Delicious & naturally sweetened, these Healthy Blueberry Pancakes are perfect for babies that are baby-led weaning, as finger food or for toddlers. Great for breakfast or snack.
Blueberries just may be one of the best foods to nourish your body with.
That's why we love those summer months when they are in season and we usually buy a huge bulk that we can freeze for the winter.
So obviously, blueberry recipes are on the top of our list.
Whether it's just using blueberries as a topping in breakfast oatmeals or granola or simply adding them to various desserts, they always find a spot on our ingredient list.
But funny enough we still haven't done any blueberry pancakes! But now that we have, they are becoming a regular feature in our house.
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Nutrition And Ingredients
Eggs
- If you can get organic ones or free-range ones they are best as you can be sure that the chickens have not been treated with any hormones, antibiotics or preservatives
- Great source protein and B vitamins, especially choline
Rolled Oats
- Rolled oats are great for baking because when blended they can form a really nice oat flour that contributes nicely to the whole nutritional content of the meal
- A good amount of potassium and magnesium and a great source of fiber and complex carbohydrates
Whole Milk
- High in protein, fat, calcium
- Use whole milk to boost up the calorie and nutrition content of toddler meals
- We have tried this recipe using whole goat's milk and it worked perfectly
Banana
- If you don't have a really good blender, then you need to use a really ripe banana. Using a really ripe banana is also beneficial because it has a much sweeter taste than an underripe one and since there is no added sweetener to these pancakes the sweet banana taste is very much wanted
- Bananas are a great source of certain B vitamins (particularly B6 and biotin) as well as vitamin C. They are also a good source of manganese, copper, and potassium and have a fair amount of dietary fiber
Blueberries
- As already mentioned, I love buying blueberries in the summer and then freezing them for the autumn/fall and winter months while I wait for them to get back into season. This might not always be possible for everyone so buying organic fresh ones throughout the year is a good enough substitute
- They are a great source of fiber and various vitamins as well as a powerful antioxidant (one of the best)
How To Make Healthy Blueberry Pancakes
Prepare the batter. Add all the ingredients except the blueberries into a blender. Wash the blueberries and leave them whole (for babies over 1) or cut them into quarters or halves (for babies under 1). The blueberries will soften when cooked but we still want to make them smaller to minimize any choking risk. Mix the blueberries into the batter with a spoon or spatula.
Prepare the pan. Heat a pancake pan over medium heat. Once the pan is heated, add a bit of olive oil so that it barely greases the pan (this is my best tool for oiling the pan).
Making and baking the pancakes. Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter from the blender and place over the pan. Repeat until you have the full pan covered (you can usually fit 4 pancakes at a time). When you see the batter firming around the edges and lifting a bit of the pan, flip them over. Bake for another minute or two, based on the strength of the heat.
Cool and serve. Transfer to a plate to cool before serving.
How to Serve to Babies & Toddlers?
Baby
- Make sure the blueberries are cut up into halves or quarters so they don't pose a choking hazard
- 6-9 month old – cut the pancakes in length and width of your index finger so they can easily grab them
- 9 month+ or pincer grasp – cut into smaller bite size pieces, the size of your pinky fingernail if you prefer
- You can serve these with a thin smear of nut butter (nut butters are choking hazards so be careful to spread it thinly) and fruit mashed or cut up age appropriately
Toddler
- Serve them whole, the same as you would for adults
Tips And Tricks For The Perfect Pancakes
Choose the perfect pan. If possible, make sure you are using a non-sticky (non-toxic) pan for these blueberry pancakes. This way you will only need a minimum amount of oil to grease the pan and the pancakes will bake more quickly and evenly. And be easier to turn.
Know your pancake size. You want to make sure to make the blueberry pancakes just as big and as thin enough so that they are perfectly baked from the inside but not overbrowning on the outside. I’ve found with this batter that the perfect amount is taking one tablespoon and carefully arranging on a pan – evenly and as thinly as you can.
Don’t overuse the oil. If you have a perfect pancake pan, you will only need a slight amount of oil to grease it. I’ve recently switched to using olive oil for baby and toddler pancakes because I only use small amounts and you can’t really taste or smell it, I only need a small amount and the health benefits are better than coconut oil (you can still use coconut oil though).
If you add too much oil the pancakes will be too greasy and sometimes even soggy and there is a large possibility you child won’t want to eat them.
How to Store and Reheat?
Storage
- Fridge – place in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer – if you think you will be defrosting them individually then place them one on top of the other and then separate them with parchment paper followed by placing them in an airtight container. Once defrosted, use within 24 hours.
Reheating from frozen
- Reheat in the oven at 180°C / 350°F for about 5-10 min.
- Reheat in toaster for 1 min on defrost setting
- Reheat in microwave for about 15 sec on defrost setting (depending on the microwave)
Possible Blueberry Pancake Variations
Make them dairy-free. Instead of whole cow’s milk, you can use always substitute with plant-based milk. I would recommend if serving to babies and toddlers to use calcium fortified plant-based milk just ensure that they are getting enough of that very important nutrient.
Use a wholewheat flour. If you don’t have (or want to use) oats, you can always choose wholewheat flour. The amount of the added flour would be a bit less that the amount of oats. For this batter below I'd recommend tablespoons of wholewheat flour.
Vary your berries. Although my first option here would be to use blueberries because of their sweetness, you can really use any berries of choice. Make sure you cut them into smaller pieces first so that you don't have big chunks of berries in your batter and pancakes to minimize risk of choking.
Other Pancakes Recipes for Babies & Toddlers
Recipe
Healthy Blueberry Pancakes
EQUIPMENT
- Oxo Silicone Spatula
- Silicone Brush
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup rolled oats 65 grams
- ¼ cup whole milk 60 ml
- 1 banana
- ⅔ cup blueberries 100 grams
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients except the blueberries into a blender.
- Wash the blueberries and cut them into quarters (or halves if they are small).
- Mix the blueberries into the batter with a spoon or spatula.
- Heat a pancake pan over medium heat.
- Once the pan is heated, add a bit of olive oil so that it barely greases the pan.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter from the blender and place over the pan. Repeat until you have the full pan covered. I usually can make 4 pancakes at a time.
- When you see the batter firming around the edges and lifting a bit of the pan, flip them over.
- Bake for another minute or two, based on the strength of the heat.
- Transfer to a plate to cool before serving.
Notes
- Fridge – place in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer – if you think you will be defrosting them individually then place them one on top of the other and then separate them with parchment paper followed by placing them in an airtight container. Once defrosted, use within 24 hours.
- Reheat in the oven at 180°C / 350°F for about 5-10 min.
- Reheat in toaster for 1 min on defrost setting
- Reheat in microwave for about 15 sec on defrost setting (depending on the microwave)
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