Orange Ricotta Pancakes

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Orange Ricotta Pancakes | Make the most of your Cara Cara oranges while they are in season in this fluffy, citrusy pancake recipe. These bright, orange-y pancakes will start your day off with a smile.

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Ingredients
Tools you need
Ingredient Substitutions
Instructions
Tips and Tricks
Recipes FAQs
Recipe

Let's celebrate this gorgeous weather (we gotta have something to celebrate right now) with a sunshiny little breakfast recipe that will fill your belly and your soul.

Oranges and breakfast just go together! If you're a big fan of the fresh flavor or oranges, try these orange breakfast muffins next.

Ingredients

oranges - Cara Cara oranges - I love these the best. They're sweet and delicious - get them while they're in season! (They're still in stores around here.)
ricotta cheese - I haven't tried this recipe with my homemade ricotta yet, but I'm sure it would also work.
baking powder and baking soda - For nice, fluffy pancakes.
an egg
flour - just a cup
salt - a pinch!
vanilla - I love vanilla and orange together
sugar - just a little for some sweetness
oil - I used sunflower oil. You could try melted butter instead.

Tools you need

A microplane to zest the orange (I've tried scraping it with a knife and chopping that but it didn't get fine enough.)

Ingredient Substitutions

If you don't have ricotta cheese or don't want to use it, try plain Greek yogurt, it works really well as a substitute in this recipe.
Try subbing out the Cara Cara orange for a different orange or try using lemons - you might need to adjust the sugar for substitutions. But I bet lemon ricotta pancakes would be just as good as orange ricotta pancakes (with blueberries!)

Instructions

Prep Tips

You'll cook the pancakes in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
Zest and juice the oranges (you'll need the zest of one but the juice of at least two)

To make the batter for these orange ricotta pancakes, whisk together the ricotta cheese (or yogurt) and the egg until smooth.
Add the vanilla extract, orange juice, orange zest, and sugar. Whisk together again to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt and then gently whisk together, just until combined. Don't over-mix.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. I add a little bit of oil also, just to make sure they cook nicely and don't stick. Pour a little bit of batter into the pan - about ¼ to ⅓ cup for each pancake.
Now just let the pancake sit there for a few minutes. You'll see the baking powder and baking soda working by sending up little bubbles to the surface of the pancakes. The bubbles will pop and once the pancake cooks the popped bubbles will start to leave holes in the surface. They are ready to flip at this point.
Cook for another minute or so on the other side. Remove them and keep them in a dish and cover them with a lid to keep them warm or just plate them and serve them at once.

My kids like these with butter and syrup. I like them with just butter, I don't think they need anything else.

Tips and Tricks

Keep the heat on medium - no higher. Pancakes can burn quickly. You want to brown the outside and wait until the bubbles rise and pop on the surface. A medium (or medium-low) heat will allow this.

Recipes FAQs

Do I have to use Cara Cara oranges?

No, try your favorite orange. The amount of sugar may need to be adjusted.

When are my pancakes ready to flip?

Your pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles rise to the top and pop, leaving little holes. This usually takes only a few minutes over medium heat.

Recipe

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