Lemon Breakfast Pancake (Printable View)

Fluffy pancakes with fresh lemon zest and juice for a bright, refreshing morning dish.

# Ingredient List:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
03 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

06 - 1 cup buttermilk
07 - 1 large egg
08 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
09 - Zest of 1 large lemon
10 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ For Cooking

12 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or oil for greasing

→ To Serve (optional)

13 - Maple syrup
14 - Fresh berries
15 - Extra lemon zest
16 - Powdered sugar

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
02 - In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk until evenly blended.
03 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir gently until just combined; small lumps are acceptable to avoid overmixing.
04 - Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease with butter or oil.
05 - Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto the skillet. Cook 2–3 minutes until bubbles form and edges set.
06 - Flip pancakes and cook another 1–2 minutes until golden and cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.
07 - Serve pancakes warm topped with maple syrup, fresh berries, extra lemon zest, or powdered sugar as desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • They taste bright and alive without being overly sweet, which means you can actually enjoy them without needing a nap afterward.
  • The batter comes together in minutes, so weekend breakfast doesn't require military planning or a stand mixer.
  • They freeze beautifully, turning your Sunday morning effort into weekday wins.
02 -
  • Don't skip the zesting step—it's what transforms these from decent pancakes into ones that taste like actual lemon, not just a hint of it.
  • If your first pancake spreads too thin or looks weird, don't panic; use it to calibrate the heat and batter consistency, and the rest will be better.
  • Buttermilk is non-negotiable here; it's not snobbery, it's chemistry.
03 -
  • Use a microplane zester for the lemon; it captures the fragrant oil without the bitter white pith underneath.
  • Don't walk away from the griddle once pancakes start cooking—that window between raw center and overdone bottom is shorter than you think.

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