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)
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
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until well blended.
- Mix in ricotta cheese, buttermilk and salt and whisk until blended.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder then whisk the flour mixture into the cheese mixture.
- Stir in the zest of 1 lemon. If you let the batter rest for 10-30 minutes, the pancakes will be even fluffier.
- 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.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Delicious! I served with lemon curd. These are fantastic!
Thank you for sharing, Marjorie. I’m glad you liked it!
I know this recipe link by heart now: everyone who has tried Natasha’s ricotta pancakes asks for the recipe 🙂
Thank you for that wonderful compliment!
Brilliant recipes . Everything I have tried has been so yummy . Not great with the eclairs but can try that one again. Love your videos !!!
I hope you give them another try, Trina! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our videos!
Made these and family loves it! Would adding lemon juice to the mixture help as we love a more lemony taste?
Hi Selena, you can add slightly more for more of a lemon punch.
Your video states 1-3/4 cups of ricotta, but your website recipe says 1-1/4 cups. I think the website has a typo since 14 oz. is 1-3/4 cups? Love your website so much, can your clarify?
Hi Nancy, 15 oz on the container is a weight measurement, but when you transfer it into a US measuring cup, it measures to 1 1/4 cups ricotta.
What will happen if I use use regular buttermilk and not low-fat?
Hi Cindy, I think that will work fine too. Please share with us how it goes.
I’m a huge fan Natasha! Hands down the best pancakes ever. So fluffy and delicious.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Birgit!
Hi Natasha! I would like to make these tomorrow but i do not have buttermilk, can i sub in milk? thank you!
Hello Ella, plain kefir will also work well instead of buttermilk. You can also make your own buttermilk at a ratio of 1 cup whole milk to 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Combine and let it sit 10 minutes to curdle then stir and use.
Ok thank you so much for the quick reply, they were so good! i did have extra batter though, could i cover it and put it in the fridge?
Hi Ella, we have always cooked the batter after making it and we reheat leftover pancakes. I think that could work, but without testing it, I’m not sure how it will affect the rise. The cooked pancakes do reheat beautifully though which is why we always just make the full batch.
OMG! Sooo good! My picky 1 year old kept coming up to me and opening up his mouth for more as I was making them. Definitely making this again.
That’s just awesome, Sharon! That is the best when kids love what we moms make.
These pancakes were incredible!! They were light yet creamy and I always love finding new uses for ricotta. Instead of topping them with syrup I cooked down some fresh blueberries and lemon juice. They were perfect!!
Thank you for the wonderful review, Liz!
These are my new family s favorite pancakes and yes they keep you full longer. Thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes. Jocelyne
You are most welcome, Jocelyne. I’m glad your family loved these pancakes!
Hi Natasha,
I tried making these but for some reason the batter came out too thick. I measured everything correctly so don’t know what could have happened. I had to dilute with water to thin it out but they didnt come out as fluffy. Thoughts? Thanks:)
Hi Yevgeniya, diluting with water would cause them to not be as fluffy. Make sure to add the correct amount of buttermilk and also use the correct amount of ricotta. It may help to review how we measure ingredients (dry versus liquid)
Loved, loved, loved this recipe. They were just like Natasha said they would be (great taste, moist and fluffy). Thank you.
So glad you loved it, Lisa. Thank you so much for your great feedback!
I don’t have flour. Can i use Bisquick as a substitute?
Hi Gee Gee, I have not tested that yet to advise but I imagine that should work. Please share with us how it goes if you try it!
I am excited to try making these pancakes. Would you please confirm that the amount of baking powder is 1 tBsp? Since the amount of flour is only 1 1/4 C, I wasn’t sure if the amount of baking powder is accurate.
Thank you & your recipes look divine.
Hi Sarah, that is correct!
Hi Sarah, it is accurate since the ricotta is much heavier (by weight) than the flour, the little bit extra baking powder makes these very pleasantly fluffy.
This is one of the most delicious pancake recipes I ever made.
I’m so happy to hear that Evie! Thank you for that awesome review!
Hi Natasha …wat could I use instead of buttermilk ? Regular milk ? Skimmed ?
Hi Ireen, I haven’t tested this with a buttermilk substitution but here’s what one of our readers wrote: “I just made these ricotta cheese pancakes, I didn’t have buttermilk or kefir at home so instead i used 2% milk with home made ricotta. I have never had such moist and fluffy pancakes before. I served them with fresh fruits.They are so delicious. Thank you so much for the great recipes.” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, I’m just getting started and I don’t know how to see your notes on youtube. Please advise.
Mike
Hi Michael, we have the full recipe posted on our blog HERE. If you are looking for notes on the Youtube video made follow the recipe link and open it on Youtube. Once you’re watching the video on Youtube clock the Show More in my video description directly below the video. I hope that helps.
Thank You, Natasha!
My wife and I were doing the Natasha “Bop” as we took bites of these delicious, fluffy pancakes served with blueberries and strawberries. We served with a bit of syrup Instead of confectioners sugar.
It would be helpful if you had a serving calculator for your recipes. We made 9 pancakes and have plenty of batter for tomorrow in the fridge.
Stefanie & I are “white belts” in the Kitchen and you, your recipes and videos have added so much variety, flavor and fun for both of us. ❤️
That is so awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your great experience with us and for your suggestion too. We appreciate it!
Made these this morning for my husband.. got rave reviews! I didn’t have the kefir, so used a combination of half & half, milk and a couple of drops of vinegar. Thanks for (all) the wonderful recipe(s)! I’ve made several of your recipes… they’re all terrific!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!