If you love lemon and ricotta cheese, then you must try this easy recipe for ricotta pancakes. These Italian pancakes are light and soft with a hint of fresh lemon juice.
Jump to:
Make the best pancakes ever with this recipe for ricotta pancakes. Made with creamy ricotta cheese and fresh lemon, these are so good!
Cost To Make
Estimated cost = $4.30 or $0.18 a pancake
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
You will love this recipe for ricotta pancakes not only because it is a good way to use up leftover ricotta cheese, but its also great because:
- These fluffy ricotta pancakes are light, tender, and have a delicious lemony tang.
- These pancakes are filling and full of protein because of the ricotta.
- The pancakes are perfect for weekend breakfast when you want something different.
Ingredients In This Recipe
You can download a printable version of this recipe below. It lists all the ingredients you need and gives clear, step-by-step instructions to help you make it.
Most of the ingredients are pantry staples and are not that hard to get.
Plain flour
White granulated sugar
Baking powder – to help make the pancakes extra soft
Salt
4 large eggs
Ricotta Cheese – Depending on where you live, you might not be able to get ricotta cheese.
Do not worry if you can not get ricotta cheese because you can make it at home.
Our recipe for homemade ricotta cheese makes just over a cup which is enough for this recipe.
Full cream milk (whole milk)
Fresh lemon juice – you will need ⅓ cup of lemon juice for the recipe. It might seem a lot but, it is not. It is just enough to give a light lemon flavor to the pancakes.
However, if you think that this is too much lemon, reduce the amount by half if you like.
The lemon juice also reacts with the milk making it similar to buttermilk. This reaction will increase the lightness and tenderness of the pancakes.
Lemon zest
Vanilla extract or essence
Butter for cooking
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1 – Place the flour, baking powder, and salt into a sieve and sift into a large mixing bowl.
- Sifting the flour with the other dry ingredients aerates the flour by making it lighter, and it also helps to combine the other dry ingredients into the flour.
Step 2 – In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients. First, whisk together the eggs and then mix in ricotta cheese until well combined.
Step 3 – Then add the whole milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla to the egg/ricotta mixture and stir until well combined.
Step 4 – Use a spoon to make a well in the center of the flour.
Step 5 – Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until it just combines.
- Note: Don’t over mix the batter because if you do, the pancakes will end up being tough.
Step 6 – Use a measuring cup to pour batches of batter onto a lightly buttered non-stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat.
Cook on one side until bubbles appear on top and stay open, and the bottom is golden brown, flip the pancake and cook the other side.
Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
How many pancakes from this recipe
This recipe for ricotta pancakes makes about 24 pancakes, using a ⅓ cup measure. However, you can make them any size you want.
Cooking time
They take about 5- 6 minutes each to cook on low/ medium heat.
For this quantity (24 pancakes), the total cooking time was over 1 hour, cooking them one at a time over medium/low heat.
If you make them smaller and fit more into a pan, the cooking time would reduce.
The same is true if you make them bigger because more batter is needed, and you will be making less.
Don’t over mix
You want the wet and dry ingredients to only just mix in (it’s okay to have a few lumps in the batter) because over mixing the batter will make the pancakes chewy.
When to flip the pancakes
As soon as you see bubbles appear on the top and they remain open, check underneath, and if golden flip the pancake over and cook the other side.
Variations
Add berries
You can add blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries to the pancakes, and layer these onto the batter while it is still wet in the pan. This way you know that each pancake has the same amount of fruit in it.
Add chocolate chips
Leave out the lemon zest and mix in white, milk, or dark chocolate chips either into the batter or on top of the batter after it has been ladled into the frying pan.
Serving Suggestions
What Should I Serve Over These Lemon Ricotta Pancakes?
My favorite way to eat these is with lemon juice and sugar. But, you might want something more. Try these easy and delicious topping ideas, they are all quick and easy to make.
- Maple syrup
- Chantilly cream and strawberry compote
- Butter and powdered sugar
- Lemon curd
- Easy raspberry coulis
- Stewed rhubarb
- Blackberry jam
- Lemon blueberry sauce
- Butter maple peach topping sauce
More Sweet Recipes
Want more ricotta cheese recipe how about this easy recipe for Italian ricotta cookies, or this recipe for Romanian cheese doughnuts or these easy puff pastry tomato tartlet appetizers.
If you are looking for some other breakfast recipe ideas and love bananas, see our collection of Healthy Banana Breakfast Recipes.
I do hope you give this recipe for ricotta pancakes a try. If you do please come back and leave a comment below because, I would love to know how you went.
Easy Recipe For Ricotta Pancakes
Equipment
- Kitchen scales
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Sieve or flour sifter
- 2 large mixing bowls
- Lemon zester
- Lemon juicer
- Wooden spoon
- Spatula
- Skillet or non-stick fry pan
Ingredients
- 260 grams (2 cups) plain flour (all-purpose)
- 100 grams (½ cup) white granulated sugar
- 2 level tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 285 grams (10 ounces) full-fat ricotta cheese
- 400 ml / grams (1 ⅔ cups) full cream milk / whole milk
- 70 grams (⅓ cup) lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- butter for cooking
Instructions
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- In another bowl, beat the eggs, then add the ricotta cheese and mix well. Next, stir in the milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stir until just combined. Don’t over mix the batter because the pancakes will end up tough,
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over low-medium heat. Working in batches, melt a tablespoon of butter at a time in the frying pan. Note: If the butter has turned a dark brown in the pan before adding the batter, the pan is too hot. Turn down the heat, use a paper towel to wipe away the burnt butter, and start again.
- Add a ⅓ cup of batter per pancake (or more if you want bigger pancakes) at a time to the frying pan.
- Cook for about 3 minutes or until you see bubbles appear on top and the top looks a little dry, flip and cook the other side. Cook on the other side for about 1 – 2 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining batter until all cooked. Serve immediately with either fresh lemon juice and sugar or maple syrup.
Claire says
Nice.
Cameron C says
Yum