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These melt-in-your-mouth lemon ricotta pancakes are light, fluffy, and bursting with fresh, sunshiney lemon zest and juice. Mild and creamy ricotta cheese lends these pancakes the most amazing texture! I love dusting them with powdered sugar at brunch.
Is there such a thing as too many pancakes? Not on my watch. Try my classic buttermilk pancakes, sweet-savory cornbread pancakes, and blueberry crêpes next.
We can call off the search for the perfect summer breakfast, because I’ve found it. These lemon ricotta pancakes are the only way I’ll be brightening up my weekend mornings from now until Christmas. I make these pancakes from scratch, and they’re honestly the best thing since sliced lemon bread. They’re light, zesty, and, to quote Dispicable Me, “SO FLUFFY!!” Brace yourself, because these pancakes are GOOD.
What Makes These Ricotta Pancakes So Flipping Good
- Pancakes with a twist. My Mediterranean roots can’t resist bright, zesty lemon. Or ricotta, for that matter. This pancake recipe marries them both into a fresh and delicious breakfast. The ricotta isn’t cheesy at all. Combined with melted butter, it rounds out the texture and keeps the pancakes soft and moist.
- Massaging the zest. While testing this lemon ricotta pancakes recipe, I was often happy with the texture, but I found the subtle lemon flavor left me wanting. My solution? Massage the lemon zest into the sugar, releasing the oils in the zest. It worked SO well! It’s my secret step for extra flavorful pancakes that really taste like lemon.
- One bowl. I’ve seen recipes that recommend whisking the eggs separately for fluffier pancakes. It seems to work, but I’ve found it unnecessary here. I’ve always made this lemon ricotta pancake batter in one bowl, and as long as you don’t overmix, the pancakes come out just as moist and fluffy.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ricotta keeps these lemon pancakes creamy, tender, and packed with moisture. It works similarly to my cottage cheese pancakes, and it’s one of the best-kept “secrets” to fluffy pancakes! These are some notes on the recipe ingredients. Scroll down to the printable recipe card after the post, followed by a step-by-step with photos.
- Lemon – You’ll need the zest and juice from a freshly squeezed lemon. Remember to scrub and rinse your lemon before you zest it. Zest first, then juice.
- Brown Sugar – You could also use granulated sugar.
- Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Eggs, Milk, and Vanilla – For even more flavor, swap regular milk for buttermilk (or a homemade buttermilk substitute).
- Ricotta Cheese – Ricotta is a mild Italian whey cheese. You’ll find it in the refrigerated section at the grocery store alongside other Italian or specialty cheeses. Mascarpone and cottage cheese are good substitutes.
- Melted Butter – Melted butter adds fat, keeping the pancakes’ texture rich and moist. You don’t need a lot, just a couple of tablespoons.
Tips and Variations
- Do not overmix your batter. A few lumps of ricotta are fine, and it’s better than overmixing! Overworking the pancake batter deflates the air pockets, leading to dense, chewy pancakes.
- Add berries. After you’ve added your pancake batter to the skillet, sprinkle fresh berries, like blueberries or chopped strawberries, over each pancake while the batter is still wet.
- Add chocolate chips. White chocolate is amazing in these pancakes!
- Give them a grown-up twist. If I’m making these ricotta pancakes for only us adults, one of my favorite swaps to do is to substitute the lemon juice in the batter with Limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur.
- Make them mini. If I’m making these pancakes for kids, I’ll make them as silver dollar pancakes using about 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake.
What To Serve With Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
I recommend serving the pancakes drizzled with real maple syrup or honey, garnished with fresh lemon wedges and fruit, like blueberries. Another one of my all-time favorite ways to dress up these lemon ricotta pancakes is with caramelized figs (totally gourmet). You could also top 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 delicious summer breakfast or brunch.
Pancake Toppings
- Honey or maple syrup (always a classic)
- Fresh berries and sliced fruit
- Jams or preserves – I make a delicious plum cardamom jam!
- Homemade strawberry sauce
- Lemon curd
- Whipped cream or plain yogurt
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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ¾ cup ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For serving:
- fresh strawberries or blueberries
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Massage the lemon zest. Combine the lemon zest and brown sugar in a bowl. Massage the lemon zest with the sugar with clean fingertips. This will release oils from the lemon zest, resulting in more flavor.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the prepared sugar-lemon zest mixture to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the liquid ingredients. Add eggs, milk, ricotta, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and melted butter to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine until you have a smooth batter.
- Cook the pancakes. Heat 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 cook the pancakes until they form bubbles on the surface. Gently lift and flip the pancakes, then cook them for an additional 1-2 minutes. Set aside and repeat with the remaining batter.
- Enjoy! Serve the pancakes topped with fresh berries and dusted with powdered sugar.
Equipment
Notes
- Do not overmix your batter. It is fine if there are a few ricotta lumps.
- You can serve the pancakes with fresh berries, like strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries. Also, these will go great with berry sauces or berry jam.
- If you want, you can add a few blueberries or chopped strawberries over the pancake batter once you pour it into the skillet
- For a gourmand experience, serve the pancakes with caramelized figs.
- If you plan to make these pancakes just for the adults, substitute the lemon juice with Limoncello (an Italian lemon liqueur).
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
We’ll massage the lemon zest to squeeze (literally) every last drop of flavor into these fluffy ricotta and lemon pancakes. The batter is quick and easy to make in one bowl:
- First, massage the lemon zest. Combine your fresh lemon zest and brown sugar in a bowl. Using your (clean) fingers, massage the zest into the sugar, releasing the oils.
- Mix the batter. Next, add the sugar-zest mixture to a larger bowl with the other dry ingredients. Stir, then add your eggs, milk, ricotta, lemon juice, vanilla, and melted butter. Stir gently to make a smooth batter.
- Cook the pancakes. Now, cook the pancakes in batches on a hot, lightly greased skillet or griddle. I recommend ¼ cup of batter per pancake. When small bubbles start to break on the surface of the pancakes, that’s your sign to flip. Cook until the pancakes are golden on both sides, then move them to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve. Once you’ve turned all that batter into fluffy pancakes, serve them dusted with powdered sugar and topped with fresh 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 can be kept airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat. Warm the pancakes in the microwave or cover them with foil and reheat them in the oven until they’re hot and steamy again.
- Freeze. You can freeze pancakes for up to 2 months and thaw them in the fridge before reheating.
