Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

These lemon ricotta pancakes are light, fluffy, and the batter comes together in less than 5 minutes! The ricotta adds a nice creaminess to the pancakes, and the lemon brightens it up, adding great flavour. This recipe makes 6 medium sized pancakes, which is a perfect portion for 2 people.

Ricotta

Ricotta is one of my favourite staples to have in the fridge. Ricotta is a creamy curd-like cheese. It’s not solid but it’s not completely liquid either. You may have seen it in lasagna and other savoury dishes, but did you know it’s also great in desserts?

Adding ricotta to your pancakes adds a wonderful creaminess to the overall pancake. If you’ve ever eaten ricotta on its own, it really doesn’t taste like cheese. It just tastes like a rich and creamy milk custard. This is why when you add it to these lemon ricotta pancakes, it enhances the flavour and richness.

I like to make my own ricotta at home because I think it tastes so much better, but store-bought ricotta works great for these lemon ricotta pancakes. The quality of the ricotta isn’t as important because everything is mixed up together.

I haven’t shared my ricotta recipe yet, but that will be coming to the blog soon – I promise :)!

Lemon

The lemon is also really important in this recipe for two reasons:

1. It adds brightness and flavour. The lemon zest and juice really adds a lovely note to the overall pancake. Without it, it feels a bit dull and boring. I promise the lemon isn’t overpowering at all!

2. Texture – When you add lemon juice to the milk, you form curds and you essentially make buttermilk. Buttermilk makes these pancakes fluffy, light and moist!

How to Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

This recipe is honestly so easy and comes together in no time. The batter itself comes together in less than 5 minutes and requires minimal cooking tools.

It’s as easy as mixing all the wet ingredients with the sugar in one bowl, then pouring it into the dry ingredients. When adding the wet to the dry, make sure you don’t over-mix the batter. The batter should be lumpy, but with no visible flour. Once combined, let the batter sit for around 10 minutes to rest the gluten. I clean up my dishes and make my whip cream during this time!

To cook perfect pancakes, make sure you cook pancakes over medium-low heat. If the pan is too hot, the pancakes will burn without getting fluffy. Also, make sure you re-grease your pan in between batches so the pancakes don’t stick!

To serve, stack as many pancakes as you like and top with berries, fresh whip cream and a drizzle of maple syrup. These lemon ricotta pancakes are so good, honestly you will never want to eat plain pancakes again!