These fluffy ricotta pancakes use whipped egg whites and simple ingredients for a creamy, almost custardy texture with no added fat! These are inspired by the famous ricotta pancakes from bills in Sydney.
As mentioned in my golden ricotta pancake post, I tried several ricotta pancakes while in Sydney. While the crusty, oven-baked pancakes from Cafe Lumiere stole my heart, I kept thinking about these simple, creamy ricotta pancakes from bills.
And as the summer heat creeps in, it’s nice to have a stovetop option for when the craving for ricotta pancakes hit! These are more similar to a typical buttermilk pancake, but the whipped egg whites give these a fluffy yet creamy quality. Adding ricotta gives these a rich flavor without any butter or oil.
How I developed this recipe
There’s actually already a published version for bills ricotta pancakes. I immediately gave these a try and was a little underwhelmed by the results. Both of my roommates loved the creamy middles, but thought they tasted like nothing. And with no salt or sugar in the batter, that made sense. Despite the whipped egg whites, the pancakes were about as thick as any pancake batter made with non-whipped eggs.
Using the Chez Ma Tante pancake recipe as my guide, I bumped up the baking powder quite a bit (to 2 tbsp total) which helped gives the pancakes more height. I also added a comparable amount of salt and sugar as the Chez Ma Tante pancakes–mainly for flavor, but also to promote browning in the pancakes since my first batch was quite pale.
The original pancakes from bills are actually quite pale–but I prefer the look of pancakes that have a bit more color (and flavor). You can feel free to omit the sugar if you prefer a paler pancake. These are also not *quite* as tall as the ones from bills. But I think they taste just as good and are a great at-home version!
Ingredients
With no added fat in these pancakes, the ricotta does double work in providing moisture and fat to keep these tasting rich with a lusciously soft texture. I promise there won’t be any cheesy flavor though!
- Ricotta cheese: I recommend whole milk ricotta in this recipe as higher fat will always taste better. However, skim or low fat ricotta will also work with potentially less tasty results.
- Milk: Whole milk is best for a richer flavor and more supple texture in these pancakes, especially because there’s no added fat. In a pinch, reduced fat milk or plant-based milk can work. Just make sure it’s warm or at room temperature when you incorporate it!
- Egg: I always use large eggs when baking. Make sure your eggs are room temperature when adding to the batter–you can quickly warm them up by placing the eggs in hot water for 5 minutes.
- Baking powder: We’re using a generous 2 tbsp (not a typo!) of baking powder for extra lift and an airy texture.
- Kosher salt: This helps balance and season the pancakes. If using table salt, cut this amount in half (unless you like things quite salty).
- Honeycomb toffee: Honeycomb toffee (the airy, crunchy candy NOT the chewy, fresh honeycomb!) is the key to the signature honeycomb butter served on the pancakes at bills. To make it, you just blitz together butter, honeycomb toffee and honey. I happened to have homemade honeycomb toffee on hand that I used–but if you don’t want to make your own (and don’t want to buy it), you can just combine honey and softened butter for a very similar effect.
How to make these ricotta pancakes
Although I usually hate the extra step of whipping egg whites, it’s necessary in this recipe to get the specific fluffy, creamy texture. Even with this added step, these pancakes are easy to assemble in under 10 minutes!
Step 1: Combine the ricotta, milk and egg yolks.
Step 2: Whisk in the baking powder, sugar and salt until fully combined.
Step 3: Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks in a clean, dry bowl.
Step 4: Fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture in two stages.
Step 5: Cook 1/3 cup batter in a lightly greased pan over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Step 6: Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Enjoy warm!
How to get perfectly brown pancakes
While I’m sometimes partial to a spotty pancake look, there is a science to getting a perfectly brown pancake (which I prefer for these pancakes)!
Per America’s Test Kitchen, simply grease the pan with a little oil or butter, then use a paper towel to smooth it away until you just have a “bare sheen” of grease. When little droplets of oil or butter remain in the pan, it causes some areas to cook faster than others, leading to that spotty look. The even sheen of grease means you’ll get a consistently brown pancake face.
Storage
These pancakes are best enjoyed hot off the griddle when they’re at their fluffiest! They’ll deflate a little once cool, but are still delicious. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Leftover pancakes reheat well in the microwave or toaster oven.
Unfortunately, you can’t make these pancakes ahead–the batter should be made right before you want to cook the pancakes. However, you can easily cut this recipe in half or even fourths to make just 8 or 4 pancakes.
Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
Honeycomb butter
- 4 tbsp salted or unsalted butter, softened*
- 2-3 tbsp honeycomb toffee, optional*
- 1 tbsp honey
Ricotta pancakes
- 1 1/3 cups ricotta, room temperature
- 3/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 4 large eggs, room temperature, separated
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
For serving
- 1-2 bananas
- maple syrup or honey
Instructions
Honeycomb butter
- In a small bowl, combine 4 tbsp salted or unsalted butter, softened* 2-3 tbsp honeycomb toffee, optional* (if using) and 1 tbsp honey. Mash together with a spoon until fully incorporated and relatively smooth.
- At this point, you can just stick the butter in the fridge to firm up. For a prettier presentation, scrape the butter onto a square of parchment and roll into a log. Refrigerate until firm (at least an hour) if you'd like it sliceable, or keep it softened at room temperature if you'd like it spreadable.
Ricotta pancakes
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/3 cups ricotta, room temperature, and 4 egg yolks. Sprinkle 2 tbsp baking powder, 2 tbsp granulated sugar 1 tsp kosher salt and whisk until smooth. Finally, fold in 1.5 cups all-purpose flour using a spatula until smooth.
- In a separate dry, clean mixing bowl, whip 4 egg whites to stiff peaks (when you lift the beaters from the bowl, the egg whites should hold their shape with pointy, rather than slumped, peaks).
- Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the ricotta batter to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites, making sure to fully incorporate all pockets of egg foam without deflating the batter too much.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and grease with a small amount of butter or oil. For evenly browned pancakes, use a paper towel to gently wipe away any droplets of oil or melted butter (leaving just a sheen of grease) before adding 1/3 cup of batter to the pan, using a spatula to nudge the edges into a round shape.
- Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the edges look matte and bubbles start to pop in the center of the pancake. Flip and cook another minute or two. Transfer to a plate.
- To serve, plate 2-3 pancakes with half a banana, halved lengthwise. Top with a dollop of honeycomb butter and drizzle with maple syrup or honey.
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