These tasty and fluffy 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 very tasty and wonderfully fluffy. The ricotta cheese adds wonderful creaminess and greatly enhances their texture.
Coconut flour is not always easy to work with because it's so absorbent. However, once you get the ratios right, it produces wonderful baked goods (these lemon poppy seed muffins are another good example).
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make these keto ricotta pancakes. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Eggs: I use large eggs in most of my recipes, this one included.
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. I haven't experimented with nondairy milk alternatives, so I don't know if those would work.
Vanilla extract: Try to use the real thing - pure vanilla extract - and not the artificially flavored stuff.
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. It should also help activate the baking soda.
Sweetener: I like to use stevia. You can probably use a granulated sweetener instead.
Coconut flour: Try to measure it by weight and not by volume. It's extremely absorbent, so every extra gram makes a difference.
Baking soda: If you'd like to try using gluten-free baking powder (though I haven't tested it in this recipe), remember that ¼ teaspoon of baking soda is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
Unsalted butter: I use it for frying the pancakes. You can use ghee instead if you wish.
Instructions
Making these keto ricotta pancakes is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
Your first step is to simply place everything except for the butter in the food processor and process until smooth.
You can also whisk the ingredients by hand, in the order listed, as I do in the video below.
Now, cook the pancakes in butter on a nonstick griddle, for about 3 minutes per side over medium heat.
Expert tip
Make the pancakes small - 2 tablespoons each - so that they'll be easier to flip. If you make them bigger, you might run into trouble when it's time to flip them.
Frequently asked questions
I typically use either almond flour or coconut flour. Almond flour is easier to work with but it's 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 really well.
Please don't. In terms of both 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, possibly adding 1-2 tablespoons of water to the mixture if needed.
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 a powdered sweetener. Or go all out and top them with keto whipped cream and berries!
Storing leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Separate them with wax paper squares so that they don't stick to each other. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave on 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.
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Recipe card
Keto Ricotta Pancakes
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 sugar)
- 6 tablespoons coconut flour (42 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda*
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided, for the griddle
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place all the ingredients except for the butter in your food processor bowl. Process until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping once to scrape the sides with a spatula.
- You can also mix the ingredients by hand if you prefer. Whisk them all in one bowl, adding them in the order listed.
- Heat a nonstick double burner griddle over medium heat (not higher), about 4 minutes. Grease with half the butter.
- Pour the batter into the griddle, measuring 2 tablespoons per pancake (I use a 2-tablespoon ice cream scoop that I got on Amazon).
- 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.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NOTES
ADD YOUR OWN NOTES
NUTRITION PER SERVING
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 