Ricotta Pancakes are so tender, light and fluffy. This breakfast is so great when you want something special but they are really easy to make.
These pancakes are like a combination of pancakes and Russian Sirniki (farmer's cheese pancakes). The ricotta gives these pancakes a creamy texture and the whipped egg whites give it a lift and prevent them from being dense. These melt-in-your-mouth little cakes are a great way to celebrate the weekend.
There are so many wonderful options to serve them, simply with maple syrup, fresh fruit, berries or jam, but you can also make a sour cream sauce by combining sour cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Another option is to blend up some fresh berries or fruit with sugar for a really refreshing sauce.
Lemon pairs so well with ricotta pancakes, simply by adding some lemon zest and a bit of juice to the batter. You can even serve it with some lemon curd - that would be delicious. (I'll include instructions for making Lemon Ricotta Pancakes below.)
Ingredients For Ricotta Pancakes
- Eggs (the eggs need to be separated) whipping up the egg whites separately will give the ricotta pancakes an unbelievably tender and airy texture.
- Ricotta cheese - I prefer using whole milk ricotta cheese, but you can use reduced fat or fat free ricotta as well.
- Granulated Sugar - add the sugar depending on how sweet you want the pancakes to be, anywhere from 4-6 Tablespoons. I have not tried using sugar substitutes, but I imagine you can use anything that you like to sweeten the pancakes to your liking.
- Milk - any milk will work for this recipe, we use whole milk in our family, but you can use reduced fat milk or even dairy free alternatives.
- Vanilla Extract
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
How To Make Ricotta Pancakes
- Separate the eggs, putting the egg whites in one bowl and the egg yolks in another.
- Whip the egg whites on medium speed with a whisk attachment until airy, increase speed to high, beat until stiff peaks form.
- Meanwhile in the other bowl, combine the egg yolks with the ricotta cheese, sugar, milk and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth. (I use a whisk for this step.)
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine, just until incorporated, taking care not to overtax the batter.
- Gently fold in the egg whites. If there are a few streaks of egg whites left, that 's ok. You want to keep as much volume as possible to have light and fluffy pancakes.
- Using a ¼ measuring cup, pour the batter onto a lightly buttered or oiled skillet or griddle. Cook on medium heat until golden on each side.
How To Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes:
By simply adding some lemon zest and lemon juice to this recipe, you'll have the most incredibly delicious Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.
Add ½ - 1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest and 1 Tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the batter, in the step where you mix the egg yolks with the ricotta and other ingredients.
For an extra lemony flavor, serve these pancakes with lemon curd.
Serving, Storing and Reheating Ricotta Pancakes:
Delicious options to serve with the Ricotta Pancakes:
- fresh fruit or berries
- jam
- maple syrup or honey
- Blend fresh fruit or berries in a blender with a bit of sugar or syrup to taste. You can also add a splash of water or juice to thin it out.
- You can also add berries or fresh fruit to the pancakes when you are cooking them! When you pour the batter onto the griddle, disperse the berries or cut up fruit over the surface of the pancakes (peaches, pears, mangos work great) or even add chocolate chips or nuts. You can add a small amount of batter on top of the add ins and then flip when small holes are seen evenly over the surface of the pancakes.
- Lemon curd or other curd, such as strawberry
- Whipped Cream
- Sour Cream with powdered sugar to taste and vanilla extract
Store leftover pancakes, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months, very well sealed.
Reheat in the microwave, in a skillet on low heat or oven until warm. My favorite way to reheat pancakes is to put them in the toaster.
Ricotta Pancakes
Ricotta Pancakes are so tender, light and fluffy. This breakfast is so great when you want something special but they are really easy to make.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: about 20 pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1 ⅓ cup ricotta cheese
- 4-6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- oil or butter to cook the pancakes
Instructions
- Separate the eggs and put the egg whites in one large bowl and the egg yolks into a another large bowl.
- Whip the egg whites on medium speed with a whisk attachment until airy, increase speed to high, beat until stiff peaks form.
- Meanwhile in the other bowl, combine the egg yolks with the ricotta cheese, sugar, milk and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the ricotta mixture, and mix just until the flour is incorporated. Don't over mix.
- Gently fold in egg whites. If there are a few streaks of egg whites left, that 's ok. You want to keep as much volume as possible to have light and fluffy pancakes.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle and add some butter or oil to it. Heat until hot.
- Using a ¼ measuring cup, pour the batter onto the skillet or griddle.
- Cook on medium heat until golden on each side.
- Serve right away. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days or freeze, in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
This recipe was originally published on January 7, 2012. I updated the photos and clarified the instructions, to make this recipe even better.
First of all thank you for this website Olga!
You are a real inspiration! Keep it coming:)
I have one year old and trying to make food healthier, so just wondering if you tried this with spelt flour?
Thanks!
I have never used spelt flour, Yulia. Thank you for your sweet words.
Thank you for the recipe. Its a keeper. Love how fluffy and yummy this is. Not difficult to make and so good even without syrup or jam. I'm sharing this recipe with my mom 🙂
Thank you for writing, Jenny:). And for sharing the recipe too.
I love hearing feedback from you guys.
Made these today and they were super yummy 🙂 my husband and 3 kids agreed it's a keeper. Yum!! Thanks for the recipe.. the ricotta definitely does something magical in these!
Those pancakes are amazing, and don't take much time to make either. We all loved them, either with jam or I like mine just plain with the powdered sugar on top. Yummy. Will be making them again soon.
Do you think I could freeze these, if we have leftovers and then reheat in toaster?
I wouldn't recommend freezing them, Alla. The pancakes are really tender and fluffy. If you freeze them, they will no longer feel light and fluffy, but dense.
I made these pancakes this morning and let me tell you that these are the BEST pancakes ever. They are so fluffy and melt in your mouth yummy! 5 years ago I quit my job to be a stay at home mom and at the same time my husband started working from home, so I have to cook breakfast everyday and I have tried many many pancake recipes from different food blogs. Simply the BEST, thanks Olga for your awesome recipes.
Hands downn the best pancakes i have ever had! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thanks Olga. Made them today and my picky eatters 3 ear old and she just love them, used smily face pancake pan for more fun.
That's wonderful, Nadya! It's such a plus when little ones approve a recipe:).
These look delicious! My question is: can you make the batter ahead of time and refrigerate it? I like to do most of the prep work the night before, that way mornings before school are less hectic (and I get an extra ten minutes of sleep;))
Hi Marina, I don't recommend making the batter ahead of time. The fluffiness of the pancakes depends on the whipped egg whites, and they need to be cooked right away. If you make it ahead of time, the whipped eggs will deflate and the pancakes will be flat and dense.
These are melt in your mouth type of pancakes. We loved loved loved them")
That's awesome, Natasha! Glad you liked them.
Olya, Today, I made these Ricotta Pancakes and they were really good! I served them with a cream cheese frosting that I had left over from the carrot cupcakes. This cream cheese frosting is the best I've tried. The recipe is as follows: 8 oz cream cheese, about 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 TBsp sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Olya, I love reading your blog! You are so experienced and so knowledgeable. You know exactly what to make for your guests. My family is expecting a lot of guests this summer and I will be doing all of the cooking. I am planning to serve these pancakes for one of the breakfasts and your goulash for one of the dinners. Olya, may I ask you which recipes would you recommend for me try and serve the guests? I will be so grateful for your suggestions. I am so grateful that you put so much time and effort into this blog. I have become more confident in the kitchen. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and talent with us. May God bless you and your husband with His richest blessings.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Since I found this recipe I've made it countless times. It's the one food my 2 year old will always eat. This pancakes are amazing!!
Thank you so much for this recipe. Made these for the first time for my family this morning and they all loved them. My daughter even said they are the tastiest pancakes in the whole world 🙂
I just had to 'bookmark' this page. Looks very deliciooooous...........
I have been trying to find a recipe for these online with no luck!
So glad you posted this