Lemon ricotta pancakes from The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science (page 155) by J. Kenji López-Alt

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • ash_2fquo3 on January 16, 2026

    Made these with fresh ricotta and they were fantastic. Fragile though.

  • jhallen on April 04, 2021

    These were very good. Unlike others, no trouble flipping here. They are a little heavier than regular pancakes but still fluffy and tasty. Also unlike for others, quantity came out as specified in the recipe. Very good.

  • anya_sf on July 08, 2020

    I increased the recipe by 50%, which meant making 75% of the dry pancake mix - a bit of a math challenge first thing in the morning. I had store-bought ricotta so I didn't drain it, and used white whole wheat flour. A 1/4 cup ice cream scoop worked well for the thick batter, yielding 17 pancakes. The batter didn't spread on its own, so I used a spatula to spread it so the pancakes would cook more evenly. They did not develop bubbles on top - I went by color. The pancakes were very tasty, with a hint of lemon, and fairly light (probably would be more so with white flour). Perhaps whipping the egg whites would make them even lighter, but I was happy not to do that. I'd definitely make these again when I have ricotta to use up.

  • blazin on February 04, 2019

    I thought they were delicious, and glad to know I'm not the only one who had trouble flipping them. I followed the recipe exactly, using Kenji's recipe for fresh ricotta (with lemon juice instead of vinegar) and thought that the lemon flavor was perfect. My one complaint is that the recipe stated it would make 12 pancakes when measured with 1/4 c. measure, but it only made 8. Luckily, there were only two of us or we would not have had enough to go around. The man may be a great food "scientist," but his math skills are lacking.

  • Skamper on June 22, 2018

    These were very tasty. The batter was very thick (though I may have accidentally added too much of the basic pancake mix) but thinned with additional milk it wasn't a problem. I added extra lemon zest. Served with maple syrup as Kenji suggests but next time will try a berry syrup or compote.

  • clcorbi on October 29, 2017

    I chose to try this pancake recipe because I had both buttermilk and ricotta to use up. Rather than adding the lemon zest that's called for, I doubled the vanilla extract and added some cinnamon and nutmeg, per our pancake preference. I had some problems with these sticking to the pan, so I ended up having to fry them with a bit of butter to make them easier to flip. Obviously, they tasted great that way, but the result was a bit more decadent than I was going for. My verdict is that these were good, but not any better than my standard recipe (the buttermilk pancakes from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone). Still, I would definitely repeat them next time I have extra ricotta.

  • rionafaith on June 11, 2017

    This batter was quite thick and I had a bit of trouble cooking the first batch properly, until I added an extra 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Could be because I used store-bought ricotta (though very good freshly handpacked stuff from Di Palo's) instead of making my own. Still found them tricky to cook properly... bubbles in the top aren't as obvious as in my usual other pancake recipes, so it's hard to know when to flip, and the ricotta makes them so moist that they seemed underdone inside. The lemon flavor is very subtle, zest only. Still good, just a little more delicate and fussy than more basic pancakes!

  • jenmacgregor18 on July 06, 2016

    good if you're looking for a lower sodium pancake. I left salt out of pancake mixture (but left baking soda as is). Also very good without lemon and with cinnamon & vanilla.

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 12, 2015

    Had some leftover ricotta from ziti. This was a good way to use it up. A little tricky to flip, as they were very tender and delicate. After I mangled the 1st one, I ended up with my flexible oxo silicone cookie spatula and another spatula- 2-handed flip. Was fine after that. A non-stick skillet is a must. Great lemon flavor and very light texture. Keeping this one.

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