The best pancakes you will ever eat – the secret Lemon Ricotta Pancakes recipe from Plow Restaurant in San Francisco, CA.
Editor Note: This recipe and post were originally posted January 5th, 2015. This is an updated post with new photos, but the text is the same. Want to see what my photos were like three years ago this time? Check out the end of the post!
The new year is upon us and my blog feed is blowing up with new year’s resolutions! Sometimes I get a little frustrated with the idea of setting resolutions. So often it feels like setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. Even so, I always like to set a few goals for blogging and things that I want to make more of a priority this year. I’m still working on the list and it’s not quite ready for primetime yet. I can’t wait to share it though. I always value the feedback and accountability all of you bring!
Outside of blogging, I also want to do little things to make myself feel healthier. I’m a firm believer in making small changes. It’s so much more realistic and sustainable. That’s how I counsel my patients when they are working on improving their diet and making healthy lifestyle changes. It’s all about small steps – be it drinking more water or adding one more workout per week to your routine.
The recipe comes from Plow, a famous San Francisco brunch institution. Plow is so popular people wait in line over an hour just to snag a table! I’ve been several times and every time I get the Plow Platter. You just can’t go wrong with their perfectly crispy breakfast potatoes and their soft scrambled eggs. The highlight though, is their Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. So amazing.
Thank you so much for reading A Side of Sweet! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, Bloglovin‘, Snapchat (@asideofsweet), or Twitter. You can also subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts.
Plow’s Lemon Ricotta Pancakes Recipe
PrintPlow’s Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
The best pancakes you will ever eat – the secret Lemon Ricotta Pancakes recipe from Plow Restaurant in San Francisco, CA.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 13 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds good-quality or homemade ricotta cheese
- 5 eggs, separated
- 2 tablespoons organic cane sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 1/4 pound butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Add melted butter and flour and mix until just incorporated.
- Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer or clean hand whisk until firm peaks form. Add 1/4 to the ricotta mixture, then fold in the rest.
- Heat a small amount of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cup scoops of batter onto pan. Pancakes will not bubble, so cook until golden brown, 1-2 minutes per side.
Notes
Tip: Place the pancakes on a platter in a 200ºF oven to keep them warm while you cook the rest of the pancakes, adding a small pat of butter to coat the bottom of the pan between batches. Extra pancakes reheat well in a pan or warm oven after being refrigerated.
Keywords: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Plow Pancakes Recipe, Lemon Pancakes Recipe, lemon ricotta pancake recipe
Oh, one more thing – I know I’m probably giving off the impression that I’ve got this food photography thing all figured out (hey there, stop laughing!), but I’m always striving to improve (2015 blog goal?).
I’ve been working on action food photography, thanks to some tips from my friend Alanna, the very same one who gave me the recipe for these amazing pancakes. That’s why I thought I would share this photo with you even though it’s far from perfect. It definitely has too much noise – I think I had the ISO up too high. I spent longer than I care to admit trying to edit out the noise and I’ve just give up. Hopefully someday I can link back to this post and we can all have a nice guffaw about how I used to be such a cute little food blogger. #thestruggleisreal folks.
Oh, and a promised, here is one of the original photos from this post! See, the ISO is pretty high and overall the picture is very grainy just like I (originally) thought.
Tell me, have you set any new year’s resolutions?
Hi Kelly! I’ve never been to Plow. Guess I should go get in line! 🙂
GET AT IT GIRL! Seriously – it’s one of my SF faves for sure!
I think your photos are gorgeous! And those pancakes look amazing!! Blueberry pancakes are my absolute favourite. xx
Aww, thanks so much Miranda! I’m definitely still learning!
I love lemon and blueberry together (and pancakes too!). Love your photos.
Thanks Angela! I agree – they are the perfect combo!
These look so yummy! I am always looking for new pancake recipes!
Awesome! Thanks Alycia!
Oooh, my husband loves lemon bars so these would be a delicious breakfast surprise for him!
So funny you should mention that! Working on a lemon bar post right now – all those backyard lemons are begging to be baked! 🙂
These look delicious! Going to try them this weekend!
You should! Let me know how they turn out!
Um these sound and look amazing! Can’t wait to try!
Thanks Claire!
Wow these look so amazing!
Thanks Karissa!
Those pancakes look so delish. I love lemons and blueberries so I bet it is delish.
They are, I promise! 🙂
Wow, these look so yummy!
Thanks Alyssa!
These look so good – not a fan of blueberries, but I’m sure I could find something to replace them with 😉
Katie <3
I’ve never heard of anyone not liking blueberries! 🙂 I’m sure you could though!
The hubby loves pancakes so I am definitely going to plan on making these as a surprise Sunday breakfast. Improving my photography is tops on my New Years resolution list. I have a long way to go but photography classes start this week. . .so we shall see. BTW – I think your action shot looks pretty good for a first go at it.
Those look incredible! Great photography as well!
xoxo
Lee Anne
http://lifeinatx.com/
Thanks Lee Anne!
These look amazing, my boyfriend loves pancakes I’m definitely going to have to make these for him!
xo, Kyla
kymariec.com
You should! Thanks for stopping by Kyla!
Oh my gosh these look delicious! We’ve been on a waffle kick lately… would this recipe work as waffles?
I wonder? I don’t have a waffle maker, so I don’t know much about switching between pancakes and waffles! Let me know if you try it!
My boyfriend is a huge pancake lover! I’ll have to show him this tonight 🙂
Awesome! Hope he liked them!
Jeez, this looks AMAZING and DELICIOUS! I am so pinning this to try this weekend. Thanks for sharing.
thrifting diva
http://www.thriftingdiva.com
Thanks Ayana!
Love this Kelly – delicious and healthy! And I think your food photography is beautiful, don’t sell yourself short!
That’s so nice coming from you Anita! Your photography is amazing!
Those look delicious! I love your photos! I always end up taking at least 1,000 pictures before finding the one that works!
Haha, AT LEAST 1,000, right?
lemon zest makes everything better… wish I could have ricotta ;o) pancakes look delish though!
It does! I’ve been putting it everywhere since we have such a bounty of citrus right now!
YUM!! Definitely going to make these this weekend!
Nice! Hope they were delicious!
Mmmm – these pancakes look amazing! I’m totally into the lemon and blueberry combo. I’ve only had ricotta pancakes once and I agree – they’re pretty darn delicious!
Thanks Sarah! Homemade ricotta definitely makes them special!
YES. EVERYTHING about this, YES. (Including that last photo!) 🙂
Haha, THANKS!
I have wanted to try making pancakes with ricotta!! =D
You should. They are definitely something special!
OMG. Those look more than amazing. I cook pancakes every Saturday. I’m going to have to make these!
Oh nice! What a great weekly tradition! I love that!
These pancakes look amazing!!! I think every little change counts and adding the blueberries to these lemon ricotta pancakes sounds perfect 🙂
Thanks Kelly! It makes them seem so much fresher!
These look SOOOO GOOOD. I should’ve eaten breakfast before reading this, now I”m sitting at work, drooling.
Haha, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day!
Ah! YUM!!! I might have to try these this weekend!
Thanks! I hope you do!
What did I do wrong? The flavor was great. Perfect amount of lemon and sweetness working together, but the texture was something very different from what I expected. The batter was super super thick. I had to take a break during the folding in the egg whites part, and then the pancakes took forever to brown and ended up being mushy inside. Is that right? I double checked all my measurements and weighed my ricotta on a kitchen scale.
Hi Cyndi – The batter is definitely thick for these pancakes, although if your arm was tired that would be thicker than it is for me. I usually dollop the batter onto the hot griddle and spread it out with a spoon until it is as thick as you see in the photos. The result is a pancake that is slightly crisped on the outside and cooked in the middle. I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work for you!
★★★★★
This is AP flour, not self-rising? And no baking powder in the recipe?… guess that’s why no bubbles when you cook them; perhaps the ricotta keeps them from being too dense. Thanks.
Not a typo – no baking powder! Hope you enjoy them!
★★★★★
Hi Kelly! I miss ordering this at Plow! I’ve had this particular dish maybe 5x? Haha! Since I moved away from San Francisco during the pandemic (exodus is real haha), I would love to make this. Do you also have a recipe for the potatoes that go with it? I’ve always loved theirs but couldn’t figure it out! I would love to eat the whole dish again! ❤️
★★★★★
Awesome! These aren’t an official dupe, but I really love them: https://asideofsweet.com/perfect-crispy-breakfast-potatoes/
★★★★★