Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes (Printer-friendly)
Fluffy pancakes with fresh blueberries, zesty lemon, and creamy ricotta for a tender, flavorful start.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
03 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
06 - 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
07 - 1 cup milk
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - Zest of 1 lemon
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
→ Add-ins
13 - 1 cup fresh blueberries
→ For Cooking
14 - Butter or oil, for the pan
# How to Make It:
01 - Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
02 - In a separate bowl, beat ricotta, milk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth.
03 - Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined, ensuring the batter remains slightly lumpy without overmixing.
04 - Carefully fold fresh blueberries into the batter to distribute evenly.
05 - Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease with butter or oil.
06 - Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto the skillet and cook until bubbles form on the surface and edges set, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
07 - Flip pancakes and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
08 - Repeat cooking with remaining batter, adding more butter or oil as needed. Serve warm with optional extras like additional blueberries, maple syrup, or powdered sugar.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The ricotta makes them impossibly tender and fluffy without any of that dense, rubbery pancake texture.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest brighten everything up so you won't need much syrup—they're naturally flavorful and not heavy.
- They come together in under 30 minutes and impress everyone at the table, even though they're genuinely easy.
02 -
- Do not overmix the batter; if you do, the pancakes will be dense and tough, and no amount of ricotta will save them—stir just until the flour disappears.
- Fresh lemon juice makes all the difference; bottled juice tastes flat and sour without the brightness that fresh lemon brings to the dish.
- Frozen blueberries work beautifully if that's what you have, and there's no need to thaw them—fold them in straight from the freezer.
03 -
- Coat blueberries lightly in a tiny bit of flour before folding them in so they don't all sink to the bottom of the batter.
- If your pan is too hot, the bottoms will brown before the insides cook through; medium heat is genuinely the sweet spot, even if it feels slow.