These fluffy keto ricotta pancakes are made with coconut flour and are pleasantly flavored with vanilla and lemon zest. Ready in about 30 minutes, they make the perfect low-carb weekend breakfast!
These pancakes are amazing. They are flavorful and fluffy. The ricotta cheese adds wonderful creaminess and greatly enhances their texture. Coconut flour is not always easy to work with because it's extremely absorbent. However, once you get the ratios right, it produces amazing baked goods.
Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Ricotta cheese: Definitely use whole-milk ricotta in this recipe. Low-fat ricotta is not very good, in my opinion, in terms of texture and flavor.
- Whole milk: You can use heavy cream if you'd like.
- Lemon zest: A must in this recipe. I'm all for adapting recipes to your own needs (while accepting that results may or may not be disastrous). But the lemon zest really is an integral part of this recipe.
- Sweetener: I like to use stevia.
- Coconut flour: Try to measure it by weight and not by volume. It's extremely absorbent, so each gram makes a difference.
Variations
- Replace the stevia with a granulated sweetener.
- Substitute 2 teaspoons of baking powder (gluten-free if needed) for the baking soda.
- Cook the pancakes in ghee instead of butter.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Whisk the ingredients (except for the butter) in a bowl.
Cook the pancakes in butter on a nonstick griddle for about 3 minutes per side over medium heat.
Serve immediately, topped with butter and/or syrup.
Expert Tip
Make the pancakes small - 2 tablespoons each - so they'll be easier to flip. If you make them bigger, you might run into trouble when it's time to flip them.
Recipe FAQs
I typically use either almond flour or coconut flour when making pancakes. Sometimes, I don't use flour at all - see these protein pancakes, for example, made with protein powder and no flour.
Almond flour is easier to work with but is more calorie-dense. Coconut flour can be a bit of a challenge to work with as it requires extra liquids and eggs, but once you get the ratios right, it works well in keto recipes.
Please don't. In terms of flavor and texture, it's important to use whole-milk cheese in this recipe.
Yes. You can use a granulated sweetener to equal ⅓ cup of sugar, adding 1-2 tablespoons of water or milk to the mixture if needed.
Yes! Coconut flour produces fluffy baked goods when the ratios are right. These coconut flour pancakes are fluffy, too, as are these coconut flour muffins. See the photo below - it shows you the texture of these pancakes. Lovely!
Serving Suggestions
The classic topping for these pancakes would be a sugar-free syrup. You can also top them with unsalted butter and sprinkle them with powdered sweetener. Or go all out and top them with keto whipped cream and berries!
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Separate them with wax paper squares so they don't stick. Reheat them in the microwave at 50% power.
You can also freeze these pancakes in freezer bags. Again, make sure you separate them with wax paper. They can be thawed in the microwave using the "defrost" setting.
More Keto Pancake Recipes
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Recipe Card
Fluffy Keto Ricotta Pancakes
Video
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest - from a large lemon
- 1 teaspoon stevia glycerite - equals ⅓ cup of sugar
- 6 tablespoons coconut flour - 42 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - divided, for the griddle
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta, milk, vanilla, lemon zest, stevia, coconut flour, and baking soda.
- Heat a nonstick double burner griddle over medium heat (not higher) for about 4 minutes. Grease the griddle with half the butter.
- Pour the batter into the griddle, measuring 2 tablespoons per pancake (I use a 2-tablespoon scoop).
- Cook the pancakes until golden brown and puffed, 3-4 minutes per side.
- Grease the griddle again and repeat with the second batch. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Occasionally, baking soda can cause a reaction in baked goods that results in an ammonia smell. If you're concerned about it happening, use 2 teaspoons of fresh baking powder (gluten-free if needed) instead of baking soda.
- The nutrition info does not include toppings.
- Make the pancakes small - 2 tablespoons each - so they'll be easier to flip. If you make them bigger, you might run into trouble when it's time to flip them.
- I don't recommend using low-fat ricotta cheese in this recipe.
- You can replace the stevia with a granulated sweetener to equal ⅓ cup of sugar, adding 1-2 tablespoons of water or milk to the mixture if needed.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Separate them with wax paper squares so they don't stick. Reheat them in the microwave at 50% power.
- You can also freeze these pancakes in freezer bags. Again, make sure you separate them with wax paper. They can be thawed in the microwave using the "defrost" setting.
Nutrition per Serving
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Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Elizabeth Costa says
Delicious light and fluffy! I did commit the cardinal sin of omitting lemon zest… lol because I don’t like lemon anything. But I do love almond, so I substituted almond extract for the lemon. I was very pleased! Yes coconut flour is tricky to work with. Making the pancakes small is the best advice.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Almond extract sounds delicious, Elizabeth! Thank you for the review.
Lisa says
Loved the flavor, but everything crumbled up & I ended up pretty much 'stir frying' the pancakes. As I don't have a griddle, I used a well buttered skillet, & also had my ingredients out at room temp for an hour before I got rolling, so maybe that was my bad, plus I subbed two of the eggs with flax eggs...otherwise, Bravo! We found them yummy!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked the flavor, Lisa! Thanks for the review.
It could have been the flax eggs - they don't give baked goods the same level of structure as real eggs.
denise says
Hi Vered, I tried this 1.5 cups (144 grams) of almond flour instead based on your comments at the bottom. It works! Thank you so much. 100% hits my ricotta lemon pancakes cravings 🙂
Vered DeLeeuw says
Wonderful, Denise! I'm so glad you enjoyed these pancakes. Thank you for sharing your almond flour tweak.
Mike says
Would it be possible to use skim milk or almond milk unsweetend?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Mike,
I think so, but with less fat, the pancakes might turn out drier.
Maria Cueto says
Unfortunately these came out eggy and too moist followed but doubled the recipe not sure where I went wrong. Would love to try these again, any suggestions ?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Maria,
I'm so sorry these didn't turn out as well as you hoped. I assume you used whole-milk ricotta and measured the coconut flour by weight. Next time, try adding an extra tablespoon of coconut flour.
Leah S says
I really don't like the taste of stevia. can I omit that from the recipe and just serve it with berries for sweetness?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Leah,
Yes! Berries if you don't have a sweet tooth, or syrup if you'd like more sweetness.
Yomarie says
Looks like an easy recipe, thanks.
Would it be the same if I replace the coconut flour with almond flour?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Yomarie,
Theoretically, a quarter cup of coconut flour is equal to one cup of almond flour, so you can try replacing the six tablespoons of coconut flour with 1.5 cups of almond flour. However, I only tested this recipe with coconut flour, so this would be an experiment, and the results are not guaranteed.
Nishi says
Amazing pancakes -thank you for sharing. I added blueberries and sliced strawberries before flipping the pancakes. Yummy!
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you enjoyed these pancakes, Nishi! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Marie Dalgleish says
These were great, however I'm not sure about the measures.
I am in Australia where we use metric measures - 250ml cup, 20ml tablespoon, 5ml teaspoon etc.
Can you please clarify what measures you are using.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Marie,
I use American measurements.
1 cup = 240 ml
1 tablespoon = 15 ml
1 teaspoon = 5 ml