Yield: 12 pancakes (4 servings)
This is the perfect light and lovely breakfast or brunch treat for Mom on her special day. Tofutti Better than Ricotta Cheese is not available everywhere, but hopefully you can find it or another vegan brand where you live, as there really is not an equivalent product to substitute.
Happy Mother’s Day to all…regardless of who your children are! (Mine happen to be 140 teenage art students that I am privileged to teach and “the twinz”: a pair of beloved lookalike canines.)
Tofutti loved my recipe and posted it HERE.
Vegan Ricotta Lemon Pancakes:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (I use white whole wheat)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons natural sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup soymilk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
3/4 cup Tofutti Better than Ricotta Cheese
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
Zest of 1/2 large lemon
Lemony Maple-Ricotta Cream (recipe follows)
Garnish: fresh strawberries or blueberries plus additional lemon zest and/or confectioner’s sugar for dusting
In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Make a well in the center, pour in soymilk, and whisk just until combined. Add ricotta in several spoonfuls, and whisk into batter, along with almond extract and lemons zest. Avoid over-mixing. Spray cast iron skillet with non-stick spray. (For more flavor, but also more fat and calories, you may use a little oil and or vegan butter, melted.) Heat skillet over medium-high. Make pancakes using a 1/4 cup measure, 3 at a time. Cook for a couple of minutes on first side, or until small bubbles just begin to appear, pancakes puff slightly, and are golden brown on underside. Flip and cook on remaining side for a couple more minutes or until pancakes appear set and are golden brown on underside. Drizzle a tablespoon of Lemony Maple-Ricotta Cream over each pancake as you make the stacks. Garnish top of stack as desired with fresh berries, lemon zest, and or a sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar.
Lemony Maple-Ricotta Cream:
1/2 cup Tofutti Better than Ricotta
1 tablespoon soymilk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
1 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Process in food processor until smooth. The mixture will be creamy for drizzling; not fluffy.
May 10, 2014 at 9:10 am
Pancakes look great! I’ve been wanting to make vegan ricotta pancakes for YEARS, but could never figure out how to replace the eggs and ricotta. But, it seems like you inclueed how to cook the pancakes but not how to make the batter itself. Was that intentional?
May 10, 2014 at 11:51 am
Maria, I’m so embarrassed: I got ahead of myself when posting this recipe…thank you for alerting me to the fact that I hadn’t included the directions for stirring together the batter! NO, it wasn’t intentional at all and has been corrected. As with cakes, muffins, and cookies–and contrary to what some would have you believe–the eggs in pancakes do not need to be substituted with an “egg replacer.” All you need is moisture and leavening like baking powder and baking soda. As for the ricotta, I REALLY hope you can find Tofutti’s brand–or someone else’s–as it is different than anything else I’ve made or purchased: different than tofu, vegan yogurt, etc., and it really does give these pancakes a different taste and texture. Cheers and thanks again!
January 14, 2017 at 10:13 am
Bravo on this delicious recipe! My family made the pancakes for breakfast and they were a big hit. We use the Kite Hill ricotta (since it is oil free) and it worked beautifully in the recipe.
January 15, 2017 at 7:36 am
Thank you so much for taking the time to share! And we appreciate the nice oil free product recommendation. So glad the recipe was a hit!