Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
These Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are some of the best pancakes you’ll ever eat! Just imagine your favorite pancake recipe, now add an Italian flair to it with creamy ricotta and fresh lemon. They’ve got to be good right?
These pancakes are melt-in-your-mouth soft and tender, they’re perfectly fluffy, and you’ll love that bit of brightness and tang from the lemon. These are the perfect pancakes for spring or summer and they’re likely to become a new family favorite!
Ricotta Cheese in Pancakes?
Some of you may be thinking, really, cheese in pancakes? If you are, it’s not a savory cheesy taste like you might be imagining. You don’t taste the ricotta here, it just adds so much moisture, it makes these seem like really buttery pancakes when really there’s only 1 Tbsp of butter.
It isn’t like having a lasagna filling mixed into a pancake batter. Ewwwww. Think more of on the sweets side of what ricotta can create like my:
- Italian Ricotta Cookies
- Cannoli Dip
- Cannoli Ice Cream
- Lemon Ricotta Cake
- Orange Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cookies
Ricotta is one of the few cheeses that can be mixed into something that isn’t savory and it works wonders. Similar to the idea of cream cheese (but ricotta isn’t tangy and it has a thinner texture).
How To Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Like other pancake recipes these are so easy to whip up. The ingredients you need include staples like flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, milk, eggs, vanilla and butter then you’ll also need a couple of lemons and some ricotta cheese (I’ve used both whole and low-fat, whole makes them a little richer but use what you’d like).
- First preheat your electric griddle or a a non-stick skillet or griddle over a stove top work as well (they just don’t need to preheat quite as long).
- Then in one bowl whisk together the dry ingredients and make a well (or big bowl shape) in the center using your hands.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, eggs and ricotta.
- Then to the milk mixture pour in melted butter, lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk just to blend.
- Immediately pour that wet mixture into the flour mixture and whisk it with a large whisk just to combined (remember lumps are good in pancake batter, it means the batter isn’t over-mixed and equals fluffier pancakes).
- Then butter the griddle just before you are going to pour the batter on otherwise it burns (or vegetable oil works as well).
- Pour 1/3 cup batter onto griddle at a time and leave plenty of space between them, then let the griddle work it’s magic and cook them until the bottom is golden brown.
- Flip using a large spatula and cook opposite side until golden brown.
- And of course, serve immediately drizzled with syrup.
Variations on These Pancakes
You can also add blueberries or raspberries to these pancakes. I like to add the berries to individual pancakes after I’ve ladled out the batter onto the griddle. This way you get the same amount in each pancake and they are evenly spaced.
You could also add in chocolate chips and swap the lemon zest for orange zest because who doesn’t love that chocolate orange combo. And while you’re at it, if going that route why not add a bit of cinnamon to give it that cannoli flair. Doesn’t that sound dreamy??
What Should I Serve Over These Lemon Ricotta Pancakes?
- Fresh Strawberry Syrup or Fresh Blueberry Syrup and lightly sweetened whipped cream
- Store-bought berry syrup
- Jam
- Lemon curd
- Butter and powdered sugar
- Maple syrup
Best Weekend Breakfast!
These Lemon Ricotta Pancakes will quickly become the highlight to your weekend breakfast menu!
Anyone else have a Saturday or Sunday breakfast tradition every week that the whole family looks forward too? We do at my house and these are one of those recipes we’ve had again and again because everyone absolutely loves them.
They’ll get you through that hectic work week when you’ve got these to look forward to on Saturday morning!
More Breakfast Recipes You Might Like
Follow Cooking Classy
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (214g) all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
- 3 1/2 Tbsp (46g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (236ml) milk
- 3/4 cup (180g) ricotta (low-fat or whole)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 Tbsp lemon zest (depending on how lemony you want them)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp (14g) butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat an electric griddle to moderately-high heat (or us a non-stick skillet set over medium heat).
- In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt for 20 seconds.
- Make a well in center of flour mixture and set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, ricotta, eggs and vanilla until well blended.
- Add butter, lemon zest and lemon juice to milk mixture and blend until combined (it will curdle a little, that's fine).
- Immediately pour milk mixture into flour mixture and whisk just to combined (batter should be slightly lumpy).
- Pour 1/3 cup batter onto buttered griddle or skillet and cook until bubbles begin to appear on surface and bottom is golden brown, then flip and cook opposite side until golden brown.
- Serve warm dusted with powdered sugar if desired and drizzled with maple or berry syrup.