Strawberry Cornmeal “Griddle Cakes” (Pancakes)
These strawberry cornmeal griddle cakes are my unofficial 4th of July breakfast every year. Yes, there’s a story. But you don’t need to accidentally hike 15 miles due to friends with poor planning skills to justify making them.
Why does every summer weekend deserve them?? Fresh, summer-y strawberries in a golden crispy pancake, drenched in maple syrup. Practically perfect in every way.
[Note, this was originally published in 2015 but I’ve updated the photos in 2026]
Last weekend after my insane 4th of July (which involved accidentally hiking over 15 miles and burning a billion calories), I woke up the next morning feeling like an 80-year-old, kind of fell/rolled out of bed, and got my coffee made like usual.
But as I sat on the couch my stomach demanded something more. After poking through Pinterest for a hot second, I had talked myself into these glorious strawberry cornmeal pancakes.
By all rights, I shouldn’t like these pancakes, because I have this weird hangup about hot and fruit. Fruit shouldn’t be hot. I take fruit crisp out of the oven and put it right in the freezer. Hot fruit is weird. But I’m board here.
I’ve also made a small-batch mixed-berry adaptation of these that is to die for.
Also, the first time I made these strawberry cornmeal pancakes, they looked like Cookie Monster. Once you see it, you can’t un-see it….
How to make amazing strawberry cornmeal pancakes
Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Melt the butter, then whisk it together with the buttermilk, followed by the eggs.
Stir the wet and dry ingredients together, and gently stir the diced strawberries in until just combined.
Heat a large skillet (I recommend cast-iron) and melt a bit of butter or oil over medium-low heat. Spoon about a quarter cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake.
Cook until the bottoms are golden and bubbles appear all over top, about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is golden, another minute or so.
Serve them with butter and syrup, or if you’re feeling extra summer-y, some more fresh strawberries and whipped cream wouldn’t go amiss.
Trust me when I say you need these strawberry pancakes in your life…each bite is full of golden buttery summer fruit juiciness!
Other pancake faves you’ll love:
- Small-Batch Mixed-Berry Cornmeal Pancakes
- The Best Buttermilk Pancakes Ever
- Wholemeal Pancakes with Spiced Apples & Orange Star Anise Syrup
- Bourbon Banana Pancakes
- Cinnamon Polenta Pancakes
- Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Lightly-Tropical Coconut Banana Pancakes (Dairy-Free)
Original recipe from Smitten Kitchen
Pin for later!
Strawberry Cornmeal Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup of yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea or table salt
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter plus more for buttering skillet
- 1 cup of buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup of roughly chopped strawberries
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a whisk.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the bottom of a medium bowl, then whisk in the buttermilk, followed by the eggs, one at a time.
- Gently stir in the strawberries and pour the strawberry-buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
- Heat a large skillet (cast-iron is my favorite for pancakes) and melt butter or oil over medium to medium-low heat (my burner is intense, so medium-low for me).
- Spoon or pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake. Cook until bottoms are golden and bubbles appear all over top, about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until the second side is golden, another minute.
- If you’re not going to eat them right away, you can spread them on a baking sheet and keep them warm until needed in a 200-degree oven, but I highly recommend drenching them in butter and maple syrup and devouring.
