Lemon Poppy Seed Pancake Recipe

A stack of Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes topped with sliced strawberries and syrup.

5 from 10 votes

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancake Recipe

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes are soft, fluffy, and full of fresh citrus flavor, perfect for an easy breakfast the whole family will love.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: pancakes

Author: Alicia Skousen

Ingredients

1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
¾ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg

Instructions

In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds, and whisk to combine.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk, lemon extract, vanilla, oil, and egg.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined (it's okay if a few small lumps of flour remain). Let sit ten minutes.
Preheat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Scoop the pancake batter onto the griddle using ¼ cup scoops. Cook 3-4 minutes, or until large bubbles form on the surface. Flip and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Serve warm with fresh fruit and syrup.

Notes

Recipe Tips.

Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar first releases extra lemon oils and makes the flavor stronger.
Do not overmix the batter; a few small lumps help keep the pancakes fluffy.
Letting the batter rest for ten minutes improves texture and rise.
Cook over medium heat so the pancakes cook through without browning too fast. Your patience will pay off!
For busy mornings, these pancakes can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to three days or frozen for quick breakfasts.
Just as a heads up, this recipe is pretty small and only makes eight pancakes. If you're cooking for a bigger crowd, though, I would suggest doubling or tripling the recipe in order to have enough to go around!

Make ahead of time. Make the pancake batter 1-2 days ahead of time and store it in the fridge. When you're ready to make the lemon poppy seed pancakes, remove the batter from the fridge while heating the pan. Test a small amount of batter in the pan. If the pancake did not rise well, sprinkle a bit more baking powder into the batter.

Store. Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for 1-2 weeks. See our post on How to Freeze Pancakes for more information.

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