Rich, tender & lacy! These gluten-free lemon ricotta pancakes make a decadent breakfast or brunch in about 30 minutes. Find more gluten-free pancake recipes here!
This gluten-free ricotta pancake recipe turns out lacy, pillowy ricotta pancakes in about 30 minutes. These little pillows of ricotta love taste like if cheesecake and pancakes had a baby.
These pancakes are:
- golden and lacy on the outside
- moist and pillowy on the inside
- gluten-free with sweet rice, oat, and millet flours
- rich and flavorful
- hearty and substantial
- ideal topped with fresh fruit (berries, stone fruit, figs, etc.)
I've adapted this gluten-free ricotta pancake recipe over the years from 2 sources: Plow's famous ricotta pancakes (an always-packed breakfast and lunch spot in my San Francisco neighborhood) and Smitten Kitchen's ricotta pancakes which she adapted from Gourmet.
I've made both versions as written, and I took my favorite aspects of each, swapped the AP flour for gluten-free flours, and turned out my favorite gluten-free lemon ricotta pancakes ever. I've made these many times over the years and they never disappoint!
Laced with lemon and vanilla, lightly sweetened, and moistened with butter and whole-milk ricotta, these luscious ricotta pancakes make a dreamy breakfast or brunch. They come together in about 30 minutes and they store well for future breakfasts too. Let me know if you try them!
Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions
These pancakes turn a handful of simple ingredients into something special. For best results, use the best-quality whole-milk ricotta you can find!
- Ricotta cheese is the diva of this gluten-free lemon ricotta pancake show, so be sure to use the most rich, luscious ricotta you can find. I prefer Bellwether Farms whole milk basket ricotta, which is tasty enough to eat straight, with a spoon. I once tried making this recipe dairy-free using Kite Hill almond ricotta and they were ok – not as good as the originals but better than no pancakes!
- Eggs moisten and lift the batter.
- Butter adds richness.
- Granulated sugar rubbed with lemon zest adds sweetness and fresh citrus flavor. Meyer lemon is divine here if you have some. Or you can use half lemon half tangerine, or use orange zest for orange ricotta pancakes. Sub maple sugar by weight for refined sugar-free.
- Lemon juice adds another hit of citrus and the acidity keeps them extra tender.
- A blend of gluten-free flours – millet, sweet rice, and oat – lend a neutral flavor as well as some whole grain goodness. You can sub by weight GF AP flour for the sweet rice, corn flour for the millet flour, and sorghum flour for the oat flour. You can also try this with 1 cup all-purpose wheat flour if you're cool with gluten.
- Vanilla perfumes the batter. I couldn't decide whether I preferred these with or without the vanilla, so I made it optional. Choose your own adventure!
- Baking powder and baking soda help the batter lift, spread, and brown.
- Salt sharpens the flavors.
How to Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
These gluten-free ricotta pancakes are so easy to make in about 30 minutes. This recipe makes 16 petite pancakes; 4 per serving for 4 servings.
- First, rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips until moist and clumpy. This draws out the oils in the zest for more lemony goodness.
- Next, whisk together the lemon sugar, ricotta, eggs, melted butter, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Sift in the flours, baking soda and powder, and salt. Stir until just combined.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. These pancakes like to cook low and slow. Add a pat of butter or ghee, and scoop the batter onto the hot griddle. I like to use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop for uniform pancakes.
- Cook until the pancakes are firm enough on top to flip, 2-3 minutes. Use a thin metal spatula to flip the pancakes over. Cook on the second side until golden, about a minute.
- Serve warm topped with your goodies of choice.
Is Ricotta Gluten-Free?
Yes, ricotta cheese is gluten-free!
I prefer whole milk basket ricotta from Bellwether farms in California. Milk and salt are the only ingredients. Or if you're craving a cheese-making adventure, you can easily make your own ricotta.
How to Serve Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
These mildly flavored pancakes go well with fruit of any season. Add a drizzle of maple syrup or honey, dollops of creme fraiche, Greek yogurt, or more ricotta, and a sprinkle of something fun – bee pollen or hemp hearts.
Here are some ideas:
- Spring (shown here): strawberry rhubarb chia jam, berries, yogurt, maple syrup, bee pollen
- Summer: honey-roasted apricots, peaches, plums, and/or nectarines, whipped ricotta, mint
- Fall: blackberries, fresh figs, or maple-roasted pears, hemp hearts, yogurt, dark maple syrup
- Winter: supremes of blood orange, grapefruit, cara cara oranges, tangerines, and sliced kumquats, or candied Meyer lemons, whipped mascarpone, poppy seeds
Got leftover ricotta? Try these gluten-free recipes with ricotta cheese:
- Gluten-Free Ricotta Crepes
- Savory Ricotta Pancakes with Peas & Saffron
- Italian Ricotta & Jam Tart
- Savory Ricotta Tart with Beets & Pesto
- Gluten-Free Shortcakes with Ricotta and Berries
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make these gluten-free lemon ricotta pancakes, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Gluten-Free Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) organic granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons packed finely grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons)
- 12 ounces (1 ⅓ cups / 340 g) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) melted unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) strained lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)
Dry Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (63 g) sweet rice flour (or GF AP flour)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (55 g) millet flour (or corn flour)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (35 g) oat flour (or sorghum flour)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ghee or high-heat cooking oil, for cooking the pancakes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips until moist and clumpy.
- Whisk together the lemon sugar, ricotta, eggs, melted butter, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Sift in the flours, baking soda and powder, and salt. Stir until just combined.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. These pancakes like to cook low and slow. Coat the pan lightly with ghee or oil. Drop ¼-cup scoops of batter onto the hot griddle. I like to use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop for uniform pancakes.
- Cook until they're firm enough on top to flip, 2-3 minutes. Use a thin metal spatula to flip the pancakes over. Cook on the second side until golden, about a minute.
- Serve warm topped with your goodies of choice.
- Leftover pancakes keep well, refrigerated airtight, for up to 4 days. Or freeze for longer storage. Reheat before serving.
gluten free pancake recipe says
Hello,
Thank you for your nice Information. I like it very much. I will try it at my home.
Helen says
Plow is on of my favorite restaurants in SF and I am so glad you posted this. Tried it for brunch and it was delicious - love that there's also a lighter version.
Alanna says
Yay! I'm so glad you liked them. :)
Stuart says
does plow have a gluten-free version in their restaurant?
Alanna says
Hi Stuart, They did for a minute, but now they have GF almond flour pancakes.
Caterina S. says
These are amazing!! My mom's especially fond of them so I made them for her mother's day brunch this afternoon. Thank you!!
Alanna says
Aw that makes me so happy!
Jo says
Thanks! These just made a great breakfast in Brisbane, Aus. Love your site.
Diane says
Is 1 cup of almond flour substituted for the 1 cup of flour called for in the recipe okay to make the pancakes and will they taste as good? Do you have a coconut flour version? Thanks.
Alanna says
Hi Diane, I've never tried these with almond or coconut flour, so it will take some experimentation to get the ratios right. Coconut flour is VERY different in recipes than any other flour, so I would look at some other recipes first to get a sense of what ratios work. Almond flour is quite different too, but a little more predictable than coconut flour. If you test it out, please let me know how it goes!
Ashley says
Wow! These look and sound incredible! I love your seasonal topping suggestions =)
Tina says
I’ve been looking for a gluten-free lemon ricotta pancake recipe to try and this looks amazing. However, I am trying to avoid millet flour. I noticed you indicate corn flour as a substitute - would you recommend corn flour as a substitute for millet in all your recipes (I just got your cookbook and am excited to try my hand at some of your recipes!)? And is corn flour the same as semolina? Thank you!
Alanna says
Hi Tina! Yes I think corn flour would be DIVINE here instead of millet, and it would probably work well in all my recipes too. Semolina is actually a glutenous flour, so don't use it if you're avoiding gluten. :)
Tina says
Thank you so much for the info! Do you have a brand of corn flour that you’d recommend?
Alanna says
I use Bob's Red Mill. :)
Gabby says
could you be able to use flax eggs?
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Gabby! Hm, since this recipe uses a large proportion of eggs, I'm not sure flax egg will work. But! I have made my regular GF pancakes with aquafaba and vegan Just Egg and it works great. I wonder if you could swap in some ricotta to that recipe in place of some of the liquid? Please let me know what you try!
Amy says
I found them very dry and so added about 1/3 cup oat milk and it helped. I also found them somewhat tasteless and added extra lemon juice and salt. Just a suggestion
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi there, Ricotta varies in texture so I'm guessing yours may have been more dry than the one I used to develop the recipe. Good call adding more liquid to the batter! It makes sense that they'd be less flavorful with more oat milk. Glad you were able to make them work to your taste!
Molly says
Delicious! Made these with homemade ricotta and they were wonderful!! Light and fluffy, really amazing gluten free pancakes! My family will make them again for gourmet breakfast or brunch! Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you love these pancakes – an all-time favorite of mine as well. Bojon appétit! ;)
nancy says
These were spot on! Just made them as breakfast for dinner and fyi, I used the ricotta I had left from another recipe and creme fraiche for the balance and it worked great (roughly 2/3 ricotta, 1/3 creme fraiche). I only did 1 Tbsp of sugar since I was planning to sweeten with maple syrup when plating and it was totally fine. Last note was that I dotted the pancakes with frozen blueberries once I spooned it into the frying pan so it wouldn't streak the batter and that was also worked well! Great, pillowy delicious pancakes!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm so glad you loved these pancakes and that they worked well with some creme fraiche swapped in for the ricotta. I bet they were extra moist and tender that way! So smart to add the blueberries using that method too. Thanks so much for the note!
Terri Ogden says
I substituted 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour
Served with a little bit of Trader Joe’s Lemon Curd & fresh organic blueberries. So good & delicious. My husband, who isn’t gluten-free, loved them and asked me to make these again.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, so glad that flour sub worked well and that the pancakes were a hit! Lemon curd and blueberries sound like a perfect accompaniment.