Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes (VIDEO)
Super light and fluffy Ricotta Pancakes with lemon are sure to become a new family favorite breakfast! These puff up beautifully and have wonderful flavor with the zest of an entire lemon.
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Why We Love these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes:
These breakfast pancakes are satisfying and keep you full because they are high in protein – there’s a surprising amount of ricotta cheese in this recipe and you get to use the entire 15 oz container without wondering what to do with the rest of it.
Most ricotta pancakes that I’ve come across have about half the amount of ricotta which is basically a pancake with a little ricotta mixed in, but not these! Just like our Cottage Cheese Pancakes, the main ingredient here is Ricotta which keeps them super light and they go down easy in a melt-in-your-mouth kind of way.
Watch Ricotta Cheese Pancakes Video:
Watch how to make these EASY Ricotta Pancakes. The pancake batter is quick and easy to make and comes together in one bowl. All you need is a bowl and a whisk. You’ll feel so good about what’s in this recipe.
When to Flip Ricotta Cheese Pancakes:
Pancakes are ready to flip when you see bubbles pop and remain open on the surface. This is true for these Ricotta Pancakes and ALL pancakes.
Keep pancakes over medium heat so they don’t brown too quickly before they have a chance to cook through. We set to medium heat on the skillet or 325˚F on the griddle.
The Best Oil for Cooking Pancakes:
- Coconut Oil – We love coconut oil because it’s slightly healthier fat and if using unrefined coconut oil it is good for high heat cooking and adds a pleasant coconut sweetness.
- Cooking Oils – A flavorless high heat cooking oil like light olive oil or canola oil will work.
- Butter – If using butter that isn’t clarified, wipe the pan clean between every 2 batches to get rid of any browned butter. You can also do a combination of butter and oil which will increase your smoke point so the butter doesn’t burn as quickly.
Our Favorite Toppings for Ricotta Pancakes:
My personal go-to toppings for pancakes are sour cream, honey, and fresh berries. I find the combination of sweet and tangy irresistible. For company and special mornings, we love to elevate pancakes with these toppings:
- Raspberry Maple Syrup – a blended combination of real maple syrup with raspberries for the ultimate breakfast syrup
- Strawberry Sauce – our homemade topping is quick and easy to whip up and can’t be beaten.
- Cherry Sauce – filled with juicy plump cherries; this tastes like cherry pie filling.
- Fresh Fruit – we love a variety of berries and stone fruit depending on what is in season.
- Real Maple Syrup (from Vermont) – REAL maple syrup makes all the difference.
- Jams and Jellies – our homemade plum jam is a must-try – no pectin needed!
- Fruit Preserves – we love homemade peach preserves where you can see the texture of the fruit
Brilliant Ways to Reheat Pancakes:
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers of these pancakes, you can cover and refrigerate them for up to 3 days then reheat when you’re ready for pancakes again.
- Toaster – put pancakes individually into the slots of a toaster and toast as you would a slice of bread until they are heated through.
- Air Fryer – put cold pancakes into the air fryer basket and air fry at 350˚F for about 3 minutes or just until heated through.
- Frying Pan – set the burner to medium heat. Brush skillet with a little butter if desired and flip pancakes until warm.
More Pancake Recipes You’ll Make Over and Over:
These Ricotta Pancakes will make a breakfast person out of you! Below are our top-rated pancake recipes (all tested and approved by our family). You can explore all of our breakfast recipes here.
- Sour Cream Pancakes – with blueberries in the batter
- Buttermilk Pancakes – a quick and easy recipe with pantry staples
- Greek Yogurt Pancakes – super fluffy with more protein than traditional pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes – for pumpkin lovers! We always keep pumpkin puree in the pantry for these.
Here’s my sweet girl making these ricotta pancakes. This is one of those easy recipes the whole family can help with.
Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes (VIDEO)
Light and fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are sure to become a new family favorite breakfast! These puff up beautifully and have wonderful lemon zest flavor. This recipe makes 18 (4-inch) pancakes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup ricotta cheese (14-15 oz will work)
- 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk (or kefir)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (5 1/2 oz)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Olive oil or coconut oil to cook
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until well blended.
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Mix in ricotta cheese, buttermilk and salt and whisk until blended.
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In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder then whisk the flour mixture into the cheese mixture.
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Stir in the zest of 1 lemon. If you let the batter rest for 10-30 minutes, the pancakes will be even fluffier.
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Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat and melt in your oil. Spoon batter into the pan (about 2 Tbsp per pancake) and sautee 2-3 min per side. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil as needed.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I just made these ricotta cheese pancakes for the first time. I didn’t have any buttermilk or kefir on hand, so I just used 2% milk. I have never had such moist and fluffy pancakes before. I served them with fresh berries and a rosette of whipped cream on top of each cake. They were divine. We have enough left over to reheat for breakfast tomorrow.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Jane. Thank you for that great review!
These were absolutely DIVINE!!! Light & FLUFFY!! I was supposed to only have a bite to do a taste test but ended up eating almost 3 of them!
I didn’t have any buttermilk so just made some, I only used 1 tbsp sugar and I find icing sugar is best when making pancakes (tip from another food blogger). I also replaced 1/4 cup AP flour with almond flour. I let the batter rest for almost half an hour as you suggested and I think that really helped. It’s so good to know that this is a healthier version of pancakes which means less guilt when you feed this to your family. We had them with maple syrup. Thank you Natasha!
So awesome to hear that, Jay. Thank you for sharing your experience with us and for giving the recipe a great review!
These turned out delicious! I used the entire 15 oz container of Polly-O ricotta and didn’t look back. Lemon zest is a great touch, I could actually taste lemon as J was eating the pancakes. Thank you for another great recipe.
You are so welcome, Darya. Thanks for your good feedback!
I don’t even know where to start!!! These pancakes are like eating a very very very yummy and soft pillow with a hint of lemon. It’s amazing. Like you said, no left overs. Next time doubling the recipe.
Sounds like you found a new favorite! Thank you so much sharing that great review!
I really love your recipes I love how simple they are. Today I made these pancakes and I had to close the kitchen door, because they were disappearing faster than I was making them! thank you!
You’re welcome Kate! Thank you so much for sharing that wonderful review!
when is your next give away?
Hi Anna, I don’t have any giveaways at the moment. In case you receive those messages and it asks you for your credit card info, know that it’s not from me. We found some scammers who are posing as me especially on Facebook.
OMG! Best pancake ever. I made these for breakfast this morning. Followed the recipe exactly and they were fantastic. I’ll have to take your word that they reheat well since there aren’t any left to test. 🙂
Yay I am so glad you loved it!
Delicious! I had to try one as I was making them. The first one I thought they were good but wasn’t sure if could eat many. After I made them all I sat down with 2 more and fell in love. Almost like dessert meets breakfast, a perfect pair! I sent my husband to work with 3. I hope he enjoys them as much as I did. I love all your recipes. You are my go-to for quick, easy and delicious! Thank you!!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad your family enjoyed this!
Delicious! This recipe is a keeper. I didn’t have buttermilk so made my own. I have a few pancakes leftover and anxious to see how they reheat (as Natasha on the video says they do).
Thank you for that wonderful feedback Yolande! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Thank you for this recipe! It was delicious and a total hit with our family’s weekly Saturday sit down breakfast!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing that wonderful review with me!
I made these pancakes for breakfast this morning. My daughter loved them, and my husband took a bunch to work. Before I knew it there was one left. These pancakes are light and fluffy, delicious.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This recipe is so delicious! My family went crazy for it!
I am so glad your family enjoyed the pancakes! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Oh my gosh…I normally don’t care for pancakes, but this morning I made these and they are beyond fantastic! I used a 2T ice cream scoop and it was perfect for the batter. I ate four of them! Could have eaten more, but I froze them so I can have for later and will heat them up in my toaster oven. I do think even frozen, the regular toaster would not work. That’s a guess on my part. Thanks for the great recipe; it is now part of my recipe collection as KEEPERS.
I absolutely love your comment! I am so glad you enjoyed your pancakes, thank you for sharing that with us!
Can they be frozen for future eating?
Hi Cindy, we haven’t tried freezing but that should work fine to freeze the cooked pancakes.
Can you substitute the lemon with anything?
Hi Jessica, different citrus zest like oranges or clementines would also work here. You could also leave it out if you didn’t like or didn’t have citrus on hand and it would still work.
Can the all-purpose flour be substituted with buckwheat flour or a combination of both. If so, how much of each?
Hi Margaret, I haven’t tested it that way but I think it should work since flour isn’t the main ingredient. You’ll probably get fluffier results combining the two types of flour (half of each). Please let me know how it goes and I hope you love the pancakes.
WOWWW!! Tried it this morning and completely loved it! Quick, easy and super filling 🙂 thanks Natasha!
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I’m so glad you loved the lemon ricotta pancakes.
What a delicious way to up our pancake game! These have such good flavor!
Isn’t the flavor amazing! Thank you for sharing that great review!
WOW!! Such a fabulous way to start the day! These pancakes are amazing!!
They are so good! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!