These Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes are going to be your family’s new favorite breakfast. They have a light lemony flavor, ricotta to make them extra fluffy, and whole blueberries to give you a burst of freshness in every bite!
Although I have outed myself as being 100% Team Waffle, these Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes could be the ones that change that lineup.
The quick and easy batter uses both whole milk ricotta cheese and buttermilk for a pancake that is even more moist than the usual. The lemon sugar sweetens the pancake just enough to make it delicious all on its own and the addition of whole blueberries adds just the right pop of freshness to every bite.
Top it all off with warm, real maple syrup and more blueberries for a pancake experience you won't soon forget. There's no coming back from this!
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Ingredients
Whether you make your own ricotta or use store bought is up to you. I will say, making your own saves on going out to the store when you have everything else 😊 Also, pretend there are blueberries in the picture below. We had finished eating all the pancakes when I realized I forgot them in the picture. Delicious oops.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions for pancake ingredients
I know what it's like to be craving something and waking up to find that you're missing an ingredient. Here's what to do if you want to make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes:
- Ricotta - Like I said, making ricotta is simple. Whole milk, a bit of cream, an acid like lemon juice, salt and half an hour. Skip the store. You can also do it the night before.
- Buttermilk - Feel free to use whole milk or a milk alternative if you don't have buttermilk.
- Butter - If you don't have butter, use vegetable oil or melted margarine. Let's make pancakes!
Variations on Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
I happen to think these Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes are perfection, but you can always play with your food.
- Blueberries - You can skip the blueberries in the pancakes, skip the blueberries on top, or swap them out for any other fruit you like. Oooh, raspberries!
- Lemon - If you swap out the lemon for orange, you will not be disappointed!
- Orange chocolate spin - As long as you're popping in with orange flavor, swap the blueberries out with chocolate chips. Give it a try!
Instructions
As with most pancake, waffle, and muffin recipes, we are just doing a quick wet/dry ingredient situation. Easy peasy, starting with lemon squeezy (technically, lemon zesty).
1. Add sugar to a bowl and zest your lemon directly over the sugar, capturing all the zest and its oils.
2. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. This will further release the oils and flavor into the sugar.
3. Combine the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl or measuring cup. Add the ricotta and mix well.
4. Add the juice of the zested lemon to the wet ingredients and mix fully.
5. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix just to combine. Some dry pockets should remain.
6. Add in the cooled melted butter and mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. It will be lumpy. Allow to rest for 10 minutes while you heat your cast iron griddle or nonstick pan.
7. Add butter to your griddle or pan and drop batter by ¼ cup scoopfuls.
8. Press a few fresh blueberries onto the surface of each pancake.
9. When the edges are set and surface bubbles pop, about 2 to 3 minutes, flip and cook until done.
10. Serve with more blueberries, soft butter, and warm maple syrup.
My favorite pancake pans
I prefer to use either a cast iron griddle or a nonstick pan to cook my pancakes. I like the texture of the crispy edges that the cast iron gives to pancakes, but find that when using a cast iron pan it can be hard to flip them successfully. Enter the Cast Iron Griddle.
In the absence of a griddle, I prefer to use a nonstick pan or griddle. You get less of the crispy edges, but you have a greater possibility of getting delicious pancakes out of the pan and into your mouth!
Expert tips
There is a myth that the first pancake is always a throw away because they tend to be burnt or a deformed beast because they get flipped too soon. Nah. I ain't wasting a whole pancake on a learning curve. Here are a couple of tips to ensure pancake success:
My first tip is to make sure your burner is turned to medium-low heat. Too often, cooks crank the heat to start cranking out the pancakes. The key to perfectly browned pancakes that are perfectly cooked inside is to cook them on a lower heat than you normally would.
Second, I like use a small cookie spatula to take a teensy peek under my pancakes from time to time, just to make sure they get the perfect golden brown before flipping. Not to light, not too dark, but the Goldilocks of pancake color.
Recipe FAQ's
No, you don't. You can swap out the buttermilk with regular or alternative milk. Buttermilk definitely adds a tanginess and tenderness that you can't get with those other milks, but the ricotta and lemon do much of the same work.
Place leftover lemon ricotta pancakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, put on a microwave safe plate and cook for 1 minute per pancake. Add 30 seconds for each additional pancake on the plate.
You can, and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator, but I have a better idea! This recipe makes about 2 quarts of lemon ricotta pancake batter. Ladle the batter into freezer safe containers or ziploc bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and make fresh pancakes whenever you're ready!
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Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest from one lemon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup lemon juice from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
Also
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- Real maple syrup
Instructions
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and set aside to cool.
- Add the sugar to a large bowl, then grate the zest of the lemon directly into the sugar. Using your fingers, gently rub the zest into the sugar to release all of the lemon oils into the sugar.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a large measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Add the ricotta cheese and lemon juice and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together until combined. Add the cooled, melted butter and whisk until well combined. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat a large cast iron griddle or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. When warm, add a teaspoon or so of butter and let melt. Drop ¼ cup scoops of pancake batter onto griddle or pan.
- Drop a few whole fresh blueberries on top of each and give them a little push into the pancake. After 2-3 minutes, bubbles will start to form on the edges and surface of the pancake.
- When the edges look dry and surface bubbles begin to pop, use a thin pancake spatula to gently lift one side and peek underneath. If the pancake is golden brown, flip and cook on the other side for 2 to 2 ½ minutes, or until the bottom of the pancake is golden brown.
- Place cooked pancakes in a pancake or tortilla warmer, or on a plate with a large bowl turned upside down over the top, to keep them warm.
- Serve with warm maple syrup and more fresh blueberries.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional and caloric information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s or doctor’s counseling.
Linda says
So moist and fluffy! Great recipe!