Cornmeal Blueberry Pancakes (New Favorite Recipe!)

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If you are looking for a spin on traditional buttermilk pancakes, these cornmeal blueberry pancakes have become our favorite! The slight coarseness from the cornmeal creates a wonderful texture and pairs perfectly with the sweet blueberries.

While pancakes may be a more traditional breakfast food, in our house they most commonly show up for dinner. And when these blueberry cornmeal pancakes are cooking, there are cheers of excitement from everyone.

We have typically stuck to making our sourdough pancakes or buttermilk blueberry pancakes in the past. But with an abundance of homegrown dent corn that we grind into cornmeal, I’m always looking for ways to sneak it into our meals. Cornbread and cornmeal porridge are staples for our family. 

But we’ve started trying to incorporate a combination of cornmeal with other flours into our recipes—like these pancakes—and are thrilled with the results.

What Do You Need?

We love simple meals around here and this easy to whip up recipe with basic homestead ingredients fits the bill.

Besides a large bowl for mixing your pancake batter and a large skillet for frying, the ingredients are all pretty basic.

Flour – This can be a standard all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or our personal flour of choice is either Einkorn or spelt flour. 

Tip: To save money and for peak nutrition, we like to buy wheat berries in bulk and grind fresh flour in our NutriMill Harvest grain mill (use code FROMSCRATCH for $20 off).

Cornmeal – We love to mill our cornmeal fresh in our Wondermill Junior Deluxe so that the cornmeal retains as many nutrients as possible. Any coarsely ground cornmeal will work for this recipe.

Sugar – Our go-to is unrefined cane sugar but you can also omit in this recipe if you prefer.

Baking Powder (aluminum free) – Bob’s Red Mill is our favorite brand of aluminum free baking powder.

Baking Soda

Salt

Melted Butter – Or you can substitute coconut oil or rendered leaf lard.

Buttermilk – See note below to make your own.

Eggs – Large eggs are the best for this. I haven’t experimented with egg free substitutes in this recipe.

Blueberries – Fresh blueberries or frozen work great in this recipe. You could even substitute another berry, like fresh chopped strawberries or raspberries in this recipe.

How to make Cornmeal Blueberry Pancakes

To make pancake batter, first add dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) to a large bowl and mix together.

Next, add wet ingredients (melted butter, buttermilk and eggs). Stir until just combined making sure there is no unmixed flour.

Heat skillet with a spoonful of fat and let heat. Once you have a hot griddle or pan, scoop pancake batter onto hot pan (we’ve found a ¼ cup measuring cup works well for portioning this).

Sprinkle a small handful of blueberries into each pancake.

Let cook for a couple of minutes until plenty of bubbles form on the top of the pancake and can be flipped easily.

Once the cooked side is golden brown, flip and let the second side cook for an additional minute or two.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Repeat the process until all of the pancakes are made. To keep already made pancakes warm, place on a baking sheet in a 200°F heated oven.

Cornmeal Blueberry Pancakes Recipe

Yield: Approximately 30 Pancakes

Ingredients:

1-½ cups flour (All purpose, whole wheat, einkorn, or spelt)
1-½ cups yellow cornmeal
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil + more for cooking
2 cups buttermilk*
4 eggs
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salts) in a mixing bowl.

2. Add wet ingredients (melted butter, buttermilk, and eggs).

3. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined and no flour is visible.

4. Heat griddle or large pan, adding 1-2 tbsp fat for cooking.

5. Scoop ¼ cup of batter for each pancake.

6. Once pan is filled with pancakes, sprinkle a small handful of blueberries onto each pancake. 

7. Let heat for a couple minutes until lots of bubbles have formed and the pancake can be flipped easily.

8. Flip and cook the other side for an additional minute or two.

9. Repeat process with remaining batter.

Common Questions

Can you freeze these pancakes to store? 

Pancakes freeze beautifully. To freeze, place in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. When pancakes are completely frozen, place in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 6 months. Remove, thaw, and reheat as needed.

*How do I make my own buttermilk?

If you don’t have real buttermilk, there are a few options. My favorite substitutions are combining 1 cup of plain yogurt with a cup of milk in place of the buttermilk. Kefir is also a great substitute. 

To make your own quick buttermilk, add 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to 2 cups whole milk and let sit for 5-10 minutes. It should be noted that the lemon juice or apple cider vinegar could add flavor to your pancakes.

How do you make cast iron non-stick for cooking these pancakes?

Our favorite method for cooking pancakes is in a large cast iron skillet. To cook in cast iron without it sticking, the key is to make sure that the pan is plenty hot with a sufficient amount of fat before adding your pancake batter. This one step makes all the difference when cooking with cast iron!

Can I add the blueberries directly to the pancake batter?

Yes! The reasons I suggest adding the blueberries directly to the pancakes is to ensure even distribution of blueberries. I’ve found that if I add the blueberries directly to the batter, they usually sink to the bottom and we end up with the first several pancakes having very little blueberries and ones at the end having an overwhelming amount.

The blueberries added to the batter can also sometimes dye your batter giving your pancakes a purple/blue hue.

What if the inside is still doughy while the outside is getting burned?

This is a common complaint when cooking pancakes. It is caused by your pan being too hot and burning the outside of the pancakes before the inside has the chance to fully cook.

To remedy this problem, turn the heat down. For best results, we cook our pancakes over medium heat but you may need to bump down to medium-low heat to get perfectly cooked, fluffy pancakes.

How do you serve cornmeal blueberry pancakes?

In my opinion, the sweet flavor of the blueberries doesn’t even require additional maple syrup. We serve them up with some homemade butter alongside a savory, protein filled breakfast item, like bacon, sausage patties, breakfast meatballs, or eggs.

These pancakes make a great addition to any breakfast or brunch but in our home, they are more commonly served for dinner!

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For more recipes you’ll love:

The Best Soaked and Baked Oatmeal
Easy Skillet Dutch Baby Pancake (Gluten Free!)
Easy Egg Muffin Cups with Ham
Oatmeal Blueberry Blender Muffins

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