Here's your best weekend breakfast and this ricotta pancakes recipe is my go-to pancake recipe, it is gorgeous every time fluffy, light and totally fail-proof. Whip up a batch of fluffy, soft and moist ricotta pancakes for breakfast this weekend that are no more difficult to make than your average pancake recipe!
I have the perfect fluffy pancakes recipe for you right here: ricotta pancakes topped with pineapple and rum and a touch of honey and butter. Mmmmm, yes, I know you are drooling right now. We have made these again over the Easter period and they were such winners!
This is not your ordinary breakfast food, but this delicious easy pancake recipe will surely be the highlight of any morning! Ricotta pancakes are one of our favourite breakfast foods.
I usually make these for my kids on Saturday or Sunday mornings before they get started with classes, swimming and martial arts as some weekends are crazier than weekdays. We do make these sometimes during the week too and since my husband is the one that gets up to make the breakfasts, I prepare the batter in the evening and keep it refrigerated until the next morning when it will be a 10 min job.
Of course, we change the toppings almost every time and to me, the topping makes any pancake even more exciting. This simple pancake recipe is amazing every time since it is so easy and quick to make not to mention that it is a pretty healthy pancake recipe too with a higher protein content than you would expect to get from pancakes in general.
You may be thinking, really??! Ricotta cheese in pancakes? Oh, yes! Give it a try, definitely if you have never had it before. It is not at all what you may expect, it's not that savoury cheesy taste. The ricotta just adds flavour and moisture. I love the fluffy, moist texture that ricotta provides and it pairs so well with any topping you can ever imagine. The best part? They take less than 20 minutes from start to finish!
How to cook perfect ricotta pancakes
Is there a secret?
Well, yes but it might come as no surprise to some.
An evenly heated cooking pan is what you really need. It is best to use an electric griddle if you have one, if not a pancake pan or a simple non-stick pan will do. Here's how:
- First, preheat the pan or the electric plate well by turning or placing it to/on medium heat. Once it has become hot, lower the heat a notch and apply 2-minute of patience. Wait, and this waiting step it's very important.
- Grease your pan/plate with a tiny, tiny amount of oil or butter (for extra flavour). Yes, even a non-stick pan needs a little greasing or you will get that miserable looking first pancakes (you know what I mean, right? I normally use a brush to grease the pan or a paper towel that been dipped into a little oil or melted butter.
- Use a tiny ladle or a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour your pancake batter. Start pouring from the centre and continue pouring slowly into a circular motion so that the batter spreads into the perfect round shapes if you are after a perfectly round shape, I clearly wasn't in that perfect shape mode.
- Don’t rush them by increasing the heat, allow them to cook to perfection. Do not rush to flip them too early either. Allow that first side of the pancake to cook to that perfect brown colour. You will see the bubbles and then tiny holes start forming on top and that is when they are ready to get a flip over.
- To get that classic flip perfected use a plastic spatula, slide it right underneath the pancake and flip using your wrist and not the whole hand or arm. A swift and pretty quick wrist twist will deliver that perfect flip. Practice is the mother of learning as I always say ;-).
Other topping ideas for these ricotta pancakes
Simple ready-made toppings:
- fresh berries,
- a drizzle of melted dark chocolate,
- any berries coulis (my favourite)
- any homemade jam
- powdered sugar or cane sugar with lemon juice
- maple syrup to make them even more decadent.
- berries syrup
- yoghurt
- honey
- fruit compote
- icecream
- caramel sauce (my daughter's favourite)
- Make a banana flambee
- lemon curd
- vanilla custard and fruits
- nuts
- peanut butter
- Nutella
- apple butter
- savoury options bacon, fried eggs, sausages
More sophisticated toppings:
- coconut yoghurt, granola and fruit ( any fruit) I particularly like apricots or juice nectarines
- mascarpone, passionfruit and raspberries curd
- strawberries coulis and cream cheese
- fried egg, kimchi and sriracha or chilli sauce
- garlicky mushrooms with feta cheese and herbs ( chives, parsley, dill)
The most peculiar topping I use (not so strange to me though - call me strange or weird if you like) is this chilli jam which truthfully can be used for almost anything - it is something that I make sure I never run out of and make it constantly. Oh, the toppings are endless, honestly, these are just a few and every time we use a different one. In this picture, quince jam is present too because it is my favourite preserve ever!
Do you want to make these ricotta pancakes gluten-free?
- use coconut flour
- oat flour
- gluten-free flour
- chickpeas flour
FAQs
Absolutely yes! In many parts of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, yoghurt is used to make sauces that a lot of other cultures would create with ricotta cheese. If you're willing to experiment, yoghurt makes an excellent substitute but also cottage cheese too.
Yes, not a biggie but there is a little technique or secret if you like here you need to know. The secret is not to over mix (even with the risk of having a few tiny lumps or two, please do not worry) and use an extra egg to get them as fluffy as you possibly can. Ideally is to beat the egg whites separately and you have done a perfect pancake batter by spending literally extra 2 minutes.
There are various reasons your pancakes will turn stodgy:
Overmixing your batter – overmixing your pancake batter will deflate your batter, so your pancakes will fail to rise into the light and fluffy pancakes you are dreaming of. Retain from overmixing please - very important!
Spoiled Baking Powder – baking powder has a shelf life of approximately 12 months or so. Check that your baking powder is still ok to use and still fresh - just stir half a little baking powder into a cup of water. If you see an instant reaction, an instant fizz up, it's all good! If not, you should consider renewing it.
Humidity – A very humid kitchen results in a runnier batter, resulting in less fluffy pancakes. If you know you are in a super humid place, try placing your batter in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
Not Allowing Your Batter to Rest – Allowing your batter to rest before cooking allows the starch to expand and that results in an airier pancake.
Flipping your pancake – Turn the pancakes over in a fairly gentle manner.
Yes, absolutely. You may freeze them in a plastic airtight container up to 12 weeks with a little cellophane or clingfilm in between to avoid sticking. When reheating place in the preheated pan straight from frozen and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Enjoy with any topping you may like. See above topping suggestions.
These ricotta pancakes are best served fresh and warm, but if you are left with any, feel free to refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not add any topping to those stored ones until you serve them.
Other pancakes recipes you may enjoy :
- Mini pancakes cereal
- Dutch baby pancakes
- Savoury (bacon and egg) Dutch baby
- Apple pancakes
- Rainbow crepe cake
Ricotta pancakes with pineapple and rum
Equipment
- pan
- bowl
- Whisker or electric hand mixer
- spoon
- spatula
- small bowl
Ingredients
- 245 g ricotta cheese (1 cup)
- 135 g white spelt flour (1 cup) use any flour you like
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 pinch salt I used pink Himalayan
- 160 ml milk (3/4 cup) I always use full fat or coconut
- 3 small eggs or 2 large - separated
- 1/4 tsp vanilla powder organic
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or butter for cooking
For topping
- 250 g fresh pineapple or canned pineapple
- 2 tbsp rum
- 2 tbsp cane sugar
Instructions
- Drain your ricotta cheese if yours seems to have a lot of liquid. Set it in a fine mesh or a strainer to drain off excess liquid. Allow it approximately 25-30 minutes before using it for cooking. If your ricotta seems fairly dry and dense, you may skip this step.
- Place the pineapple chunks into a nonstick pan with the rum and the sugar. Set aside ready to put on medium/high fire. I normally have this ready and put the fire on when I am doing the last batch of pancakes. Place on fire and cook until the sugar has dissolved/melted.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla and the salt.
- Separate the eggs.
- In a separate and slightly larger bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with the milk, the egg yolks.
- Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and the milk mixture, stirring gently for 20-30 seconds until just homogenised.
- Into the bowl you have had the dry ingredients, add the egg whites and beat well until stiff. This step is very important if you want your pancakes to be nice and fluffier.
- Add the egg white to the batter little by little (in about two - three episodes and fold in nicely with the help of a spatula. Do not over mix.
- Heat a nonstick pan or a griddle over medium-high heat. Brush the bottom of the pan with a little coconut oil or butter enough to coat the surface.
- Use a large spoon, a small ladle or a 1/3-cup measure to pour the batter onto the hot pan. Cook the pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes (slightly lower the heat to medium), until the undersides become golden. Also an indication that the pancakes need turning is when you will see a bubbles popping through the pancakes.
- Flip the pancakes over and carry on cooking them on the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes, again until the pancakes are becoming nice and golden. Repeat with the remaining batter/pancakes until all batter is being used.
- Prepare the pineapple and the rum topping by places these on fire and cook for 3-4 minutes until the sugar had dissolved.
- Serve the pancakes while hot with the rum and pineapple topping or any topping you may like. We have had some quince jam, yoghurt, maple syrup and sugar and lemon since we always love a variety of toppings. Mmmm. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe makes 10 medium pancakes or 12 smaller ones.
Nutrition
Bianca says
Made these for breakfast today and omg the flavors are soooo good! Will have to make them again
nancy says
i love the ricotta in this recipe.