Make Pancakes With A Cheesy Ingredient For The Fluffiest Result

We all know how to make pancakes, right? Flour, egg, milk, a little touch of baking powder. Pancakes are not exactly the first thing that springs to mind when we think of recipes in need of an upgrade. The pancake method has remained pretty much unchanged for years and for good reason — it works. It's good! But who would we be to stop at just "good", right? The pursuit of the perfect pancake is a never-ending quest. There are plenty of delicious ways to upgrade that classic pancake recipe, and one unexpected addition is sure to give you the fluffiest pancakes every time: ricotta. What, the cheese? That's right.

Whipping ricotta into your pancake batter leaves you with a light, almost unbelievably fluffy final result, with a subtle milky, creamy flavor and, remarkably, a slight hint of citrus. The ricotta hydrates the batter, making it lighter, and brings creaminess and fattiness, too, which makes for a beautifully soft mouthfeel, almost soufflé-like in texture. You won't end up with a cheesy flavor, either, so there's nothing to worry about on that front. Ricotta's got a very mild, milky flavor that works perfectly with sweets — that's nothing new, either. Giada De Laurentiis has been making chocolate ricotta toast since she was a child. When you add ricotta to your pancake routine, you'll end up with light, surprisingly complex pancakes that'll be a game changer for brunch.

There are plenty of options when it comes to putting a dish together with ricotta pancakes at the center. Ricotta usually pairs well with bright, sweet flavors. Citrus fruits, especially, are a wonderful option. Pairing ricotta and orange in a pancake recipe makes for a match made in heaven, but lemon, grapefruit and even lime would work well too. For a fresher, slightly lighter sweetness that'll really bring out some floral notes (and pair well with the very subtle tartness in the pancakes), try swapping out your maple syrup for a drizzle of honey.

The Australian king of brunch, the late Bill Granger, served his ricotta pancakes (debatably an invention of his, alongside avocado toast, of course) with sweet strawberries. Most berries would work well, here, though — especially raspberries and blackberries, with their sour notes picking up the tartness in the ricotta and adding a fruity sweetness to round out a wholly complete stack of pancakes.