These lemon pancakes have a deliciously bright & sunny flavor thanks to fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. They’re extra fluffy with golden edges, and taste delicious with summer berries or syrup. If you’re looking for a pancake recipe that’s a little extra special – then these are for you. 
I’ve been dreaming about these lemon pancakes for quite some time. I wanted an easy pancake recipe that’s just a little different. Something that tastes like sunshine. And that’s exactly what these lemon pancakes are.
The lemon flavor is bright, fresh, and never sour. It compliments the hint of butter that’s oh so important in any pancake recipe. And it definitely makes the pancakes taste just a little gourmet.
Lemon Pancake Recipe
These lemon pancakes are super easy to make and very similar to making your traditional buttermilk pancakes.
The delicious lemon flavor comes from fresh lemon zest and lemon juice. I’ve made these with regular lemons and also meyer lemons, and both are completely delicious. I don’t recommend using lemon juice from the bottle however because I find that it’s too sour.
Then for even more flavor we’re adding a little melted butter, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. The sugar also helps to give those perfectly golden edges too, and ensures that the pancakes have just a hint of sweetness.
You’ll notice that my pancakes are quite thick, which is definitely my preference. If you prefer pancakes that are a little thinner, feel free to use 2 cups of all-purpose flour instead of 2 ¼ cups.
And now for some pancake making tips:
- Allow the ingredients to all be at room temperature first so everything mixes together evenly.
- You can place the egg in a bowl of lukewarm water for 5 minutes and microwave the milk on low power for 10-20 seconds. Or just place them on the counter 10-15 minutes prior.
- For extra fluffy pancakes, be careful not to over mix/stir the batter. In pancakes, having a few lumps in the batter is totally ok.
- I recommend greasing the frying pan or griddle with oil instead of butter. Oil has a higher boiling point, and is therefore less likely to burn your pancakes.
- If your pancakes seem to be burning but aren’t fully cooked on the inside, your burner is likely too hot.
These lemon pancakes are such a delicious, easy recipe for breakfast or brunch. I love them served with fresh fruit, whipped cream, syrup, or any kind of fruit topping. Like this strawberry sauce or this blueberry sauce.
They definitely taste more special than regular pancakes, and they’re just as easy to make!
Lemon Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups milk*
- ½ cup lemon juice , freshly squeezed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk together the milk and lemon juice.
- In a liquid measuring cup or bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter, sugar and lemon zest.
- Then whisk the milk mixture into the bowl with the eggs.
- Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Heat a griddle to 350F degrees or a frying pan to medium-low heat. Lightly grease with oil or non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle/pan and fry until you see a few air bubbles form. Flip and continue to fry on the second side until both sides are golden.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Lemon is one of my favorite flavors but I’ve never thought of making lemon pancakes before.
Pinning!
I have tried the recipe and it’s definitely my number one pancakes flavour now . Everybody just loves it !
It’s funny how such a small difference can make something so much better. Happy to hear they were such a hit
We love these! We add blueberries in that have been coated lightly in sugar and the lemon zest for an extra burst of flavor and juiciness. Thanks, Fiona, for sharing this recipe!
This was a wonderful recipe. It was very delicious.
I made these for the kids for Easter breakfast and made them into bunny shapes. They were such a hit and I love that they are flavourful enough without having to add any syrup! I substituted coconut milk for regular milk and they turned out great. We served ours with strawberries. This recipe is a keeper!
Great recipe. Next time I make this, I’ll try it with coconut milk! That should taste nicely with the lemon.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! They made wonderful blueberry pancakes. Only thing I’ll do next time is add an extra small pinch of salt and serve them with a good lemon curd. But they were excellent as is: fluffy, light, with a delicate lemon flavor! Much enjoyed!!
Thank you so much Julie! With blueberries and lemon curd sounds delicious
Hi there – made this exactly per your recipe and they were very tasty. Couple of comments:
– I used just 2 cups of flour because I like them lighter and there were still quite thick…another 1/4 cup would have made them too thick IMHO.
– I’d leave the sugar out next time as these overly sweet for my taste…the maple syrup would have provided plenty of sweetness.
– I’ll use butter in the next time and that taste element was missing even though I put a pat on top to serve them…butter begins to burn at 350, so I would suggest just lowering the temperature of the pan to keep it under control.
Overall, I’ll make this again!
Thanks for posting. 🙂
I love lemon pancakes but felt that these were a little thick and the lemon flavor was less than expected. After cooking (and tasting) one of the first 8 pancakes, I added a little more sugar and a little oil and these were much lighter and surprisingly more flavorful. I think using 2 cups flour might be just right.
My boyfriend and I loved this recipe! Brought summer to our kitchen on a cold winter morning. I used only 2 cups of flour. Thank you!