Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Simple Blueberry Sauce

These will be the fluffiest pancakes you will ever put into your mouth. They are cloud-like and will take you on a field trip to heaven. Really.

Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

My family has been consuming blueberries at record amounts; the 40lbs we picked at Krause Berry Farms just a week ago has pretty much been consumed as is. Being a cook, I wanted to make something with fresh blueberries, as it is very rare I have them at hand to use in a recipe. Frozen berries turn my baking into disasters...it's very unfortunate. So I saved a small box of blueberries to create something magnificent. And I managed to reach my goal.

Time to take a bite of Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes smothered with Blueberry Sauce

I remember Peanut Crumpet telling me about her mom's uber fluffy ricotta pancakes. With that inspiration in mind, I searched the Internet for a blueberry version. Blueberry + lemon + ricotta appealed to me the most; the light and fresh flavours were perfect for a summer brunch. My mouth started salivating as I scrolled through all the photos, I was so eager to make them!

Admire the fluffiness of these Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

There are two main ingredients that make this recipe so special are ricotta cheese and egg whites. Due to its neutral taste, ricotta is such a versatile cheese; it makes both sweet and savoury recipes creamy and delicious. The beautiful height and airiness of these pancakes comes from folding whipped egg whites into the batter. These two ingredients work together to create a pancake that's spongey and moist. Truly cake-like! Breakfast is the only meal where you can get away with eating dessert as a meal, which is why I love breakfast so much~ 

Keep pancakes warm with an oven

Back in grade nine, my foods teacher taught us how to keep pancakes warm before serving. Since I'm like the slowest pancake flipper in the universe, this little trick is extremely useful. After pancakes have finished cooking on the pan, place them on a baking tray with paper towel and stick it into the oven heated at the lowest temperature possible. Doing so will 1) keep pancakes warm so they taste like they're hot from the griddle and 2) soak up excess oil from the pancake surfaces.

The Simple Blueberry Sauce also uses fresh hand-picked blueberries. It is the perfect accompaniment to the pancakes as it lets the summer crop shine in another area. There are only four ingredients needed, blueberries, honey, water, and cornstarch. It is as simple as it gets but the most important tip to make this a delicious sauce is to use quality blueberries. Ones that are in season, naturally ripe, and sweet are ideal, as with any other produce. Honey or agave is a much healthier way to enhance the sweetness of this sauce as opposed to refined white sugar. Cornstarch is somewhat optional; if the sauce is left to reduce over the stove, it will thicken as it condenses. A starch thickener such as cornstarch can be used to speed up the process. With this homemade sauce, no extra syrup of any kind is needed with these pancakes!

Cleared my plate of Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

I am extremely satisfied with the outcome of these pancakes. It made a perfect lunch to energize me after a morning swim and prepared me for a long driving lesson. This Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancake recipe is one of the most successful pancakes to date. The only downside to making these today is that I no longer have anymore fresh blueberries to make muffins or scones. But I have no regrets! Even though I didn't have the chance to try the famous souffle pancakes at Cream Pot in Honolulu, I believe these blueberry ricotta pancakes are very similar recreation. I admit, it's a rather long pancaking (is that a word? It should be!) process; having to mix three different bowls and slowly cooking them to ensure they're completely cooked through... But is it worth all the effort to make these? 100% yes indeed! These pancakes are special event/holiday worthy, definitely will wow your family, friends, and guests!


And a little tidbit of my day to end the post:

Mom: So, do you have any plans for tomorrow?
Me: Hmm... I have to make pie, cut watermelon, and blog.
Mom: You consider those as part of your schedule too?

Now why wouldn't those be? Life of a foodie.

Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes 

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Yield: about 15 three inch pancakes

Ingredients

• 1¼ cup all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• A pinch of ground Himalayan pink sea salt
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 whole egg
• A splash of vanilla extract
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 egg whites
• about 1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together ricotta cheese, whole egg, vanilla, lemon juice, milk, lemon zest, and coconut oil.
3. In a small bowl, whip egg whites until it just becomes stiff peaks.
4. Make a well in the centre of the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Pour the ricotta mixture into the dry ingredients all at once and mix until almost incorporated. 
5. Fold whipped egg whites into batter in two additions. Be gentle~
6. Heat a pan over medium heat. (I used Nordic Ware's Silver Dollar Pancake Pan) Grease with nonstick spray or oil. Use a cookie scoop to place even amounts of batter onto pan. Press six or so blueberries into each pancake. When edges begin to dry and bubbles appear on surface, flip and continue to cook until golden brown on both sides.
7. Serve hot with Simple Blueberry Sauce.

*Update: I have tried replacing half the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and using 1 egg yolk + 2 egg whites, it tasted just as delicious! Healthifying doesn't always mean sacrificing flavour or texture.

Simple Blueberry Sauce

Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 + ½ tbsp water, divided
• ½ tbsp cornstarch  

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, honey, and 2 tbsp of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining half tbsp of water and stir into blueberry mixture. Continue to heat to achieve desired thickness. Serve over Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.

Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡