It’s lemon season! In my book, no recipe for lemon ricotta pancakes is complete without lemon curd to top your stack off. It seems like almost every year someone hands me a big bag of lemons and I continue to do basically the same thing with them. I turn their tart natural flavor into something rich and sweet. I always make one big batch of lemon curd then with any leftover lemons I make lemon shaker pie, lemon beignets, or lemon pudding cake and this year I made lemon ricotta pancakes then proceeded to drown them in creamy lemon curd.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes have been made in my kitchen for years, mostly by Josh, at my request for special occasions like birthdays, mothers day, or any other excuse I can make. Josh is the pancake maker in our house. He’s mastered our homemade pancake recipe and when he’s at work, everyone else needs to back away as to not break his methodical routine. Everett and I read books or play while he creates. On this occasion, I tried to very be very sly as I photographed him in his art.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are fluffy, like their buttermilk counterparts, but even more rich and decadent with a hint of lemon. The lemon curd puts them perfectly over the top, though maple syrup will also do the job if that’s more your style. Black coffee helps cut the richness. There’s really no breakfast at our house without coffee, as it should be when you own a coffee shop 🙂
Today you’ll find bright seasonal recipes like this one floating all over the web. Here are links to more recipes using this month’s seasonal ingredients:
A Zesty Bite – Whipped Lemon Ricotta Open Faced sandwich
Well Plated – Curried Broccoli Chickpea Hash
Climbing Grier Mountain – Baked Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Artichokes with Blue Cheese
Completely Delicious – Roasted Asparagus and Avocado Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Bless this Mess – Spinach and Mushroom Marinara with (or without) Meatballs
Cookie and Kate – Greek Broccoli Salad
Kitchen Confidante – Baked Eggs with Asparagus and Peas
Vintage Mixer – Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Cafe Johnsonia – Blood Orange Asparagus Salad with Ginger Miso Dressing
Kelley Mountain Mama Cooks- Avocado and Mango Salad with Citrus Poppyseed Dressing
Oh, Sweet Basil- Creamy Garlic Lemon Butter Pasta
Foodie Crush – Spinach, Leek and Bacon Quiche
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites
- 1 tablespoon lemon
- lemon zest from 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted (for the pan)
- 1 recipe lemon curd, for topping
Instructions
- If your ricotta seems to have a lot of liquid, set it in a fine mesh strainer to drain off excess liquid about 30 minutes before you start cooking. If your ricotta seems fairly dry and compact, you can skip this step.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Combine ricotta, milk, egg yolks, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla in a separate, larger mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined.
- Beat the egg whites in a mixer until stiff. Stir a small scoop of the egg whites into the pancake batter to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites with a spatula.
- Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Brush a small amount of the melted butter over the pan (or you can just smear one end of a stick across the pan), just enough to coat the surface. Use a 1/4-cup measure to pour batter onto the hot griddle. Cook the pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes, until the undersides are golden and you see a few bubbles popping through the pancakes. Flip the pancakes and cook another 2 minutes, until golden. Repeat with the remaining pancakes.
- Serve the pancakes immediately, with maple syrup or lemon curd.
It doesn’t get much better than lemon ricotta pancakes. And yours look perfect in every way! A tall stack for me, please!
Thanks Sarah! I agree, lemon ricotta pancakes are at the top of my list when it comes to breakfast treats!
I’ll take a giant stack, please?!!! xoxo
Comin’ right up 🙂
What I would give for a giant stack of these right now. I love any kind of citrus and always think it pairs so well with something heavier like pancakes. Gorgeous, Becky!! Thanks for organizing. xo
Thanks Kelley! These are definitely my favorite spring indulgence 🙂
I want to come to your house for breakfast! These look lovely. And yes to all the lemons. I’ve been making so many lemon things this year. They are my fav. I have one bag of meyer lemons left that I’m coveting right now!
Can’t wait to hear what you do with that last bag of Meyers!!
I had ricotta pancakes at Deer Valley last week and they were supreme. But now I have your recipe to solve all my ricotta desires. Josh is wicked with the flipper, they look delish!
Haaha!! Josh is definitely wicked with the flipper 🙂 that made me laugh.
So gorgeous! This is the first recipe from out #eatseasonal party that I’m going to try. It’s been calling my name since I saw the pictures!!!
Melissa, you’ll definitely have to let me know what you think!! And I think lemon curd is a must to go along with them. Make it the day before so there’s less prep.
Pancakes are my life. I could eat them every day. Thank you for posting this ricotta pancakes. They look super delicious. 🙂
Erin, I just have to say that I loved that you wrote pancakes are my life!! ha!!
You know, it has been far too long since I enjoyed some lemon curd. Your pancakes look divine and I love the looks of the #eatseasonal group’s recipes this month! So much green. 🙂
Kate, I loved all of the green as well! And you must get back on the lemon curd train. It’s addicting.
I’m so excited that lemon season is starting! Summer, here we come!
Lemon is always a good sign!! Hope you are enjoying warmer weather!
Lemon curd is one of my favorite things to make in the whole wide world. And pancakes are a must every weekend. Clearly, I need to make this over the weekend!
Me too Liren!! It is possibly the best part of early Spring for me!
Oh man, this would be so perfect for Easter brunch!
YES!! Lemon Curd and Lemon Ricotta Pancakes would be perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day or both!!
I am desperate looking for the Oatmeal recipe that used ALL oatmeal – no other grain , It was in a Betty Crocker cookbook of the 1950 or possibly earlier, I received it as a gift in 1958.
Thank You
bayofcc@comcast.net
I will look through the old cookbooks I have. Do you remember what the cookbook looked like?