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Bursting Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. Everyone needs a go-to blueberry pancake recipe, and this is it! These pancakes are made with a touch of fresh ricotta cheese, a little squeeze of lemon, and each one is swirled with plenty of sweet blueberries. They’re light, extra fluffy, perfectly sweet, and all around delicious. And as if that wasn’t enough, they’re served drizzled with a lemony poppy-seed syrup. Perfect for a lazy weekend morning breakfast!
It’s become the time of year when I’ve decided I’m pretty over winter and ready for spring. This is a bit of a problem, since officially we still have over a month of winter left. It’s even more of a problem for me, because up here in the mountains we definitely have way more than a month of winter left. Usually we’ll have a snow into May. Very, very long winters around here.
Anyway, it’s not that I’m totally over winter, but more like a craving for more bright and fresh, you know? Pretty sure I’m not the only one feeling this way. So I thought I’d take it upon myself to share a more spring forward recipe today…
Blueberry pancakes!!
If I’m being honest, I threw up a photo of these pancakes cooking on the stove last week on Instagram. Soo many of you inquired about the recipe. When I realized my messages were full of blueberry pancake recipe requests, I figured I’d better share the recipe. And sooner rather than later. Since some of you seemed like you were in desperate need of the perfect blueberry pancake!
Trust me, I get it. Pancakes are a weekend staple around here. Nothing really beats a good blueberry pancake. I like to make mine with two additions that I find make the pancakes a smidge better than the rest.
Enter in a little whole milk ricotta cheese, and fresh lemon. The couple that can do no wrong.
Since pancakes are a morning thing, I like to keep mine very, very simple. No fancy whipped egg whites or overnight rises. I mean, those things can be good, but for everyday pancakes, simple is truly best.
SO. I just mix fresh ricotta (use whole milk ricotta cheese for best results) with a little buttermilk, vanilla, lemon, flour, and the traditional pancake ingredients. The ricotta really adds a nice lightness and sweet flavor to the pancakes that we truly love. While the lemon adds a fresh, almost spring like touch.
My other secret? In addition to plenty of fresh blueberries (or frozen, honestly either works just the same), I swirl in a little bit of blueberry jam as well. I know it might seem like overkill, but I’m telling you, it’s not. It’s delicious and leaves you with a blueberry pancake that’s actually bursting with BLUEBERRY flavor. So very good. The jam caramelizes a bit on the edges while it cooks, but also creates pockets of sweet jam throughout. A nice contrast to the whole blueberries.
AND then, as if that was not plenty enough right there. I love making a little poppy-seed syrup to drizzle over each pancake. It’s literally just lemon zest, poppy-seeds, and real maple syrup. But it feels special and tastes sweet and perfect.
When it comes to making a really good pancake, I have two tips.
One, keep the the batter loose. Meaning, don’t add too much flour. I prefer to have a batter that’s on the more liquidy side than thick. I’ve always found this to yield extra soft pancakes.
Two, let the batter sit/rest for at least 5 or so minutes before you begin cooking. This helps the batter to settle, and makes for an even lighter and more delicate pancake.
OK. And with that, here’s my recommendation. Find yourself some ricotta cheese, lemons, and blueberries and plan on making pancakes. It could be this weekend, but don’t feel constrained to only cooking pancakes on the weekends. These are easy enough for any day of the week. And let’s be real, they also make a great lunch…or even dinner…love breakfast for dinner!
Just be sure to enjoy them warm, with a small pat of butter, and a good drizzle of that poppy-seed syrup…
If you make these blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.
Servings: 6 about pancakes per serving
Calories Per Serving: 565 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, or use whole milk
- 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon honey, adding in more honey if you like a sweeter pancake
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 3-4 tablespoons blueberry jam (optional)
Poppy-Seed Lemon Syrup
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon poppy-seeds
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Instructions
- 1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, ricotta, eggs, butter, honey, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined. It's OK if the batter is a little lumpy. If the batter feels a little too thin, add 1/4 cup additional flour.2. Fold in the blueberries, and if desired 2-4 tablespoons of the blueberry jam, for an extra berry filled pancakes. Allow the batter to sit 5-10 minutes.3. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and add a little butter, or spray with cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup pancake batter onto the center of the hot pan. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Using a spatula, gently flip the pancake over and cook the other side for a minute, or until golden. Repeat with the remaining batter.4. To make the syrup, warm the maple, poppy-seeds, and lemon zest over low heat.5. Serve the pancakes topped with the poppy-seed syrup, butter, and fresh blueberries, if desired.
The pancakes were dense, yet fluffy, with a great texture. Loved the ricotta and blueberries. However, felt like they were a little TOO zesty, adding some bitterness to the flavor that I didn’t care for. I only used 1 tablespoon, but maybe my lemon had a particularly bitter peel. Next time I think I would try without the zest.
Hi Lauren! I apologize these did not work too well, but I hope you love them even more without the zest! Please let me know! xTieghan
The minute I saw this recipe I wanted to make. It took me a month, but I finally made them. Had them for dinner. These are the best pancakes ever!! Thank you so much. I think the addition of the ricotta just makes them different, tasty and I don’t know what other words to use. I had about 4 last night with and without syrup and honey toppings. I decided they taste best as is. I just retested for my breakfast and had them as is. Definitely my preference. I considered topping with whipped cream but I don’t think they’ll benefit from it. Again, thanks so much for this recipe! It will become a breakfast staple.
This is so amazing to hear! I am so glad these turned out so well for you, Teresa! Thank you! xTieghan
Yum! Added a little more honey (1 1/2 Tablespoons total) but otherwise, perfect!
Thank you Allison! xTieghan
Gorgeous pancakes, I need this stack in my life!
Thank you Laura! xTieghan
A little over a year ago I was at Westside Cafe in Vail and had their lemon ricotta poppyseed pancakes with rhubarb sauce. We went back the next day so I could have them all over again. I dream about those pancakes. It looks as though your recipe may be just what I need. The best thing about the Westside pancakes is that they had warm chunks of ricotta within the pancake. I may try to accomplish that with these 🙂 Thanks!
I hope you love these just as much, Stacey! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I made this this AM. Didn’t have lemons so I used lime and it was delicious. So flavorful, light, fluffy, yummy goodness on a Sunday morning. …”More please!”
Thank you so much Caen! xTieghan
I woke up yesterday morning, checked your site, and headed out the door to get the ingredients for these AMAZING pancakes. I made them for my whole family and it was like that scene from “what about Bob” where everyone kept commenting on how good it was. Loved these!
I ma so glad you loved these pancakes, Olivia! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Will the pancakes still work well if the batter is made up the night before, and kept in the fridge?
That works great! Just let the better sit on the counter 10 minutes before cooking. I would also add the berries sin the morning too. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Good or bad idea 2 freeze leftover batter??
I don’t recommend freezing the pancake batter. I have never tried that. I would freeze the already cooked pancakes instead, then just thaw and enjoy! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hey lady, I assume we add the 1-2 TBS of lemon zest and juice to the pancake batter before we add the flour? It’s not mentioned in your directions. Thanks! Making these as I type!
Hey Jessica! Yes, add before the flour. So sorry about that recipe is fixed. Enjoy the pancakes! xTieghan
Rarely am I disappointed in any recipes from halfbakedharvest but I found these to be super bland. I would suggest adding more salt and/or sugar to the batter.
Hi Kim! I am so sorry to hear that. Is there any questions you have? xTieghan
Thank You So Much!!! I love pancakes & have leftover ricotta I need to use – I Hate to throw food away ?? This recipe looks Amazingly Delicious ???✅?????
So Perfect! I hope you love this! xTieghan
Just made these. Yum! I didn’t do the syrup because my husband has to watch sugar, so we used a sugar free syrup. The berries were so sweet, though we really didn’t need it. The recipe makes a lot for two people, so I am experimenting baking the excess in a cast iron pan. We’ll see how that turns out. Maybe a shortcake for supper?
Love the idea of a short cake!! So fun! Glad you enjoyed the pancakes! 🙂 Thank you! xTieghan
yum! I just made home made ricotta for the first time and this would be a perfect way to use it! Tell me…my son prefers waffles to pancakes…how could I adjust the recipe to make it work in my waffle iron?
HI! I am sure this batter will work just fine in the waffle iron. I don’t think you need to make any adjustments. Just cook according to your waffle iron. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I love pancakes for any meal. This looks very tasty.
Thank you Charlotte! xTieghan