These tasty Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes are soft and fluffy with bites of poppy seeds throughout. They will soon become your family's favorite breakfast!
Yield:
12 pancakes
Prep Time:15minutes
Cook:10minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: Bright and fresh lemon flavor with just enough sweetness to balance out the tartness.
Texture: The pancakes are soft and fluffy with a slight crisp at the edges and bites of little poppy seeds throughout. The texture is amazing.
Ease: Ridiculously easy. The batter takes about 5 minutes to mix together.
Appearance: A stack of pancakes is always mouthwatering.
Pros: Flavorful twist on pancakes.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Yes! I might try swapping out half the flour for whole wheat next time.
Breakfast. I think most people like the idea of breakfast food but rarely make something beyond cereal or toast, if they even go that far.
Who wouldn’t choose bacon, pancakes, hashbrowns, waffles, sausage, French toast, fruit salad, and freshly squeezed orange juice over a plain old granola bar on-the-go? There’s a statistic floating around that states less than half of Americans eat breakfast. I am definitely not one of those Americans.
I HAVE TO eat breakfast. If I don’t eat something within an hour or so of waking up I get hangry. It’s not pretty. Yet, most days I have the same. exact. thing. for breakfast because I can’t be bothered to make much of anything before my day has really started.
Lately, though, I’ve been having some serious cravings for a big breakfast feast. I decided to enjoy in breakfast for lunch. I made all the fixings, including these pancakes, which were really the main attraction. Their fresh, sweet, and slightly tart flavor paired perfectly with the rich greasiness of bacon and hashbrowns.
Not to mention these pancakes are so light and fluffy but have those slightly crispy buttery edges. They’re just to die for. Your family is going to beg for these pancakes every morning.
Do you eat breakfast? What do you eat? What’s your ultimate breakfast?
These tasty Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes are soft and fluffy with bites of poppy seeds throughout. They will soon become your family's favorite breakfast!
Ingredients
Pancakes:
2cups(254 grams) all-purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking powder
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
1/4cup(50 grams) granulated sugar
Pinchsalt
1/3cup(50 grams) poppy seeds
2tablespoonslemon zest(from about 2 medium lemons)
2cupsbuttermilk
2large eggs
2tablespoons(28 grams) butter, melted, plus more for frying
Lemon glaze:
6tablespoonspowdered sugar
2tablespoonsfresh lemon juice
Fresh blueberries or other berries for serving, if desired
Directions
In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the poppy seeds, lemon zest, buttermilk, eggs, and butter. Add to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Don’t overmix. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to a day.
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add a pat of butter and allow to get hot before dropping the batter by 1/3-cup spoonfuls into the skillet. Cook until the pancakes are cooked through and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining batter.
If not serving the pancakes immediately, keep warm on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven.
For the glaze:
Meanwhile, use a fork to whisk together the the sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Add more sugar for a thicker glaze and more lemon juice for a thinner glaze.
Divide pancakes among plates and drizzle with glaze. Top with fresh berries, if desired, before serving.
Course :
Breakfast
Cuisine :
American
Keyword :
easy, mother's day, quick, spring
This recipe was originally published in 2013 and recently updated with new photos, weight measurements, and more details instructions. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
I had high hopes for these, but I was a little disappointed. I followed the exact recipe and used fresh lemon zest, but they didn’t turn out like I wanted. After the first batch cooked and we tried them, I altered the rest of the batter by adding 1tbsp lemon juice, and more sugar in the form of maple syrup. 1/3 cup poppyseeds is also way too much, I felt like I was eating straight poppyseeds by the spoonful. If that’s your thing, stick with the 1/3 cup, but next time I’m only using 2 tbsps max. The basic pancake recipe is great though, they turned out fluffy and tender! Just not quite the flavor I was hoping for from a lemon poppyseed pancake.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— July 11, 2022 at 9:24 am
Hi Stephanie! I’m sorry to hear that these weren’t quite the lemon poppyseed flavor you had hoped for, but I’m glad the pancake itself was fluffy and tender! If you ever feel like trying these again, I would recommend adding a little splash of lemon extract (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon), to really enhance the lemon flavor! Happy baking 🙂
They were delicious! I used a different glaze recipe that also had milk, I found the lemon juice and powdered sugar only a bit too bitter (even after adjusting sugar amount)
So good! I only had half the amount of poppy seeds but it didn’t seem to make any difference. I also didn’t fry them in butter but rather just put them on my non-stick skillet and they turned out wonderful! I made the entire amount just for the two of us, so had plenty of leftovers which I individually wrapped and placed in the refrigerator and ate for breakfast the following day after placing them in the microwave for 20 seconds. Will definitely make these again and again!
Absolutely delicious!! I made the mistake of adding more buttermilk after making my first (delicious) batch thinking the batter was too thick, DO NOT DO THIS!! It totally ruined the batter!! just do what the recipe says!!!! totally will be making these again 🙂
I followed the recipe and the pancakes taste very salty. I researched if poppy seeds were salty and I read they are supposed to be soaked before using. Is this a step that I missed?
I followed the recipe and the pancakes taste very salty. I researched if poppy seeds were salty and I read they are supposed to be soaked before using. Is this a step that I missed?
I take back my comment, I just realized my little one accidentally dumped the whole bowl of salt…. I will definitely have to try this recipe again – solo. xx
Just made these & loved them! But with just two of us, I should have halved the recSigpe. Any chance there’s something else I can bake the rest of the batter into?
These pancakes will wow your guests! Absolutely delicious we were still talking about them the next day. Topped with sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or blackberries they were absolutely delic! Definitely make more glaze!
Hi! Just made this recipe and love the flavor and texture. I do have a question. I found my batter very runny so i was curious about how you scoop your flour. I started doing weekly pancakes with my kids, and found the only way I could get consistent batter results was from sifting with a fork into the measuring cup. If I scooped directly I more often than not got very thick pancakes that had to be thinned. Do you scoop or sift? Once I mixed these I found I had to add flour and baking powder to get them to puff up appropriately. Other than that they were grand! I did add something though… Whipped Cream cheese… it was divine! 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1 cup whipping cream and sugar to taste. Whipped the cream cheese for a couple of minutes in a mixer with a whisk attachment, add whipping cream slowly, then add sugar slowly. Whip to stiff peaks! Enjoy! I hope to hear from you! Thanks in advance!
What is buttermilk? See it for the first time in my life. I’m from Russia, may be we don’t have it here. Or may be it’s just normal milk with 3,5% fat or more? Thank you.
I made these pancakes yesterday, and even my husband, who isn’t a fan of lemon, loved them! I served them with fresh raspberries, and they were light and elegant. My only suggestion is to make extra lemon glaze. Thanks for posting this recipe. It will become a regular our Sunday breakfast table!
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life
— August 20, 2013 at 6:47 am
I am not much of a morning person so I don’t eat much breakfast. We love to do breakfast for dinner though. My kids do love pancakes for breakfast, so I make them the night before and freeze them. These look absolutely amazing!
I do eat breakfast but I am not a morning person. My solution, one day a week I wake up early, make pancakes, and after breakfast I bake. I love baking, so I make bagels, waffles, bread, and biscuits. I freeze the excess and we eat off of it until the next time I have a bake-a-thon! This recipe sounds great and I’ve just started adding poppy seeds to my goods, so thanks for the new idea = )
sally @ sallys baking addiction
— August 19, 2013 at 8:41 am
I HAVE to eat breakfast too. Breakfast is what I look forward to when my alarm goes off! And I would love to wake up to a huge stack of these. Please and thank you. 🙂
Consuelo @ Honey & Figs
— August 19, 2013 at 4:16 am
For me, there’s no point in waking up if there’s no breakfast. I get ever so grumpy if I don’t have it!
I love all kind of breakfast foods: toasts (my favourite!), waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs, etc. But I always have toasts because I find them super conformting and I love routine haha. I have to eat the rest of the breakfast foods I like for dinner. Like these pancakes, which look amazing with all that lemony goodness yum. They’re probably going to be tomorrow’s dinner, they look awesome! x
As a trained chef and cookbook author, I share trusted baking recipes your friends & family will love alongside insights into the science of sweets. I help take the luck out of baking so you *always* have delicious results! Learn more here.
Over 200 pages with 50+ cookie recipes that'll make
you a COOKIE PRO. Discover how to turn your biggest cookie flops into WINS by mastering the
sweet science of baking. Even learn how to customize your own recipes! Beautiful, hardcopy,
full color, photos of every recipe so you know EXACTLY how your cookies should look. Order
now to have the book delivered to your doorstep!
Do you want a more delicious life?
Instead of digging through cookbooks and magazines and searching the internet for amazing
recipes, subscribe to Handle the Heat to receive new recipe posts delivered straight to your
email inbox. You’ll get all the latest recipes, videos, kitchen tips and tricks AND my
*free* Cookie Customization Guide (because I am the Cookie Queen)!
I had high hopes for these, but I was a little disappointed. I followed the exact recipe and used fresh lemon zest, but they didn’t turn out like I wanted. After the first batch cooked and we tried them, I altered the rest of the batter by adding 1tbsp lemon juice, and more sugar in the form of maple syrup. 1/3 cup poppyseeds is also way too much, I felt like I was eating straight poppyseeds by the spoonful. If that’s your thing, stick with the 1/3 cup, but next time I’m only using 2 tbsps max. The basic pancake recipe is great though, they turned out fluffy and tender! Just not quite the flavor I was hoping for from a lemon poppyseed pancake.
Hi Stephanie! I’m sorry to hear that these weren’t quite the lemon poppyseed flavor you had hoped for, but I’m glad the pancake itself was fluffy and tender! If you ever feel like trying these again, I would recommend adding a little splash of lemon extract (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon), to really enhance the lemon flavor! Happy baking 🙂
I swapped half the flour for whole wheat and they were delicious!
Happy to hear your substitution worked!
Is the nutrition info for these listed anywhere?
No, I don’t keep track of the nutrition content in my recipes, sorry!
They were delicious! I used a different glaze recipe that also had milk, I found the lemon juice and powdered sugar only a bit too bitter (even after adjusting sugar amount)
So good! I only had half the amount of poppy seeds but it didn’t seem to make any difference. I also didn’t fry them in butter but rather just put them on my non-stick skillet and they turned out wonderful! I made the entire amount just for the two of us, so had plenty of leftovers which I individually wrapped and placed in the refrigerator and ate for breakfast the following day after placing them in the microwave for 20 seconds. Will definitely make these again and again!
Absolutely delicious!! I made the mistake of adding more buttermilk after making my first (delicious) batch thinking the batter was too thick, DO NOT DO THIS!! It totally ruined the batter!! just do what the recipe says!!!! totally will be making these again 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed these pancakes!
I followed the recipe and the pancakes taste very salty. I researched if poppy seeds were salty and I read they are supposed to be soaked before using. Is this a step that I missed?
I followed the recipe and the pancakes taste very salty. I researched if poppy seeds were salty and I read they are supposed to be soaked before using. Is this a step that I missed?
I take back my comment, I just realized my little one accidentally dumped the whole bowl of salt…. I will definitely have to try this recipe again – solo. xx
Just made these & loved them! But with just two of us, I should have halved the recSigpe. Any chance there’s something else I can bake the rest of the batter into?
would I use the same amount of almond flower?
Pros:
– soft
– crunchy
– easy
Cons:
– runny
– not sweet
– not “lemony”
Probably, won’t make again.
THE best, most tasty and fluffy pancakes I’ve ever made OR eaten!!!
These pancakes will wow your guests! Absolutely delicious we were still talking about them the next day. Topped with sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or blackberries they were absolutely delic! Definitely make more glaze!
Hi! Just made this recipe and love the flavor and texture. I do have a question. I found my batter very runny so i was curious about how you scoop your flour. I started doing weekly pancakes with my kids, and found the only way I could get consistent batter results was from sifting with a fork into the measuring cup. If I scooped directly I more often than not got very thick pancakes that had to be thinned. Do you scoop or sift? Once I mixed these I found I had to add flour and baking powder to get them to puff up appropriately. Other than that they were grand! I did add something though… Whipped Cream cheese… it was divine! 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1 cup whipping cream and sugar to taste. Whipped the cream cheese for a couple of minutes in a mixer with a whisk attachment, add whipping cream slowly, then add sugar slowly. Whip to stiff peaks! Enjoy! I hope to hear from you! Thanks in advance!
This post should have everything you need to know: https://handletheheat.com/how-to-measure-flour/
Lol. The better part of a year later and I’m back! Measured and they turned out beautifully! Thank you for replying!
Saw these beauties on Instagram. Certainly will give them a try. Beautiful photos!
What is buttermilk? See it for the first time in my life. I’m from Russia, may be we don’t have it here. Or may be it’s just normal milk with 3,5% fat or more? Thank you.
I don’t have lemons… could I use lemon juice instead of the zest?
I made these pancakes yesterday, and even my husband, who isn’t a fan of lemon, loved them! I served them with fresh raspberries, and they were light and elegant. My only suggestion is to make extra lemon glaze. Thanks for posting this recipe. It will become a regular our Sunday breakfast table!
Thanks for your feedback! I’m so glad your family liked them.
These look so yummy! I am a huge fan of lemon poppyseed! 🙂
These are SO gorgeous!! This is certainly one of my dream breakfasts. 🙂
I love lemon pancakes!!
The picture alone is enough to get me to try this recipe!
I would have loved these for breakfast this morning! Love that photo too!
I am not much of a morning person so I don’t eat much breakfast. We love to do breakfast for dinner though. My kids do love pancakes for breakfast, so I make them the night before and freeze them. These look absolutely amazing!
Love the idea of adding poppy seed to pancakes! Very nice photo, too. Pinned!
I do eat breakfast but I am not a morning person. My solution, one day a week I wake up early, make pancakes, and after breakfast I bake. I love baking, so I make bagels, waffles, bread, and biscuits. I freeze the excess and we eat off of it until the next time I have a bake-a-thon! This recipe sounds great and I’ve just started adding poppy seeds to my goods, so thanks for the new idea = )
I HAVE to eat breakfast too. Breakfast is what I look forward to when my alarm goes off! And I would love to wake up to a huge stack of these. Please and thank you. 🙂
Loving everything about these!
I do breakfast for dinner all the time!! And this is what I’m making tonight for the whole fam!!! Can’t wait!!
I do breakfast for lunch all the time. It’s my favorite! These look awesome, I love poppy seeds!
For me, there’s no point in waking up if there’s no breakfast. I get ever so grumpy if I don’t have it!
I love all kind of breakfast foods: toasts (my favourite!), waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs, etc. But I always have toasts because I find them super conformting and I love routine haha. I have to eat the rest of the breakfast foods I like for dinner. Like these pancakes, which look amazing with all that lemony goodness yum. They’re probably going to be tomorrow’s dinner, they look awesome! x