These light and fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes are made with pantry-friendly ingredients and are bursting with flavor. Plus, ricotta cheese pancakes contain more protein than regular pancakes, and are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
Add all the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk/mix to combine.
Sift in the dry ingredients and stir to combine, but be careful not to over-mix it. The batter should be slightly lumpy; this is normal.
Heat a large pan/skillet over medium-low heat and add butter. Once melted, make pancake "mounds" using a ¼-⅓ cup of the batter, leaving plenty of space between each pancake.
Allow the pancakes to cook for 3-4 minutes per side until fluffy, cooked through, and lightly browned on each side. Adjust the heat if you find they’re browning too quickly/not quickly enough.Use a large skillet to cut down on how many batches you’ll need to do. If you have a griddle, even better!
Storage Instructions
Make ahead: You can prepare the pancake batter 1-2 days in advance (minus the leavening agents). Then, when you want to use it, bring it back to room temperature for 15 minutes, mix in the baking powder and baking soda, and cook the pancakes as usual.Alternatively, prepare the wet and dry mixtures separately and then combine them just before making the pancakes.You can also meal prep this lemon ricotta pancakes recipe by cooking a large batch in advance and storing them in the fridge (for 3-4 days) or in the freezer.Freeze: Allow the pancakes to cool, and then spread them across a large tray, not touching. Flash-freeze the pancakes until solid, then transfer them to an airtight container or Ziplock bag with parchment paper/ wax paper between the layers. Freeze them for up to 2 months. Allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or even reheat from frozen.Reheat: You can reheat the ricotta pancakes from frozen or chilled in a microwave (1-2 minutes from frozen. 30-40 seconds from chilled), toaster (defrost setting from frozen or same setting as toast for chilled), or oven (wrap or cover with foil and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350ºF/180ºC).
Notes
Be careful not to over-mix the pancake batter: Lumps are actually good in any pancake mix, and it means you haven’t overworked the gluten and will have wonderfully fluffy pancakes. If you’re worried you’ve overworked the batter, leave it to rest for 15 minutes.
Adjust the lemon zest to taste: We all have our preferred levels of lemon flavor, so adjust it to taste. I recommend making a test pancake, tasting, and increasing the amount of zest if preferred.
For a more robust lemon flavor: Replace a tablespoon of milk with lemon juice.
For even fluffier pancakes: Whip the egg whites separately and then fold the beaten egg whites back into the batter. However, I usually skip this step since using ricotta cheese renders it pretty unnecessary (in my opinion).
Ingredient variations: As with all pancakes, there are plenty of ways to add to or vary this lemon ricotta pancakes recipe, including:
Poppy seeds: Add a tablespoon to the batter for little flecks and a slight crunch.
Fresh blueberries OR raspberries: I like to press a few fresh berries into each pancake as I cook them.
Chocolate chips: Swap the lemon zest for orange and add a handful of chocolate chips into the batter.
Check the blog post for serving recommendations and answers to top FAQs!