Cranberry pancakes with buttermilk and cinnamon

Got some cranberries in your fridge? Try this fresh cranberry pancakes recipe with buttermilk and cinnamon. Buttery and bursting with flavor!

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword buttermilk pancakes, christmas pancakes, fresh cranberries, holiday pancakes

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings small pancakes

Calories 133kcal

In a large bowl, mix together the buttermilk and flour until well combined. Whisk in the egg, cinnamon and vanilla. Add the baking soda and whisk to combine. Fold in the cranberries.
1 cup low fat buttermilk, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 large egg, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ cup fresh cranberries
Melt 2 tablespoon of the butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat and swirl to coat the pan. Scoop out ¼ cup of the mixture and pour into one side of the pan, creating about a 4" diameter pancake. Continue until you can't fit any more pancakes in your pan.
4-6 tablespoon butter
Cook until bubbles form on the top of the cakes and begin to pop, about 3-5 minutes. Check to see if the bottom is brown and crispy, flip. (see photos for reference)
Cook the other side about 2-3 minutes, or until browned and crispy on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
Continue to cook the pancakes until the batter is gone, adding 2 tablespoon butter to your pan between each batch.
Serve with butter, warm maple syrup, and cranberry sauce (optional). Enjoy!
Butter, warm maple syrup and cranberry sauce for serving

Buttermilk swap: No buttermilk on hand? No problem. Create your own by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk. Let it sit for a few minutes, and you've got a DIY buttermilk substitute. It will be thinner than buttermilk, so the flour amount may need to be adjusted.

Adjust the sweetness: The recipe does not include sugar, but if you like sweeter pancakes or are NOT using maple syrup, feel free to adjust the sweetness level to your liking. Add granulated sugar or brown sugar to the mixture before cooking.

Keep them warm: If you're making a big batch and want to keep the pancakes warm while you cook the rest, preheat your oven to a low temperature (around 200°F or 93°C) and place cooked pancakes on a baking sheet inside to keep them warm before serving.

Perfect pancake size: Use a ¼ cup measuring cup or ladle to portion out your pancake batter. Your pancakes should be small, about 4" in diameter. This ensures evenly sized pancakes that cook at the same rate.

Don't overmix: The key to fluffy pancakes is to avoid over mixing the batter. It's totally okay if there are a few lumps left; over mixing can lead to tough pancakes.

Add-ins: go ahead and add orange zest, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips to the batter before cooking! Or swap the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice.

Frozen cranberries: Yep, frozen cranberries are great in this recipe! They will need to be thawed before adding to the batter to cook.

Make ahead: Combine the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another the night before breakfast time. Them combine right before cooking!