Blueberry Streusel Pancake Casserole for Brunch or Meal Prep
Blueberry Streusel Pancake Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups oat flour
- 2 Tbsp sugar granulated
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk reduced fat
- ½ cup almond milk unsweetened
- 4 tbsps butter salted
- 1 lemon zest and juices squeezed into a cup
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ cups blueberries raw
- ½ cup oat flour
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp sugar granulated
- ½ tsp cinnamon ground
- 20 g butter salted
Instructions
- Make the streusel first. In a small bowl whisk together the half cup of oat flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon until evenly combined. Add the 20 grams of cold salted butter and use your fingertips to work it into the dry mixture, pressing and rubbing until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture looks like coarse, sandy crumbs with some pea sized pieces remaining. Set aside in the fridge while you prepare the batter.
- In a large bowl whisk together the 2 and a half cups of oat flour and granulated sugar and salt.
- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup whisk together the eggs, reduced fat buttermilk, unsweetened almond milk, melted salted butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest until combined.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just barely combined. The batter should still be lumpy. Do not overmix.
- Optional overnight step: cover the bowl and refrigerate the batter overnight. This deepens the flavor and gives the casserole a slightly more tender texture. If you are making this the same day skip this step and proceed.
- When ready to bake preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with butter.
- In a small bowl whisk together the remaining half cup of oat flour with the baking powder and baking soda. Add this mixture to the batter and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly. Scatter the raw blueberries evenly over the top, then crumble the streusel over everything in an even layer.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the edges pull away from the sides of the dish and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
This has been my go-to bake for a brunch where we are all bringing something. The overnight option is what makes this especially useful for me personally. You can mix the batter the night before, refrigerate it, wake up and finish it in the morning while you and everyone else is getting ready.
But really… this blueberry pancake casserole with its brown sugar streusel on top, baked in a 9×13 dish, sliced into 12 servings…. It tastes like a blueberry pancake and a coffee cake got together and made something better than either one on its own.
What Makes This Work
The recipe has two components and the order matters.
The streusel goes together first and gets chilled while you make the batter, which keeps the butter in it cold and ensures it bakes up crumbly and golden rather than melting into the top of the casserole.
Using oat flour as the base gives this a heartier, slightly more wholesome texture than a standard pancake batter would. Combined with the reduced fat buttermilk and fresh lemon it creates a batter that is tangy, tender, and flavorful in a way that plain pancake mix cannot quite match.
The lemon is not just background flavor here. Both the zest and the juice go into the batter and together they brighten everything and make the blueberry flavor pop in a way that would be missing without them.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Start
The batter is supposed to be lumpy. Overmixing pancake based batter is the most common mistake and it leads to a dense, chewy result instead of the light, tender texture you are going for. Stir until just combined and stop there even if it does not look completely smooth.
The baking powder and baking soda go in last, after the batter has been mixed and optionally refrigerated. Adding them at the end ensures they are activated at the right time and give the casserole the lift it needs during baking rather than being spent while the batter sits overnight.
Keep an eye on the casserole during the last 10 minutes of baking. The edges should pull away from the sides of the dish and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. If the streusel is browning too quickly before the center is set, loosely lay a piece of foil over the top for the remainder of the bake time.
Let it cool the full 5 minutes before slicing. The casserole sets as it cools and cuts much more cleanly after a brief rest.
Store covered in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat individual slices in the microwave for about 45 seconds or in the oven at 300°F for about 8 minutes.
