Growing up in a Filipino household, pancakes, or as my parents called them, “hot cakes”, always came from a box mix. You’d add some water or milk, crack in a couple of eggs, give it a quick whisk, and that was it. I loved the smell as they cooked on the pan, but because we mostly ate savoury breakfasts like corned beef or Tortang Talong (Eggplant Omelet), pancakes were a rare treat that I always looked forward to.

It wasn’t until I moved to Canada that I discovered you could make blueberry pancake recipes completely from scratch. After trying a few mediocre recipes, I realized the secret to perfect pancakes was buttermilk. It was a new ingredient for me at the time, but once I tried it, everything changed—the pancakes came out extra fluffy, full of flavour, and just the right amount of tangy sweetness.

What is buttermilk?

Traditionally, buttermilk is the liquid left behind after churning cream to butter. As there is bacteria present in the cream, it naturally ferments—resulting in a delicious, tangy flavour. You can find buttermilk in the dairy section of your local supermarket, and I usually choose the highest fat content for the most flavour. The buttermilk in the batter also gives the blueberry pancakes its lift, and adds on a tangy, rich flavour to the batter. Please do not substitute buttermilk with milk as it will not be the same!

For this blueberry pancake recipe, I went with blueberries because they strike the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. To really bring them to life, I like to make a simple blueberry compote. It’s the kind of sauce that makes the pancakes shine, think steak with its jus or turkey with gravy. Pancakes just aren’t the same without it.

The trick is cooking the berries until the sauce is pourable—not too runny (nobody wants blueberry soup) and not too thick either. A splash of lemon juice may sound unexpected, but it adds a fresh, zesty brightness that keeps the sauce from being overly sweet, almost like the tang you get from a great cheesecake. You can serve the compote warm or chilled, depending on your preference.

The pancakes themselves are made with browned butter, which adds a rich, nutty depth of flavour to the batter. It’s a small step that makes a big difference. If you’re new to browning butter, Sally’s Baking Blog has a great guide. Short on time? Regular melted butter will still do the trick.

To finish, I love pairing these pancakes with whipped honey mascarpone. It’s light, creamy, and just a little bit luxurious, kind of like the way strawberries need cream in a strawberry shortcake. If mascarpone isn’t in your budget, classic Chantilly cream is a perfectly fine substitute.

For the best experience, I highly recommend making all three components: the fluffy buttermilk pancakes, the zesty blueberry compote, and the whipped honey mascarpone. Together, they create a dish that feels special yet cozy, and one that’s become a weekend tradition in our home. Once you try them, I have a feeling they’ll become a tradition in yours too.