These fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are perfectly tender and so delicious! These are just as easy to make as regular pancakes, but have so much more flavor thanks to the lemon and ricotta. Top them off with lemon curd or maple syrup and you have the perfect breakfast!
Lemon lover? Check out my Cream Cheese Lemon Bars, Baked Lemon Chicken, and Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread. Looking for more pancakes? Try these Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes, Banana Pancakes, and Apple Cinnamon Pancakes.
Why This Recipe Works
Bright & Flavorful: The lemon going into these lemon ricotta pancakes really lifts the flavor and makes them so yummy to eat. The lemon along with the ricotta, which adds a hint of savory flavor along with lots of moisture, go together perfectly to make the fluffiest, most delicious pancake ever!
Perfect for Everyone: Do you have any picky eaters at home? If so, they will definitely love these pancakes. Ricotta might sound weird at first, but this is a super mild cheese that is used in a lot of Italian desserts. It adds moisture and balances out the acidity of the lemon really well. The flavor and texture of these pancakes are perfect, and topped off with some maple syrup they make an amazing Sunday Brunch for the whole fam!
Easy to Make: Making pancakes can require some effort, but it is so worth it for such a delicious breakfast! Despite having to put in a bit of effort, these lemon ricotta pancakes are easy and straightforward to make and you can have breakfast on the table in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- Flour: I used all purpose flour for these pancakes. If you need gluten-free pancakes, you can use a measure for measure gluten-free flour. I can’t guarantee they will have the same exact texture but they will still be delicious!
- Baking Powder: A bit of baking powder helps the pancakes rise a little bit in the pan, making them fluffy.
- Sugar & Salt: A bit of sugar and salt are added for flavor.
- Ricotta: You will use about a full tub of ricotta for these pancakes. If you can’t find ricotta or don’t have any on hand, it is super easy to make at home!
- Milk: A bit of milk is added for moisture!
- Lemon Juice & Zest: Both lemon juice and lemon zest contribute to the lemony flavor of these pancakes.
- Vanilla: A bit of vanilla is added for flavor.
- Eggs: The eggs will be separated into yolks and whites. The whites are fluffed up and then added to the batter to ensure super fluffy pancakes!
Here’s How to Make It
Step by Step Instructions
My lemon ricotta pancake recipe can be whipped up in just a few steps! Here’s how to make it:
- Prepare Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and the egg yolks. (photos 1-2)
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Set aside. (photo 3)
- Fluff the Egg Whites: In another clean bowl, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment and beat the egg whites until stiff. (photos 4-5)
- Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. (photo 6)
- Mix Together: Using a metal spoon and working a heaped spoonful at a time, gradually fold the egg whites into the pancake batter. (photos 7-8)
- Cook: Set a large non-stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Heat a little butter, canola oil or cooking spray and fry heaped spoonfuls of the pancake batter until set and golden on each side, adding more cooking fat as needed. Keep the pancakes warm while you work in batches. (photos 9-10)
- Serve & Enjoy: Serve warm with lemon curd or maple syrup and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- To keep the pancakes warm: You can place your lemon ricotta pancakes on a baking sheet and pop them in a warm oven until they are all ready!
- Top them off with your favorite toppings! You can top these off with strawberries or blueberries along with whipped cream and powdered sugar. If you love the lemon flavor, some lemon curd on top would be amazing.
- Don’t over mix the batter! Once the wet ingredients and dry ingredients are mixed, be careful not to over mix. Over mixing will cause tough pancakes instead of soft, tender ones. That is why you want to gently fold in the egg whites as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! Let the pancakes cool to room temperature. Them place them in a freezer bag in small stacks separated by wax or parchment paper. Freeze for up to two months! When you are ready to eat them, you can warm them up from frozen in the microwave or a toaster oven.
You can use full fat or low fat ricotta, but try not to use the non-fat ricotta since there isn’t as much flavor. You can also make your own ricotta using whole milk and lemon!
More Breakfast Recipes to Try
- Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
- Crepes Recipe
- Easy Banana Pancakes
- Biscuits & Gravy Breakfast Casserole
- Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
- German Pancakes Recipe
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup ricotta - approx 1 tub
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp vanilla
- unsalted butter, canola oil or cooking spray
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl or jug, whisk together the ricotta, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and egg yolks. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry.
- In another clean bowl, use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites until stiff.
- Using a metal spoon and working a heaped spoonful at a time, gradually fold the egg whites into the pancake batter.
- Set a large non-stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Heat a little butter, canola oil or cooking spray and fry heaped spoonfuls of the pancake batter until set and golden on each side, adding more cooking fat as needed. Keep the pancakes warm while you work in batches.
- Serve warm with lemon curd or maple syrup.
The pancakes not only look good but also taste as sweet as the pics suggest. I’m in love with the recipe and will be teaching my children how to make the pancakes. thanks
So excited to hear how much you loved this recipe! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
We loved these pancakes so much we featured them on our blog, as part of a Shrove Tuesday recipe roundup:
Thanks for the wonderful recipe Tiffany!
Great photos too 🙂
Gaby
These look scrumptious! I MUST TRY THEM! I love strawberries as well as anything lemon, so this here is a win-win situation. I have a feeling my winter will feature strawberry lemon poppyseed pancakes on at least a couple of weekends!
Thank you so much for sharing. I am going to Pin this on both my Food Bloggers Coalition group board as well as my breakfast recipes board on Pinterest.
Just made these pancakes, OMG!!!!!!! so good. I get tired of the same old pancakes. This was a great way to change up breakfast. I did adjust the recipe to make it gluten free. They were light, fluffy and delicious. Thank you!!!
I made these this morning, and I must say they are delicious! I only added strawberry to one pancake to test, and it made the pancake gummy. I just added the strawberries to the top of the pancake, along with the sauce. Excellent pancake!
OH MY! Made these this morning for the fam! Nothing compares!! Absolute Perfection!! LOVE THEM!
My favorite muffin in a pancake-brilliant! I can’t wait to try them. xo
These look amazing!
About how long will the syrup last if kept in the fridge? It looks delicious, but I definitely couldn’t finish it in one sitting! Haha
Thanks Anna! All of our syrup gets eaten up in two seconds ha! But I think it should last 3-4 days at least. Hope this helps!
These pancakes were amazing! Mine turned out just as beautiful as your pic and my family loved them. We really like lemon so I added the zest of one lemon to the pancake batter. I will double the recipe next time!
I found you on pinterest and made these delicious pancakes after church today. Delicious! I was wondering about no oil or butter in the pancake batter but they turned out fine. I did add the zest of one lemon to the batter just because I love lemon. Served them with some whipped cream on top. My daughter and I loved them and will make again.
They look amazing Tiffany! Now I want me some poppyseed pancakes for breakfast and lunch!
Thanks Melanie!! These are my current breakfast obsession! 🙂
Ooooo! These look so light and fluffy and perfect for Sunday brunch!
Holy cow girl! I swear your pictures get better every single time I stop by! These are GORGEOUS!!!! Can you just come live with me and take all my pictures too? Plus, that way I can help eat all your yummy food 😉
Haha thanks Jocelyn!! One of my big goals this year is to really rock my food photography, so I’m branching out and trying new things ( and learning a LOT in the process!) not every photo comes out just how I want it to, in fact most don’t, but that’s how we grow right?! How about we get a shared kitchen bigger than both of ours combined, with loads of natural light and every Rachel Ray cooking tool known to man… I’ll teach you my tricks and you let me eat all the decadent things you’re cooking up!! You could definitely start with a batch of those white chocolate Reese’s brownies. 😉
OH MY GOSH! These look amazing. I am a huge lemon fan! The photos are gorgeous!
Best pancake pics ever! And I love lemon poppyseed and strawberries. These sound incredible Tiffany!!