These golden ricotta pancakes are extremely tender, light and cakey with crusty golden edges from being baked in ghee. These are my copycat version of the famous ricotta pancakes from Lumiere Cafe in Sydney.

Three thick pancakes with golden surfaces on a white plate with maple syrup in the background.

If you visit Sydney, the most popular pancake recommendation by far will be Bills, a long-time classic cafe with excellent Australian breakfast. Their fluffy, cloud-like ricotta pancakes were delicious, but the ricotta hot cakes from Lumiere Cafe were the ones that really stole my heart. I’d never had ricotta pancakes like them before–they’re served three golden pucks to an order, topped with mascarpone, a mixed berry compote and maple syrup.

They were so tender, they nearly fell apart when I cut into them. The texture felt like a cross between a biscuit and a very cakey pancake encased in a golden, buttery crust. I absolutely loved them and was determined to recreate them when I got home!

How I developed this recipe

The original ricotta pancakes from Lumiere Cafe.

I just happened to be sitting near the owner of Lumiere Cafe while I was eating, and he was nice enough to chat with me about the pancakes. While the actual recipe is a secret (he said the hot cakes are so beloved that people who move away will come back just for the hot cakes), he shared that there’s a 20 minute wait time for the pancakes because of the baking method. Each order gets three blobs of pancake batter in a hot pan and they get baked in ghee for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

With this bit of context, I was excited to get home and start testing.

Test #1: I completely forgot these were ricotta pancakes, so I tried baking the Chez Ma Tante pancake batter (with a bit more flour to make it stiffer) in ghee. The result was a very crusty but strangely grainy pancake that wasn’t at all the shape I intended–flat, with a crusty golden ring that you can achieve simply by frying on a stove. Back to the drawing board.

Test #2: Once I remembered these pancakes were meant to have ricotta, I turned to my cottage cheese pancakes as a guide. I increased the amount of baking powder (close to but not quite as much as the Chez Ma Tante pancakes). I added ghee instead of oil to the batter, upped the sugar slightly and swapped in ricotta for the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. I also added a bit of vanilla, but you can omit this (I don’t think the Lumiere hot cakes had vanilla).

And I am thrilled to say that this version was actually beyond my wildest dreams for a second test. Though they look a little different (the face of the pancake isn’t quite as smooth), the flavor and texture were pretty much spot on to my recollection of the Lumiere hot cakes!

Ingredients

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: I tested this recipe with whole milk. However, plant-based milks should also work and if you don’t have any milk on hand, water will also work since it’s just a small amount!
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.
Ghee: I use ghee in the batter since we’re also using it to cook the pancakes. You can also use any kind of oil or butter in the batter if you prefer (it’s a very small amount). However, we need ghee specifically to cook the pancakes because butter will burn in the oven. You could in theory use oil to cook the pancakes, but you’ll get an oily rather than buttery flavor.
Baking powder: We’re using a generous 4 tsp (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).

How to make these ricotta pancakes

This ricotta pancake batter is easy to make in one bowl. The resulting mixture is extremely thick, so don’t be surprised if it looks more like a dough than a batter!

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 F and place a cast iron pan in the oven to heat. Whisk together the following ingredients: ricotta, egg, milk, sugar, ghee, vanilla.

Step 2: Sprinkle over the baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Finally, fold in the flour until you have a thick batter.

Step 3: Carefully remove cast iron pan from the oven and add 1 tbsp of ghee. Add a scant 1/2 cup of batter per pancake to the pan.

Step 4: Bake pancakes for 9 minutes. Flip and bake for another 6-8 minutes, or until golden on both sides. Enjoy warm!

Storage and make ahead

These pancakes are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven! Store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend reheating leftovers in a pan, toaster oven or in a pinch, the microwave.

Golden Ricotta Pancakes

Erika Kwee

These thick and tender ricotta pancakes are kind of like a cross between a biscuit and a pancake. With a fall-apart tender texture, these have golden exteriors thanks to being baked in ghee.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 18

Total Time 33

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings medium pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup whole-milk ricotta 248g
1 large egg 50g
2 tbsp milk 28g
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp ghee or butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup flour 120g
2-4 tbsp ghee, for cooking

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 F and set a 7-10" cast iron pan inside to heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup whole-milk ricotta, 1 large egg, 2 tbsp milk, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 2 tsp ghee or butter, melted and 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional if using. Sprinkle over 4 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp kosher salt and whisk again to combine. Finally, fold in 1 cup flour with a spatula just until you have a thick, lumpy batter.
Carefully remove the cast iron pan from the oven and add 1 tbsp ghee. Swirl to coat the bottom of the pan, adding more if needed. Add a scant 1/2 cup of batter per pancake to the pan, mounding the thick batter and leaving an inch or more between pancakes–they will puff up slightly as they bake.
Bake for 9 minutes, then remove the pan and carefully flip each pancake. Add another 1/2-1 tbsp ghee to the pan if the bottom is looking dry and swirl pan to disperse. Return pan to the oven and bake for another 6-8 minutes, or until the bottom of the pancakes are just as golden as the tops. Serve warm with butter and syrup!