Lemon Ricotta Pancakes | Diethood

These melt-in-your-mouth lemon ricotta pancakes are gentle, fluffy, and bursting with contemporary, sunshiney lemon zest and juice. Delicate and creamy ricotta cheese lends these pancakes essentially the most wonderful texture! I really like dusting them with powdered sugar at brunch.

Is there such a factor as too many pancakes? Not on my watch. Attempt my basic buttermilk pancakes, sweet-savory cornbread pancakes, and blueberry crêpes subsequent.

Syrup dripping down a stack of pancakes.

We are able to name off the seek for the proper summer season breakfast, as a result of I’ve discovered it. These lemon ricotta pancakes are the one manner I’ll be brightening up my weekend mornings from now till Christmas. I make these pancakes from scratch, they usually’re actually the most effective factor since sliced lemon bread. They’re gentle, zesty, and, to cite Dispicable Me, “SO FLUFFY!!” Brace your self, as a result of these pancakes are GOOD.

What Makes These Ricotta Pancakes So Flipping Good

Pancakes with a twist. My Mediterranean roots can’t resist shiny, zesty lemon. Or ricotta, for that matter. This pancake recipe marries them each right into a contemporary and scrumptious breakfast. The ricotta isn’t tacky in any respect. Mixed with melted butter, it rounds out the feel and retains the pancakes comfortable and moist.
Massaging the zest. Whereas testing this lemon ricotta pancakes recipe, I used to be usually proud of the feel, however I discovered the refined lemon taste left me wanting. My resolution? Therapeutic massage the lemon zest into the sugar, releasing the oils within the zest. It labored SO effectively! It’s my secret step for additional flavorful pancakes that actually style like lemon.
One bowl. I’ve seen recipes that suggest whisking the eggs individually for fluffier pancakes. It appears to work, however I’ve discovered it pointless right here. I’ve at all times made this lemon ricotta pancake batter in a single bowl, and so long as you don’t overmix, the pancakes come out simply as moist and fluffy.

Lemon ricotta pancake ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Substances You’ll Want

Ricotta retains these lemon pancakes creamy, tender, and full of moisture. It really works equally to my cottage cheese pancakes, and it’s one of many best-kept “secrets and techniques” to fluffy pancakes! These are some notes on the recipe substances. Scroll right down to the printable recipe card after the publish, adopted by a step-by-step with pictures.

Lemon – You’ll want the zest and juice from a freshly squeezed lemon. Bear in mind to wash and rinse your lemon earlier than you zest it. Zest first, then juice.
Brown Sugar – You can additionally use granulated sugar.
Dry Substances – All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Eggs, Milk, and Vanilla – For much more taste, swap common milk for buttermilk (or a home made buttermilk substitute).
Ricotta Cheese – Ricotta is a gentle Italian whey cheese. You’ll discover it within the refrigerated part on the grocery retailer alongside different Italian or specialty cheeses. Mascarpone and cottage cheese are good substitutes.
Melted Butter – Melted butter provides fats, maintaining the pancakes’ texture wealthy and moist. You don’t want lots, simply a few tablespoons.

Side view of a stack of lemon ricotta pancakes on a stoneware plate with a large slice missing from the stack.

Ideas and Variations

Don’t overmix your batter. A number of lumps of ricotta are wonderful, and it’s higher than overmixing! Overworking the pancake batter deflates the air pockets, resulting in dense, chewy pancakes.
Add berries. After you’ve added your pancake batter to the skillet, sprinkle contemporary berries, like blueberries or chopped strawberries, over every pancake whereas the batter continues to be moist.
Add chocolate chips. White chocolate is wonderful in these pancakes!
Give them a grown-up twist. If I’m making these ricotta pancakes for under us adults, one in every of my favourite swaps to do is to substitute the lemon juice within the batter with Limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur.
Make them mini. If I’m making these pancakes for youths, I’ll make them as silver greenback pancakes utilizing about 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake.

Three lemon ricotta pancakes served on a white plate, topped with butter and garnished with blueberries and lemon wedges.

What To Serve With Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

I like to recommend serving the pancakes drizzled with actual maple syrup or honey, garnished with contemporary lemon wedges and fruit, like blueberries. One other one in every of my all-time favourite methods to decorate up these lemon ricotta pancakes is with caramelized figs (completely connoisseur). You can additionally high them with strawberries or raspberries, and berry sauces, jams, or fruit preserves.

Serve with crispy air fryer bacon and a savory frittata or quiche Lorraine for a scrumptious summer season breakfast or brunch.

A fork stuck into a wedge of stacked lemon ricotta pancakes cut from the rest of the stack on a stoneware plate.

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Therapeutic massage the lemon zest. Mix the lemon zest and brown sugar in a bowl. Therapeutic massage the lemon zest with the sugar with clear fingertips. This can launch oils from the lemon zest, leading to extra taste.
Mix the dry substances. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the ready sugar-lemon zest combination to a big bowl. Stir to mix.
Add the liquid substances. Add eggs, milk, ricotta, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and melted butter to the dry substances. Stir to mix till you’ve gotten a clean batter.
Prepare dinner the pancakes. Warmth a pancake griddle or a skillet and spray it gently with cooking oil. Pour ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the griddle (or skillet) and prepare dinner the pancakes till they type bubbles on the floor. Gently elevate and flip the pancakes, then prepare dinner them for an extra 1-2 minutes. Put aside and repeat with the remaining batter.
Get pleasure from! Serve the pancakes topped with contemporary berries and dusted with powdered sugar.

Don’t overmix your batter. It’s wonderful if there are a number of ricotta lumps.
You possibly can serve the pancakes with contemporary berries, like strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries. Additionally, these will go nice with berry sauces or berry jam.
If you need, you possibly can add a number of blueberries or chopped strawberries over the pancake batter when you pour it into the skillet
For a gourmand expertise, serve the pancakes with caramelized figs.
In the event you plan to make these pancakes only for the adults, substitute the lemon juice with Limoncello (an Italian lemon liqueur).

Dietary data is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could range in accordance with the substances and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed data.

Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

We’ll therapeutic massage the lemon zest to squeeze (actually) each final drop of taste into these fluffy ricotta and lemon pancakes. The batter is fast and simple to make in a single bowl:

Massaged lemon zest and brown sugar in a bowl. — Therapeutic massage the lemon zest into the sugar.

First, therapeutic massage the lemon zest. Mix your contemporary lemon zest and brown sugar in a bowl. Utilizing your (clear) fingers, therapeutic massage the zest into the sugar, releasing the oils.
Combine the batter. Subsequent, add the sugar-zest combination to a bigger bowl with the opposite dry substances. Stir, then add your eggs, milk, ricotta, lemon juice, vanilla, and melted butter. Stir gently to make a clean batter.

Three lemon ricotta pancakes cooking in a skillet. — Prepare dinner the pancakes.

Prepare dinner the pancakes. Now, prepare dinner the pancakes in batches on a scorching, evenly greased skillet or griddle. I like to recommend ¼ cup of batter per pancake. When small bubbles begin to break on the floor of the pancakes, that’s your signal to flip. Prepare dinner till the pancakes are golden on either side, then transfer them to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve. When you’ve turned all that batter into fluffy pancakes, serve them dusted with powdered sugar and topped with contemporary fruit.

Catering to a Crowd? Make Sheet Pan Pancakes!

Bake these lemon ricotta pancakes on a sheet pan following my sheet pan pancakes recipe.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate. Leftover pancakes will be stored hermetic within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Reheat. Heat the pancakes within the microwave or cowl them with foil and reheat them within the oven till they’re scorching and steamy once more.
Freeze. You possibly can freeze pancakes for as much as 2 months and thaw them within the fridge earlier than reheating.