Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.
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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.
These pancakes are made with a touch of fresh ricotta cheese, a little squeeze of lemon, and swirled with plenty of sweet blueberries. They're light, extra fluffy, perfectly sweet, and all around delicious. Perfect for a lazy weekend morning breakfast!
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
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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.
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I love pancakes for any meal. This looks very tasty.
Thank you Charlotte! 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Gorgeous pancakes, I need this stack in my life!
Thank you Laura! xTieghan
Yum! Added a little more honey (1 1/2 Tablespoons total) but otherwise, perfect!
Thank you Allison! 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
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
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!
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
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
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
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
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
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/
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
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
I Made this gluten free by substituting with rice flour. Very good!
So amazing to hear! Thank you Monica! 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
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
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
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
Hi!
I just made them! Loved. Thanks so much! Marta
Thank you so much Marta! xTieghan
We made these for Easter and everyone loved them! Followed the recipe exactly. Thank you!
Thank you! I am so glad you all enjoyed these pancakes! xTieghan
i have the everyday pancake mix which I made from your cookbook. How much would you use for this recipe?
Hi Diane,
I would use 1 1/2 cups of pancake mix. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Could I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta?
Hi Elizabeth,
I would recommend using mascarpone or creme fraiche before cottage cheese. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Perfection! So delicious ~ thank you!!! Made exactly as called for but used part skim ricotta because that’s what I had on hand.
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this one, Kristina!! xTieghan
Made these pancakes this morning and they are the best I’ve ever had! I did have to add the extra 1/4 cup flour to thicken the batter a bit. So incredibly good – thank you for this recipe!
Thank you so much Andrea!! I am so glad this one turned out so well! xTieghan
I have used quite a few recipes for lemon-blueberry ricotta pancakes and this is definitely the best so far. I agree the pancakes were lighter because the batter was not too thick. I haven’t used honey before and it indeed added a tad of sweetness that was just perfect.I am new to your site, but will return for sure for more great recipes!
Wow that is so great to hear! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Tina! Thank you! xTieghan
Very flavorful pancakes with good texture. I was out of blueberries and substituted raspberries with raspberry jam, and it turned out great!
Thank you so much! xTieghan
Me ha encantado. La mezcla sobrante se puede guardar en la nevera un par de dias, o congelar?
¡Hola! ¡Sí, la mezcla debería durar 2-3 en la nevera! ¡Estoy tan contento de que esta receta haya resultado tan bien para ti! xTieghan
Horrible! This ruined my mother’s birthday breakfast.. The recipe didn’t work. I made them for breakfast for my moms birthday, followed recipe exactly and they were entirely too liquidly. Added more flour, still the same. I am so disappointed, her birthday breakfast had to be scratched.
Hi Bianca! I am really sorry to hear that! Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
Could I substitute the all purpose flour for almond flour?
Hi Lola,
I would recommend using a gf flour, I haven’t had the best luck with almond flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I LOVE this recipe!! And so did the rest of my family! I used kefir in place of the buttermilk. Turned out great!! Really wonderful way to use the ricotta that I was worried about having to throw out!
These are SOO good that I started thinking about how to make them again to use up the rest of the container. Came up with Orange Cranberry Almond Ricotta pancakes. AMAZING!! I think I liked them even better than the original recipe…but I wouldn’t have come up with them without your help!! SO a big thank you!!
Orange Cranberry Almond tweaks:
Do everything the same, but use naval orange in place of the lemon zest and juice. Add 1 cup Cape Cod frozen cranberries. Add 1 cup sliced almonds. Add orange marmalade in batter. VIOLA!!! Beautiful combination!! Getting ready to mix up another batch.
THANK YOU for the inspiration!
Thank you for trying this Amanda!! I am SO glad it turned out well for you! xTieghan
Dying to try these! Could I substitute whole milk for almond milk?? Thanks so much!
Hey Ximena,
Yes almond milk would work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made a version of this recipe this morning and they were delicious. I only made half a recipe. I didn’t have buttermilk or whole milk, but substituted 2% and half and half. I also didn’t have blueberry jam, but look forward to trying that. I zested and squeezed the juice from half a lemon, but would use a whole one for the half recipe next time. I’m sure the suggested lemon poppy syrup would add more lemon flavor, but didn’t have poppy seeds. If I get them on my shopping list, I will try it. Definitely let the batter rest. I forgot and my first pancake was pretty flat. The rest were perfect. I did cook them on medium low too because one did get scorched on the higher heat. These are certainly worth trying. I know I’ll be making them again.
I really dislike writing negative reviews but these pancakes did not work and will not work if you don’t add sugar. They were bland, not sweet and a bit bitter also. I have to say one-two tablespoons of honey is not enough. I wish I had read all the reviews before I went out to purchase the ingredients. It seems people just give out 5 stars based on the pictures alone and not their outcome and I went with that instead of carefully reading their comments.
Thank you so much Summer! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
If I’m reading the recipe right, it says 6 pancakes per serving. Is this correct? If so, how many servings per batch?
Hey Shameer,
You should get 12 pancakes per batch. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I just made these and the flavors were so good! I did use whole fat yogurt (what I had on hand) so I don’t know if that’s why they came out rather thin. Will try and play around with them a bit.
I am glad these turned out well! If there is anything I can help you with, please let me know!! xTieghan
When I made these pancakes, they never cooked properly. The texture was gooey. I think the recipe has too much liquid. I’m not sure what the issue is. I followed the recipe exactly as it said. Maybe the ricotta cheese was not the right kind. It was too bad. I ended up throwing out the whole thing.
Hi Bolanle! I am really sorry to hear that. Please let me know if there is anything I can help with, or if there is anything that could have gone wrong. xTieghan
What a terrific recipe! Easy to make. Followed the recipe and they were the most delicious pancakes I ever made or tasted. Love blueberry with Lemon. The surprise was the ricotta. First time using ricotta in a breakfast dish. Can’t wait to share this with guests. Thanks!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! xTieghan
Hello Tieghan,
I love love love your recipes, thank you so much! Just wondering when you say the calories above – is that per serving?
Thanks so much, Rachel.
Hey Rachel,
Yes that is an estimate per serving. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can you make these ahead of time?
Hey Kerri,
I prefer to serve pancakes hot off the skillet. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These were HANDS DOWN the BEST pancakes I’ve ever made. . . No exaggeration. The texture is amazing, thick and chewy, and the creamy lemon flavor is incredible !! I used soy milk instead of buttermilk but otherwise followed the recipe. Highly recommend !! Thank you Tieghan !!
Hey Abby,
I am thrilled that you liked the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Have an awesome week:) xTieghan
This was DELICIOUS! My boyfriend and I loved the taste – it was perfection. The only thing is that my whole batch came out a little undercooked on the inside and I’m not sure why. I tried cooking it on a lower setting and it still came out the same. Do you think this could be from the frozen blueberries or the jam? Any thoughts/tips you have are appreciated 🙂
Hey Olivia,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! I think you just need to cook longer:) Have a great week:) xTieghan
My husband’s typical breakfast is half a pot of black coffee. Full stop. On the weekends he’s willing to try my handiwork. He is not a sweets person, but he is obsessed with these pancakes. Whipped them up this morning and we devoured them! Perfect amount of sweetness mixed with light, citrus flavors. And the ricotta is a brilliant addition. One of our favorite recipes!
Hey Jen,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Don’t use frozen blueberries!!!!!!
This is my first ever review but they were such a fail I needed to warn others. I wish I loved these pancakes, but we used frozen blueberries and every pancake wouldn’t cook properly. Took forever to cook, and still were burnt on the outside, raw inside. We cook homemade pancakes all the time, and this was a huge fail. I suggest removing frozen berries as an option in the recipe, and adding way more flour.
Hey Carolyn,
So sorry you had issues with these, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan