Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes

Ricotta pancakes are extra moist and fluffy. And easy to make too! Time to up your pancake game!

Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE traditional pancakes. But sometimes it’s nice to make a wee bit of an effort to make ricotta pancakes which are extra special.

Super moist inside with a flavour that is almost a bit cheesecakey, even when you don’t know it’s a ricotta pancake you’re eating, you know it’s different to the usual.

These are the pancakes that posh bistros have on their menus. Like Bills. Any Sydney-siders fond of Bill Granger’s ricotta pancakes? No need to battle the traffic into the city on weekends, not to mention the queue for a table. Just make these at home! 🙂

These hold up quite well made ahead too. Because they are so moist, they don’t suffer as much as ordinary pancakes (in my humble opinion) when reheated and they sweat slightly. It’s pretty much how they are straight off the stove.

These are lovely just served with butter and maple syrup, but I figure if I’m making the effort, I may as well go all the way. By “all the way”, it just involves sprinkling halved strawberries with sugar and leaving them to sweat for a bit to soften the strawberries and extract some of the juice. The fancy word for this is “macerated strawberries”, but really, all it means is that the strawberries are softened slightly.

A perfect match for the extra soft, fluffy ricotta pancakes.

So this weekend, why not stay in for brunch? Flop around in your daggy slippers, stay in your PJ’s, no need to comb your hair. The coffee refills are free and nothing – nothing – beats a good homemade meal. <3

Happy weekend everyone! – Nagi x

4.84 from 6 votes

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Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Ricotta pancakes are a step up from plain ones. Nice and fluffy and extra moist inside, step up your pancake game! Makes 6 - 7 pancakes (about 15cm/6" in diameter, 1cm/ 2/5" high).

Course: Breakfast

Servings: 6

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

• 1 cup full fat ricotta cheese , not watery (Note 1)
• 2 large eggs , separated into yolks and whites
• 3/4 cup milk (full or low fat)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp caster sugar (fine sugar)
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp butter

To Serve (optional...but not really!)

• 8 oz / 250g strawberries , halved
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• Maple syrup

Instructions

1. Place the ricotta, yolks, milk and vanilla in a bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix (press down on large lumps as required) until there are no large lumps of ricotta.
2. Add flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Mix until just combined. The batter should be fairly thick.
3. Place egg whites in a separate bowl. Whisk vigorously by hand for 30 seconds until foamy. It doesn't need to be stiff, just foamy on top and still watery egg whites underneath.
4. Fold the egg whites into the batter and mix until just combined. The batter should be quite thick - thicker than normal pancake batter.
5. Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat. Melt 1/2 tsp butter then use paper towels to wipe most of it off (Note 2).
6. Pour a heaped ice cream scoop / 1/3 level cup of batter into the skillet. (Note 3) Use the scoop/cup to gently spread it into a (roughly) 15cm/6" round. Cook for 40 - 45 seconds or until a few bubbles appear on the edges (Note 4) and it is golden underneath.
7. Flip and cook the other side for 40 seconds. Remove from the skillet and repeat with remaining batter, using extra butter as required (every 2 or 3 pancakes). Makes 6 pancakes. (Note 5)
8. Serve warm with maple syrup and strawberries.

Strawberries (optional)

1. Combine strawberries and 1 1/2 tsp sugar in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow them to sweat and soften slightly.

Recipe Notes

1. Some ricotta that comes in tubs or fresh ones from Italian delis are very soft and creamy. This recipe needs firmer ricotta. I get mine from the deli at Coles and Woolworths in Australia, but the tubs in the refrigerator section are ok too. If your ricotta is quite watery, then place it in a fine colander for 20 minutes or so to remove some of the water and make it thicker.

2. The step to melt then wipe off most of the butter is the secret to ensuring that the first pancake comes out beautifully evenly gold all over, rather than splotchy! Not an essential step, but I like to do this. It applies to normal pancakes too!

3. I like to use an ice cream scoop with a lever because when I press the lever, it scoops all the batter out cleanly from the scoop.

4. Because the batter is thicker than ordinary pancakes, you won't get as many bubbles on the surface and they mostly appear on the edges. When you see a few, that's all that's needed to indicate that it's cooked inside. The cook time is the same(-ish) because the batter, although thick, is light because of the foamy egg whites.

5. Ricotta pancakes don't come out perfectly round like ordinary pancakes because the batter is thicker. They are meant to look rustic - just as they do at bistros!

PS No counting calories for weekend brunch! 😉

LIFE OF DOZER

PPS When Dozer saw a table full of this…

….his reaction was THIS.

A stray strawberry and a huge hunk of pancake may have fallen his way….. 😉