By Made with wholesome ingredients, these ultra-fluffy, high-protein lemon ricotta pancakes pack in 19 grams of protein. They're bursting with fresh lemon flavor from both lemon zest and lemon juice. Our toddler thought they were so good he ate them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
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Jump to:
- super personal title about recipe
- ingredient notes & substitutions
- high protein ingredient spotlight: ricotta cheese
- here's how to make Protein Ricotta Pancakes
- expert tips
- zesting tips
- troubleshooting & testing notes
- how to store & meal prep it
- my favorite pairings for lemon ricotta protein pancakes
- Recipe
super personal title about recipe
- Super fluffy: The ricotta and eggs make these pancakes light yet rich in texture, making for one of our favorite protein pancake recipes.
- Naturally high in protein: Thanks to ricotta and eggs, you get protein from whole food sources, so there is no protein powder here!
- Bright and refreshing: The lemon zest and juice are refreshing and add a citrusy zing to your morning! We love a good punch!
ingredient notes & substitutions
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for quantities.
- Ricotta: The star ingredient! It adds protein, moisture, and richness without making the pancakes too dense. Full-fat ricotta will give the best texture but cottage cheese will work in a pinch.
- Eggs: These provide structure, binding the pancakes together while adding extra protein. There's the right amount of eggs to keep these pancakes light and fluffy. For a pancake with a denser texture and more eggs, give our Dutch baby pancake recipe a try.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste is best.
- Maple syrup: Agave and honey will work, but honey is acidic, so it will change the texture of the pancakes.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works best, but you can use white whole wheat flour for extra fiber.
- Baking powder & baking soda: These leavening agents make the pancakes fluffy and help them rise.
- Coconut oil: You can swap it for melted butter or avocado oil.
- Milk: Helps thin the batter slightly. Any milk-dairy or non-dairy-works here.
- Lemon zest & juice: The zingy citrus punch that makes these pancakes so special! Fresh lemon is a must. We tested this with just lemon juice and with both that and lemon zest, and the zest one was a clear winner!! Another one of our favorite lemon recipes is our Lemon Protein Muffins and lemon cottage cheese cookies.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
high protein ingredient spotlight: ricotta cheese
Ricotta is a nutritional powerhouse when it comes to protein-rich dairy. Just ½ cup of ricotta has about 12 grams of protein! It's also packed with calcium for strong bones and has a mild, slightly sweet flavor that blends well into pancakes, muffins, and even savory dishes.
here's how to make Protein Ricotta Pancakes
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full lemon ricotta pancakes recipe!
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat and spray with oil or butter.
- Blend all ingredients in a blender until a smooth batter forms (about one minute).
- Cook pancakes on a skillet by adding batter in approximately 4" diameter circles. Flip once when bubbles form on top of the batter.
- Serve with your toppings of choice, and enjoy! I like my pancakes with Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and lemon zest. For more protein toppings, check out our guide to protein pancakes.
quick recipe video
expert tips
- Don't overmix the batter. Blending is quick and easy, but just blend until smooth-overmixing will result in pancakes that aren't as fluffy and delicious.
- Mix the ricotta. If there is some separated liquid in the ricotta cheese, be sure to give it a good mix before measuring it.
zesting tips
Be sure to use a microplane for the best zesting results! And only zest to the white (barely). The white part is super bitter.
troubleshooting & testing notes
2 Lemons
When I first made these I only used one lemon and the flavor was too mild (you could barely taste the lemon). Using the juice and zest from 2 lemons is the perfect amount of zing!
Cook on medium heat
Cooking over medium heat is the key to getting a fluffy pancake that's golden brown. Too hot and the outside will burn while the inside stays raw. Cooking on low heat will result in a floppy dull pancake. Always look for those bubbles to know when to flip!
how to store & meal prep it
If you're lucky enough to have leftovers, here's some helpful tip on storing it and reheating it.
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a bag. They'll last up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Pop them in the toaster, oven (300°F for 5 minutes), or microwave for a quick warm-up.
my favorite pairings for lemon ricotta protein pancakes
These tangy pancakes are great with classic maple syrup, but I have some other tasty ways I like to enjoy them:
- Greek yogurt and lemon zest is my favorite topping because it adds extra protein and flavor!
- Pair these with a side of chicken and pork breakfast meatballs if you want to add some meat to your breakfast!
Recipe
High Protein Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240g) ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) maple syrup (or agave)
- 1.25 cups (157 g) all purpose flour (or 1:1 gluten free flour)
- 2 teaspoon (8 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) coconut oil (melted, or butter)
- 2 tablespoon (30 ml) low fat milk (or milk of choice)
- 2 lemons (zest and juice* see notes)
Before you start!
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave us a review. We love to hear from you!
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat and spray with oil or butter.
- Blend 1 cup (240g) ricotta cheese, 4 large eggs, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) maple syrup, 1.25 cups (157 g) all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon (8 g) baking powder, ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda, 1 tablespoon (14 g) coconut oil, 2 tablespoon (30 ml) low fat milk, and zest and juice from 2 lemons in a blender until a smooth batter forms (about one minute).
- Cook pancakes on skillet by adding batter in approximately 4" diameter circles. Flip once when bubbles form on top of the batter.
- Serve with your toppings of choice and enjoy! I like my pancakes with Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and lemon zest.
Video
Notes
Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a bag. They’ll last up to 3 months.
Reheating: Pop them in the toaster, oven (300°F for 5 minutes), or microwave for a quick warm-up. Flat Pancakes: If your pancakes turn out flat, it's very likely because your lemons were bigger and you got more lemon juice, or your baking soda or baking powder were no longer active. To avoid too much lemon juice, here are the measurements in metric I use with 2 small to medium lemons: 2 small/medium lemons: Expect roughly 3 tablespoons juice → 40 ml total
Zest equals about 1.5 tablespoons → 6 g total
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
I'm normally not a lemon person, but I saw these and had to make them. I'm so glad I did. They were super easy and DELICIOUS! And so filling served with a little bit of Skyr and mixed berries. I will definitely be making these again and again. I love having higher protein, filling recipes to serve on slow homeschool mornings. This recipe is a win!
That's so awesome, thanks for making these a part of your morning!
I love lemon, & these pancakes don't disappoint. They are deliciously lemony with a yummy texture. And I love the added protein.
Great!! Thanks for the review!
My pancakes came out more like crepes… any advice on how to thicken them up? I live around Denver, so high altitude. Do you think that impacted the thickness?
Hmm it could be - was your ricotta pretty thick or liquidy? And do you know if your baking powder and soda were fresh? My batter is always reallllyyyy thick so I’ve never been even able to spread them out enough to remotely get a crepe thinness which makes me think one of the liquid ingredients was measured as too much, the dry ingredients were measured as too little, or one of the ingredients listed isn’t clear.
I live in Toledo, OH (definitely not high altitude, lol) and when I made these this morning, mine too were thin. I realized that it was probably too much lemon juice as I had large lemons. Next time, I will measure my ingredients against the metric ones given in this message thread and see what happens. The flavor is amazing and I love the increased protein!
Ah yes, that makes sense. I'll update the post with the grams too!
HI,
i made these this morning! lol only had 2 eggs, so recipe in half! also used immersion blender bc I was too early for blender noise lol:) ANyway, soo easy to put together ( i had seedless lemon!) and soo light and delicious! I also used 1/2 ricotta 1/2 cottage cheese, soo good! I made quick blueberry compote for topping! My daughter loved them toooo!
That's awesome!
These are delicious!
Have you tried these with an all purpose gluten free flour? These sound amazing and would love to try them.
Yes! They’ll work great with a 1:1 gluten free flour swap!
Used cottage cheese and these were delicious!!
These look amazing, can't wait to try them! Question, does each pancake have 19 grams of protein? What's the serving size?
No, the serving size if 2-3 pancakes, depending on how big you make yours.
I made this recently and it was delicious! I am out of flour, would I be able to use almond flour and use the same ratio?
No, almond flour works very differently. If anything I would swap regular flour with oat flour. You can use almond flour but you will likely need less flour and it will be denser because almond flour absorbs quicker than wheat flour. If you're confident in playing with the ratios of almond flour to eggs then go for it!
Easy and delicious. Used cottage cheese and they turned out perfectly. Amazing with strawberries.
I made these- substituted with oat flour made with processed oatmeal and used 25% more than flour. Added extra tsp of bk pwdr. Used 5 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice & big pinch of zest bc that’s what I had in my frzr. They are delicious! I made 12 pcankes, so about 100 cal each. Ate 3- very filling! Next time 2 will be my serving.
Thanks for letting us know it works with oat flour!!
So easy and delicious!
Great!!
These are AMAZING! I originally made them for my Mother's Day breakfast (I love to cook!), then we hosted a breakfast for dinner with friends and served these again. They are a staple at our house. I make 1-2 batches a month and freeze them for an easy, healthy breakfast on busy mornings! They are so filling and fluffy!
That sounds wonderful!! Thanks for making them!
Hello, do you have metric measurements? Cup and tablespoon measurements are not exactly popular where I live. Thank you in advance.
Sorry about that, I don't because I just don't have the man power to test and write recipes in both units.
Thank you for letting me know. I'll just convert and test it out myself.
Ingredients (Metric)
Ricotta or cottage cheese: 240 g (≈ 240 ml by volume)
Large eggs: 4 eggs (already metric-agnostic; each ≈ 50–55 g without shell)
Vanilla extract: 5 ml
Maple syrup (or agave): 15 ml
All-purpose flour: 155–160 g
(Flour weight varies by humidity and brand; 156 g is the technical midpoint.)
Baking powder: 10 ml (≈ 8 g)
Baking soda: 2.5 ml (≈ 2–3 g)
Coconut oil or butter (melted): 15 ml (≈ 14 g)
Milk: 30 ml
Lemons: 2 medium lemons
Expect roughly 1–2 tablespoons juice each → 30–60 ml total
Zest equals about 1–2 tablespoons → 6–12 g
Thanks much!
Absolutely delicious! Medium heat and all the acidity from lemon made them so fluffy!
So great to hear!
This says it is 4 servings, but how many pancakes per serving?
2-3 pancakes per serving depending on how big you make yours.
These were PHENOMENAL! I've made several lemon ricotta pancake recipes before and this was the first recipe that was light, fluffy, and SO tender with the perfect amount of lemon. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Amazing to hear!!
is the protein content on each one of the 4 pancakes that the recipe yeald?
It's for each serving and each serving is 2-3 pancakes depending on how big you make your pancakes.
Unbelievable light and fluffy pancakes with a perfectly balanced delicate lemon taste that pairs perfectly with butter and a drizzle of syrup or a dollop of yogurt. A+ on this recipe!
That's so amazing to hear!!
I’m obsessed with these. OBSESSED!