Name: Sugar free blueberry pancakes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 100 grams blueberries (reserve a few for topping); 100 grams plain flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; pinch of salt; 150 ml milk (of your choice- dairy or plant based); 1 egg; 1/4 teaspoon spice (cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, cloves, ginger etc.); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

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Truly sugar free blueberry pancakes recipe with no added sugar made with fresh blueberries and a pinch of cinnamon powder. Serve with extra blueberries and plain (or Greek Yoghurt) for a low calorie (and low sugar) breakfast or a brunch.

If you’ve tried my basic sugar free pancake recipe, you’ll love this one too!

Why make this recipe

This pancake recipe has no added sugar. I’ve deliberately not included any sugar substitutes, because they are still sugar
The sweetness comes from the blueberries, milk and cinnamon (or any other spice you choose)
Simple to make
Healthy pancakes recipe with fresh fruit
Low calorie – about 70 calories per pancake

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How healthy are blueberry pancakes without sugar?

My version of blueberry pancakes with no added sugar has only 70 calories per one pancake (my recipe makes about 8 pancakes), which means that if you have 4 pancakes it’s only 280 calories in total plus your choice of toppings (say low fat plain yoghurt and extra blueberries). This is still a very low calorie breakfast and of course low sugar too.

My blueberry pancakes are also suitable for diabetics, but since I’ve used plain white flour, I’d recommend to swap it for wholewheat plain flour or perhaps a mix of buckwheat or spelt flour.

Wholewheat flours release their sugar very slowly, which is good for our bodies (you won’t experience that sugar rush and it’s certainly better choice of flour for anyone following the diabetic diet).

Wholewheat (or wholemeal) flours are also higher in protein and fibre, which fills you up nicely and keeps you energetic for much longer than regular flours.

Blueberries are often called a super food, as they are full of vitamins and antioxidants. They are also naturally low in sugar and one of the fruits that are safe to eat on a low FODMAP diet. They are easy to digest so even if you don’t have any problems with digestive system, blueberries are a good choice to eat.

This blueberry pancake recipe has no added sugar. I’ve not included any sugar substitutes, because they still act as sugar in our bodies.

However there is a natural sugar in the blueberries and when our bodies start to digest flour, the gluten also turns partly into sugar. So, whilst you will see in my nutritional calculations, there is still some minimal amount of sugar, it comes naturally from the ingredients, not because it would be added in.

Top tips for making blueberry pancakes without sugar successfully

There is not much that can go wrong with this recipe, just mix everything together and go slow on cooking the pancakes as the blueberries in pancakes batter can stick to the pan if you add too much heat.

These blueberry pancakes with no sugar will also take a little longer to cook through to allow for the fresh blueberries to cook properly.

Spices & flavours that pair up well with blueberries

Appart from the cinnamon powder and vanilla extract I’ve used in my blueberry pancakes, you can also swap it with the following spices that work well with the blueberry flavour. You can mix them together, but don’t add more than the total amount given in the recipe (otherwise the pancakes might end up too spicey).

Cinnamon
Allspice
Mixed spice
Ground Cloves
Ginger
Mace
Nutmeg

Vanilla extract
Lemon extract
Almond extract

My favourite spice mixes that go well with sugar free blueberry pancakes

I also have my homemade spice mixes that I often use for making pancakes and the following spices mixes work great with blueberry flavour.

Do you need any specialist equipment to make pancakes?

All you need is a good frying pan or a flat griddle to make these pancakes.

Saying that I really like to use my 4 pancakes frying pan, because it has a medium-sized cavities, that make the pancakes nicely thick and well risen.

I’ve noticed that when I’m using regular frying pan, the pancakes are more flatter and of course, totally different shapes every time!

Notes on Ingredients & Possible substitutions

Blueberries

I’ve used fresh blueberries for this recipe, but you can also use frozen blueberries. I would leave them to defrost a little before adding them in and saving any blueberry juice for later for toppings.

In theory you could use canned or tinned blueberries, but these are usually made in syrup, which would add a lot of extra sugar to the recipe. So, if you want to keep the sugar low, I’d not recommend to use tinned blueberries.

Flour

I’ve used plain (cake) flour for this recipe, but if you want to make a slightly differently flavoured pancakes, why not try different flour next time? As long as you keep the total amount of flour the same, you can mix few flours together to get the perfect mix.

Flours that work with these blueberry pancakes recipe

Buckwheat flour
Spelt Flour
Wholewheat (wholemeal) cake/ plain flour
Oat flour – or quick oats or porridge oats
Almond or coconut flour (mix them with other types of flours like wholemeal or plain flour as they gluten free and your pancakes might fall apart)

Salt

I always add a tiny pinch of salt to my pancake batter because it helps to bring all the flavours together. I use regular fine table or cooking salt.

Milk

I’ve used semi-skimmed dairy milk for these no sugar blueberry pancakes, but other types of milk both dairy or plant based are also suitable.

full – fat milk (whole milk)
skimmed milk
dairy milk (lactose free)
rice milk
oat milk
almond milk
hazelnut milk
soya milk
50% water & 50% white yoghurt milk
50% cream & 50% water or milk

How to make blueberry pancakes recipe dairy free, gluten free or vegan

Dairy Free Version

The regular milk can be easily replaced by any plant based milk that you like. Rice, Oat, Soya or

Almond milk is now available from most larger supermarkets and can be easily frozen to keep for later. I always keep some almond milk frozen in smaller quantities to keep for my pancake making.

If you run out of milk or don’t have any, just use water or other liquid of your choice that would compliment the blueberry flavour.

For example if you are using a blueberry compote instead of fresh blueberries, use the liquid from the tin with a little bit of water to make the pancake batter.

Gluten Free Version

I’ve used basic plain flour in this recipe, but you can easily swap it with any gluten-free flour.

Use the same amount and add a large pinch of xantham gum to the batter (unless the gluten free flour already has xantham gum included).

Leave the pancake batter to rest for 5 minutes after you mix it. This helps the xantham gum to bind the gluten free flour and hold everything together.

You can use naturally gluten free flour such as lupin flour, buckwheat flour, homemade potato flour or mix of cornflour and rice flour.

Vegan Version

Use plant based milk (for suggestions see the dairy-free version) and either leave out the egg or replace it with 1/2 banana or 1 tablespoon of chia seeds soaked for few hours with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water.

You can also swap the one egg for a flax egg. This is made by mixing together 1 tablespoon of flax seed and 2 1/2 tablespoons of water. Leave the flax seed to soak up the water and use instead of one egg.

You can also use 1/4 cup of applesauce, but make sure it’s unsweetened version if you want to keep the sugar intake low.

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How to make sugar free blueberry pancakes

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, spice and salt and mix well.

Whisk in the egg, vanilla extract and milk until everything is combined and you have a smooth pancake batter.

Add most of the blueberries (save some for topping) and gently fold them in.

Heat a little of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat until medium hot.

Depending on the size of your frying pan, drop about 1-2 spoonfuls of batter to form one pancake. I can do 4 in one go, but do 3 if your pan is not big enough.

Once one side starts to ‘dry out’ and you see bubbles forming, flip over and fry/ cook the other side for another minute.

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Pro Tip

Rest the pancake batter: Let the batter rest for at least 5 minutes before cooking. This will allow the gluten in the flour to relax and the batter to thicken slightly.

This means that your pancakes will cook evenly and you won’t end up with a slightly uncooked middle of your pancakes.

How to serve blueberry pancakes without sugar

Serve your blueberry pancakes when they are still warm with extra blueberries on top, drizzles of yoghurt and a sprinkle of extra cinnamon or spice of your choice.

If you really feel that the pancakes need extra sweetness, add a little bit of low sugar syrup such as stevia, maple syrup of some of the low sugar maple syrup substitutes, but be careful of not adding too much as there is very little point in making pancakes without sugar and add add the sugar as your topping.

Here are some other toppings that go well with blueberry pancakes that are also sugar free, low sugar or naturally sweet with no extra sugar added.

Applesauce – unsweetened or make your own by peeling, chopping and cooking few apples in microwave or saucepan with a little bit of water until they soften. Add cinnamon powder and lemon juice for flavour.
Peanut Butter (unsweetened)
Dark (plain) chocolate – min 70% cocoa solids – heat it up and drizzle over your pancakes
Blueberry sauce – make your own by mashing up blueberries and heating them up in a microwave or in a saucepan (don’t add any sugar)
Greek or Plain yoghurt

Serving size

This recipe makes approximately 8 medium sized pancakes (about 8 cm/3 inch wide), and the quantity is suitable for 2 people.

Can these sugar free blueberry pancakes be made in advance?

These pancakes keep well and you can make your sugar free blueberry pancakes recipe in advance and keep them in the fridge in an airtight container (stored with baking parchment in between each pancake, so that they don’t stick to each other) for 1 day maximum.

How to store sugar free blueberry pancakes if you have any leftovers

If you do have some leftovers, cover your pancakes (or place them into an airtight container) and keep them in the fridge for 1-2 days. These pancakes should be really eaten soon after they are made, as they have fresh blueberries in them and they might start to go off after few days.

Can you freeze blueberry pancakes?

Providing that you have used fresh blueberries (and not frozen ones) you can safely freeze these pancakes for later.

Blueberry pancakes are fairly O.K for freezing as the texture will stay the same when they are defrosted (and warmed up again) – the only thing that will change is the blueberries that will go slightly softer and their juice might ooze out. I don’t see that as a problem, but you might like to know, because of the presentation and all that…

Providing that you’ve frozen your pancakes correctly (and keep your freezer at good condition), your pancakes should last up to 3 months in the freezer. They will probably be fine for much longer, but I’ve always eaten them before that time.

Freeze sugar free blueberry pancakes straight away after they have cooled down, leaving them on a flat tray (placed in the freezer) and then stack them up with baking or greaseproof paper in between each pancake. That way, you can easily take one or two pancakes out on its own and have them for breakfast any time you want.

To defrost your blueberry pancakes, just take them out the night before you want to use them and defrost them overnight in the fridge.

You can also defrost pancakes over a saucepan of simmering water or using a microwave or oven (see my notes about heating up your pancakes).

How to re-heat no sugar blueberry pancakes

Simply microwave the pancakes for 10-20 seconds, depending on the quantity. Check after 10 sec and add more time if needed. You can keep them stacked in a 3-4 to prevent them from overheating or burning.

You can also use the oven to re-heat your pancakes by heating the oven to about 180C (350F) for 5 minutes – depending on the quantity and leaving the pancakes to warm through. Cover the pancakes loosely with a tin foil and spray the oven (or splash) inside with a bit of water to prevent the pancakes from drying out.

To save money, I would only use the oven if I’ve been baking something and I have a resitual heat in the oven – I wouldn’t switch the oven on just to warm up my pancakes.

If you don’t have access to microwave or oven, you can also warm up pancakes over a saucepan of hot water.

To warm up pancakes over hot water, first add some water (1 inch – 3 cm) to a medium size saucepan and place it on a medium heat and let the water simmer.

Add the blueberry pancakes – ideally spaced out to a bowl or plate and place them on top of the saucepan. If you have something suitable, like a large lid or another light plastic bowl, cover the pancakes to make them warm up quicker.

Let the water simmer for 3-5 minutes, by which time the pancakes should be nice and hot. This method will keep the pancakes nice and soft.