Lemon ricotta pancakes with raspberry syrup is truly a breakfast worth of your best china, however, you can just use paper plates, as long as you make them! They’re so light and delicious you can even make them for dessert!
Originally published on May 23, 2014.
These lemon ricotta pancakes with raspberry syrup will make a pancake lover out of anyone. I’m not a huge pancake fan, in fact, when I make regular pancakes for my family I rarely ever eat any myself–except when I make these.
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It’s not that I don’t like pancakes, I just don’t usually eat them, much the same as I am with ice cream (strange, I know). That said, the first time I tried these pancakes was many years ago at the Hotel Bel-Air. I think the only reason I ordered them is because they were the least expensive item on the breakfast menu (I’m totally serious).
Despite this, I was not disappointed! I’d never had such delicious, light, fluffy pancakes in my life! The lemon ricotta pancakes were served with some sort of fruit sauce and I can tell you, it was heavenly!
Some time later, I was looking through my recipe binder and came across a recipe I had cut out of a magazine years before for “Lemon Soufflé Pancakes.” They sounded exactly like the lemon ricotta pancakes I’d had at the Hotel Bel-Air, so I gave the recipe a try. Well, guess what? They were just as delicious and light as the ones I’d eaten at the high-end restaurant (of course, I made a few tweaks, as usual.)
If you try these pancakes and they don’t become one of your family’s favorites, I’d be very surprised.
They’re perfect for a special occasion, or just when you have a little extra time to make a normal day more special! No fancy china, or place settings, just a delicious treat!
No time for these sumptuous pancakes? Make these buttermilk pancakes which are quicker,
but are still light and fluffy and taste fantastic!
Good quality eggs are important in recipes like these lemon ricotta pancakes. Did you know that “cage-free” hens doesn’t mean what we think it means? Cage free simply means that the chickens are not in cages, but they can still be living in cramped quarters inside a building. “Pasture raised” is a better label to look for. Learn about the different categories so you can be well-informed about your egg purchasing.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Raspberry Syrup
(Lemon Soufflé Pancakes)
Recipe slightly adapted from an unknown magazine cut out – sorry I can’t give credit to the proper source
Makes about 20 medium size pancakes
Raspberry Syrup Ingredients:
- fresh or frozen raspberries
- lemon juice
- sugar
Pancake Ingredients:
- unsalted butter (good quality)
- buttermilk
- brown sugar
- sugar
- grated organic lemon zest
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- good quality eggs, separated (yolks in one bowl, whites in another)
- ricotta cheese
- vanilla extract
- good quality all purpose/plain flour
- baking powder
- salt
Special equipment: a griddle or a non-stick frying pan. Sieve for straining the syrup.
To Make the Raspberry Syrup.
Place all ingredients in a small pot and simmer for about 8 minutes, remove from heat.
Strain if desired.
To Make the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
In a small saucepan, put the butter, buttermilk, sugars, lemon zest, and juice.
Stir over low heat until mixture is hot (do not boil.) Remove from heat.
In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; set aside.
To the mixture in the pot, add the ricotta and vanilla.
Then add the egg yolks, and whisk until smooth.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt, then pour in the egg mixture.
Whisk gently until incorporated, but do not over mix.
Gently fold egg whites into this mixture, until mostly homogeneous- again, do not over mix.
Heat a large non-stick pan or griddle, and drop the pancake batter onto the hot pan in whatever size or shape you would like your lemon ricotta pancakes.
Cook the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Cook approximately 2 1/2 minutes or until bubbles form, then gently turn over. Cook another 1 1/2 minutes or until completely cooked.
Place the lemon soufflé pancakes in the oven or a warming drawer to keep warm, or serve immediately. Pour the raspberry syrup on the pancakes or make a mixture with 100% pure maple syrup. You can use any other fruit syrup, fresh fruit or even honey to top these beauties.
I like to mix the raspberry syrup with maple syrup and serve it in a little jug.
Who needs the Hotel Bel-Air? Now you can make these lemon ricotta pancakes in your kitchen!
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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Raspberry Syrup
The lightest, fluffiest pancakes with a citrus flavor. Special enough for dessert!
Ingredients
Raspberry Syrup Ingredients:
- 1 cup (140 g) fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (115 g) sugar (or more or less to taste)
Pancake Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter (good quality)
- 1 cup (235 ml) buttermilk
- 1/4 cup (28 g) brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 to 2 Tbsp grated organic lemon zest (depending on how much lemon taste you prefer)
- 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 large good quality eggs, separated (yolks in one bowl, whites in another)
- 1 cup (225 g) ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups (255 g) good quality all purpose/plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
Instructions
To Make the Raspberry Syrup.
- Place all ingredients in a small pot and simmer for about 8 minutes, remove from heat. Strain if desired.
To make the lemon ricotta pancakes
- In a small saucepan, put the butter, buttermilk, sugars, lemon zest, and juice. Stir over low heat until mixture is hot (do not boil.) Remove from heat.
- In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; set aside.
- To the mixture in the pot, add the ricotta and vanilla. Then add the egg yolks, and whisk until smooth.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt, then pour in the egg mixture. Whisk gently until incorporated, but do not over mix.
- Gently fold egg whites into this mixture, until mostly homogeneous- again, do not over mix.
- Heat a large non-stick pan or griddle, and drop the pancake batter onto the hot pan in whatever size or shape you would like your lemon ricotta pancakes.
- Cook approximately 2 1/2 minutes or until bubbles form, then gently turn over. Cook another 1 1/2 minutes or until completely cooked. Place the lemon soufflé pancakes in the oven or a warming drawer to keep warm, or serve immediately.
- Serve with the raspberry syrup and 100% pure maple syrup or any other fruit syrup or even honey. I like to mix the raspberry syrup with maple syrup and serve it in a little jug.
Notes
Special equipment: a griddle or a non-stick frying pan. Sieve for straining the syrup.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 2 pancakesAmount Per Serving:Calories: 220Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 505mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 8g
Nutrition information is only an estimate.
More lemony recipes~
Lemon Posset (You’ll never believe how easy this one is!)
PIN FOR LATER!
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I’ve been looking for a recipe for lemon pancakes. Can’t wait to try these (and the syrup)!
You’ll love these, Wendy! Good luck with the lemon giveaway
Will this batter freeze well? Planned on having company but that didn’t work out and there’s just 2 of us.
Hi Sandy, it does make a big batch, but I don’t think freezing the batter will work (haven’t tried), but what you can do is make the pancakes and then freeze them.
Just made these today. They are delicious. Worth the effort.
I added blueberries to almost half the batch and served with blueberry syrup!
That also sounds delicious! I have made them with blackcurrant syrup, too! Thanks so much!
I meant to say, “…you can’t imagine how vague THE OTHERS are…”
Haha! Yes, I understand! :)
Dear Christina,
I haven’t tried the pancakes yet, but I will.
I just want to say that your recipes and instructions are the clearest I have ever seen. You can’t imagine how vague they often are, putting ingredients in the wrong order, and many have downright errors, potentially disastrous.
Yours are a pleasure to read, and the photography is beautiful!
Sincerely,
Judy C.
Oh thank you so kindly, Judy! I appreciate that you notice. Trust me, I feel terrible that many people are making recipes from sites where the author has absolutely no clue what they are doing, I see them, too! Thank you, and I’m happy you are enjoying my recipes :)
I made these at the fire station this morning and they are fantastic!! They guys loved them. One of the guys started out saying he didn’t want any because he had a stomachache…then he had 4. I loved the lemon in the pancakes, and combined with the sweet tart raspberry syrup (I made a double batch of syrup) the were paired perfectly. The guys didn’t even crack open the maple syrup…
Hahaha! I love it! It’s a stomache ache cure, Rachel, didn’t you know? :) Thanks for the note, so happy the guys loved them. Favor, can you click on the 5 stars above the print button? It helps with google. Thanks again!
Delicious! Great way to use up extra ricotta. This recipe was fresh and light.