Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

Fluffy and light whole wheat blueberry pancakes are a delicious way to start your day. Positively packed with wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, and juicy blueberries, a stack of these is an excellent motivator for getting up in the morning. 😉

Originally published in 2015.

Pancakes. One of the quintessential breakfast foods, with endless flavors, toppings, and variations like whole wheat oatmeal pancakes, birthday cake pancakes, pumpkin pancakes, and strawberry buttermilk pancakes.

It’s so much fun to play around with flavors, and today’s whole wheat blueberry pancakes rank the highest on my list. I originally published this recipe in 2015, and it’s been a favorite ever since. I even published the plain whole wheat pancakes, too! They’re fluffy and light, yet filling and chock-full of juicy blueberries. And they just happen to also be packed with wholesome, nourishing ingredients.

One reader, Kristen, says: “Easily the best pancakes I’ve made or had, hands down. Cannot WAIT to make them again! I used regular yogurt, since that’s what I had, and they turned out great. ★★★★★“

One reader, Niki, says: “Made these the other night for dinner (who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner?), and they were a hit! I’ve never used yogurt in a pancake recipe before, and I was not disappointed! I also love that the batch was big enough for me to have some leftovers to freeze! ★★★★★“

You’ll Love These Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes, Too

• Made with healthful whole wheat flour, but still light and fluffy
• Greek yogurt and milk add protein
• No refined sugar—we’re using maple syrup, yum!
• Quick and easy to make
• Like the plain whole wheat pancakes, but loaded with sweet blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Making the swap from all-purpose flour to whole wheat flour sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it? Just a simple, 1-to-1 replacement. Well, it’s not always that simple. More often than not, your whole wheat baked goods will taste overly heavy, dense, or tough. Not at all the fluffy, rich, soft recipe you were expecting. I wouldn’t use it to make cinnamon rolls, for example.

But in the right recipe with the right supporting ingredients, whole wheat flour can be absolutely delicious. Take my whole wheat pizza dough, for example. It took me 2 weeks of tweaking ingredients to get that perfectly soft and flavorful whole wheat pizza recipe just right. But back to breakfast!

Because whole wheat flour is capable of making pancakes taste like dry hockey pucks, let’s avoid that nonsense by loading the batter with just enough moisture.

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Grab These Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat Flour: I usually use King Arthur Baking whole wheat flour, but any brand is fine. You can also use white whole wheat flour.
• Baking Powder + Baking Soda: These are what give the pancakes some lift and make them puff up in the pan. Because whole wheat flour tends to weigh things down, we need to add just enough leavener to aerate the cooking batter without leaving any chemical aftertaste.
• Salt + Cinnamon: For flavor.
• Yogurt: I typically use plain Greek yogurt, but you can use any kind: dairy or nondairy; full-fat, low-fat, or nonfat; plain, vanilla, or honey flavored. You could even use sour cream.
• Milk: Again, these pancakes are great with any type of milk, dairy or nondairy.
• Maple Syrup: Not just for topping! We’re sweetening the batter with it. Make sure you use the pure stuff, not the one labeled “pancake syrup.”
• Eggs: To bind the ingredients together (and for extra protein).
• Vanilla Extract: A kiss of vanilla is the perfect flavor enhancer for these pancakes.
• Coconut Oil: The recipe calls for melted coconut oil, but you could substitute vegetable oil or melted butter if you prefer.
• Blueberries: Obviously! Fresh or frozen both taste great in these pancakes.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in 1 bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients in another, then pour wet into dry and whisk together before you gently fold in the blueberries with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Especially if you are using frozen blueberries, you want to use a light hand to incorporate them, because they tend to bleed their juices and, therefore, some color. (But purple pancakes are fun too.)

The results? Fluff city. (The actual technical term.)

Favorite Toppings for Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

A drizzle of maple syrup tastes wonderful on these, of course! As does whipped cream and honey butter. You could also try topping them with some melted peanut butter or almond butter, strawberry topping, raspberry sauce, or lemon curd.

If serving these pancakes for a big brunch, they nestle nicely alongside platters of fresh fruit, eggs, bacon or sausage, mini quiche, frittata, breakfast egg muffins, or ham and potato casserole. Enjoy!

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