Lemon Curd Ricotta Pancakes are a special breakfast treat! These sweet creamy pancakes are paired with a tart and tangy lemon curd. With just a few steps these pancakes are easy to make and a delicious breakfast for a weekend or holiday!
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The first time I tried lemon curd was when I took a bite of the lemon curd pancakes my husband ordered at a restaurant. I thought WHERE has this been? It was delicious and I was shocked I had never tried this sweet tasty treat! I had to recreate this recipe at home but making homemade curd seemed a bit intimidating. I was pleased to find out it only requires a few ingredients and really just a little patience!
What is lemon Curd?
Curd is a sweet topping that is made from just a few ingredients. Curd is usually made from citrus fruit so you can experiment with this recipe and try more than just lemon. Lemon curd is sweet and tart from the lemon juice and zest. The sugar, egg and butter make this sauce velvety smooth and luxurious. It is definitely a treat that can be a topping for different baked goods.
How do you make lemon curd?
Lemon curd is surprisingly easy to make. It requires a little patience because it involves a lot of stirring. I had my doubts the first time I made it, thinking that it would never thicken up. But after several minutes on the double broiler it was finished!
To begin you will need a double broiler or make your own like I do. It’s basically just a small glass bowl that you can nestle inside a small sauce pan. You will fill your sauce pan with just a little water and place your glass bowl inside it, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Then turn your burner on your stove top to medium-low. This will insure that once you add the eggs it will gently cook them and you won’t end up with scrambled eggs!
Now you have a double broiler and are ready to make your lemon curd! Add zest, lemon juice and sugar to the double broiler stirring to melt sugar. Then add eggs and yolks to the double broiler and continue to stir for several minutes. It will probably take about 6-7 minutes for egg mixture to thicken slightly and have a vivid yellow color. At this point add one cube of a butter at a time while constantly stirring. Wait until butter melts before adding another butter cube. Once all butter has melted continue to stir for another 4-5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Be patient it will definitely thicken! If you need to turn heat up slightly, remember to be cautious to not scramble your eggs.
Once mixture is thick and coats your spoon strain into a glass jar using a fine mesh sieve. This will remove any little piece of egg and guarantee super smooth curd! Place a piece of plastic wrap on top to keep it from forming a skin on top.
How long does lemon curd keep?
I kept my lemon curd in the refrigerator in a sealed glass jar for about 5 days. Just keep a piece of plastic wrap pressed against the top and it will be perfect addition to your pancakes or toast! I actually loved it swirled in a bowl of plain Greek yogurt. OMG it was almost like dessert!
What are Ricotta Pancakes?
Ricotta pancakes are a little different from your traditional buttermilk pancake. They are still very fluffy but the texture is more creamy. I think these pancakes are the perfect pairing with the lemon curd. Every bite is sweet and tart. The ricotta pancake goes better with lemon curd than a traditional maple syrup.
How do you make ricotta pancakes?
To insure these pancakes are very light and fluffy I decided to use only egg whites and to beat those to form soft peaks. This is pretty easy with either a whisk or hand mixer. Basically this process is beating air into the egg white which is going to help keep our pancakes super fluffy. Once you beat the whites fold them into the batter gently with just a spatula.
Now that you have your batter ready it’s time to cook the pancakes. I love my griddle and use this for not only pancakes, but French toast and quesadillas! This way you can easily cook 6 pancakes at a time which is much more time efficient. Preheat your griddle to about 300 degrees.
I always spray my griddle with cooking spray right before I add the batter. Using a measuring cup ladle a generous amount of batter in a circular shape. Then wait for a few minutes. You will know your pancakes are ready to flip when you see air bubbles form on the top and begin to burst. Flip your pancakes and let them cook for an additional 2-3 more minutes or until golden brown.
Ricotta Pancakes with Lemon Curd
Equipment
- griddle
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- zest of 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
Ricotta Pancakes
- 1 cup All purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup riccotta cheese
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 egg whites
Instructions
Lemon Curd
- Zest 1 lemon. Then squeeze juice from lemons 1 to 2 depending on size to get ⅓ cup.
- Set up double boiler on stove. *Read description above*
- Over low heat mix together sugar, zest, and lemon juice.
- Add eggs and yolks to double boiler. Continuously stir for 6-7 minutes on low to medium heat.
- Mixture will still look slightly runny. While this is still over heat start adding cubes of butter one at a time allow it to melt completely before adding next cube. Keep stirring this will take several minutes.
- Once all butter has melted into lemon mixture continue to stir over heat for about 4-5 minutes and mixture will thicken up.
- If necessary strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove any small pieces of egg. Place a price of plastic wrap right on top touching curd.
Riccotta Pancakes
- In a medium sized bowl mix dry ingredients flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Set bowl aside.
- In another bowl mix together ricotta, buttermilk, and vanilla. Set bowl aside.
- In a small bowl beat egg whites till soft peaks and fold into buttermilk mixture with spatula.
- With spatula slowly fold flour mixture into wet ingredients. Be very careful to only stir in large circular motions until no dry ingredients remain. Batter will be lumpy but that is okay.
- Heat griddle to 350 or large non stick skillet on medium high heat. Spray griddle with cooking spray. Add pancake batter using a ⅓ cup measuring cup to get 6 pancakes. If using skillet you will need to do more than one batch.
- Pancakes will need 2-3 minutes to cook before flipping. You will know when they are ready when bubbles form on top and begging to burst. Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. They should be nicely golden brown and fluffy.
- Plate pancakes 2-3 per stack and drizzle with lemon curd. Enjoy!
Notes
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Catherine
I have never tried ricotta pancakes but they sound so tasty and super easy!!