Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

These Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are some of the lightest, fluffiest pancakes around! If you’ve never made pancakes with ricotta cheese before, you are in for a treat! It’s a serious game-changer that makes pancakes light as air!

The pancakes have a wonderful hint of lemon coming from fresh lemon zest, and when topped with my homemade raspberry sauce, these are over-the-top delicious! Definitely one of my favorite breakfast recipes for Mom on Mother’s Day! 

For an even easier recipe for Mom, try my Dutch Baby Pancake. Or you may also enjoy my Apple Cider Pancake recipe for the fall! 

The Ingredients:

• All-Purpose Flour: No fancy flour is needed; all-purpose will do the job. I don’t use much flour in these pancakes to keep them light, almost like thick crepes. 
• Baking Powder for lift and lightness
• Salt To boost the flavors and balance out the sweetness
• Ricotta Cheese: Use whole milk ricotta for the best texture. If you have any left over, put it to good use in my Eggplant Lasagna Recipe, Cheese Manicotti Recipe, or Lemon Ricotta Cake recipe.
• Eggs I use 3 eggs to give the pancakes a nice springy texture.
• Melted Butter adds a nice, crepe-like consistency to these pancakes and additional flavor. 
• Lemon Zest I use a large grater to get nice chunks of lemon zest in these pancakes, a great flavor combination against the raspberry sauce.
• Raspberries I prefer fresh raspberries for this because then you can set aside a few whole ones for the garnishing, but if frozen is all you have that will work too, just cut the water down by half the amount. Or you can use strawberries. Follow my Homemade Strawberry Sauce Recipe if using strawberries. 
• Cornstarch + Water: If you let the sauce simmer long enough, it will thicken on its own. If you are in a rush, you can also add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it. Use 1 Tbsp very corn water to 1 Tbsp cornstarch. Mix to create a slurry, then bring the sauce to a boil and stir in the slurry; it will thicken immediately. Then reduce the heat. 
• Powdered sugar, Mint, Lemon Slices: For garnishing, along with a few whole raspberries.

How To Make The Best Pancakes

• When it comes to pancake making, there are a few tips that will help you achieve the lightest, fluffiest pancakes! 
• Mix the batter in 2 stages. This is key!
• First, combine the eggs and the ricotta cheese. This will allow the ricotta cheese to combine well with the eggs  before adding the dry ingredients
• In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and the milk. Whisk until very smooth. Whisking the milk and the dry ingredients separately will prevent any lumps from forming in your batter. 
• Don’t forget the melted butter! Once you add the milk/flour mixture to the egg/ricotta cheese mixture, then add the melted butter! The butter gives the pancake a really springy and moist texture, almost like a French Crepe.
• Grease your griddle with Grape seed Oil or Vegetable Oil, NOT butter! Butter burns quickly and ruins the taste of your pancakes. Oil has a much higher smoke point and will give your pancakes a nice golden color. 

What Topping Goes Best with Lemon Ricotta?

• Personally, I think these pancakes pair beautifully with an easy raspberry sauce on top.
• The combination of lemon, ricotta cheese, and raspberry is such a great flavor combination for spring.
• It also looks so beautiful, making it a perfect recipe for a special occasion breakfast like Mother’s Day!

How To Make The Raspberry Sauce

• This sauce is really easy to make, and you could even make it the night before and reheat it to serve.
• If making the sauce the day of, I always start with it and keep it at a low simmer. That way, when the pancakes are done, you can place the sauce right on top.
• If your sauce gets too thick from simmering, you can thin it out with a little warm water. Or you could also add a little Maple Syrup to the sauce for a Raspberry Syrup Sauce. 

Step#1: Place Fresh Raspberries in a Sauce Pot

• If you have them in season, fresh raspberries are ideal, but if they aren’t available yet, you can also use frozen raspberries!
• If using the fresh raspberries, be sure to reserve a few raspberries for garnishing the pancakes.
• I usually use 3 fresh raspberries per stack for the garnish, along with a slice of lemon and a sprig of fresh mint. 

Step#2: Add Sugar, Water, and Mash

• To the raspberries, you’ll also add water and plain white sugar.
• The water will give the raspberries a sauce consistency, and the sugar will provide a nice syrupy texture to the sauce. 
• Once the raspberries start to break down, mash them up with a fork until they form a syrupy, seedy sauce. And that’s it! Keep the sauce warm until ready to serve. 

Storage 

• These pancakes also freeze beautifully!
• I typically freeze a stack of 4 at a time in a ziplock bag and then microwave on high for about a minute to reheat and serve.
• You can also freeze the sauce as well. Transfer it to a freezer- or microwave-safe container. Then place it in the microwave in 30-second increments until liquified and hot.
• Or, better yet, transfer it to a Souper Cube (my new favorite thing!) and then place it in a microwave-safe container and microwave it, or place it in a pot on the stovetop to simmer, thaw, and reheat.