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 and this lemon-blueberry quick bread.
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.
Cranberry Variation: Use 1.5 cups cranberries in place of the blueberries and use the zest of one orange in place of the lemon zest.
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
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
498 Comments on “Fresh Lemon-Blueberry Dutch Baby”
Followed recipe exactly. So easy! Proofed up and then sank as described. Perfection! It was absolutely delicious. Will be our go-to for special breakfasts.
Wonderful! This is a fun one 🙂
Best recipe ever! The lemon zest is essential because it truly elevates the flavor of the pancake.
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂
It was really good but a bit too eggy. I think We’d have enjoyed our more with less egg. But super yummy!
Delicious! Easy to make and turns out perfectly. Tried the cranberry orange Dutch baby first for Christmas and it was amazing. Follow the directions and it’s no fail. Used GF flour.
Great to hear, Heather! So glad it worked with gf flour.
Note: Does not work with frozen cranberries. Doesn’t puff/soup in the center even with extra cook time.
Used a blend tech to blend, 10″ skillet.
Thanks for the note, April!
The ratio of eggs to flour and milk are different than most Dutch baby recipes I make (this one is heavier on the eggs) but it’s still good. Less like a pancake, more like a sweet frittata. Delicious.
Just love your Dutch, baby lemon-blueberry Recipe. This is so quick and easy. Just the right size for the two of us. Plus I use Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten-free flour.
Just wondering I didn’t see the nutritional values do you have them?
Hi! Great to hear.
I don’t have a nutrition calculator. This is a great site: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
This is now my favorite breakfast. Paired up with some bacon or sausage on the side it is always delicious. I follow the recipe exactly and it has always turned out perfect.
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂
teşekkürler süper
Mine didn’t rise. It did have the custard texture and the flavor was good. Any suggestions on what to may have done wrong? Possibly oven wasn’t hot enough?
Were your eggs and milk very cold? If so, try using room temperature ingredients next time around. And yes, also making sure oven has preheated long enough is important.
Did a ‘half’ batch and it was perfect in an 8” cast iron pan. I used the frozen huckleberries and dried orange zest I had on hand, it worked out great!
Great to hear, Mike! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes — all sounds delicious 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a ton and my entire family loves it! Thinking about doing it for an Easter brunch but need to have some items I can prepare in advance. Has anyone made the batter the night before and kept refrigerated? I don’t want to mess this up for my guests.
Hi Maria! I have not done this, but if you are planning on doing so, definitely bring the batter to room temperature before baking — you’ll get a loftier Dutch baby if you do 🙂
So I made this in a round pyrex dish because I really wanted to make it, but didn’t have a cast iron skillet or pan. It took a lot longer to cook and I put foil on top after 15-20 mins because I saw the edges browning while the middle was totally raw. I’m not sure if that helped it puff up or it just took longer with the glass dish, but it seemed to do the trick! Also as a note- I heated the dish by putting boiling water in it for a few mins. I was a little concerned that the glass might crack since I also used frozen blueberries, but in the end it turned out great! All this to say- this is a more resilient, adaptable recipe than you might expect! Also delicious- perfect touch of sweetness!
So nice to read this, Adrienne! Thanks for writing and sharing your notes — so helpful for those who do not have a cast iron skillet.
Easy but…too eggy for me as well. Forgot to add the melted butter. I got too excited to make it for Easter Brunch.
I don’t have a blender…. Can I use a food processor? Can I use frozen blueberries?
They hanks!!
Yes to a food processor. I’d consider thawing the blueberries — some people have had trouble with it not puffing due to the cold berries. Having ingredients at room temperature helps with the loft.
I can’t tell you how many times I have made this to the ooh’s and ah’s of the recipients. I am no cook but this is so easy that it fakes everyone out and they actually think I AM one! Thanks for this and so many other wonderful recipes!
So nice to read this! I’m sure you’re better than you give yourself credit for. Thank you for writing 🙂
This was sooo easy and soooo good! I made some changes so it was gluten free and dairy free by using 1:1 GF flour and almond milk. It was outstanding!!!
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂
My daughter shared this recipe with me, and I have made it at least 15 times! Every time it is WONDERFUL! I don’t have a cast iron skillet, so I use a 9 inch cake pan. It works fine. Today I was short on blueberries, so I used half blueberries and half fresh raspberries. That was a nice combo! I tried fresh cranberries once, but I liked the blueberries better. I truly appreciate you sharing this great recipe!
Great to hear, Bonnie! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this 🙂
I made this today. I’m dairy free so used Earth Balance and unsweetened almond milk. I didn’t get the rise as expected. Perhaps the almond milk was not heavy enough
Can this be reheated?
Yes, but it won’t really puff up again.
I served this to friends on a mountain weekend and we all gave it rave reviews. I sent them your recipe. i am Celiac so I altered to Wegman’s gluten free flour since that’s what I had on hand, which is very similar if not the same as King Arthur & cup4cup. I was also feeding 4 hungry adults so I added 2 more eggs and 1/2 cup extra milk, everything else remained the same. Serves with maple syrup. This was sooo delicious And EASY! I give it 5 stars, if I could give it more I would. Thank you Alexandra, you have some really wonderful recipes 🩷. And your recipes make me look good 😉.
Awwww 🙂 🙂 🙂 Love reading all of this. Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes — so helpful for those looking to make it gluten free as well as those looking to scale this one up.
My first time making a Dutch Baby and it turned out great! Delicious. Instead of the maple syrup I served it with a dollop of lemon curd. Will definitely make this again. So simple.
Yum! Great idea 🙂
Perfection!! What a simply delicious dish. I followed your recipe exactly, but I used a gluten free AP flour. It came together in 10 minutes and baked up exactly as you said it would. This will be my new go-to for special breakfast guests and holidays. I’ve already shared this with a few friends too. Thanks so much for posting!
Great to hear! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Absolutely delicious and easy to make!
Great to hear, Gina! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Yummy. Followed the recipe and it was amazing. Love the custard-like texture. Served with sausage links. My first ever Dutch Baby.
Great to hear, Diane! Thanks for writing 🙂
So easy and delicious! I followed the instructions as written, and it was perfect. It fed four of us, with sausage on the side. The kids and hubby would definitely have eaten more. Thoughts on doubling, or a larger batch? Thanks for a great recipe!
Great to hear, Sue! The recipe can be doubled for sure, but it’s the pan size that can be limiting — do you have a large enough one? Or two 10-inch skillets?
This was so delicious and easy to make! I’ll be making this again and trying out the apple version.
Great to hear, Lisa! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Made this for brunch today – absolutely delicious and so easy!! (Cooked in about 12 minutes in my oven so I’m glad I checked on it.) Will definitely add this to the recipe favorites for regular rotation. Also special enough for company.
Great to hear, Rikki! Thanks so much for writing and sharing these notes 🙂 🙂 🙂
Beautiful, subtle flavors, super simple ingredients, and a fail proof recipe. Minimal time and effort for a great-looking dessert with gorgeous, rich colour. 🫐🍋
Great to hear, Jen! Thanks for writing 🙂
Found this on Instagram and being a lover of all things blueberry, I thought I’d give it a try albeit with a couple of twists. First, I substituted almond flour for the flour and monk fruit granular sweetener instead of sugar. The results were very good. The taste was excellent. The lemon zest was perfect. I can’t say for certain that I got the same rise as it would have with the flour and sugar. Hard to see with the images here but it was close enough. Your advice of bringing the ingredients to room temperature cannot be stressed enough. I find that to be the case in so many of my baked goods. We topped it off with some butter, maple syrup and a sprinkle of Ceylon cinnamon. Delicious.
Great to hear, Lew! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of these notes. So helpful for others! All sounds delicious too 🙂