Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Cloud-soft pancakes with bright lemon zest and creamy ricotta—golden on the outside, tender in the middle.

Stack of lemon ricotta pancakes with syrup and lemon zest
Fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes—weekend-brunch worthy, weekday-easy.

At a glance

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 12–15 min
Total: ~25 min
Yield: 10–12 pancakes (4–6 servings)

Ingredients

Dry

  • 1 ½ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest (from ~1 lemon)

Wet

  • ¾ cup (180 g) ricotta cheese, whole-milk preferred
  • 1 cup (240 ml) milk (plus 1–2 Tbsp more as needed)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, melted (plus more for the griddle)

Swap it: Use buttermilk instead of milk + lemon juice. For extra-lemony pancakes, add 1–2 tsp poppy seeds.

Instructions

  1. Mix dry. In a large bowl whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
  2. Mix wet. In a separate bowl whisk ricotta, milk, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and melted butter until mostly smooth (a few ricotta flecks are fine).
  3. Combine. Pour wet into dry and fold with a spatula just until no floury pockets remain. Batter should be thick and scoopable—thin with 1–2 Tbsp milk only if needed.
  4. Cook. Heat a lightly buttered skillet/griddle over medium. Scoop ~¼ cup batter per pancake. Cook 2–3 minutes until bubbles form and edges look set; flip and cook 1–2 minutes more until golden.
  5. Serve. Top with butter, warm maple syrup, and extra lemon zest.

Keep warm: Hold finished pancakes on a 200°F (95°C) sheet pan while you finish the batch.