Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes (Café-Style)
These lemon ricotta blueberry pancakes are a true breakfast treat. Fluffy with a hint of lemon and bursts of fresh blueberries in every bite, these blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes are quick and easy to make with basic ingredients you can find in your local grocery store. No fancy equipment needed – just a couple of bowls, an electric mixer or whisk, and your favorite skillet or griddle to create these café-worthy pancakes at home.
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Have you made lemon blueberry ricotta pancakes before? They might sound fancy, but they’re super easy to make. I’ll take you through each step, from mixing the batter to cooking them up beautifully golden. Serve them warm with a bit of whipped lemon ricotta, a drizzle of maple syrup, a handful of extra blueberries, or a dusting of powdered sugar for a breakfast that feels like it was served at your local café.
If you are looking for other great breakfast ideas, try this lemon ricotta blueberry pound cake recipe or this home-made chocolate raspberry overnight oats recipe.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to make – Just mix the wet ingredients, dry ingredients and beat up the egg whites and combine.
- Full of flavor – The combination of zesty lemon flavor and blueberries makes these pancakes really yum!.
- Perfectly fluffy texture – Creamy Ricotta gives the pancakes a tender consistency, and beating the egg whites makes them even more fluffy.
- Simple ingredients – You can prepare these with simple ingredients you can get at your local grocery store if you don’t have them already.
- Cafe-style – Whether it’s a relaxed weekend breakfast or something a bit more special, these fluffy pancakes always fit the moment.
- Versatile toppings – Serve these delicious pancakes with anything from whipped lemon ricotta to fresh fruit or powdered sugar to match your favorite flavors.
Ingredients for Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Milk
- Whole milk ricotta cheese
- Eggs
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Butter or olive oil, vegetable oil
- Blueberries
- To serve: Extra sugar, pure maple syrup, whipped ricotta or whipped cream or blueberry preserves for serving (optional)
Substitutions and Additions
Fresh blueberries – yes, you can use frozen, but don’t thaw, use as is from the freezer, otherwise they may bleed into the batter and lose their shape.
Lemon zest and juice – You can leave these out, the pancakes will still taste nice, just not as zesty. If you are using baking powder, you can replace lemon juice and zest with a teaspoon of vanilla for more flavor.
Baking powder – You can substitute 3/4 teaspoon baking soda for 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder. But then do not leave out the lemon juice, as baking soda needs an acidic liquid in order to do its thing.
Milk – You can use a plant based milk.
Fresh berries such as raspberries and blackberries go really well with this recipe.
Instructions to Make Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes
Read these instructions before making these blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes so you get an idea of the flow of things. You’ll see that they really are very quick and easy to make, and make delicious pancakes. This is my go-to blueberry pancake recipe because it is so full of flavor. Does it take a bit longer than box mix pancakes? Yes, but these homemade pancakes are sooo worth the small effort.
Wash and dry the blueberries. If using frozen, don’t wash them. Take 1 tablespoon of flour and lightly coat the blueberries in the flour.
Separate the eggs. Put egg whites in a medium bowl and egg yolks in a large bowl.
Mix the egg whites until stiff peaks form. If you are not using an electric mixer, just whisk up the egg whites with a whisk or fork as best as you can. They will not be quite as fluffy as when you use an electric mixer, but the ricotta will make them still somewhat fluffy and tender.
Add the fresh ricotta, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice to the egg yolks in their bowl and mix until really well combined.
Sift the dry ingredients directly over the wet ingredients. This includes the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Don’t over mix.
Gently fold in the blueberries and then the whipped egg whites into the mixture. Again, don’t over mix.
Heat your large skillet on medium heat and lightly oil with a little bit of olive oil or a little butter.
Take about 1/4 cup of pancake batter and place on the hot skillet.
Once little bubbles form on top, it’s time to flip and cook the other side for about 1-2 minutes.
Lower temperature to medium-low heat so the pancakes don’t burn.
Storage
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days. The blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes stay fresh for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze for up to 2 months in the freezer if you used fresh blueberries. If you used frozen, I would not freeze them.
Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes Recipe Card
Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes (Café-Style)
Equipment
- 2 medium to large bowls
- electric mixer or whisk to beat the egg whites
- zester to make lemon zest
Ingredients
- 1 cup Flour All Purpose
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Milk Whole milk or plant based
- 1 1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese Whole milk works best
- 5 Eggs Large
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoons Butter Or Olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cup Blueberries Fresh or frozen
- 3 Tablespoons Powdered sugar For serving
Instructions
- Wash and dry the blueberries. If using frozen, don’t wash them. Take 1 tablespoon of flour and lightly coat the blueberries in the flour.
- Separate the eggs. Put egg whites in a medium bowl and egg yolks in a large bowl.
- Mix the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Add the fresh ricotta, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice to the egg yolks in their bowl and mix until really well combined.
- Sift the dry ingredients directly over the wet ingredients. This includes the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Don’t over mix.
- Gently fold in the blueberries and then the whipped egg whites into the mixture. Again, don’t over mix.
- Heat your large skillet on medium heat and lightly oil with a little bit of olive oil or a little butter.
- Take about 1/4 cup of pancake batter and place on the hot skillet.
- Once little bubbles form on top, it’s time to flip and cook the other side for about 1-2 minutes. (Lower temperature to medium-low heat so the pancakes don’t burn.)
