a freezer-safe container. This helps prevent the pancakes from sticking to each other. Reheat in the microwave or a toaster until warmed through and enjoy banana blueberry pancakes for one!
Want the convenience of a pre-made pancake mix so that you can make healthy pancakes whenever you want? Make your own high fiber pancake mix recipe at home by whisking together the first 5 ingredients. Store in an airtight container in the pantry.
Want more blueberry breakfast recipes?
Check out these other delicious recipes!
Banana Blueberry Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Dash salt
- 1 medium banana (~½ cup mashed)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup blueberries
Instructions
- Heat a griddle or large non-stick pan over medium-low heat. In a large bowl, gently whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, mash the banana. Add the buttermilk, butter, egg, and almond extract, and whisk to combine.
- Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture. Whisk until just combined. Do not over mix. If it looks too thick, add a little more buttermilk (buttermilk thickness can vary). Gently fold in the blueberries or set aside to sprinkle on top of the batter when cooking.
- Lightly grease griddle or pan with non-stick spray or a little butter. Place ~¼ cup batter onto the griddle to create pancakes. Sprinkle blueberries on pancakes (if set aside), and gently press down as needed. Cook until tiny bubbles appear on the surface and the edges start to firm up.
- Flip and cook ~2 more minutes. You might need to lower the heat as you cook additional batches. Hold in the oven on a warming setting (~170° F) until ready to eat. Enjoy!
