These super citrusy, lemon pancakes are light, fluffy and filled with delicious lemon flavor! They are easy to make and great for those weekend mornings when you feel like whipping up a special batch of homemade pancakes. Lemon pancakes are delicious topped with fresh fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup.
This easy pancake recipe starts with a basic pancake recipe. You'll add fresh lemon juice and lemon zest and giving this recipe just the right amount of lemon flavor. These are truly the fluffiest pancakes you will make and they are truly so easy to make. If you are looking for other light and fluffy pancake recipes, be sure to check out our Strawberry Banana Pancakes or Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
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🍫 Ingredients
- lemons - for best results, use fresh lemon zest and lemon juice
- butter - makes the pancakes rich and adds moisture
- eggs - provides structure to the pancakes and supports that fluffy texture
- vanilla - supports a complex structure of flavors in the pancakes
- flour - use your favorite all-purpose flour for this recipe
- sugar -use a regular granulated cane sugar
- baking powder - be sure to use an aluminum free baking powder for the recipe
🍋 Variations and Serving Ideas
lemon blueberry pancakes - sprinkle fresh blueberries onto the pancake batter before flipping the pancakes.
lemon chocolate chip pancakes - sprinkle a tablespoon of mini chocolate chips onto the batter before flipping the pancakes
fresh strawberries and a drizzle of maple syrup
homemade whipped cream
🥣 Instructions
Be sure to see the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and detailed instructions.
🍳 How To Make Lemon Pancakes
Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Zest the two lemons directly into the dry ingredients.
Pour pancake batter onto your warm frying pan. Cook pancakes over medium heat in a well oiled frying pan.
Mix the liquid ingredients in a large measuring cup. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients - mix until just combined.
Serve pancakes with fresh berries and drizzle of warm maple syrup.
Hint: I like to use both a non-stick pan and butter or cooking spray. I find with this combo, my pancakes never stick to the pan.
📦 Storage
Refrigerator: Leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days. You can also store leftover batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To make fresh pancakes, simply warm your frying pan and scoop batter directly from the refrigerator.
Freezer: Arrange your cooked pancakes in a single layer on a quarter sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze until the pancakes are solid. Transfer to a labeled ziplock bag and store for 3-4 months. Warm frozen pancakes in the oven, toaster, or air fryer.
🤓 Expert Tips - How to Reheat Frozen Pancakes
Toaster or Toaster Oven: Warm pancakes in the toaster/toaster oven for 3-4 minutes - use a medium level of heat.
Oven: Warm at 350° for 3-4 minutes. I like to just place them on the open rack so that they warm and get a little crispy on all of the surfaces.
Microwave: Place pancakes in a single layer on a paper towel lined plate. Warm pancakes for 15-20 seconds. Check and add an additional 5-10 seconds until pancakes are warmed through.
Frozen Pancakes in Air Fryer: Use the reheat setting to warm your pancakes for 1-3 minutes. Check after 1 minutes and add more time as needed.
⭐️ Recipe FAQs About
Adding fresh lemon zest and juice is a great way to make pancakes with lemons. I prefer to add the zest to the dry ingredients and the lemon juice to the wet ingredients. Each adds a unique lemon flavor and together make a pancake that is packed with lemon flavor.
Yes! Lemon zest is a perfect way to get some nice, lemon flavor into your pancakes. Simply zest the lemon directly into the dry ingredients and make your pancakes according to the directions.
In my opinion, there are two secrets to fluffy pancakes. The correct ingredients and the perfect thickness to your batter. Be sure to use fresh baking powder in all of your pancake recipes. You want your batter to be perfect - not too thin and not too thick. Always start by adding ¼ cup less milk than what is in the recipe. Add milk as needed until you reach the desired consistency. Thin batter creates thin (not light and fluffy) pancakes. I always keep my batter on the thicker side and fry one test pancake. After the first pancake, I add a little milk if needed and then cook the rest of the pancakes.
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📖 Recipe
Light and Fluffy Lemon Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 lemons, zested (about 2 tablespoons)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- juice of two lemons (¼ - ⅓ cup)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in your mixing bowl. Next, zest the two lemons directly into the dry ingredients.
- In a large measuring cup, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in the microwave. This takes about 45 seconds in my microwave. Once the butter is melted, add the milk to the butter and warm in the microwave for an additional 45 seconds. Be sure that the milk is warm enough that the butter is liquid and floating on the surface of the milk, but not so warm that it cooks the eggs when you add them in the next step.
- Next, add the juice of two lemons and the vanilla extract to the milk and butter. Finally, whisk the eggs into the milk and butter.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will be slightly lumpy which is good. If the batter feels too thick to you, add a splash of milk and mix again.
- Choose your favorite frying pan or griddle and warm over medium heat. Spray pan with a little bit of cooking spray or add a bit of butter to the pan. Once the pan is warm, use ¼ cup measuring cup to pour circles of pancake batter onto the frying pan or griddle. Cook the pancakes on the first side for 1-2 minutes. Once the middles are bubbly and the edges look golden brown, flip the pancakes and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until cooked through.
- Serve pancakes fresh with your favorite berries and some warm maple syrup. These pancakes would also be delicious with a homemade whipped cream.
- You can store leftover batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To make fresh pancakes, simply warm your frying pan and scoop batter directly from the refrigerator.
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India
The two TABLESPOONS of baking powder is a typo, right? Just wanting to make sure. I’m assuming it’s teaspoons??
Amanda Smallwood
Hi! It’s actually not a typo!! You can go a little less if you want but might not get the same lift and fluffiness to your pancakes. Try 1.5 tablespoons if you want and go from there.
Alicia
Very nice recipe. I only had pink Himalayan salt. Next time I will cut back on the salt a little. I made a Creme fraiche sauce with honey and lemon and topped the pancakes with blueberries. They were delicious.
Maple and Thyme
The sauce sounds incredible!!! So glad you liked the pancakes!!!
SB
Thank you. The flavor is delightful. Mine were not light and fluffy, probably because I used half white/half whole wheat. Kept adding milk, but it never was like a normal pourable batter. Next time I will lower the whole wheat. Even with the heavier cake, I enjoyed them. Perhaps a waffle batter too!
Maple and Thyme
Yay!!! I’m sorry the batter never quite got to the consistency you were hoping for! When in doubt, definitely keep adding milk!!! I’m glad they were still yummy!!! Yes! Definitely try making a few as waffles! What a great idea!
Bel
What is the correct amount of lemon? The lemons on the tree here are quite small and I'm not sure how many to use
Maple and Thyme
Hi!
Thanks for reaching out!! I would go with 2 tablespoons of zest and 1/4 - 1/3 cup of lemon juice. I just updated the recipe to reflect this as well. Thanks so much and I hope your pancakes are delicious!! I'm super jealous that you have a lemon tree in your yard...❤️ 🍋