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Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes Recipe

Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes
Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: | Makes: About 16 (3-1/2-inch) pancakes

Fluffy ricotta and fresh lemon zest are a perfect pair when swirled into an airy pancake. The biggest challenge with this recipe is sharing the pancakes with others. For best results, use fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese, or make your own.

INGREDIENTS
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for coating the frying pan and serving
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 3 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon packed finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 to 3 medium lemons)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • Powdered sugar, fruit, or maple syrup, for serving (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Place butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until butter has melted; remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt; set aside.
  3. Place egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in a quarter of the milk-butter mixture (this will temper the eggs and prevent them from curdling), then whisk in the remaining milk-butter mixture until smooth.
  4. Add the reserved flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not overmix); set aside.
  5. In a medium bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks (they should bend like soft-serve ice cream; make sure the bowl and whisk are perfectly clean with no traces of grease, or the whites will not whip properly). Halfway through whisking them, sprinkle in the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using the rubber spatula, fold the whites into the reserved batter until just combined.
  6. Gently fold the ricotta into the batter, being careful not to break down the texture of the cheese (the batter will be lumpy and streaked with ricotta); set aside.
  7. Heat a large nonstick frying pan, griddle, or seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot, about 4 minutes. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple of drops of cold water in it: If the water bounces and sputters, the pan is ready to use.
  8. Lightly coat the pan’s surface with butter, then use a 1/4-cup measure to scoop the batter into the pan. Cook until bubbles form on top of the pancakes, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until the bottoms are golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve immediately with powdered sugar, fruit, butter, or maple syrup.
    Write a review | 28 Reviews
  • Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes Recipe
    5

    This recipe comes closest to the lemon ricotta pancakes I had at FIG in Santa Monica which were heavenly. I would mix the ricotta in completely next time. I added Fiori di Sicilia for a bump in the citrus flavor. Separating and beating the egg whites makes all the difference. Worth the effort.

  • Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes Recipe
    5

    i agree with roundabout- its unnecessarily complicated but DO separate, beat whites till frothy and light- its everything to this recipe- absolutely no need to heat the milk- you're not making ice cream. Just melt the butter in the microwave and add it to the cold milk to cool. I actually make my own homemade ricotta and used 1 cup of milk and a 1/2 cup buttermilk for these and they were light and incredible!

  • Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes Recipe
    5

    Very nice. As others have suggested, I went with the zest of 1 whole lemon and the juice of one half. Probably could have used the juice of the other half and it would have been even lemonier. I can report that cottage cheese whooshed up in a Cuisinart substitutes just fine for ricotta. Hate to quibble with Carrie but I absolutely wouldn't skip separating the eggs; the primary reason these are so light is the beaten whites.

  • Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes Recipe
    5

    I made these this morning as written. They were light and fluffy and delicious. i slightly macerated some fresh strawberries to serve over. Yummy... 3 bowls, 2 pans, glad it was worthy. next time i might add some lemon juice to batter for a little more lemon taste.

  • Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes Recipe
    4

    I made these wonderful pancakes. I modified the recipe a bit-I did not seperate the eggs I did beat the eggs with the sugar. I heated the milk and butter added the ricotta right to the milk & butter mixture. Used the lemon juice and omitted the vanilla-(I was out) I served the pancakes with sliced strawberries and mango-they were yummy and my husband loved them!

  • Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes Recipe
    5

    Made these for a special Christmas morning treat, and they were an instant family favorite! Will definitely do it again. Took lesliej's advice & served w/ fresh blueberries. They were a little complicated & messy, but worth the time & effort-- especially if you recruit your son into being your Sous-chef.

  • I made these with my daughter (who lives in NYC)and topped them with fresh blueberries & maple syrup. She said they were BETTER than Sarabeth's...

  • Edit - "zest and 1-2tsp of ONE lemon." I bought a couple of lemons for the amt of zest called for. Using some of the juice should be sufficient to be able to decrease the amt of zest needed. BTW, nice to see Jill Santopietro over here in Chow. I loved her little kitchen vids over at the NYTimes.

  • Aagh, overly complicated recipe, imo. 3 bowls and a saucepan to make pancakes? Rated as "easy" yet separating eggs, beating eggwhites, and tempering? Yes, I know how to do those things, but I admit to not closely reading the recipe before I started and along with halving the recipe on the fly I didn't have good flow for what was supposed to be an easy bfast. End result was good--fluffy, not too sweet, and a nice clear lemon taste. I would adapt as follows (to simplify prep, bump up the ricotta and distribute it more evenly, and hopefully decrease the # of lemons nec)...Use zest of lemon and 1-2t lemon juice, incr ricotta to 1c. In med bowl, microwave butter to melt, whisk in milk, egg yolks, 1T sugar, 1t salt; stir in ricotta; stir in dry ingredients mixture until just combined. Beat egg whites and 1T sugar; fold into batter mixture. Cook pancakes.

  • Hi Funwithfood, I once ate lemon-ricotta pancakes at Shopsin's in NYC, and from then on was hooked. I combined the idea of folding lemon zest and ricotta into my own pancake base. I hope you enjoy it! Jill (from the CHOW test kitchen)

  • Fantastic! A little extra effort, but, worth it. I served them with homemade blueberry syrup, fresh fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar. Beautiful presentation.

  • Just great - making then again - DON"T cut the lemon zest - that's what makes it!

  • Looks fantastic, I'll have to give it a try. Was this a chef-inspired recipe or your own creation?

  • We just finished having these for breakfast this morning. Really good. I cut the lemon zest a bit (used the zest of one lemon) since some family members don't like it when it's too pronounced, and it was perfect. I also added blueberries before adding the egg whites, since lemon and blueberry is such a classic combo. It worked really well, but I think I'll try them plain next time since the delicate flavor of the ricotta with a hint of lemon was so delicious on it's own. With butter and syrup, it was a nice way to start our Sunday morning. Thanks for a great recipe!

  • too much work!!

  • can you say "top with lemon curd over sour cream"?

  • I have gotten nothing but compliments on these pancakes. Really, don’t need syrup on them.

  • Made these over the weekend and they were DELICIOUS!! Light, fluffy, and lemony, MMMMMMMMM!!

  • I like to try a recipe ahead of time before serving to others. Made this one today. Other than a little messy prep, they are delicious. I added a little extra lemon juice to the batter because it's thick. I had to stop myself from eating all of them. I'll see how they freeze. I don't bother looking at any other cooking sites any more, every thing I try from CHOW is great!

  • I'm making these this weekend. Hope they are similar to the deliciousness at Sarabeths!!

  • my spouse wanted to marry me again. They were that good.

  • I made these once and they were so delicious. Sort of reminded me of cheesecake.

  • I make a variation of these as an alternative to potato latkes at Chanukah.

  • I just made these and added a little powdered sugar and sliced strawberries and they were divine. I put several in my freezer and plan on them being just as good when I put them in a toaster oven to reheat at a later date.

  • This looks just great. Will try it this weekend. Thanks!

  • The best Lemon Ricotta Pancake recipe is from Five Points Restaurant in NYC, and this sounds like the same recipe although I will have to go home and check my book. If it is, they should get credit.

  • How would these hold up if they were made ahead and reheated?

  • I will try these we have the CEO here on property in early november. we have some functions this will be perfect Thank you David O. Utley Executive Chef Harrahs St. Louis Casino Hotel

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