Blueberry Pancakes For Babies & Toddlers (Dairy Free & Egg Free Option)
Make these blueberry pancakes for babies starting at 6 months and up, as baby led weaning or for more experienced eaters. The blueberry pancakes are toddler and kid friendly having the right amount of crispiness on the outside and a soft fluffy interior.
Below I’m sharing how to make the baby blueberry pancakes with regular ingredients, as well as gluten free, dairy free or egg free version.
If you’re looking for healthy baby food recipes for breakfast, or something healthy to pack in your child’s lunchbox, then these blueberry pancakes are just perfect for that! They are made entirely from scratch, with simple ingredients that can be adapted according to your baby’s dietary needs.
Make these baby blueberry pancakes in different sizes and serve as baby finger food in the morning, especially if you prefer the baby led weaning method.
I have already shared our favorite baby pancakes with banana with you and this one is just as great with a slight ingredient variation including the dairy free and egg free options.
Also make sure to check out these textured fluffy apple pancakes, banana oat pancakes or these sweet potato pancakes – babies, toddlers and older kids will just love them!
Related: Easy Baby Blueberry Muffins (6 months+, GF, DF Option)
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Ingredients Needed
- Milk is used as the liquid, but you can also use buttermilk (use plant based milk for dairy free version).
- Lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar) – the acid will help mimic the sourness in buttermilk and will also help create the bubbles when mixed with baking soda.
- Flour (for gluten free version use oat flour or your favorite gluten free flour mix)
- Melted butter – the fat provides fluffiness and moisture (or use oil for dairy free version (avocado oil or coconut oil works well).
- Egg – it adds structure and keep everything together (see below egg free version).
- Blueberries – use fresh or frozen blueberries, see suggestions below.
- Salt – it helps with defining the taste (I use Celtic salt, or pink salt which provides minerals and nutritional benefits, if you have regular refined table salt, it’s just best to omit entirely).
- Sugar – I used a very small amount of maple sugar – 2 tbsp (which is healthier than white refined sugar) or you can use maple syrup. You can’t feel the sweetness at all. For toddlers you can probably double the amount.
See full amounts and instructions in recipe card below.
How To Make Blueberry Pancakes For Babies
Step 1. Mix the milk and lemon juice and let it sit for a minute or two (to mimic the “buttermilk” effect).
Step 2. Whisk the egg into the milk, then the dry ingredients (except baking soda) until just combined, it’s ok if you still have clumps (you’ll take care of them later) you don’t want to overmix the batter (learned from my mistake).
Step 3. Then add the butter (or oil), give it another mix until there are no clumps (keep in mind, don’t overmix, otherwise the pancakes will turn hard and flat).
Step 4. Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, then turn the stove knob settings between 3 and 4. Add a bit of oil or butter for frying if you want a golden crust.
Step 5. When ready to cook, mix in the baking soda (or baking powder) and give it another gentle mix just to combine. Don’t overmix it will disperse the bubbles.
Step 6. Drop 2 tablespoons of pancake batter for each pancake (for 3 inch pancakes) then quickly arrange a few blueberries on top. Cook until you see little bubbles on top and the edges are starting to dry.
Step 7. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the pancakes are cooked through.
Best Blueberries For Pancakes
It’s best to use fresh blueberries and the smaller, the better. Wild blueberries are just perfect for that. When using smaller blueberries they blend easier and don’t poke through the batter. The larger ones usually pop open while cooking, spilling their juice in the frying pan.
If you don’t have access to fresh blueberries you can use frozen, but your pancakes may turn a bit green, due to leaked juices.
Tip For Perfect Blueberry Pancakes
Over-mixing pancake batter is a common oversight – it makes them heavy, flat and dry, not really fluffy. To prevent this, mix your ingredients very gently and just enough to combine, leaving some clumps behind. You will take care of them at the end just before adding the baking soda as the last ingredient.
By the way baking soda shouldn’t be overmixed as well, the created bubbles can disperse easily. Same strategy is is valid when making our baby blueberry muffins.
How To Make Egg Free Blueberry Pancakes
To replace the egg, swap it for a “flax egg” (2 tablespoons of finely ground flax seeds mixed with 4 tbsp of warm water). Let the flaxseed mixture sit for 5 minutes to absorb as much water as possible. Also we’ll need to replace the baking soda with 2 teaspoons of baking powder to achieve that fluffiness. Keep the rest of ingredient list as it is.
Note: if the batter seems too thick add 1-2 tbsp of more milk to adjust it. The cooking time might be a bit longer. Let the pancakes cool completely before serving, when warm they tend to be somewhat gummy.
Dairy Free Blueberry Pancake Substitutions
As dairy free milk I usually use coconut milk or a combination of coconut and tigernut milk (which I usually make at home, it’s nut free and perfect for babies allergic to nuts). Hemp milk is a another nut free milk alternative, it provides lots of key nutrients.
As butter substitute you can use a dairy free butter (which is too processed and unfit for very young babies) or some oil, chose a mild flavored oil and less processed. Avocado oil, coconut oil, or grapeseed oil are among the healthiest options.
How To Store
- Store leftovers for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze up to 3 months in an airtight container. First freeze the cooked pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Once hard transfer them in a freezer-safe container or bag for longer storage.
- Thaw / reheat – to defrost them in bulk just pop them out of the freezer and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Reheat at 170C /350F in the oven until heated through. Or use your toaster for single servings.
Serving Blueberry Pancakes For Baby Led Weaning
Each baby is different and develops at different rates, so the picture below is just a general guideline. Once the baby is getting better at using his hands and fingers, you will transition to different size of pancakes according to his feeding skills.
At 6 months you might be worried about whole blueberries as a chocking hazard (even if they are cooked and soft), if your baby still doesn’t have any chewing skills, it’s better to use cut-in-half blueberries or drop some blueberry puree over the pancakes when they are done.
More Pancake Recipes For Baby
- Apple Pancakes
- Banana Oat Pancakes
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Banana Pancakes (GF, DF Egg Free Option)
Have you tried this recipe? Your feedback is really helpful, please rate and leave a comment below recipe card!
Blueberry Pancakes For Babies & Toddlers (Dairy Free, Egg Free Option)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk (use plant based milk for dairy free version)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour (for gluten free version use oat flour or your favorite gluten free flour mix)
- 2 tbsp melted butter (or use oil for dairy free version (see post))
- 1 large egg (see post for egg free version)
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 3/4 tsp baking soda (or use 1.5 tsp baking powder)
- 1/3 tsp salt ((pink or Celtic salt, are healthier) or omit)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar (I used maple sugar; or omit for babies younger than 12 months.)
Instructions
Make The Pancake Batter
- Mix the milk and lemon juice and let it sit for a minute or two (to mimic the “buttermilk” effect).
- Whisk the egg into the milk, and the dry ingredients (except baking soda) until just combined. It’s ok if you still have clumps (you’ll take care of them later) you don’t want to overmix the batter (learned from my mistake).
- Then add the butter (or oil), give it another mix until there are no clumps. (Keep in mind, don't overmix, otherwise the pancakes will turn hard and flat).
- Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, then turn the stove knob between 3 and 4. Add a bit of oil or butter for frying if you want a golden crust.
- When ready to cook, mix in the baking soda and give it another gentle mix just to combine. Don't overmix it will disperse the bubbles.
Cook The Blueberry Pancakes
- Drop 2 tablespoons of pancake batter for each pancake (for 3 inch pancakes) then quickly arrange a few blueberries on top. Cook until you see little bubbles on top and the edges starting to dry.
- Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the pancakes are cooked through. See post for storing suggestions.
Notes
- Batter consistency should be somewhat thick but should pour easily. Add 1-2 tbsp more milk to adjust if you want thinner pancakes.
- Use a ceramic non-stick pan for best results. It’s healthier and easier.
- It’s best to use fresh blueberries and the smaller, the better. They don’t pop open while cooking like the large ones. Frozen blueberries – are the next best thing.
- Over-mixing pancake batter will yield heavy, flat and dense pancakes.
- To make egg free blueberry pancakes (or vegan pancakes), swap the egg for a “flax egg”, and use baking powder instead of baking soda. You might also need a touch of more milk. See the post for more info.
- To make dairy free blueberry pancakes – use plant based milk and oil as butter substitute. See post for more info.
- For gluten free pancakes, use ground oats (oat flour, gluten free certified) or your fav gluten free flour mix.
Nutrition
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The mini blueberry pancakes are excelent, a big hit!
Hi! Is baking soda safe for babies under a year old?
Yes, in baked goods is harmless.
I made Baby Blueberry Pancakes today. I used Gluten free Oat Flour, non-dairy Cashew milk, fresh blueberries and grape seed oil instead of butter. My batter was thin and made thin pancakes. I loved the taste and texture. It is great to find a recipe for small batches. I will make these again for sure❣️🧑🏻🍳🥰
I’m glad you got creative!