“This [ricotta pancake recipe] isn’t for a boring breakfast,” explains cookbook author and former BA staffer Rick Martinez. “It’s a weekend beach brunch, best enjoyed with your new (hot) man (or woman) friend.” They’re absolutely loaded with blueberries: The finishing compote comprises jammy cooked berries and just-burst berries, added right at the end of cooking for texture, plus lots of lemon for brightness; the pancakes themselves are dotted with the juicy fruit. If you’d rather skip the blueberries, the pancake recipe will still work fine, but maybe add some lemon zest to the batter and slather with lemon curd for a lemon-ricotta pancake vibe (or swap in raspberries, huckleberries, or even dark chocolate chips and fudge sauce).
Despite their abundance, these pancakes are still tender and fluffy thanks to whipped egg whites and the combination of buttermilk and baking soda. They’re also a bit hearty thanks to a portion of whole wheat flour. But it’s the compote that puts this recipe over the top. While you can make the sauce a couple of days ahead and reheat it, the prep time required is so minimal you might as well prepare it while making the pancakes. If you have any left over, spoon it over vanilla ice cream for your new hot friend.
Looking for classic buttermilk pancakes? We’ve got you. Our best pancake recipe without any buttermilk at all? Yep, you’re covered there too.
Recipe information
Total Time
25 minutes
Yield
Makes 8 large pancakes
Ingredients
Compote:
3
¼
1
1½
1
Pancakes:
4
½
½
1½
1
¼
1⅓
¾
2
1
Preparation
Compote:
Step 1
Cook 2 cups (about 340 g) fresh blueberries, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, and 1 pinch kosher salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries start to burst and mixture becomes thick and jammy, 6–8 minutes. Add 1½ tsp. finely grated lemon zest, 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, and remaining 1 cup (about 170 g) fresh blueberries. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Let compote sit until you are ready to serve.
Do Ahead: Compote can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.
Pancakes and assembly:
Step 2
Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat 4 large egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form, 3–5 minutes. Whisk ½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (58 g) whole wheat flour, 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, 1½ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. baking soda in a large bowl to combine. Whisk 4 large egg yolks, 1⅓ cups whole-milk fresh ricotta cheese, ¾ cup buttermilk, and 2 tsp. vanilla extract in another medium bowl.
Step 3
Add ricotta mixture to dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula to incorporate. Fold in one third of egg whites to lighten, then add remaining egg whites and fold in until no streaks remain.
Step 4
Heat a griddle or a large nonstick skillet over medium-low; brush with vegetable oil. Working in batches, scoop ½-cupfuls of pancake batter onto hot griddle. Top each with about 2 Tbsp. fresh blueberries. Cook pancakes until bottoms are golden brown and bubbles form on top, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook, reducing heat if browning too quickly, until second sides are golden brown and pancakes are cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer cooked pancakes to a 200° oven to keep warm and repeat with remaining batter.
Step 5
Serve pancakes with warm compote, maple syrup, and room-temperature butter.
Editor’s note: This ricotta pancake recipe was first printed online in August 2017. Head this way for more of our favorite breakfast recipes →
How would you rate Ricotta Pancakes With Blueberry Compote?
Leave a Review
Reviews (18)
Back to TopVery light and fluffy, used AP flour instead of whole wheat flour and still went great. The compote had a great lemony aftertaste which was great. One thing I would do is ass an extra tablespoon of vanilla extract to mask the very mild eggy aftertaste but overall a great recipe and would make again.
Mahdi M
Boston, MA
7/7/2024
Made this recipe in the Belgian waffle maker, huge hit! I made fresh ricotta , as the stuff from the grocery store is just nasty, and couldn’t find buttermilk, so that got the homemade treatment too. We picked fresh blueberries, earlier in the week, so these things were as fresh & homemade as you can get. My favorite, Kerrygold butter, drizzled over the hot waffle and we were in brunch heaven.
Dave
Tyler, TX
6/23/2024
Amazing pancakes! Didn't make the compote, and made the following changes: added 1 tsp lemon zest to the batter, 1 additional tbsp of maple syrup to the batter, some cinnamon, used greek yoghurt instead of buttermilk, And replaced all-purpose + whole wheat flours with 1 cup of GF flour (mine from Trader Joe's) - super fluffy and delicious!
tati
Santa Monica, CA
5/26/2021
Amazing pancakes! Didn't make the compote, and made the following changes: added 1 tsp lemon zest to the batter, 1 additional tbsp of maple syrup to the batter, some cinnamon, used greek yoghurt instead of buttermilk, And replaced all-purpose + whole wheat flours with 1 cup of GF flour (mine from Trader Joe's) - super fluffy and delicious!
Anonymous
Santa Monica CA
5/26/2021
Flavor was great but the fluff of the pancake was gone and resulted in a strange texture
Rae
2/7/2021
These pancakes are really good. They are fluffy, and not very sweet. I used more blueberries per pancake than recommended, because I love blueberries. The compote; however, was a little meh. Next time I make these, I might serve them with a different topping, like a lemon curd.
Anonymous
Gilbert, Arizona
9/7/2020
So good! Slightly more complicated than basic buttermilk pancakes, but 1000% worth it in my opinion!
Anonymous
New York, NY
5/27/2020