These lemon pancakes are soft, light and fluffy pancakes bursting with fresh and bright lemon flavor. They’re incredibly easy to make using basic pantry ingredients. Top these lemon sugar pancakes with freshly whipped cream, maple syrup, lemon zest and fresh fruit.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I love quick and easy breakfast recipes. My Mini Pancakes, Mini Blueberry Muffins, Banana Mini Muffins and Brioche French Toast Casserole are a few recipes that I absolutely adore. These lemon pancakes are another recipe I know you will love just as much as I do.
- Easy to make: These lemon pancakes are so quick and simple to make. All you need to make them is a mixing bowl, a whisk and a measuring cup.
- Full of lemon flavor: This lemon pancake recipe is made using lemon juice and the zest from three lemons. Top these lemon filled fluffy pancakes with lemon zest for even more lemon flavor.
- Perfect for breakfast and snacking. These fluffy lemon pancakes cook quickly and freeze perfectly, making them an excellent choice for a fun and delicious breakfast.
Ingredients
This lemon zest pancake recipe require only a handful of basic pantry ingredients which makes them perfect for busy mornings and slow weekend brunches.
Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Wet Ingredients: Gather melted butter, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract, milk and lemon juice.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these easy lemon pancakes if you need them.
- All purpose flour: To make these cinnamon crunch muffins gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. Replace the amount of flour based on weight rather (180 g) than cups.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Using both creates light and fluffy pancakes.
- Granulated Sugar: This muffin recipe calls for granulated sugar, but maple sugar would also work well to make these muffins refined sugar free.
- Melted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter in place of the unsalted butter. Just make sure to omit the added salt. Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter for this lemon pancake recipe.
- Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Milk: Use any milk you like. Plant based milk works well in this recipe to keep the pancakes dairy free.
- Lemon Juice and Zest: Use an equivalent amount of any citrus fruit. Meyer lemon would be a lovely substitute for regular lemons in this easy lemon pancake recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: This provides a lovely background flavor. For even more vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean paste.
Variations
- Lemon Blueberry Pancakes: Prepare the fluffy pancake recipe as written, pour the pancake batter onto the hot griddle or skillet and drop a few blueberries onto the top of each pancake.
- Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes: Add up to 2 teaspoons of poopy seeds into the dry ingredients of the pancake batter.
How To Make
Learn how to make fluffy pancakes in a few easy steps. Here’s how to make them.
- Heat a non stick skillet or griddle to low- medium heat. In a mixing bowl, whisk the sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined.
- Whisk the eggs and lemon zest together until combined. Whisk in the melted butter, lemon juice, vanilla extract and milk together until smooth and well combined.
- Whisk in the wet ingredients with the dry until just combined with some lumps. Do not overmix the pancake batter. If you want to add mixins like mini chocolate chips, do so now.
- In a preheated non stick skillet or griddle, melt some butter on the skillet. Using a ¼ cup (59 ml) measuring cup, drop the fluffy lemon pancake batter onto the hot skillet. When bubbles start to form, pop and stay on surface of the pancake, it’s time to flip. This takes about 3-4 minutes for these pancakes. Flip the pancakes and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Serve these lemon pancakes with freshly whipped cream, maple syrup, lemon zest and fresh fruit.
How To Serve, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Serve the pancakes with powdered sugar, whipped cream, maple syrup, lemon zest and (or) fresh fruit.
- Store leftover pancakes: Place the pancakes in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge. Although, these pancakes are best enjoyed the same day or kept frozen to enjoy at a later date.
- Freeze the pancakes: Make sure the pancakes are completely cooled to room temperature. Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash freeze them for about 20 minutes. Transfer them to an airtight and freezer safe container like a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the pancakes: The easiest and fastest way to thaw the pancakes is to lay about 1-2 on a microwave safe plate. Heat in the microwave for about 45-60 seconds, flipping them halfway through the reheating time.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in soft and fluffy lemon pancakes.
- Use a ¼ cup measuring cup: This is the easiest, quickest and cleanest way to get perfectly sized lemon pancakes.
- Add butter: Melt some butter on the warm skillet or griddle after each batch of pancakes. This simple step makes these the best lemon pancakes.
- Use low-medium heat: It’s easy to increase the heat, but takes more time to reduce an over heated pan. Cook these pancakes over low-medium heat to ensure they don’t burn before they’re finished baking.
- Look for bubbles: Bubbles should form, pop and stay open on the surface of the pancake when it is finished cooking and is ready to be flipped.
FAQs
Yes! Prepare the pancake batter according to the directions. I recommend cutting the recipe in half. Instead of using a measuring cup to scoop the pancake batter onto the skillet, use a teaspoon. Cook each pancake for about 1 minute on each side. This half of this lemon pancake recipe makes about 40 mini pancakes.
Place them on a lined baking sheet in a warm (200 F) oven until ready to serve.
More Lemon Recipes to Try
If you try this Lemon Pancakes recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to make. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!
Lemon Pancakes Recipe
Equipment
- 1 non stick skillet or griddle
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 ¼ cup measuring cup
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp (38 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs (US), room temperature
- zest of 3 lemons
- 3 tbsp (43 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup (59 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups (415 ml) milk, room temperature
Instructions
- Heat a non stick skillet or griddle to low-medium heat.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined.
- Whisk the eggs and lemon zest together until combined. Whisk in the melted butter, lemon juice, vanilla extract and milk together until smooth and well combined.
- Whisk in the wet ingredients with the dry until just combined with some lumps. Do not overmix the pancake batter.
- In a preheated non stick skillet or griddle, melt some butter on the skillet. Using a ¼ cup (59 ml) measuring cup, drop the fluffy lemon pancake batter onto the hot skillet. When bubbles start to form, pop and stay on surface of the pancake, it’s time to flip. This takes about 3-4 minutes for these lemon pancakes. Flip the pancakes and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Serve these lemon pancakes with freshly whipped cream, maple syrup, lemon zest and fresh fruit.
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