Fresh Lemon-Blueberry Dutch Baby
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Made with fresh lemon zest and sweet blueberries, this Dutch baby recipe has become an Alexandra’s Kitchen community favorite! The batter comes together in no time, and 15 minutes later it’s done. Many readers have had success using frozen blueberries as well as gluten-free flour. See comments below!
Last week, in my newsletter, I mentioned a high-protein pancake I couldn’t wait to share with you. This is not that. This is a lemon-blueberry variation of my favorite apple Dutch baby recipe, a low-lift, high-return breakfast treat I’ve been loving: it feeds four comfortably and takes no time to whip together.
A Dutch baby, if you are unfamiliar, is like a cross between a popover and a pancake: it rises dramatically in the oven, then collapses upon removal. It’s custardy in texture, not fluffy like traditional pancakes, a consistency created not only by the high ratio of eggs in the batter, but also by the absence of any leavening agent — the water in the eggs, milk, and butter in combination with the hot skillet cause the batter to rise in the oven.
If you’ve never made a Dutch baby, I think it’s time to try. Every time I make one, I feel extreme joy when I open the oven door to find the pancake towering above the rim of the cast iron skillet. I know it’s science, but it still feels magical.
While you can make Dutch babies without any fruit, I love the sweet-tart flavors they impart, and lemon + blueberry is never a bad idea. The blueberries have been particularly good in recent weeks, but you can use any berry in their place, and as the months move on, peaches and other stone fruit will work beautifully, too.
And if you love the lemon-blueberry combo, you must try these lemon-blueberry muffins and these lemon-blueberry scones.
How to Make a Lemon-Blueberry Dutch Baby, Step by Step
Gather your ingredients: flour, milk, salt, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, butter, and blueberries.
Place all of the ingredients, with the exception of the blueberries and 2 tablespoons of the butter, in a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the blueberries, give them a shake, then…
… immediately pour in the batter and…
… transfer to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and …
… dust with powdered sugar if you wish.
Cut and serve…
… with maple syrup if you wish.
Fresh Lemon-Blueberry Dutch Baby
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Adapted from an apple version of a recipe that appeared in Gourmet many years ago now.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/2 cup (125 g) whole or 2% milk
- 1/2 cup (64 grams) all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- the zest of one lemon
- 1 cup (154 g) blueberries
- Confectioners sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet over low heat on your stovetop. Keep it over low heat while you prepare the batter.
- Melt two tablespoons of the butter in a small skillet, then transfer to a blender. Add the milk, flour, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest, and blend until smooth. (Do not skip this step — the batter will be lumpy if you do.)
- Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into the cast iron skillet. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the butter melt, add the blueberries, and give the skillet a shake. Immediately pour the batter over the blueberries and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.
- Remove pan from the oven, and dust with confectioners sugar, if you wish. Cut and serve immediately with maple syrup.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: lemon, blueberry, cast iron skillet
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
226 Comments on “Fresh Lemon-Blueberry Dutch Baby”
I am hoping to try this recipe soon. Looks and sounds fantastic!
I have always added Orange Zest to my Blueberry Muffins and Loaf. I get lots of complements and look forward to now trying them with Lemon!
Hope you love it, Kent!
Easy and quick to make and everyone at our house loved it!! Definitely adding this to our breakfast/brunch ideas to make again!! Planning to share this recipe with family and friends!!
★★★★★
Great to hear, Debby! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Another delicious, easy and perfect recipe! Didn’t change anything. Happy Mother’s Day! And thank you!
★★★★★
Great to hear! Happy Mother’s Day Joyce!
Making this today (Mother’s day). If I wanted to use a larger skillet, how would I double it?
I would simply double all of the ingredients. It may need a few more minutes in the oven, but I would start checking it at the same time as suggested in the recipe.
So delicious! I used 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk and 1/4 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt for the milk. I think it needed a little more time in the oven but not sure if it was from that. I made sure that my cast iron heated up to around 400-450 degrees before I started cooking. I’m freezing the leftovers as I read it could be done so we shall see! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Great to hear! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂 🙂 🙂
This looks delicious. Do you think it could work with almond flour instead of regular flour?
★★★★★
Lots of people have made it with gluten-free flour and I believe many have had success using almond flour as well. Just keep in mind, it likely won’t puff as much due to the absence of gluten.
I love this so much – I make it with GF flour and it turns out beautifully. Every time. I’ve doubled it in a 12” cast iron, but think it’s best as written.
Great to hear, Sharon! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
This was so good! A little thicker and custardy-ier than a traditional dutch baby but it was so awesome! Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
Great to hear, Lauren!
We LOVED IT! Left out the powdered sugar and used real maple syrup.
★★★★★
Great to hear, Tim! Thanks for writing 🙂
Mothers Day Brunch was never so easy and so good! Simple to make and very impressive presentation. Everyone loved it served it with oven baked bacon and mixed fruit bowl.
★★★★★
Great to hear, Randi! Thanks for writing. Sounds like a lovely brunch 🙂
I don’t have a cast iron skillet but do have a skillet that can be used in the over. Will that work for this Dutch Baby?
★★★★★
Yes!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and am curious why mine doesn’t puff up in the center? The edges climb up the sides, but no puffiness in the center. Tastes good though.
★★★★
Hi! What type and size skillet are you using?
We loved this simple recipe. I did use frozen blueberries that I buy in bulk. Otherwise, I stuck to your recipe. We absolutely loved it. But we did wonder if the extra water in frozen blueberries, as opposed to fresh, altered the outcome. The middle did not rise as much as yours that are pictured.
Thoughts?
Bruce and Annie
★★★★★
Hi Bruce,
The extra water from the blueberries definitely could be affecting the rise, though others have made it successfully with frozen berries. You could try making one in which you thaw the berries first. And of course, you could try one with fresh berries and see if that makes a difference.
What type of pan are you using?
Absolutely delicious and quick and easy to make.
I found it difficult to remove from the pan. Any suggestions?
My family lived it. Will be trying it with different fruits. Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Great to hear, Lea! What type of pan were you using?
Good morning! We tried this recipe this morning and it’s delicious. We have friends coming to visit so I wanted a quick recipe for breakfast. This is Fast and delicious. I would like it a tad more lemony so I might add more zest, but I really like lemon blueberry combo so lemon is my thing. Have a wonderful day!
★★★★★
Great to hear, Noell! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Simple, delicious recipe. Lemon/blueberry combo is always a winner. Was so good on Mother’s Day we had it again today.
★★★★★
Great to hear JR 🙂
I made this strictly by the recipe. It was delicious!! I’ve already made this 3 times. Love this recipe! Definitely five stars.
★★★★★
Great to hear, Bev! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
I made this last night, and it was delicious. Simple and quick. I may use a little more lemon zest or add a splash of lemon juice to it next time
Only thing is that instead of rising the way it did in your video, it came out looking like a crater, not sure what I did wrong.
My family loved it!
★★★★★