This easy lemon ricotta pancakes recipe makes the best fluffy pancakes, with a batter that has both buttermilk and baking powder for extra rise! With bright lemon flavor and the perfect texture, you'll want to serve them for breakfast and brunch all year round.
Lemon ricotta pancakes are not your average pancakes. They are a world unto their own. The ricotta cheese adds richness but also body, which is the reason you can add lemon juice to the pancake batter without it being runny.
What makes them so light, fluffy and tender? Cornstarch. It keeps the gluten from overdeveloping and gives you those crispy pancake edges you're looking for.
And listen, this is adapted from Ina Garten's recipe for lemon ricotta pancakes. I tried to think of how I could make it better, and I really couldn't! (I changed one little thing...) They're delicious and fabulous just as they are, so let's make breakfast now!
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Lemon ricotta pancakes recipe ingredients
- Flour and cornstarch: Cornstarch is one of the secret ingredients in this lemon ricotta pancake batter, keeping it light and fluffy—just like it does in this alfajores cookies recipe—while also allowing the pancakes to get crispy edges!
- Fresh lemon juice and zest: These are going to be the zingiest, lemony-est ricotta cheese pancakes you have ever had. There's quite a lot of both in the recipe, that fresh lemon flavor will not go unnoticed!
- Ricotta cheese: I mean that's what we're here for, right? The ricotta cheese adds moisture and richness to the pancakes.
- Buttermilk and baking powder: Because we're using ricotta cheese, we need two rising agents to make our pancakes fluffy and airy. The buttermilk also adds moisture.
- Granulated sugar: We'll add the lemon zest to the sugar to infuse it with flavor before adding it to the batter.
- Eggs: To bind the batter together.
- Vanilla extract: Just a smidge of vanilla smooths out the lemon flavor.
- Kosher salt: A hint of salt is always good to balance the sweetness.
- Butter or oil: For frying the pancakes.
How to make lemon ricotta pancakes
Lemon ricotta pancakes recipe adapted lightly from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.
Step 1: Zest and juice the lemons, make the lemon sugar
Use a microplane grater to zest the lemons, then cut in half and juice them. Set the juice aside.
Add the sugar to a mixing bowl, then add the zest and work it into the sugar with your fingertips and set aside. This will infuse the sugar with that wonderful floral aroma of the zest and it helps it to distribute evenly in the batter mixture.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder.
Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until whites and yolks are completely incorporated and they are starting to get bubbly and fluffy.
Add the buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice, and ricotta cheese to the eggs and whisk to combine.
Step 4: Make the batter and let it rest
Add the sugar to the liquid ingredients and stir until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and gently run the whisk through the mixture until the large lumps of flour are gone. (Smaller lumps are okay.)
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Let the batter rest for 5 to 15 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Step 5: Make the lemon ricotta pancakes!
Place a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or cast-iron griddle over medium to medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add butter or oil (see note about clarified butter below).
Give the pancake batter a quick stir, then drop ⅓ cup of batter onto the pan or griddle and cook until bubbles start to come up to the surface and the edges start to get crispy. Gently flip over and cook for a minute or two on the other side until golden brown.
Transfer the cooked pancakes to a parchment lined baking sheet, keep them warm in a low oven until ready to serve.
Expert tips
- Make clarified butter to avoid overdone pancakes: These lemon ricotta pancakes take a little longer to cook than regular ones, so I really recommend making or buying some clarified butter to cook them in so they don't burn. To make it, just melt butter over gentle heat until it foams lightly, then set aside so the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan or bowl. Use the liquid that remains on top, it won't burn or turn brown and you shouldn't have to wipe out the pan so often.
- Smaller lumps in the pancake batter are okay: It's important not to over mix the batter to keep the pancakes tender. You'll want to eliminate large lumps of flour, but leave the smaller ones. They will hydrate while the batter rests, and they will help your pancakes rise high so they're tall and fluffy.
- Keep pancakes warm in a low oven: Put your oven on its lowest setting, then keep the pancakes warm on a parchment-lined baking sheet while you cook them all.
- Don't rest batter too long: Once the liquid ingredients have hit the dry ingredients, the baking powder starts doing its thing! It's important to let the batter for lemon ricotta pancakes rest for up to 15 minutes so the gluten relaxes, but don't wait too long or all of those bubbles will be gone.
Toppings
If it tastes good on regular pancakes, it'll taste great on these fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes! Stick to the traditional favorites or make up your own rules.
- Fruit compote: Fresh fruit loves fresh lemon, so try blueberry compote, strawberry compote, even apple compote!
- Maple syrup: There's no need to reinvent the wheel, maple syrup is always a good bet!
- Butter: It's a little obvious, but you could also change it up with something like honey butter!
- Powdered sugar or whipped cream: A dusting of powdered sugar, or a dollop of whipped cream is never a bad idea!
Storage, freezing, reheating
- To store: Keep in an airtight container or zip top bag in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- To freeze: Because of their texture, lemon ricotta pancakes freeze well! Lay them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the freezer. Once frozen, they can be stacked and transfered to a freezer safe container for up to two months.
- To reheat: Preheat the oven to 350 degress F. Place the pancakes on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover tightly with foil, and bake until heated through. Use this method for refrigerated or frozen pancakes, adjust the cooking time as necessary. You can also reheat pancakes in the microwave, about 20 seconds per pancake.
More pancake recipes
Pancakes and crepes can be made with all kinds of ingredients. Try these unconventional recipes.
- Cornmeal pancakes are entirely gluten-free and cook up light and crispy.
- Buckwheat crepes are thin French pancakes made from buckwheat flour, that can be made sweet or savory.
This lemon ricotta pancakes recipe is easy and quick!
- Prep is just as simple as making regular pancakes.
- Ready in less than 30 minutes!
- They are extra fluffy from buttermilk AND baking powder.
- Ricotta cheese in the pancakes gives them a rich texture without being heavy, lemon adds brightness.
- Freeze them to enjoy any time!
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Recipe
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes Recipe
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Ingredients
- zest of two lemons 1½ to 2 tablespoons
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1¼ cups flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Use a microplane grater to zest the lemons, then cut in half and juice them. Set the juice aside.
- Add the sugar to a mixing bowl, then add the zest and work it into the sugar with your fingertips, and set aside. This will infuse the sugar with that wonderful floral aroma of the zest and it helps it to distribute evenly in the batter mixture.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until whites and yolks are completely incorporated and they are starting to get bubbly and fluffy.
- Add the buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice, and ricotta cheese to the eggs and whisk to combine. Add the sugar to the liquid ingredients and stir until fully incoporated. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid and whisk slowly and gently until the large lumps of flour are gone. (Smaller lumps are okay.)
- Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and run the whisk through the mixture gently until the large lumps of flour are gone. (Smaller lumps are okay.) Let the batter rest for 5 to 15 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
- Place a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or griddle over medium to medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add butter or oil (see note about clarified butter below).
- Give the pancake batter a quick stir, then drop ⅓ cup of batter onto the pan or griddle and cook until bubbles start to come up to the surface and the edges start to get crispy. Gently flip over and cook for a minute or two on the other side until golden.
- Transfer the cooked pancakes to a parchment lined baking sheet, keep them warm in a low oven until ready to serve.
Notes
- Make clarified butter to avoid overdone pancakes: These lemon ricotta pancakes take a little longer to cook than regular ones, so I really recommend making or buying some clarified butter to cook them in so they don't burn. To make it, just melt butter over gentle heat until it foams lightly, then set aside so the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan or bowl. Use the liquid that remains on top, it won't burn or turn brown and you shouldn't have to wipe out the pan so often.
- Smaller lumps in the pancake batter are okay: It's important not to overmix the batter to keep the pancakes tender. You'll want to eliminate large lumps of flour, but leave the smaller ones. They will hydrate while the batter rests, and they will help your pancakes rise high so they're tall and fluffy.
- Keep pancakes warm in a low oven: Put your oven on its lowest setting, then keep the pancakes warm on a parchment-lined baking sheet while you cook them all.
- Don't rest batter too long: Once the liquid ingredients have hit the dry ingredients, the baking powder starts doing its thing! It's important to let the batter for lemon ricotta pancakes rest for up to 15 minutes so the gluten relaxes, but don't wait too long or all of those bubbles will be gone.
Donna Kokorudz
Theses were delicious! Loved them!
Debra
Hi Donna,
So glad you like them!
Thanks for reading and trying my recipes,
Debra