Delicious, healthy and oh so pretty, these blue pancakes will have your kids excited to switch up your breakfast game.
There are blueberry pancakes and then there are blue pancakes. What’s the difference? Blue pancakes are way more fun!
These blue pancakes are a great way to spice up your breakfast table. In fact, you can even start engaging your kids during the cooking process. Show them the magic of turning purple batter into blue pancakes. The little ones will be fascinated!
To make these pancakes a little more than just fun, we have added oats to add a protein punch to just plain old pancakes. Serve these with fresh fruit and you’ll have a breakfast you can feel good about ready to go.
Want to know the best part? These blue pancakes freeze magnificently. Make a double batch, freeze them individually on a cookie sheet and move to a sealable container for an easy and quick pancake breakfast any day of the week.
Preparing Blue Pancakes
Ingredients
Egg: Eggs provide protein, fat and many other nutrients and therefore are a healthy part of our diet. Here they are used as a binder.
Milk: Milk makes up the liquid and adds a bit of fluffiness to these pancakes. I add partly skimmed or full-fat milk.
Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds sweetness to the recipe. You can pare it down to two tablespoons if you prefer less sweet pancakes.
Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract is made by soaking vanilla bean in water and ethyl alcohol. You can get pure vanilla extract or vanilla extract flavour. The latter may be made from synthetic vanillin to mimic the flavour.
Frozen Wild blueberries: Wild blueberries grow on their own in the wild. There is minimal human intervention in their growth. They are usually smaller in size than cultivated blueberries and I find that their flavour is much more pronounced and sweeter. Most frozen blueberries are flash-frozen meaning that they are frozen quickly under very high temperatures.
Rolled Oats: Oats add some fiber and protein to this dish making it that much more nutritious relative to regular pancakes.
Flour: I use all-purpose flour. It is wheat flour and the most commonly used flour for baking. You can use whole wheat flour for this recipe to add a little bit more fibre if you’d like.
Baking Powder and Soda: These are the agents that contribute to the beautiful texture of our pancakes. They help make the pancakes nice and fluffy.
Coconut oil: Coconut oil is one of my secret ingredients in this recipe, even though it’s just used for frying. Though the flavour is quite subtle it adds just enough to elevate the overall taste of the pancakes.
How to Make Blue Pancakes
Make the Batter
First, add all of the ingredients up to and including the salt to a blender. Blend until fully combined. Usually you combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately.
Because we are using rolled oats we want to make sure they’re ground up but we don’t want to overmix the flour so this
is our solution.
Next, take the top of the blender off and add the remaining ingredients. Blend just until combined. You don’t want to overmix now.
Cook the Pancakes
Heat up a teaspoon of coconut oil in a large pan. Once the pan is hot, add ¼ cup of batter per pancake to the pan.
I use a small ladle but a measuring cup works great as well. The batter is quite thick so you may need a spoon to help you get the batter out of your measuring cup or ladle.
I was able to fit four pancakes per batch. You don’t want to overcrowd them.
Cook for about three minutes per side and repeat until you have used all the batter. Because the batter is quite thick you won’t see bubbling but you will actually see the top of the batter turn blue, instead of purple. That’s how you know when to flip!
Add oil to the pan a teaspoon at a time between batches. You should be able to get about 8-9 pancakes per batch.
You can keep ready pancakes warm by keeping the plate in the microwave. Or, you can also store them in an oven-safe dish at a low temperature like 200°F while you finish up the other batches.
What other colour pancakes can I make?
We love colourful pancakes so if you’re trying to make other colours without food colouring give our faves a try.
Green Pancakes are an amazing way to get some veggies into your kids first thing in the morning.
Pink pancakes are so fun and you’d never know that we’re hiding even more healthy vegetables in there. Give them a try, I bet your kids will love a pink breakfast surprise.
Substitutions
Brown sugar: You can use granulated white sugar instead. Brown sugar just has a slightly different flavour. Nothing major enough to notice in these blue pancakes.
Milk: You can use plan-based milk however the pancakes might be a little bit drier because of the fat content in dairy milk.
Frozen wild blueberries: You can use cultivated blueberries instead. They will also taste great. The wild blueberries have a slightly sweeter and more pronounced flavour.
Serving
Blue pancakes are full of flavour. A hint of sweetness and a bit of blueberry flavour make these excellent on their own. This means that you can grab a couple on the go for the perfect mobile breakfast. Don’t eat and drive though!
If you have a couple of minutes to sit down, serve blue pancakes with syrup, icing sugar or whipped cream and fresh fruit and you’ll feel like you’re at a diner. Except better because doners don’t have blue pancakes.
Can I freeze blue pancakes?
Definitely! After you cook the pancakes let them cool. Next, lay them in a single layer, or if you need multiple layers separate them with parchment paper, on a lined cookie sheet.
Place them in the freezer for an hour or until fully frozen. Move the pancakes to a sealable container and keep them for up to three months.
How do I defrost blue pancakes?
To defrost, put the pancakes in a single layer in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Then put them in the toaster for 2-3 minutes, depending on how crispy you like them. Serve as suggested above.
Are you looking for more breakfast ideas? Check out our recipes:
Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Blue Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup frozen wild blueberries
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients up to and including the salt to a blender. Blend until fully combined.1 egg, 1 cup milk, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ½ cup frozen wild blueberries, 1 cup rolled oats, ¼ tsp salt
- Next, take the top of the blender off and add the remaining ingredients. Blend just until combined. You don’t want to overmix.1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda
- Heat up a tsp of coconut oil in a large pan. Once hot, add ¼ cup of batter per pancake to the pan. I was able to fit 4 pancakes per batch. You don’t want to overcrowd them. The batter is quite thick so you may need a spoon to help you get the batter out of your measuring cup or ladle.2 tsp coconut oil
- Cook for about 3 minutes per side and repeat until you have used all the batter. You should be able to get about 8-9 pancakes per batch.
- Serve with syrup, fresh fruit, icing sugar, or any combination. Enjoy!
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