NST kitchen · breakfast
Lemon, blueberry and ricotta pancakes
Ricotta pancakes dotted with blueberries and brightened with lemon zest. Cook small rounds so the middles set before the buttery edges become too dark.
- vegetarian
- Prep (est.)
- 15 min
- Cook (est.)
- 30 min
- Total (est.)
- 45 min
- Base servings
- 2
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Ingredients
One fixed batch makes 2 servings. Keep the listed quantities, pan and method unchanged. For more, repeat the full batch; for fewer, follow the recipe's storage guidance for unused portions.
Ingredients for 2 servings.
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You will need
- Kitchen scales, measuring jug and spoons
- 24 cm non-stick frying pan
- Mixing bowl, jug, whisk and flexible spatula
- Fine grater, board and clean serving plate
Let's make it
The method
0 of 5 steps marked
Keep your place for this page visit. Ticks do not confirm doneness or food safety; follow every cooking and storage instruction.
Step 1. Prepare the fruit
Wash and dry the lemon before grating the zest. Rinse and drain the blueberries. Keep the ready-to-eat fruit away from flour spills and raw egg utensils.
Step 2. Mix the batter
Mix the flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl. In a jug, whisk the eggs, milk, ricotta and lemon zest together. Stir into the flour just until no dry pockets remain, then fold in the blueberries. Do not taste raw batter.
Step 3. Start small pancakes
Warm the pan over a medium-low heat and melt about a quarter of the butter. Use roughly a quarter of the batter to make two separate pancakes about 10 cm wide, leaving room to turn. Cook the full batch in four rounds of two, using another quarter of the butter each time.
Step 4. Turn and cook through
Cook each pancake for about 3–4 minutes on the first side, until bubbles appear and the edges hold their shape. Turn and cook for about 2–3 minutes more. Cut into a thick one: it must be hot and set inside with no wet batter or raw flour. Reduce the heat if the outside darkens first.
Step 5. Finish the batch
Repeat with the remaining batter and butter, keeping the pancakes the same size. Place cooked pancakes on a clean plate, not one used for raw batter. Divide the batch between two plates and serve promptly.
Make it work for you
Swaps & variations
- Replace the lemon zest with the same weight of finely grated zest from a washed orange.
- Use fresh raspberries instead of blueberries at the same weight; they will break up more easily.
- Ricotta is part of the batter structure. Yoghurt or cream cheese is not a tested one-for-one substitute here.
Recipe notes & sources
Sources support the points stated below; they are not evidence that NST has cooked or tested this recipe.
- FSA: handling flour and flour products safely
Do not taste raw flour mixtures; cook them thoroughly and clean utensils. Not a tested baking ratio.
Checked 2026-10-23 - FSA: cooking your food
Thorough cooking, temperature-time checks and reheating once; not validation of the proposed timings or formula.
Checked 2026-10-23 - FSA: chilling, freezing and defrosting food safely
Domestic refrigeration, prompt cooling and leftover limits; not a shelf-life or recipe test.
Checked 2026-10-23 - FSA: food allergy and intolerance advice
Ingredient labels, regulated allergens and cross-contact; no specific product or allergy-safe clearance.
Checked 2026-10-23 - FSA: home food fact checker
Washing produce, avoiding mouldy food and egg handling; no measured yield, taste or dish endorsement.
Checked 2026-10-23
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