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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.
Hi!
I just made them! Loved. Thanks so much! Marta
Thank you so much Marta! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan, I want to make these tomorrow morning but I don’t have some of the ingredients (and I live in a place where all grocery stores are closed Friday & Saturday!!!). I have almond milk – no regular or buttermilk – and I have goat cheese, no ricotta. Can I use those instead? Will these still work if I omit the ricotta? Thanks!
Hi Hayley! I am so sorry for the late reply! Did these work for you? Please let me know if you still need help! xTieghan
These didn’t work out as it should. They fell apart when we tried to flip them. They didn’t bind together in the pan and so made burnt scrambled pancakes. I added another egg and that seems to be working a bit better. Still not binding as they should. So disappointed though. I hope they still taste good 🙁
Hi Kim! How did they taste? Is there anything that happened before cooking? I would love to help! xTieghan
This now my go-to pancake recipe. Just the smell of the lemon zest, juice & vanilla is intoxicating! Since my grandpa always made buckwheat pancakes I figured I’d give it a shot. You have to try it next time! Ridiculously delicious! Thank you for being a kitchen genius.
I am so glad these turned out so well for you Janis! Thank you so much for trying them! xTieghan
The recipe doesn’t say how much butter to use.
Hi there! It’s 2 tablespoons and it’s listed out in the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
I Made this gluten free by substituting with rice flour. Very good!
So amazing to hear! Thank you Monica! xTieghan
Can these be frozen and toasted for future use?
Hey Sara! Sure these freeze great! You can warm them on the stove top, in the microwave, or toast in the toaster oven. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
My boyfriend and I made these for our Sunday breakfast just a little while ago. Holy moly? These are the best pancakes I’ve ever had and the first from-scratch pancakes I’ve ever made. This recipe couldn’t have been easier and the pancakes couldn’t have been tastier. I did add a little extra buttermilk because my batter seemed a bit thick, and they turned out perfect. Another HBH recipe for the win!!
So amazing!! Thank you for trying these Lucy! xTieghan
hi what would be an ideal substitute for the eggs? thanks!
Hey Alex, I recommend using the eggs if possible as they are pretty essential. If you can use eggs, I recommend a chia or flax egg. Have you used these before? Links below! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
https://minimalistbaker.com/make-chia-egg/
https://detoxinista.com/how-to-make-flax-eggs-or-chia-eggs/
These are very tart from the lemon and blueberry, I would suggest adding more honey as the article recommends if tart isnt your thing. They cooked longer than normal pancakes, I’m not sure why but my first batch was all runny batter in the middle. Second batch came out great, just needed to turn the heat down a but and be more patient, keep this in mind.
Would make again with a bit more honey to the batter .
Hi Kristen! Thank you for trying these! I hope you love these more with more honey! Thank you! xTieghan
Can you pour this into a baking pan and bake. Then cut into squares and serve?
Hey Patty! Yes, I am sure that would be fine. I would bake 15-30 minutes at 350. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made these for 4 adults and two teens. Everyone was raving about them and they are truly the most delicious pancakes I’ve made. Not too sweet and layers of flavor. Bravo! ??
That is so amazing! Thank you so much Grace! xTieghan
Just made this, it was fantastic! My kids devoured it and my Mom said it was restaurant quality. I needed the 2tbsp of zest though so it tasted lemon enough for us.
Thank you Sara! xTieghan
Tieghan, this recipe looks absolutely divine. I can not wait to try it. About every 3 months my sister and I have a sister weekend where we get together at her house and do nothing at all…nothing at all except create food and beautiful vignettes in which to indulge in our creations. These Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes will defiantly be on the next menu. I grow my own blueberries and I am… well…the “Queen” of Lemon Curd (just ask all my sisters and nieces) I once asked my niece what she would like for her birthday and she said “Lemon Curd please” So I gave her a jar of home made lemon curd and a antique silver spoon. Guess what we will be serving with these amazing pancakes on our next sister weekend…yep lemon curd….along with Champagne. Thank you for this wonderful creation.
Wow that sounds like an amazing time spent with your sister! I hope you both love these pancakes, Pamela! Thank you! xTieghan
I made these morning, following the recipe to a ‘t’ minus the optional blueberry jam. Unfortunately, every batch put on the pan would cook great on the outside, but end up dense and moist still on the inside. This was whether it was on medium heat and bubbles started to show, low heat, one pancake at a time directly in the middle of the pan, or three around the pan. I feel like we tried everything, even my bf took over bc I got frustrated and tried some things, including a different burner. This is the 2nd from scratch pancake recipe I’ve tried, the first with almond flour, and neither were successful. Do you have any suggestions or reasons why? I figured the heat was too high, but we tried different temperatures too and nothing worked.
Hey Ami, I am so sorry you are having trouble! Did you use almond flour for these pancakes? If so, that is the issues as almond flour cooks very differently than all-purpose. Was there any other ingredient that was different or anything else they you did differently? What type of pan are you using? Really hope I can help!