You’ll love these easy, homemade fluffy blueberry lemon pancakes made with buttermilk, fresh blueberries and lemon. This recipe was originally published on July 5, 2018 and updated on March 1, 2022.

Everyone loves a warm and fluffy stack of pancakes! They are the perfect family weekend breakfast. This recipe and my chocolate chip pancake recipe are the two recipes that I make the most frequently.
Why This Recipe Works
The key to fluffy pancakes is buttermilk. The reason is twofold, first there is acid which is what activates the baking soda (leading for a little extra lift) and you’ll end up with a more tender crumb.

Ingredient Notes
- The dry ingredients are a typical combination of flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. I like to use all purpose flour.
- Lemon zest is what gives these a punchy lemon flavour without adding additional liquid.
- Canola oil is used for the fat in this recipe as it’s neutral in flavour, you could also use vegetable oil.
- Buttermilk is key to making fluffy pancakes, if you don’t have buttermilk you could try making a homemade buttermilk substitute, but I’d stick with the real thing if you can.
- The other wet ingredients include eggs and vanilla.
- Fresh blueberries are my go-to in this recipe, I haven’t tried using frozen berries here, but if you do, let me know how it goes.

Expert Tips
- Avoid over-mixing the batter; some lumps are ok! If you over-mix, you’ll end up with a more rubbery than tender pancake.
- Use a neutral oil for frying. This can lead to a hot debate, but I swear by canola oil for frying the pancakes. I find you can get more even browning and not have to worry about the butter browning too much. If you want that buttery flavour, serve them with a pat of butter.
- Watch the pan–it can be tempting to walk away, but you’ll need to monitor the temperature of the pan and adjust as needed.
- You’ll know your pancake is ready to be flipped when until bubbles form on top and the edges begin to brown (this usually takes about 2 to 4 minutes).

Step By Step Instructions
- Begin by whisking the flour with sugar, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest and salt in a medium bowl.
- In another medium bowl, whisk buttermilk with canola oil, eggs and vanilla.
- Pour the buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and whisk to combine (the batter will still be lumpy–be careful not to over-mix). Fold in the fresh blueberries.

- To cook the pancakes, heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Spray with oil. Pour ⅓ cup batter into pan. If the pan is big enough, you can cook multiple pancakes at once.
- Cook until bubbles form on top of each pancake and edges begin to brown about 2 to 4 min. Flip and cook another 2 to 3 min. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with maple syrup.

Blueberry Lemon Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 oz fresh blueberries
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour with sugar, lemon zest, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In another medium bowl, whisk buttermilk with canola oil, eggs and vanilla.
- Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and whisk to combine (the batter will still be lumpy–be careful not to over-mix). Fold in blueberries.
- Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Spray with oil. Pour ⅓ cup batter into pan. If the pan is big enough, you can cook multiple pancakes at once. Cook until bubbles form on top of each pancake and edges begin to brown about 2 to 4 min. Flip and cook another 2 to 3 min. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with maple syrup.
Notes
- If your pancakes are browning too quickly before cooking through, adjust heat down to medium low. With pancakes, you’ll need to monitor and adjust the heat of your pan as you go.
- You'll know your pancake is ready to be flipped when until bubbles form on top and the edges begin to brown (this usually takes about 2 to 4 minutes).
Heather
Love this!
Shirley Clements
Your recipe with photo, looks sooo yummy! I am going to make it for my dinner tonight! I will add some vinegar to my milk to make buttermilk! I have all of the other ingredients! THX, Living Lou!
Shirley Clements
Oh my goodness; this pancake recipe looks & sounds sooo delicious! I will be making them, immediately!
Joseph K
I wanna try these with frozen blueberries ^^’ hoping it’ll Work but I’ll let you guys know ????
Louisa Clements
Thanks Joseph, I hope you enjoyed!
Joseph K
Indeed! Frozen blueberries might not be quite as good but if you add enough I find these work really well. Great recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Shirley Clements
Time to make your delicious lemon blueberry pancakes again! They are sooo delicious!
Shirley Clements
Not sure what I am doing wrong but this is the 3rd time I’ve tried to post a comment & it has not been accepted but I will try 1 more time & I want to say that I tried your pancake recipe & it was soooo yummy! Also, it is very easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
Shirley Clements
Hi Living Lou! I made theses pancakes & they were soooo yummy & they were easy to make! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Shirley
Hi Living Lou! I tried these pancakes & they are soooo delicious a they were so easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
Melanie
OOOh I love lemon blueberry pancakes–just healthy enough but still decadent and delicious. I must just make these tomorrow morning :)
Lou
Thanks Melanie, definitely a favourite of mine as well!
Ferg Devins
These look awesome for summer guests
Lou
Thanks Ferg, I hope you enjoyed!