Make These Gluten Free Blueberry Pancakes
I am excited about sharing these gluten-free blueberry pancakes. I will also share an option to make these almond pancakes vegan and also have a lemon blueberry pancake version!
Some of my happiest memories as an adult on family vacations include foraging and picking local food in the region where we were visiting. One year, on a camping trip in Iowa, we picked wild gooseberries, and I made a cobbler in an iron skillet over the campfire.
Another time, we happened upon a cherry orchard in Door County, Wisconsin, and picked a 5-gallon bucket, which we took back to Saint Louis to make cherry muffins, pancakes, and cherry wheat beer. How I wished I had known about a cherry pitter back then!
One of our most exciting wild food finds was when we visited the mountains of Western North Carolina and discovered wild blueberries on a hiking trip! We lived on the state’s eastern side near Raleigh and loved vacationing in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Wild blueberry season comes to Southern Appalachian mid to late August and lasts through Labor Day.
Lucky for me, our family has since moved to Western North Carolina and made wild blueberry picking an annual tradition. This year will be the first time we will go without our faithful dog, Baxter, who enjoyed picking and eating them right off the bush!
Blueberry Nutrition
Let’s talk about some blueberry nutrition!
In addition to their delicious flavor and beautiful color, blueberries are a superfood packed with phytochemicals and antioxidants that may help with night vision, motor skills, and memory. They are also rich in fiber and Vitamin C.
You may wonder where we pick them. They are all over, but save some for the bears and the birds. Take a few. And if you don’t live out this way or don’t want to get out and hunt for them, you may be able to head to the local farmers’ market for the local late berries, depending on where you live. Be sure to freeze some, so you have plenty for later.
What to make? How about a blueberry barbecue sauce, yogurt, granola parfait, or muffins for breakfast? One of my favorite ways to eat blueberries is pancakes! This healthy breakfast recipe is one that I created for a seasonal cooking class that I gave at the North Carolina Arboretum a few years ago. In addition, these pancakes are gluten-free!
In addition, we can discuss the nutrition of frozen blueberries. With blueberries being frozen immediately near where they are picked, they retain most of their nutrients—making it.
Hence, the nutrition in blueberries frozen is almost equal to freshly picked blueberries.
That is a pleasant surprise for people who do not live where blueberries grow!
Recipe for Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes
Blueberry Gluten-free Pancakes
Because gluten has so many desirable baking qualities that it provides, it takes a blend of flour to give these gf blueberry pancakes just the right texture and taste. The xanthan gum helps the flours come together to make an excellent product. As you can see, I have a lovely pop of red from the last bite of raspberries from our raspberry bushes and a splash of mint for a garnish from my garden!
½ cup corn starch (you can use instead either arrowroot starch or tapioca starch)
½ cup sorghum flour
¼ cup almond meal
¼ cup cornmeal (you can also substitute millet flour)
½ cup rice flour
One teaspoon of xanthan gum
½ teaspoon salt
One teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
One tablespoon of brown sugar
Two eggs beaten
1 ½ cup milk or almond milk
Two tablespoons of canola oil
½ teaspoon gluten-free vanilla
1 pint blueberries (I try to add about 1/4-1/3 cup blueberries to each pancake and use for a garnish)
Yogurt for topping if desired
Mint and raspberries for garnish if desired
Maple syrup
Combine corn starch, sorghum flour, corn meal, almond meal, rice flour, xanthan gum, sugar, gluten-free baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Begin preheating the griddle. Mix eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl and add lightly to dry ingredients, being extra cautious not to over-stir.
Lightly grease the griddle, and when it is heated, begin adding batter. Toss in blueberries on the uncooked side of the pancake. Turn the pancakes off the griddle and top with syrup and almonds when slightly bubbly. This recipe makes about eight medium-sized pancakes.
Why did I not use 100% almond flour in the recipe? Almond flour can be extremely expensive, and I think a combination of gluten flour provides a better quality product. It also gives a larger variety of nutrients. However, one of the biggest reasons is that a large amount of almond flour may contribute to GI upset for many people.
Check out my tips below for a lemon blueberry pancake recipe variation and a vegan almond flour pancake option.
Blueberry Lemon Pancake Recipe
Would you like to add lemon zest to your blueberry pancakes? I love the combination of blueberries and lemon. Lemon blueberry pancakes are delicious, and adding lemon zest is easy! Start with 1 or 2 lemon zest added to your batter. You can add a few teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the maple syrup to pour over your blueberry pancakes.
Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
Let’s discuss how you can make these almond-flour blueberry pancakes vegan. Try making a flax egg! It’s easy and works very well. To make a flax egg, use one tablespoon of ground flaxseed with two tablespoons of water. Since my recipe calls for two eggs, you would double the flaxseed egg.
There are also several vegan egg substitutes that you can use!
So you can see how easy it is to make these almond flour pancakes!
More Gluten-Free Recipes to Add Fruit
Here are a few more recipes to add to the fruit you picked on your trips.
Gluten-free Fruit Muffins
Gluten-Free Fruit Muffins with Streusel Topping Recipe | King Arthur Baking
Low Fodmap Cranberry Walnut Coffeecake
Low Fodmap Cake Recipes- Cranberry Walnut Coffeecake (vineripenutrition.com)
Enjoy These Blueberry Almond Flour Pancakes
Let me know if you make these gluten-free blueberry pancakes and enjoy the vegan blueberry pancake variation!
Even though most of the food on our trip was found by accident, planning a vacation in an agritourism region with special local treats can be a satisfying experience! It gives children new opportunities and a great learning experience. If you have not considered it, you might want to try it!
As we get into fall, there will be opportunities for apple picking, pumpkin patches, wine tastings, and, in our region, winter Christmas tree cutting. Where you live, there may be other fun traditions to start!
I hope that you enjoy the blueberry almond flour pancakes! Or the vegan almond flour pancakes! As a registered dietitian nutritionist in Asheville, NC, I love teaching people many tasty ways to improve their health! I like to use ingredients from local farmers as much as possible in my healthy menu planning.
Thank you for checking out my vacation food excursions. Please also check out some of my other posts and recipes!
If you are a woman looking for group support in making lifestyle changes, look at our new membership, the Growing Vine Community! I hope that you find lots of health inspiration from others and that you can also make a difference for them!
