Fresh Lemon-Blueberry Dutch Baby
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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.
504 Comments on “Fresh Lemon-Blueberry Dutch Baby”
delicioús! First time ever eating this. lighter than pancakes. but fuller feeling than crepes. I love this and will try other fruit!!
Great to hear, Kate!
We really enjoyed this! Not too sweet, but really didn’t need syrup because the blueberries were almost jammy. I threw a pinch of nutmeg and Ceylon cinnamon in the batter, and used part buttermilk / part skim milk because that’s what I had on hand. It was fun to make!
Yum! Love the sound of all of this, Becky. Thanks for writing 🙂
This was delicious and wasn’t hard to make. turned out perfectly and everyone loved it!
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂
Great recipe!
Wondering if I could double this and use my 12″ cast iron pan?
Thanks.
Hi! That should work… the Dutch baby might be a little thicker and I worry slightly that it might be too much batter but I can’t say for sure because I’ve never tried. I think 1.5x the recipe would be perfect for that size skillet. If you double the recipe and use your 12 inch skillet, please report back 🙂
I doubled the recipe for my 12” skillet and it turned out great! May need a couple of extra minutes in the oven though, 18 minutes was perfect for me. Also don’t need 4 tbsp of butter in the skillet, probably used about 2-3. Great recipe!
Great to hear! Thanks for writing and sharing these notes — so helpful for others looking to double it!
Hi, I made this, and it’s delicious, but mine didn’t rise evenly in the oven. I made it in a regular metal skillet that goes from stovetop to oven instead of a cast iron?
Hi! It’s possible the skillet is playing a role. Were your ingredients all at room temp? If not, try that next time. And if your oven runs cool, you could try cranking it up by 25ºF… keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t burn.
Not sure what I can say that hasn’t already been said. This is so easy, flavorful and delicious!! The crispy edges…. oh my!!
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂
Do you think I could make the batter the night before? So delicious and easy and wanting to make for a crowd.
Hi! Possibly, but you’ll want to bring it to room temperature before using and you may want to give it a whirl in the blender, too, as you might see some separation of the batter. Room temp ingredients will make for a loftier Dutch baby 🙂
This was delisious!. Easy to make too. I used splenda, not sugar, and added one scoop of protein powder. though it would change texture, but it was not altered too much to take away from the taste of this.
Great to hear, Carol! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Hi! This looks delicious! I am on my own though, and want to make a smaller size. Any guesses on amounts and times for an 8” cast iron pan?
Thank you!
I’d guess maybe 3/4 of the recipe… similar time but keep an eye on it!
Hello, this looks delicious. I was wondering if I could use gluten free flour with this recipe?
Thank you,
Kathy
Yes! Others have with success… I might scroll back through the comments to see which gf flours people used, but many people have had success with gf flour.
I’ve used Namaste and King Arthur all purpose gf flours with success. I think Cup 4 Cup would also work well.
This has become a weekend staple for my household! I’ve made it with raspberries, apples, peaches and blackberries and it time it’s turned out delicious. I have started whisking it instead of using the blender which makes it more light/fluffy in my opinion.
Great to hear Molly! Thanks for writing and sharing your notes/tips.
This is so delicious! Our second year making it for vacation. First year, eggs were too cold and caused issues cooling the butter which led to grittiness of the batter. This year we let the eggs get to room temp and warmed the milk a bit and the batter was perfect!
Great to hear Laura! Thanks for writing and sharing these notes 🙂
My husband loves lemons. I made it for him this morning. It was absolutely delicious.
Great to hear, Melissa! Thanks for writing 🙂
Yummy! I used whole wheat pastry flour and didn’t even notice! Used more blueberries too!
Yay! Great to hear 🙂
I just made your recipe and it’s delicious! I decided to reduce it to one serving by cutting the measurements in fourth and it came out perfectly. I used a small 6” pie plate, which is the perfect size. As it set for a few minutes, the blueberries made a beautiful syrupy sauce. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe, I will definitely be making it often.
Great to hear, Patty! Thanks for writing and sharing these notes — so helpful for others wanting to scale it back!
My husband loved it!
Great to hear!
Excellent recipe! Made this twice so far. I doubled the batter recipe for a larger skillet. No sure why I’m getting a lot of sticking to the pan. Thanks!
Hi! Great to hear. What material is your pan?
What a simple, yet special breakfast treat. I 1.5x the recipe to fit into my 12in cast iron skillet and did a mixture of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries from the farmers market— just wow! This is now a new summer staple!
YUM! Great to hear, Samantha. Thanks for writing 🙂
Delicious! First time making a Dutch baby and found it to be very easy to make. My family loved it! I added a squirt of lemon juice instead of lemon zest, since I didn’t have lemons. I will definitely be making this again!
Great to hear! Yum 🙂
Second time making this. First time I used a 12” cast iron and it came out a liiitle crispy and thin, this time I 1.5x the recipe and it came out PERFECT. I added about 2 minutes to the oven, and we also threw in some raspberries. My 3 year old loves to help make this for breakfast 🥞 🫐
Great to hear, Emily! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes — so helpful for others 🙂
So delicious! This is going to become a weekend regular for us. I love how quickly it comes together- perfect when you want something special but are too hungry to wait.
Great to hear, Ashley! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Love this recipe. Made this dozens of times. It was the first dutch baby I ever made in my life and has become a staple in my home. My family requests it frequently and it’s so easy to throw together. I did notice the recipe does not say to allow ingredients such as the milk and eggs to come to room temperature but in the comments you mention this. Should they be room temperature? Also anyone making this who doesn’t have a blender or worried about the butter cooling as it’s mixed into the batter and making little clumps don’t stress either one I’ve made it dozens of times without a blender and with the butter cooling as it hits the batter and it never once affected my results! Also I found it’s easier to preheat the oven then when your batter is ready place the skillet in the oven for 9 minutes. Carefully remove the hot skillet and let the butter melt immediately and swirl it around the pan. Then add your blueberries to the pan and pour the batter on and put it immediately into the oven. You’ll know the skillet is hot enough if the butter sizzles. I’d also recommend baking it for 12-13 minutes depending on your oven. And give it 5 minutes to cool before cutting and topping with powdered sugar as it stops the sugar from melting. And if you want to use frozen Maine blueberries allow them to defrost on the counter for 1 hour then drain them and proceed as normal it’s what I do every time. Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Great to read all of this, Jackie! Thanks for writing and sharing all of your notes. Regarding your question about room-temperature ingredients, they don’t have to be — I never remember to plan far enough ahead of time to allow them to come to room temp, but I do recommend people do this if they’ve had trouble with their Dutch babies puffing in the oven — room temp ingredients make for loftier Dutch babies.
Can I use an electric mixer instead of a blender
Thank you
That should work!
Love this recipe. First time making Dutch Baby, came out great and was delicious. I’m going to try the Apple recipe next. Thank you.
Great to hear, Rebecca! Thanks for writing 🙂
Fantastic! Quick and easy way to use fresh fruit (or frozen) for a delicious and company-worth dish.
Great to hear, Amanda! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Can I make this wiht a regular skillet that can go in the oven, all else being the same? I don’t own a caste iron skillet.
thanks, M
Yes! As long as it’s oven safe 🙂
So excited to try this recipe out. Would a double recipe fit a 9×13 dish?
I think so! Are you going to preheat the dish?
Awesome. Yes, I would preheat it in the oven.
Great, good luck!
We’ve tried all the variations you’ve listed. Blueberry lemon and the apple with some cinnamon are our favorite! I used fresh cranberries for the other variation, very tart. Any suggestions to sweeten it up a little? We love those. My Sunday morning staple in the winter. Thank you!!
Great to hear, Dennis! Maybe for the cranberry version up the sugar to 4 or 5 tablespoons?