If you like pancakes then you will absolutely LOVE these Healthy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, also known as Ricotta Hotcakes. Made with wholesome ingredients, these Creamy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes make a great breakfast idea for you and the whole family.
Serve these delicious bundles of joy with a dollop of butter and your favorite berries.
Jump to:
- How Many Calories in Ricotta Cheese?
- Ingredients Needed to Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Instructions on How to Make Healthy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- How Do I Know When These Ricotta Pancakes are Ready?
- Top Tip
- Substitutions and Variations for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Equipment Recommended for Ricotta Pancakes
- Storing Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Food Safety
- More Breakfast Ideas
- PIN it Here
- Recipe Details
- Comments
These lemon ricotta pancakes can be made any time of the year because the ingredients are easily available. In fact you can make this recipe for lemon ricotta pancakes any day of the week for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
It's always challenging to think of what to have for breakfast and so this recipe was inspired by another easy healthy breakfast idea for Berry Chia Seed Pudding.
If chia puddings aren't your thing, you can always opt for a delicious Pumpkin Spice Muffin or Blueberry Crumble Muffin.
How Many Calories in Ricotta Cheese?
Ricotta Cheese and Cottage Cheese can be used interchangeably in some recipes. When cheese is made and separated, the curds are used to make cottage cheese, while the whey is used to make ricotta. Both are considered fresh or unripened cheeses and are mild in flavor.
Ricotta is smoother in texture, while cottage cheese is lumpier. In dessert making, you will want to use Ricotta Cheese as the texture is richer, smoother and more appealing.
Some even make their own ricotta cheese by separating the whey from whole milk using an acid like vinegar. If you are interested in making your own ricotta cheese visit Epicurious here.
How many calories are there in Ricotta Cheese you ask? A half cup of ricotta cheese has approximately 204 calories, 14g of fat, 135mg of sodium and 8.9grams of carbohydrates. It provides 10g of protein and 289mg of calcium as well as 1mcg of Vitamin B12.
This makes ricotta cheese perfect as a protein substitute.
Ingredients Needed to Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
These lemon ricotta hotcakes comes together with the following ingredients:
- Lemon
- Ricotta Cheese
- Flour
- Milk
- Baking Powder
- Vanilla Extract
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Butter
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions on How to Make Healthy Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Place dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Grate and squeeze lemon.
- Place all the wet ingredients, except egg whites, in another bowl.
- Using a hand mixer, whisk egg whites until they get frothy but do not form stiff peaks.
- Incorporate wet and dry ingredients and then fold egg whites into mixture.
- Heat some butter in a frypan.
- Scoop batter in frypan and cook on each side until golden brown.
- Top with your favorite berry and syrup.
How Do I Know When These Ricotta Pancakes are Ready?
I know, figuring out when pancakes are ready can be a tricky thing. But don't worry, I've got you covered here. Once your pan has reached the right temperature, pour a ladle of batter in the frypan and let it sit. The first round of pancakes will take a little longer. I'm not sure if its the anxiety of waiting for them to get done because your so hungry or because it just feels like a lifetime before they are ready.
When you start to see bubbles form throughout the pancakes and particularly along the edges, flip them. Then lift a side occasionally to see when the other side is done. Shouldn't take longer than 30 to 60 seconds for the second side to cook.
Note that as you finish cooking the first set, your pan's temperature will get warmer. Meaning, that the 2nd, 3rd, etc... set will be ready quicker.
Serve these pancakes with a dab of butter, maple syrup or your favorite pancake syrup. For a little freshness, add strawberries, blueberries or raspberries on the side.
Top Tip
Wait until the frypan surface is hot before pouring the batter in the frypan.
HINT: if you sprinkle water in the frypan and it sizzles, then the pan is ready.
Substitutions and Variations for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Here are a few ideas on changing up this recipe for lemon ricotta pancakes:
- Eliminate the Lemon - these ricotta pancakes taste great with out without the lemon.
- Substitute Blueberries for the Lemon - make blueberry pancakes by substituting the lemon with blueberries. Just remember to add the blueberries at the end and don't stir!
- Gluten Free - use gluten free flour and make these gluten free.
Equipment Recommended for Ricotta Pancakes
To make these hotcakes you will need some mixing bowls and measuring cups. A good quality ceramic frypan will come in handy to fry these ricotta pancakes as well as a good spatula.
Storing Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
You won't need to worry about storing leftovers with these Creamy Ricotta Pancakes. Because they will be all gone.
But, in case you do, you can store them in the refrigerator wrapped in foil.
If you want to freeze them, stack them on top of parchment paper and wrap them in foil, then freeze. You can thaw them out overnight in the fridge and then microwave them for 30 seconds or until warm.
Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check Government of Canada's Food and Safety Guidelines, see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Drop a comment below with your spin on this recipe for these easy healthy creamy ricotta pancakes. I’d love to see your pictures so don’t forget to post them on your Instagram account. Tag me at #girl_with_a_spatula and follow me @girl_with_a_spatula
More Breakfast Ideas
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Recipe Details
Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 cups all purpose flour
- â…” cups milk
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 eggs separated
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon of grated lemon
- 1 tbsp butter for frying
Instructions
- Grate Lemon and squeeze the juice of the lemon and put aside.
- Place dry ingredients in a bowl. Place all the wet ingredients, except egg whites, in another bowl.
- Using a hand mixer, whisk egg whites until they get frothy but do not form stiff peaks. Incorporate wet and dry ingredients and then fold egg whites into mixture.
- Heat some butter in a frypan. Scoop batter in frypan and cook on each side until golden brown.
- Top with your favorite berry and syrup.
AmyG says
This is a great recipe to try!