Delicious, fluffy pancakes packed with lemon flavor and paired with a sweet lemon cream. This is a quick and easy pancake recipe is ready in 30 minutes with simple ingredients! Great for breakfast, brunch or even as a dessert.
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These delicious pancakes are made of all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, egg, butter, lemon zest and topped off with a sweet lemon cream, which is optional but recommended!
If you love lemon, this is the pancake recipe for you! The key to these lemon cream pancakes is using fresh lemon zest in the pancakes as they give off an incredible aroma!
Lemon zest has a lovely scent that you can't get from any extract. That's the great thing about making lemon pancakes from scratch! Also, it's a great way to repurpose every part of the lemon.
This pancake recipe is made with simple pantry ingredients in little time making it great for busy weekends. You can also make them dairy-free if you wish and I share how to below.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Pancake Batter
- All-purpose flour: a general wheat flour or plain flour.
- Baking powder: to help the pancakes get fluffy!
- Salt
- White granulated sugar: or substitute with cane sugar.
- Milk: or substitute with nut milk, or oat milk to make this dairy-free
- Large egg
- Melted Butter: for the batter and for greasing the pan
- Lemon zest
Lemon Cream (optional)
- Cream cheese: light or regular cream cheese. Avoid using any flavored cream cheeses.
- Lemon Zest: freshly grated for best results!
- Freshly-squeezed Lemon Juice: avoid using any of the pre-squeezed or artificial lemon juice.
- Icing sugar or powdered sugar
Variations
- To make this dairy-free: substitute the milk with nut milk or oat milk, the butter with a vegan butter or neutral oil and the cream cheese with a vegan cream cheese.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh lemons and avoid older lemons for best results.
- Mix the dry ingredients first before adding the wet ingredients for an even distribution.
- Don't skip the lemon zest! It'll make the pancakes taste and smell like lemon.
- Do not over mix your pancake batter. This makes them more dense and not as fluffy.
- Use a non-stick pan so the pancakes don't stick.
- When you see bubbles form all over the pancake, it's time to flip.
- Use a toothpick to check if the pancakes are cooked through by inserting it into the center of the pancake and if it comes out clean, it's ready.
- Use an electric mixer to make the lemon cream for ease!
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and white granulated sugar in a fine sieve. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add in milk, lemon zest, egg and melted butter into the well. Whisk until the batter is incorporated but do not over mix.
- Grease a large pan with butter on a paper towel and bring to medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add ¼ cup of pancake batter in the center of the pan. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top has bubbles all over.
- Once you see the bubbles, flip the pancake over and fry on the other side until golden brown. To check if the pancake is cooked, insert a clean toothpick into the center and if it comes out clean, it's ready.
- Optional: In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and icing sugar until smooth. Serve with pancakes!
Storage
- Leftover pancakes will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I would suggest storing the lemon cream separately from the pancakes. To reheat pancakes, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer-friendly? The lemon pancakes can be frozen separate from the lemon cream. Let the pancakes cool down and place it into a freezer-safe bag with parchment paper between the pancakes to prevent them from sticking. Freeze up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw the pancakes and lemon cream and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Pairing Suggestions
Lemon pancakes with lemon cream serve well with:
- coffee, tea, or milk
- fresh fruit
- sausages, bacon, ham or spam
- pan-fried, scrambled or poached eggs
- pastries like croissants or danishes
- oatmeal, cereal, muesli
Other Topping Ideas
If you're not a fan of lemon cream, here are some other topping ideas:
- honey, maple syrup, condensed milk, whipped cream, or coconut whipped cream
- fresh fruits
- avoid using nut butters for this recipe as it won't compliment the lemon flavors
FAQ
The main reason why your pancakes are not fluffy is because they were over mixed. If you over mix the pancakes, this develops the gluten making them dense.
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Yes! Feel free to make these without the lemon cream and enjoy with other sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and more! Avoid using nut butters for these lemon pancakes.
Other Recipes You May Like
- Fluffy Japanese Souffle Pancakes
- Fluffy Earl Grey Pancakes
- Mini Dutch Pancakes
- Japanese Mochi Pancakes
- Chia Flax Oat Pancakes
- Pandan Pancakes
- Oat Matcha Pancakes
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Lemon Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon butter for greasing the pan (or sub with melted vegan butter or neutral oil if you're dairy-free)
Pancake Batter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups milk or sub with a dairy-free milk
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons melted butter or sub with melted vegan-butter or neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest freshly grated
Lemon Cream (Optional):
- ½ cup cream cheese or sub with a vegan cream cheese if you're dairy-free
- ½ tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon icing sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and white granulated sugar in a fine sieve. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add in milk, lemon zest, egg and melted butter into the well. Whisk until the batter is incorporated but do not over mix.
- Grease a large pan with butter on a paper towel and bring to medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add ¼ cup of pancake batter in the center of the pan. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top has bubbles all over.
- Once you see the bubbles, flip the pancake over and fry on the other side until golden brown. To check if the pancake is cooked, insert a clean toothpick into the center and if it comes out clean, it's ready.
- Optional Lemon Cream: In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and icing sugar until smooth. Serve with pancakes!
Bob
So delicious, fluffy and that vegan lemon cream was so good! Will be making again.