Pancakes mornings are the best, especially when they involve these amazing lemon ricotta pancakes! They are moist and fluffy, and infused with fresh lemon flavors. You’ll love these!
With spring already here, I am looking to incorporate fresh and vibrant ingredients, and these moist lemon ricotta pancakes sound perfect for brunch. The citrus-y flavors really make you feel like spring is here!
One of the main ingredients in these lemon ricotta pancakes is obviously ricotta. You can’t really taste it, so don’t worry about that! The ricotta adds the perfect level of moisture without making the pancakes soggy. It also adds richness without making them dense. So, they are a bit more moist and richer than traditional pancakes, and in a good way! It’s so good!
Fresh Ingredients
The ingredients are very easy to find. You may even have most of them in your pantry already!
The most important thing here is to squeeze the lemon juice itself. Bottled lemon juice isn’t great for these pancakes. Here are the ingredients:
- Flour: All-purpose flour works great!
- Baking powder: Will help the pancakes rise and be airy.
- Baking soda: Baking soda mostly helps give pancakes a more vibrant golden brown color.
- Salt: Brings out flavors.
- Granulated sugar: To sweeten the pancakes.
- Milk: Use whole or 2%.
- Eggs: You’ll need 3 large eggs. Eggs provide lift and structure.
- Ricotta cheese: Preferably from from whole milk for richer texture.
- Vanilla extract: For flavor.
- Lemon zest: From 2 lemons.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice: About 1/4 cup. Make sure it’s freshly squeezed!
- Unsalted butter: For the griddle.
For serving and topping, here are some ideas: raspberries, blueberries, lemon slices, lemon curd, maple syrup, confectioner’s sugar.
This recipe makes about 12 pancakes, and can be easily multiplied if needed. Per usual, you can find all the quantities in the recipe card below.
How to Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Making pancakes at home is super easy! To give you an idea:
- Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar until well-combined.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In another bowl, mix whole milk, ricotta cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until evenly combined.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients: Until just combined! Lumps are totally fine and even better.
- Preheat a non-stick griddle and grease it with butter: If you have an electric griddle, heat it up to like 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. It must be hot but not too hot.
- Cook! Pour 1/3 cup for each pancake, and cook on each side for like 2-3 minutes. The pancakes are ready to flip when the bubbles start to pop.
- Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
If you’re making lots of pancakes and need to keep them warm, transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and keep them in a 200 degree Fahrenheit warm oven. Works like a charm!
How to Serve these Pancakes
Toppings, toppings, toppings! The best part about pancakes!
I like to serve my lemon ricotta pancakes with lots of berries and maple syrup. Another great topping is lemon curd, which I absolutely love!
Aside from maple syrup and butter, here are a few other toppings that would pair well with lemon ricotta pancakes:
- Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
- Lemon curd
- Orange slices
- Creme fraiche
- Any kinds of berries, raspberries are my top choice for these pancakes!
You can really taste the lemon in these lemon ricotta pancakes, and it’s not overpowering at all! In fact, each bite is the perfect balance of pancake flavors and citrus flavors. I love how much moisture ricotta adds to pancakes without making them soggy. These are so so good!!
Also, if you’re interested in the chemistry of pancakes, check out my How to Make Fluffy Pancakes post.
If you’re in the mood for more pancakes, check these out!
- Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
- Dutch Baby Pancakes with Apple
- Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
- Chocolate Chip Pancakes by Joyous Apron
Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you like these as much as I do.
Tips for Making Pancakes
- Make sure the griddle is hot enough but not too hot. This will help you get a beautiful golden brown color.
- Use both baking powder and baking soda. The baking powder here is the main leavening agent, and the 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda will give the pancakes an extra beautiful golden brown color.
- Sometimes, I get swirly patterns. Other times I get beautiful uniform golden brown color, and it’s usually on my second batch. It’s hit or miss for me, but it helps to preheat the griddle properly and to only apply a think film of butter to the griddle (lightly wipe the extra butter with paper towel until only a thin film remains).
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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Lemon zest from 1 lemon - (or from 2 lemons for extra lemon flavor)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Unsalted butter for griddle - (2-3 tablespoons)
Toppings
- Maple syrup
- Berries
- Lemon slices
- Butter
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In another large bowl, whisk the milk, ricotta cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until evenly combined.
- Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. It should be a bit lumpy.
- Heat an electric griddle to about 350 to 375 degrees F for a few minutes until it is hot enough, but not too hot. Coat with butter or oil spray. Using paper towel, gently wipe any excess butter or oil from the griddle. There should only be a thin film of butter or oil.
- Pour 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook 2-3 minutes per side. The pancakes are ready to flip when you start to see the bubbles popping. If needed, butter or oil the griddle again between batches. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Special equipment: a griddle.
- Golden brown color: Most pancake recipes only call for baking powder. This recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda. The addition of baking soda will give you a better golden brown color.
- To keep the pancakes warm: if you're making a large batch, you may need to keep the cooked pancakes warm as you go. To do so, transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and place it in a 200 degrees F warm oven. This will keep them nicely warm without cooking them.
- Freezing instructions: Let the cooked pancakes cool completely. Place parchment paper in between pancakes, and store in a freezer-friendly ziploc bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, simply microwave until warm and soft.
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