This thick and fluffy pancake casserole is filled with blueberries and topped with a brown sugar crumble. This is a great way to make pancakes for a crowd, and it’s a great meal prep dish (it reheats beautifully).
This is one of my most popular recipes – and for good reason. This recipe is easy, delicious, and it’s always met with rave reviews. Think of it as a mashup between pancakes and coffee cake.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
Flavor: Buttermilk pancakes with a touch of vanilla, lemon, blueberries, and maple syrup.
Texture: Imagine a super thick and fluffy pancake filled with juicy blueberries and a crunchy crumb topping.
Ease: Although this recipe has several steps, it is super easy. No special equipment or techniques needed.
Feed a crowd: If you don’t feel like standing over the stove flipping individual pancakes for a crowd this is a great alternative. I often make this dish for holiday breakfast/brunch.
Great leftover: Reheat individual servings in the microwave, this casserole reheats beautifully.
Pancake casserole recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Crumb topping:
Combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter. Pop the topping into the fridge while you proceed with the pancake batter.
Pancake batter:
- Combine dry ingredients in one bowl.
- Combine wet ingredients in another bowl.
- Combine wet and dry.
- Be careful not to overmix (it will be lumpy).
Add the batter to a greased 9×13 pan. Top with blueberries and crumb topping.
Bake!
Make ahead options
Can this be made ahead?
I highly recommend serving this right after baking but you can do most of the prep in advance. Note: individual leftovers reheat well in the microwave but I do not bake and reheat the whole dish.
Use this method to prep ahead and you will only have a couple of “hands-on” minutes in the morning:
- Prepare the crumb topping and refrigerate until ready to use (up to 1 day in advance). It will firm up quite a bit as the butter chills in the fridge. Let it sit at room temp for an hour (if you have time), or just use your fingers to break the crumb topping into chunks as you scatter it over the pancake batter.
- Pancake batter: combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda) in a large bowl and tightly cover at room temp overnight.
- Pancake batter: in a large glass measuring cup or bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, milk, lemon zest and vanilla (all of the wet ingredients except the melted butter). Tightly cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning: Preheat the oven, whisk 4 tablespoons melted butter into the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stir well, pour into a prepared casserole dish. Top with blueberries and the refrigerated crumb topping and bake!
Can you use pancake mix?
I have tried swapping the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt and leaveners) in place of 2 ½ cups of pancake mix. It did work, but I found that the packaged pancake mix puffed up really high, which made the blueberries and crumb topping sink in. It tasted fine, but I prefer this recipe made the way it is written.
Can you use frozen blueberries?
YES! Swap the fresh blueberries for frozen blueberries (without thawing them). Note: You might need to increase the bake time by a couple minutes, and the blueberry color will bleed into the pancake batter a little more than it does with fresh blueberries. It will still taste fine.
Psst: If you absolutely LOVE blueberries (like my family does), you can top this Pancake Casserole with Blueberry Sauce.
Serving and storage
Serve warm topped with maple syrup. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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Recipe
Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake Casserole
Ingredients
Crumb topping:
- ½ cup flour
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pancake:
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour, see note
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ½ cup milk, I used skim milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1-2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups blueberries
- maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
Crumb topping:
- In a medium bowl combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add melted butter and stir until fully incorporated. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the pancake batter.
Pancake:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, milk, melted butter, lemon zest, and vanilla extract (the butter might clump from the chill of the cold ingredients- that’s ok). Whisk wet ingredients until well combined. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to stir until combined. The batter will be lumpy; do not over mix.
- Pour the batter into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle the blueberries over the top. Remove the crumb topping from the fridge and crumble over the top of the blueberries and batter. Bake for about 35-45 minutes, until puffed and light golden brown (check the center for doneness). Serve warm with maple syrup.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Kerry
New family favorite!
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by!
Dina
Loved this recipe! I had buttermilk I wanted to use up and this was a great solution. I used frozen blueberries and since I only had salted butter, I just cut back on the salt ingredient a bit. Definitely follow directions and only mix until dry ingredients are wet and batter is still lumpy. Turned out light and fluffy and full of flavor. Thanks!
Allison
You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Susan Paterson
I have an instant buttermilk pancake mix (just add water). Any suggestions regarding the amount of liquid I should use (milk/water)?
Allison
Hi, Susan. You will want to add all the liquid ingredients (from the eggs down) to the pancake mix. Here is the note I have in the post regarding my experience with this:
Can You Make Pancake Casserole with Pancake Mix?
I have tried swapping the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt and leaveners) in place of 2 ½ cups of pancake mix. It did work, but I found that the packaged pancake mix puffed up really high, which made the blueberries and crumb topping sink in. It tasted fine, but I definitely prefer this recipe made the way it is written.
Amy S.
MAKE THIS NOW! My daughter wanted pancakes but I HATE making them because of they are so time consuming. I also don’t get to enjoy them with my family because I gotta cook till the batters gone. I also despise the left over!
Found this recipe and it fixes EVERYTHING! All in one pan….cut and serve. Not to sweet and light and fluffy. I can already tell it’s going to reheat like a boss.
I will make this over and over again.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe. I totally agree, this is so much nicer than standing at the stove flipping pancakes while the rest of the family eats. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Mary
Great recipe. But my streusel topping was soggy and not crunchy as I had hoped. I used 2 cups of wild frozen blueberries and baked the casserole for 40 minutes. Any ideas?
Allison
Hi, Mary. The extra moisture from the frozen berries was probably a factor, especially since the streusel topping is on top of/next to the frozen berries. If you want the topping crunchier you can try fresh berries or if you’re going to use frozen I would reduce the amount. Enjoy!
Heather
Can this be frozen and reheated?
Allison
Yes, you can freeze and reheat individual servings. I would not recommend freezing and reheating the whole casserole.
Annalisa Lucas
Has anyone tried replacing flour with a gluten free blend?
Aly
This was fabulous! My whole extended family raved about it at brunch and demanded I share the recipe. Thank you!
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Heidi Roberts
My entire house loved this so much they want me to make at least a few more batches to freeze in single servings. Also, my 10 year old who is on the spectrum and never wants to eat anything but pizza and fries actually at this and didn’t even want syrup! This is so great!
Allison
Yay! I’m so glad. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Enjoy!
Jenifer Peterson
Can this be frozen for a later time?
Allison
You can freeze and reheat individual servings. I would not recommend freezing and reheating the whole casserole. Enjoy!