Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

These light and fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes are perfect for any weekend breakfast! A simple and quick recipe that comes together within 15 minutes.

Pancakes are one of my husband’s and my favorite breakfast foods. We often enjoy breakfast for dinner, and I’ll whip up a batch of these fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes.

I love classic plain pancakes drizzled with honey and topped with fruit. The addition of lemon in these pancakes truly elevates the flavor – in fact, it takes them up ten notches! Personally love to cook delicious recipes that are quick to prepare and also very visually appealing. After all, as the saying goes, you eat with your eyes first- and with this recipe, you’re sure to be impressed by both the taste and the presentation.

The inspiration for this recipe came from one of my family’s favorite brunch spots in my hometown. Fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes are a crowd-pleaser with my family. Paired with blueberry stove-top jam and whipped cream, add just the right amount of sweetness to these pancakes. It can really level up the homemade pancake game without needing to go out to a restaurant.

Tips for making Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

• Don’t have ricotta cheese, don’t worry, substitute it for Greek yogurt.
• Swap out the lemon for any citrus! Orange can work perfectly for this recipe, too, and is a unique way to use up oranges when in season, for instance.
• You don’t want to use cane sugar; substitute it for a natural sweetener like honey. Honey and lemon pair very nicely together.
• For best results, don’t add the leavening agents too early. Instead, wait to mix in the baking soda and baking powder right before cooking the pancakes. This timing helps ensure your pancakes rise properly and turn out light and fluffy.
• Want to use up some sourdough discard? This pancake recipe is a great way to incorporate it! Add 1/2 cup of sourdough discard to the batter. The consistency of the batter will only be affected if your starter is too runny or too thick. To solve this problem, simply add a little more liquid or flour to the pancake batter.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Quick and simple breakfast – Comes together quickly! Within 15 minutes, you will have fluffy and delicious pancakes that are sure to impress anyone.

Add flavor– Jazz up your pancakes for something a little special. These are versatile; change up the flavor combination by adding orange juice and zest. You can even add different flavors by adding stove-top jam or a lemon glaze, topped with whipped cream.

Use what you have – Perhaps you don’t have any ricotta cheese, no worries, plain Greek yogurt will work just fine.

Perfect for a weekend breakfast– Impress anyone with these pancakes that make it seem like you have spent hours in the kitchen. Delicious for brunch or even breakfast for dinner

Variations of luffy Lemon Riccota Pancakes

If you are like me, you love to experiment with recipes. I like to adapt recipes to fit my needs and what I have on hand. In this recipe, you can do just the same. For instance, if you don’t have lemons but you have oranges, try that. You could even try pairing it with a raspberry or strawberry jam on top, too, using the quick stove-top blueberry jam recipe from the blog.

Ingredients

Ricotta Cheese– Made with whole milk or low-fat milk. However, substitute Greek yogurt or sour cream if needed.

Butter– Use cooled, melted butter or melted coconut oil.

Lemons– Use the juice and zest.

Milk– Any type of milk works; I like whole milk.

Eggs– Whole egg includes the yolks and whites.

Flour– All-purpose works or can be halved with whole grain and AP flour.

Sugar– Use granulated sugar, or replace it with honey for a 1:1 ratio.

Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes Recipe

Wet Ingredients

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 tbsp melted butter, cooled + 2 tbsp for cooking

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

Juice of 2 small lemons or 1 large lemon

Zest of 2 small lemons or 1 large lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cane sugar, granulated

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes Instructions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients: ricotta cheese, melted butter, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
2. In the same bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt. Then whisk until it is combined and no longer has lumps.
3. Preheat the skillet or griddle on medium heat.
4. Once the skillet is heated, add baking powder and baking soda to the batter and mix.
5. Add the remaining butter to the preheated skillet.
6. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet and let it cook on one side until bubbles form on the surface, then flip. About 2-3 minutes per side.
7. Lastly, continue until no batter remains.
8. Top with syrup or quick stove-top blueberry jam and whipped cream. Enjoy!
9. This recipe yields 20 pancakes.

Frequently Asked Questions about Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

1. What does the ricotta do in the pancake?
   • The ricotta cheese in these pancakes adds moisture and helps with a fluffy texture. It has a mild, almost sweet flavor, and it’s a way to add protein to the pancakes, too.
2. What is the best temperature for cooking these pancakes?
   • To achieve the ideal cooking temperature for pancakes, first begin by preheat your skillet over medium-low heat while mixing the ingredients. However, if you notice the pancakes are starting to burn, don’t panic – instead simply turn the heat off for a few minutes, doing so with ensure the pan cools down slightly. Similarly, if the pancakes are browning too quickly on the outside while remaining raw in the center, the heat is likely too high. Lowering the temperature will help ensure cooking and fluffy pancakes.