Ina Garten Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Buttermilk

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Keyword: lemon ricotta pancakes, lemon ricotta pancakes recipe

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Resting time: 5

Total Time: 25

Servings: pancakes

Calories: 140kcal

This easy lemon ricotta pancakes recipe makes the best fluffy pancakes, with a batter that has both buttermilk and baking powder for extra rise!

Get Recipe Ingredients

Use a microplane grater to zest the lemons, then cut in half and juice them. Set the juice aside.
Add the sugar to a small 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.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder.
In a third 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 incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and run the whisk through the batter 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.

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 overwork 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.
Storage: Place in a ziptop bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 350°F oven.

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