Light and fluffy, these moist, delicious Lemon Ricotta Pancakes must be one of my all time favorite pancake flavors. I mean, you know how much I love lemons! My most memorable lemon ricotta pancake experience was in Washington, D.C. at Old Ebbitt Grill. When the server brought out the pancakes, it came with an amazing cherry sauce that was so complementary – it was the perfect flavor combination. We ordered a second for the table to share. Ever since then, we’ve been enjoying these scratch made at home.
(L) Wet ingredients with milk, ricotta, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice and melted butter. Once whisked, it comes together. Pour it into the dry ingredients. (R) Wet and dry ingredients combined, but slightly lumpy.
Pour the batter onto a lightly buttered griddle and cook over medium heat until bubbles begin to appear. Using a wide spatula/turner (like this one), gently slide the spatula under the pancake and flip it over. Cook for a minute or until the bottom is also golden.
To keep the pancakes warm until serving, loosely cover with foil and keep in a 200°F preheated oven.
I love to serve them with cherry sauce, powdered sugar and a little maple syrup. You can also enjoy the pancakes with fresh berries — blueberry and lemon is also a wonderful combination.
These pancakes freeze well. Allow to cool to room temperature, layer between pieces of parchment paper and wrap in an airtight freezer container. Keeps up to 2 months. To thaw, place single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 7-9 minutes.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Moist and delicious pancakes with a hint of lemon. The ricotta cheese makes these rich but not heavy. My favorite way to serve them is with a cherry sauce.
Ingredients
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (prefer Diamond brand)
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup ricotta cheese (whole milk)
- 2 extra large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 2 lemons
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Morello Cherry Sauce
- 1 24.7 oz. Trader Joe's Dark Morello Cherries in light syrup
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
Making the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
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In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to blend and make a well in the center. Set aside.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, ricotta, eggs and vanilla extract until well combined.
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In a Pyrex measuring cup mix lemon zest, lemon juice and melted butter. Whisk together with the wet ingredients.
Note: The wet ingredients may curdle a little due to the lemon juice. Don't worry about it.
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Quickly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk just to combine. Pancake batter should be slightly lumpy and not smooth.
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Using a 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup (depending on how large you want your pancakes) pour batter onto a buttered griddle or flat skillet and cook over medium heat until bubbles begin to appear on the surface and the bottom is golden. Slide a spatula under the pancake and flip to cook the other side until golden.
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Repeat process until all the pancakes have been made.
Note: You may need to adjust and lower the temperature slightly if the griddle becomes too hot. The fullness of your measuring cups will affect the pancake yield. I usually get about 10 pancakes.
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Serve warm with powdered sugar and Morello Cherry Sauce or fresh fruit and maple syrup .
To keep warm until serving, loosely cover with foil and place in a 200°F preheated oven.
Making the Morello Cherry Sauce
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Drain the cherries and reserve the liquid.
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In a small sauce pan, combine cherries, sugar, and cornstarch slurry with 1/2 cup of reserved liquid. Bring to a simmer and stir frequently until bubbly and thick. Add Grand Marnier and remaining liquid and cook for an additional 5 minutes on a low simmer.
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Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm over pancakes.
