Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Sometimes you just need to switch things up, y’know??  I’ve made no secret about my love of fresh, hot whole wheat buttermilk pancakes in all their many variations. But that’s generally the only kind of pancakes I make. I mean, why mess with perfection?  I found this recipe for lemon ricotta pancakes intriguing, however, and decided I needed to give them a whirl.

Like many people, we had a Thanksgiving full of food, drink, family, late nights, and general craziness. Then tons of leftovers the next day. So by the weekend, we were ready for something light and simple. Enter “breakfast for dinner”. My mom made eggs and I threw together these fluffy ricotta pancakes since we had ricotta leftover from Thanksgiving. They had such an interesting and moist texture, practically melted in your mouth.

Whisk the ricotta, eggs, milk, and lemon juice/zest together.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt, whisking to combine (you could sift if you’re that kind of person).

Stir the wet and dry ingredients together, but just until combined—don’t over-stir.

Heat up your skillet until quite hot, and drop a tiny bit of batter on it to see if it’s ready. Put about a 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. You’ll know the first side is done because little bubbles will rise to the surface.

Flip the pancakes and cook on the other side. Don’t press down on them with the spatula, it will keep them from being fluffy.

Serve hot and fresh, with whatever your topping of choice is (though I don’t recommend peanut butter with the lemon).  Butter and syrup are perfect.

Other pancake recipes you’ll love:

• Coffee Pancakes
• Cinnamon Polenta Pancakes
• Strawberry Cornmeal Griddle Cakes
• Bourbon Banana Pancakes
• Wholemeal Pancakes with Spiced Apples & Orange Star Anise Syrup
• Small-Batch Mixed-Berry Cornmeal Pancakes

Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

• 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 cup of ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup of milk
• 1 lemon, zested & juiced (or just some lemon juice, which was all I had)

Preheat a nonstick griddle. I prefer cast iron.

Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk together the ricotta cheese, eggs, milk, lemon juice and zest in a large bowl. Combine the flour mixture with the wet ingredients until just combined. If necessary, brush the hot griddle with butter. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter on the griddle and cook on the first side until bubbles appear, then flip until both sides are light golden brown. Serve with butter and syrup, or with jam, lemon curd, powdered sugar, whatever strikes your fancy.

Adapted from original recipe here

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