Extra-fluffy, golden-edged, with a subtle lemon flavour and a luxuriously creamy interior, these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are worth getting up for. Serve them for any special occasion breakfast or brunch, or when you’re feeling a little bored with the classic pancake.
Lemon Ricotta Pancake Recipe
If you’ve never added ricotta cheese to your pancake batter, it’s time to give it a try. Ricotta makes pancakes that are tender, fluffy, creamy, and incredibly moist, so basically everything you want in a perfect stack. While you can add ricotta to almost any pancake recipe, it really shines when paired with bright, zesty lemon. The combination is classic for a reason—it’s fresh, light, and completely irresistible.
And the best part is that these lemon ricotta pancakes come together with no extra fuss—no separating eggs or whipping whites required. Just whisk, mix, and cook. You still get that soft, airy texture with a rich, delicate crumb, but with a method that’s simple enough for any morning. Golden on the outside, pillowy on the inside, and bursting with lemony flavor. I guarantee these will be the pancakes you’ll want on repeat.
Ingredients And Notes
- Flour – You can keep these pancakes classic with all-purpose flour or experiment by substituting a third of the all-purpose flour with spelt or whole-wheat.
- Baking powder and baking soda – You will need both to get the ideal lift and light texture in your pancakes.
- Sugar – Just a bit of sugar will help give you a crispier, more golden-coloured pancake.
- Salt – As with most baked goods containing eggs, pancakes benefit greatly when seasoned with a little salt.
- Ricotta Cheese – Full-fat ricotta cheese is going to give you the best results. Cottage cheese could work in a pinch.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk adds a lovely tangy flavour and helps moisten and thicken the batter of these lemon ricotta pancakes.
- Butter – A few tablespoons of melted butter are added to the batter. This gives the pancakes a deeper golden-brown colour, and adds a lot of flavour. I sometimes leave it out but find I miss it when I do.
- Lemon zest and juice – To give the pancakes a lovely citrusy and floral flavour.
- Eggs – You’ll need three room temperature eggs to make these pancakes.
- Vanilla extract- An optional ingredient but I find pancakes are always tastier with a splash of vanilla.
How to Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Buttermilk Substitutes
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can mix 1/4 cup plain yogurt with 2/3 cups milk. Depending on the thickness of the yogurt you may need to add a little more milk to thin it out a bit.
If you would like to just use milk, add the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice that the recipe calls for to 3/4 cups of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. The pancakes might not puff up as much but they will still be delicious.
UPDATE: I No Longer Beat The Egg Whites Separately
My original recipe for these lemon ricotta pancakes called for separating the eggs, but I’ve since simplified the process. I decided the extra step just wasn’t worth the effort, especially first thing in the morning.
Now I simply use 2 whole eggs plus 1 extra egg white. The pancakes are still incredibly light, airy, and fluffy, with no noticeable difference in texture. The key is not to overmix the batter because that’s what really keeps them soft and fluffy!
How To Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl, use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar until the mixture is moist. Add the eggs and whisk until a little foamy. Add the ricotta cheese, buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and melted butter and whisk until smooth. It’s okay if a few lumps remain from the ricotta.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a spatula to stir until most of the flour is incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, add butter to coat the pan and ladle batter onto the skillet. Cook until bubbles rise to the surface and the edges look brown and set, about 2 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until the other sides are lightly browned and the pancakes look thick and puffed.
- Remove pancakes to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet, and keep in heated oven until all the batter is cooked. Serve with your choice of toppings and enjoy!
Tips To Cook The Best Pancakes
- Room temperature eggs. Cold eggs will make the batter harder to mix and make it lumpier. If you forget to take the eggs out ahead of time, simply place them in a little bowl with warm water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. I’m sure you’ve heard this repeatedly but it is important to overstate; pancake batter should never be over-mixed. This will develop gluten in the batter which will make a tough pancake. Mix only until the dry flour is no longer visible but a few lumps are perfectly acceptable.
- A lumpy batter is OK! Don’t worry if your batter is a bit lumpy. In fact, if the batter is nice and smooth it means you overmixed it and the pancakes might be a bit dense.
- Be sure to start with a hot griddle or pan. Getting the temperature right is the trickiest part of cooking pancakes. Too hot and they will burn quickly, not hot enough and the batter will not puff up. The surface is hot enough when a drop of water sizzles and skips on the pan. If the pancakes are browning too quickly, lower the temperature just a bit.
- Keep the size small for fluffier pancakes. Smaller pancakes will rise more and will stay puffier. If you prefer larger panckaes, use a 1/3 cup measure instead.
- Keep them warm. As you cook the pancakes, keep the cooked ones in a warm oven on a wire rack set inside a sheet pan until all the batter is cooked.
What Is The Best Fat For Cooking Pancakes?
I like to use coconut oil or ghee which will not burn quickly like butter. That said, regular butter will give the pancakes a beautiful golden and crispy exterior so use whichever suits your needs the best.
Serving Suggestions
We enjoy these fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes with maple syrup and lots of berries on the side. We also love to top our pancakes with generous dollops of thick plain yogurt – so good.
For an extra special treat I love to serve these pancakes with a blueberry compote that is gloriously good and takes just minutes to make.
Needless to say, these pancakes are as lovely for dinner as they are for breakfast. If going that route, consider serving them with scrambled or fried eggs, and perhaps some grilled chicken sausage. Yum.
To Store And Reheat
These lemon ricotta pancakes freeze and reheat beautifully so I highly recommend making a double or triple batch to enjoy many quick and delicious breakfasts.
- Fridge: Though I prefer to freeze my leftover pancakes, you can also store them in the fridge. Place leftover pancakes between layers of parchment paper in a storage bag or airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Let the pancakes cool completely. Place layers of parchment paper between the pancakes and store in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: I like to pop the pancakes frozen straight into the toaster but they do take a little long to heat up. If you’re in a hurry, thaw them for a few seconds in the microwave (I do about 10 seconds a side) before placing them in the toaster. If you are reheating a large batch, you will need to use the oven: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place pancakes on a baking sheet in a single layer and cover with foil. Transfer to oven for 8-10 minutes for thawed pancakes, or 15 to 20 minutes if frozen.
If you give this Lemon Ricotta Pancake recipe a try, please feel free to leave a comment and/or a star rating below. We appreciate and welcome all your feedback. Thank you!
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- zest from 2 lemons, about 1 tablespoon
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs (2 whole eggs and 1 egg white – *see notes)
- 1 cup (250g) full-fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cup buttermilk *see notes for substitutes
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ghee, butter, or coconut oil for cooking pancakes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar until the mixture is fragrant and slightly moist. Add 2 whole eggs plus 1 egg white and whisk until well-beaten and slightly foamy. Add the ricotta cheese, buttermilk, lemon juice, vanilla, and melted butter. Whisk again until mostly smooth (a few small lumps from the ricotta are perfectly fine).
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix—the batter should be slightly lumpy. Let sit for at least 5 minutes while you heat up the pan or griddle.
- Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Once the griddle is hot, add enough oil to coat the surface. Scoop a scant 1/3 cup of batter per pancake onto the skillet. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look set, about 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Transfer cooked pancakes to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining batter (you will need to continue adding oil in between batches). Serve warm with yogurt, maple syrup, blueberry sauce, whipped cream, and/or fresh berries.
Notes
- Fridge: Though I prefer to freeze my leftover pancakes, you can also store them in the fridge. Place leftover pancakes between layers of parchment paper in a storage bag or airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: To freeze, let the pancakes cool completely. Place layers of parchment paper between the pancakes and store in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: I like to pop the pancakes frozen straight into the toaster but they do take a little long to heat up. If you’re in a hurry, thaw them for a few seconds in the microwave (I do about 10 seconds a side) before placing them in the toaster. If you are reheating a large batch, you will need to use the oven: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place pancakes on a baking sheet in a single layer and cover with foil. Transfer to oven for 8-10 minutes for thawed pancakes, or 15 to 20 minutes if frozen.
This Lemon Ricotta Pancake recipe was originally published on April 29, 2022. It has since been retested, updated, and republished with new photos on April 13, 2026 to make it even better.
Sandra
Oh my goodness, these are delicious. I followed the recipe exactly as written, except that I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for the all purpose, and it worked perfectly.
I love special weekend breakfasts, and these will definitely make it into my regular rotation.
I appreciate that you added the information about how to store them and reheat them. I wasn’t sure whether they would be good the next day, and you answered my questions!
Thanks for this beautiful recipe.
Sandra Valvassori
Oh fantastic, this makes me so happy to hear! And thank you for sharing about the whole wheat flour, this will be very helpful to other readers.
Diane
YUM! We had extended family visiting for the Easter weekend and made this Sunday morning. They were a huge hit! Next time, I might make them in advance and refrigerate. Thanks Again, Sandra!
Sandra Valvassori
I am so thrilled to hear the pancakes were a hit, Diane! Good idea to make them ahead if feeding a crowd. Thank you so much for taking the time to review the recipe, really appreciate it!