• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
A Foodcentric Life
  • Easter
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Living Well
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Easter
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Living Well
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Easter
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Living Well
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Breakfast & Brunch

    Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Ginger Syrup

    Published: Mar 6, 2011 · Modified: Mar 19, 2022 by Sally Cameron · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    113 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Pancakes, Hawaiian style, thanks to the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii. After happily devouring a plate of these lemon ricotta pancakes with ginger syrup, I knew I had to get the recipe. The hotel kitchen kindly obliged, noting it was one of the most requested recipes by guests.

    big island pancakes | AFoodCentricLife.com
    A stack of ricotta pancakes with berries.

    Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Ginger Syrup

    Pancakes may be standard breakfast fare, but made with Ricotta cheese and a zealous addition of lemon zest, they are anything but standard. With a drizzle of homemade ginger syrup, these are possibly the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten. In fact, we’ve had them two mornings in a row (obviously this recipe was posted was before I went gluten-free and mostly sugar-free).

    The Key to Lightness

    The key to these light pancakes is whipping the egg whites before gently folding them into the batter. The whipped egg whites provide volume and lightness. You can even try this trick with you standard pancake recipe. For fine lemon zest use a microplane zester. It's a great little tool every cook should have in their gadgets drawer.

    Ginger Syrup (With Sugar)

    Make the ginger syrup up to two weeks in advance, cover and refrigerate until you need it. It is fantastic over waffles, crepes, ice cream, fresh fruit and lots of other things where you need flavor and some sweetness.

    Next weekend, make something special for breakfast and try these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. It’s a taste of the islands no matter where you are. I can’t wait to make them at home.

    📖 Recipe

    big island pancakes | AFoodCentricLife.com

    Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Ginger Syrup

    Sally Cameron
    Thanks to the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on the big island of Hawaii for sharing this recipe.  I’ve added a few notes for ease of preparation at home. If you don’t have time to make the ginger syrup ahead, maple syrup will work. Add fresh berries, and you have a fabulous breakfast treat.Yield, about 18-20 small pancakes.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine American, Hawaiian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 856 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Ricotta Pancakes

    • 6 large eggs separated
    • 1 ½ cups whole milk Ricotta cheese
    • 4 ounces unsalted butter melted and cooled
    • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • ½ cup all purpose flour
    • ¼ cup natural sugar
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoons fresh, finely grated lemon zest

    Ginger Syrup (¾ cup)

    • 1 ½ cups sugar
    • 1 ½ cups water
    • 5 tablespoons small chopped pieces of peeled, fresh ginger root
    • 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest

    Toppings

    • Powdered sugar for dusting optional
    • Assorted strawberries raspberries, blackberries and blueberries for garnish
    • Fresh mint leaves optional garnish

    Instructions
     

    Making the Pancake Batter

    • Heat a flat griddle, large sauté or fry pan over medium heat. Using an immersion blender fitted with a whisk attachment or with an electric hand mixer, whip egg whites until they hold firm, glossy peaks. Set aside.
    • Beat Ricotta, butter, egg yolks and vanilla together. Set aside. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt and zest. With a flexible rubber spatula, stir dry ingredients gently into the Ricotta mixture. Stir a spoonful of the whipped eggs whites into the batter; then gently fold in the remainder of the whites.

    Cooking the Pancakes

    • Grease the heated griddle or pan with butter or non-stick spray. Drop a scant ¼ cup of batter for each pancake on the griddle. Cook until golden on the underside and the top shows small bubbles. Gently flip pancakes and cook until other side is golden. Set aside on a plate and keep warm until all pancakes are made, or serve as you go.
    • To serve, dust the pancakes with powdered sugar and pour warmed ginger syrup. Serve with fresh berries if desired.

    Ginger Syrup

    • Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan; stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and boil until reduced to ¾ of a cup, about 5 minutes.  Cool, then refrigerate until serving.

    Notes

    Ginger syrup can be made two weeks ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate. Warm before serving for pancakes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 856kcalCarbohydrates: 105gProtein: 21gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 24gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 354mgSodium: 472mgPotassium: 261mgFiber: 1gSugar: 88gVitamin A: 1477IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 247mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « Whole Wheat Lasagna (no boil noodles)
    How to Roast Asparagus »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dr. Patrick Mahaney says

      March 12, 2011 at 9:13 am

      Yum! Those look so delicious! Great photos of Hawaii. Cardiff, Phil, and I wish we were there to take a swim!

      Reply
    2. Debbie says

      March 07, 2011 at 6:40 am

      Bob and I stayed at that same hotel years ago and you've brought back fond memories of our stay. Beautiful photography, too! The chef shared with me his recipe for coconut creamed spinach. It was to die for! Can't wait to try your pancakes! 🙂

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    chef sally cameron | afoodcentriclifecom.bigscoots-staging.com

    Welcome! I'm Sally, a classically trained chef (but you don't have to be!). My passion is cooking fresh healthy food and sharing it with others.

    More about me →

    Easter Recipes

    • Bark bites on a round display plate for serving.
      Chocolate Bark Recipe (bark bites)
    • pork tenderloin with blackberry sauce
      Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Sauce
    • hard boiled eggs
      How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs (Easy Peel)
    • seared salmon with raspberry
      Pan Seared Salmon With Raspberry Sauce
    • crispy seared duck breast
      How to Cook Crispy Duck Breast
    • green beans almondine
      Green Beans Almondine with Lemon

    Popular Recipes

    • Close up of a platter of salmon filets with lemon and herbs on a table.
      How to Make Simple Steamed Salmon
    • Mushroom Duxelles
      Classic French Mushroom Duxelles
    • Chicken Marsala
      Chicken Marsala Recipe (without cream)
    • creamy cauliflower soup
      Smooth and Creamy Cauliflower Soup
    • white chicken chili
      Easy White Chicken Chili
    • easy chicken parmesan
      Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe

    Footer

    as seen on

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Menu

    • Home
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.