Mother’s Day Breakfast In Bed (with Ricotta Pancakes)

Treat Mom to the ultimate morning of indulgence with a Mother’s Day breakfast in bed thanks to these light, fluffy ricotta pancakes that are topped with a silky homemade ricotta frosting!

These Mother’s Day pancakes with frosting feel decadent yet surprisingly easy to make. Pair them with mom’s favorite sides – from crispy bacon to fresh fruit! It’s the kind of Mother’s Day spread she’ll remember.

What is a Mother’s Day breakfast in bed board?  

This Mother’s Day breakfast in bed board features light and fluffy ricotta pancakes topped with creamy ricotta frosting as the centerpiece of your celebratory spread. These pancakes are wonderfully versatile, pairing perfectly with a side of fried eggs, crispy bacon, fruit salad, or any other breakfast favorite you know Mom will love.

Keep the recipe as is for a cozy one-person breakfast or double it to transform into a family feast!

Why you’ll love these Mother’s Day pancakes

• Light and fluffy pancakes with a golden, buttery crust that melts in your mouth.
• These pancakes pair easily with almost any breakfast add-in, making them a versatile and thoughtful treat for mom.
• The homemade ricotta frosting adds a luxurious layer of decadence that makes these Mother’s Day pancakes truly stand out.

Ingredients needed to make ricotta pancakes with ricotta frosting

• Ricotta cheese: Use a good-quality whole milk ricotta cheese like buffalo ricotta cheese for the pancakes and frosting. 
• All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is my go-to sturdy flour for making fluffy pancakes that retain their shape.
• Baking powder: Helps to create a good rise, combating dense and flat pancakes.
• Granulated sugar: Just 1 1/2 tablespoons. We don’t want these pancakes overly sweet since they’ll be smothered in a sweet frosting. 
• Fine salt: Enhances and balances the flavors in the rich ricotta pancake batter. 
• Milk: Whole milk is best. I don’t recommend using non-fat milk.
• Eggs: Separated. The egg yolks help to bind the batter for the pancakes to retain their shape while the egg whites get beaten until stiff and gently folded into the pancake batter for a light and airy texture. 
• Vanilla extract: For depth of flavor. 
• Butter: For cooking, adding rich flavor and golden crispy edges. I prefer using unsalted butter for better control of the salt content in these pancakes. A neutral oil could be used instead, but I prefer the flavor that butter adds. 
• Ricotta frosting: This rich ricotta cream frosting consists of a blending of whole-milk ricotta cheese, powdered sugar (or maple syrup/honey), lemon zest (or vanilla extract), and an optional addition of heavy cream for a whipped texture. 

How do you make ricotta pancakes with ricotta frosting? 

Make the ricotta pancake batter:

1. If your ricotta appears watery, place it in a fine-mesh strainer for about 30 minutes to drain excess liquid; if it looks dry and compact, skip this step. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. 
3. In a separate larger bowl, combine the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla. 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta mixture, stirring gently just until combined. 
5. Using a handheld electric mixer (or a whisk by hand), beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. 
6. Stir one small scoop of the beaten whites into the batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites with a spatula.

Cook the pancakes:

1. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat and melt just enough butter to lightly coat the surface. 
2. Pour the batter onto the hot griddle using a 1/3-cup measure. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the undersides are golden and a few bubbles pop through the surface. 
3. Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. 
4. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Make the ricotta frosting:

1. Line a fine-mesh strainer with a paper towel, set it over a bowl, and add the ricotta; lightly press the surface with more paper towels to absorb as much moisture as possible, then let it drain for about 20 minutes. 
2. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the drained ricotta, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice until very smooth, about 5 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides. 
3. Use the frosting immediately, or if it seems loose or overly wet, scrape it into a fine-mesh strainer lined with damp cheesecloth or a clean, damp dish towel, place the strainer over a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for several hours to drain further.

Serving

These Mother’s Day pancakes are delicious with a generous drizzle of freshly made ricotta cream frosting, maple syrup (or honey), lemon curd, jam, a light dusting of powdered sugar, or fresh fruit as a lovely topping. 

Grab your favorite serving tray and add a side of fruit salad, Amish Cinnamon Bread, Muffins with Lemon Curd, or Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies as delicious extras. 

Sandy’s tips and substitutions:

• Storage: Store leftover ricotta pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Leftover ricotta frosting can be kept in a separate airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days.
• Freezing ricotta pancakes: Freeze these pancakes for up to 3 months by layering them between parchment paper in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge or on the countertop to reheat and serve with freshly made ricotta frosting. 
• Drain the ricotta cheese: Drain excess liquid from the ricotta before mixing to prevent runny pancakes and frosting.
• Beat the eggs: Beating the egg whites to stiff peaks helps to create light, fluffy pancakes. Make sure to gently fold them into the batter to retain volume. 
• Uniform-sized pancakes: Use a 1/3-cup measure for consistent pancake size and even cooking.
• Test the skillet heat: Before adding the pancake batter for the first batch, check that your griddle and butter are properly heated by dropping in a small bit of batter which should sizzle gently upon contact. This ensures a perfect golden sear and prevents sticking. 
• Avoid overmixing: Don’t overmix the pancake batter as this can create overly dense pancakes.
• Use minimal butter: Using only a small bit of butter to coat the griddle is how you can make the pancakes beautifully golden. Using too much butter will result in overly greasy pancakes. 
• Keep pancakes warm: Stack the cooked pancakes up on a plate so they keep each other warm. You can keep them warm in an oven on low heat or microwave them briefly before serving. 
• Double the frosting: The recipe for the ricotta cream frosting serves 6. You can easily double if you want more for the pancakes or when making extra pancakes for your Mother’s Day breakfast in bed. 

Variations:

• Lemon blueberry ricotta pancakes: Add 1 tablespoon lemon zest to the batter and fold in ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries after the egg whites.
• Chocolate chip ricotta pancakes: Fold in ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips just before cooking for a decadent Mother’s Day breakfast.
• Richer frosting: Replace half the drained ricotta with mascarpone cheese for an even richer, thicker frosting.
• Gluten-free ricotta pancakes: Substitute the 1 cup of all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend that contains xanthan gum (such as Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur). 
• Heart-shaped pancakes: Place a metal heart-shaped cookie cutter or ring mold on the griddle, grease the inside, fill it halfway with batter, cook until set, then remove the mold before flipping.

I love baking with ricotta cheese! It adds moisture, tenderness, and a mild, creamy flavor to cakes, pancakes, and pastries. Give my Strawberry Ricotta French Toast, Lemon Ricotta Pie with Ritz Cracker Crust, and Cherry Ricotta Cakea try. 

More Mother’s Day breakfast treats you may want to try:

• Cinnamon Cruffins
• Banana Breakfast Cake
• Blueberry Stuffed French Toast
• Chocolate Buttermilk Waffles

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Mother’s Day Pancakes

Sandy Coughlin

Mother’s Day breakfast in bed with fluffy ricotta pancakes and creamy ricotta frosting is the kind of decadent start to her day that she deserves! Perfect with bacon, eggs, or fresh fruit.

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Yield: 8

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Ingredients

 

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For the Pancakes

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• ¾ cup milk, not nonfat
• 2 large eggs, separated
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Butter, for cooking

For the Ricotta Frosting

• ½ cup whole-milk ricotta cheese, good-quality store-bought whole-milk ricotta, preferably buffalo
• 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar, or maple syrup/honey
• 1 tsp lemon zest, plus 1 tsp juice or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Optional: 1/2 cup heavy cream, for whipped texture

Instructions

 

• If your ricotta appears watery, place it in a fine-mesh strainer for about 30 minutes to drain excess liquid; if it looks dry and compact, skip this step.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
• In a separate larger bowl, combine the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla.
• Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta mixture, stirring gently just until combined.
• Using a handheld electric mixer (or a whisk by hand), beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Stir one small scoop of the beaten whites into the batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites with a spatula.
• Heat a griddle over medium-high heat and melt just enough butter to lightly coat the surface.
• Pour the batter onto the hot griddle using a 1/3-cup measure. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the undersides are golden and a few bubbles pop through the surface.
• Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown.
• Repeat with the remaining batter.
• Line a fine-mesh strainer with a paper towel, set it over a bowl, and add the ricotta; lightly press the surface with more paper towels to absorb as much moisture as possible, then let it drain for about 20 minutes.
• In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the drained ricotta, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice until very smooth, about 5 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides.
• Use the frosting immediately, or if it seems loose or overly wet, scrape it into a fine-mesh strainer lined with damp cheesecloth or a clean, damp dish towel, place the strainer over a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for several hours to drain further.

Cuisine: American

Course: Breakfast

Calories: 177kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.004g, Cholesterol: 67mg, Sodium: 163mg, Potassium: 116mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 304IU, Vitamin C: 0.3mg, Calcium: 148mg, Iron: 1mg

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