Extra-tall and fluffy ricotta pancakes always hit the spot in the morning! Moist and just-sweet-enough, these pancakes pair perfectly with citrus zest, berries, or chocolate chips. They're a great option to make if you have leftover ricotta, and they refrigerate and freeze well for future breakfasts.
Most commonly known as a savory star in dishes like lasagna, baked ziti, and pizza rustica, ricotta cheese is also a beloved sweet ingredient in a whole host of Italian and Italian American recipes. From Italian ricotta cookies and Sicilian cassata cake to cannoli (check out my cannoli icebox cake) and moist and tender citrusy ricotta cakes, ricotta in desserts is a real treat.
In batters specifically, ricotta cheese adds a soft, moist, and slightly cake-y element that works well in simple recipes. A big fan of cottage cheese pancakes, these ricotta pancakes are similar in that they cook up ULTRA tall and fluffy, with a subtle unique flavor from the ricotta that makes them extra special.
These pancakes pair perfectly with citrus zest, almond flavoring, berries, chocolate chips, and more!
Why You'll Love These Pancakes
- This recipe cooks up to become SUPER fluffy ricotta pancakes. Ricotta provides both moisture and structure.
- While the plain version is fabulous on its own, the orange chocolate chip variation detailed in the recipe card below really shines.
- They refrigerate and freeze well so you can cook now and enjoy ricotta pancakes for meals to come.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ricotta: While you can get away with using a quality part-skim ricotta in savory recipes, I lean towards choosing whole milk ricotta for desserts and baked goods. That said, if you have a good part-skim ricotta container open - use that. The difference really is minimal. I personally go for Galbani as it's always in stock at my usual supermarket and I find it a cut above store brands and similar.
- Milk: Your preferred kind or fat percentage is fine.
- Sugar: Not much, but sugar is very necessary in sweet-leaning ricotta recipes to remove all traces of its "savory-ness".
- Baking Powder: Make sure it's active and not expired as it does all the heavy lifting here.
- Zest: Your favorite citrus zest, such as lemon or orange, complements the flavor in these pancakes wonderfully.
Should You Strain Ricotta Cheese?
Even thick, quality ricotta cheese can benefit by straining out excess moisture, as it results in fluffier, less bogged down baked goods. It can be surprising how much liquid is released.
Transfer ricotta to a cheesecloth-lined mesh sieve for at least 5-10 minutes, up to overnight (refrigerate if longer than the minimum). Blot the top with the cheesecloth and gently squeeze to release as much moisture as possible before adding the strained ricotta to the recipe.
It's not a make-or-break step in that these ricotta pancakes will fall apart or be inedible or anything (far from it!), but it just helps them become extra fluffy and good.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Separately whisk the dry and wet ingredients until evenly combined and smooth.
2. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet and whisk just until no dry streaks remain. It will still be a little lumpy.
3. Heat butter (or your preferred fat) in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Portion out ¼-cup batter per pancake.
4. Cook until bubbles appear on the top surface and the bottom has browned. Flip and cook fully.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- The first batch is always wonky! I think it's pancake law. Even if you ensure the pan is sufficiently heated, the first batch of pancakes will likely come out with uneven browning. The good news is this is only a superficial issue - they taste just as good.
- Lumpy batter is A-OK. Good ol America's Test Kitchen says that lumps in pancake batter help produce taller pancakes as they spread less. Don't whisk the batter until completely smooth.
- Use a wire rack. Transfer cooked ricotta pancakes to a wire cooling rack once done. Placing hot pancakes on a surface where air can circulate underneath prevents the bottom side from trapping condensation against a plate, which can lead to soggy pancakes.
Ricotta Pancake Variations
- Orange Chocolate Chip: My favorite! Use orange zest and stir roughly three tablespoons of mini chocolate chips into the batter.
- Lemon Almond: Use lemon zest in the batter, and replace one teaspoon of the vanilla extract (or amount of your choice) with almond extract. Serve with sliced almonds scattered on top.
- Blueberry: Lightly press fresh or frozen blueberries into the pancakes right after adding the batter to a pan. Adding blueberries to already-poured batter versus stirring them into the bowl prevents turning the batter a muddied gray-green-blue color.
Related Recipes
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!
Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup ricotta cheese strained of excess moisture
- ½ cup milk whole milk recommended
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest packed
- Unsalted butter for cooking pancakes
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, add the eggs and beat until creamy. Add the ricotta, milk, vanilla extract, and orange zest and whisk well until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and whisk until thickened, with no dry streaks remaining. The batter will still have some lumps.
- Add about two teaspoons of butter to a large skillet or griddle pan set over medium-low heat. Swirl it around the pan to coat the bottom as it heats. Once the skillet is hot, scoop roughly ¼-cup of batter onto the skillet. A 12-inch skillet can comfortably fit 3 pancakes at a time.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until you notice bubbles popping up throughout the pancake and the bottoms are golden-brown. Flip and cook until the second side is golden-brown to your liking. Remove cooked pancakes to a wire rack as you cook the rest.
- Repeat for the remaining batter, adding extra butter as needed while cooking. Serve right away with maple syrup, fruit compote, etc.
Notes
- Orange Chocolate Chip: Use orange zest and stir 3 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips or finely-chopped chocolate into the batter.
- Lemon Almond: Use lemon zest and replace up to one teaspoon of vanilla extract with almond extract.
- Blueberry: Press fresh or frozen blueberries into the tops of pancakes once they're poured into the pan to cook.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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