Fluffy Strawberry Pancakes Recipe

You'd be forgiven if the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "strawberry" is shortcake. After all, who doesn't love these sweet yet tangy berries combined with luscious whipped cream? But, remember, strawberries can grace salads at lunch, appear next to rhubarb in a slice of pie after dinner, be covered with chocolate for a decadent (and romantic) treat, and, thanks to recipe developer Jaime Bachtell-Shelbert of Wholly Nourished, strawberries can be part of a delicious take on a classic breakfast.

With just 10 minutes of prep and 6 minutes of cooking, you can have fluffy, homemade strawberry pancakes, perfect all by themselves or paired with eggs, Greek yogurt, or peanut butter for a blast of protein. And best of all, this recipe is great for the adventurous chef who likes experimenting with ingredients to make a personalized culinary creation. So, get out your whisk and griddle. It's time to make an extra special breakfast.

To make your homemade strawberry pancakes, you'll need flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, and vegetable oil. In addition, you'll need one egg and 1/2 cup of strawberries, chopped into 1/4-inch thick pieces.

Before you chop your strawberries, you may want to soak them in salt water. Also, when picking out strawberries, remember, they do come in different colors, and the white variety are more expensive. However, you can't go wrong with the ever-popular red version of these berries for this pancake recipe.

After you've chopped your strawberries into 1/4-inch thick pieces, put them aside. Don't worry, we'll be getting back to those sweet berries soon enough, but first, we need to prepare our dry ingredients.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl with a whisk or fork. And for any novice chefs out there, keep in mind baking soda is not a suitable substitute for the baking powder in this recipe. As Bachtell-Shelbert explains, "Baking soda requires an acid to be activated. If you substitute, the pancakes won't rise as nicely."

Once you've finished mixing your dry ingredients, set them aside. In a separate bowl whisk the egg, the milk, and the vegetable oil until combined.

Now, let's address a bit of a pancake elephant in the room. While some recipes recommend adding mayo (yes, mayo) to make your pancakes fluffy, Bachtell-Shelbert advises against it. "I am not a fan of adding mayonnaise," she explains. "The pancakes are fluffy as is." However, you can add up to 1/4 cup more milk, depending on desired thickness of pancakes.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until completely incorporated. And in case you're wondering why the wet and dry ingredients needed to be mixed separately, Bachtell-Shelbert explains that, "this is the best way to ensure all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the batter."

And if you're still concerned about your pancakes not being fluffy enough, she says, "As long as you fully whisk the eggs and add the baking powder these should turn out perfectly fluffy."

Once your wet and dry ingredients are fully mix, it's time to fold your chopped strawberries into the pancake batter. And this step is where you can really make this recipe your own. Although strawberries are wonderful on their own, you can also add additional fruits and berries to your pancake batter. If you're looking for ideas, Bachtell-Shelbert recommends blueberries or raspberries, since either would nicely compliment the strawberries' natural flavor.

Heat your griddle on medium-low heat and pour the pancake batter (about 1/3 cup per pancake) onto the griddle. Flip the pancakes after about 4 minutes or when the edges begin to set and small bubbles appear on the tops of the pancakes. You'll want to cook the pancakes on the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes. Also, don't press down on your pancakes while you're cooking them on the griddle.

Once you're pancakes are fully cooked, you can remove them from the griddle and serve immediately.

Now, there's nothing wrong with pouring maple syrup on your homemade strawberry pancakes, but as Bachtell-Shelbert explains, there's plenty of ways you can get creative with this recipe. She points out that confectioners sugar, whipped cream, honey or even nut butter all work well with these delicious pancakes. And one of her personal favorites is putting peanut butter and extra berries on them for a super sweet treat.