
Start your morning with a tall stack of Greek yogurt lemon poppy seed pancakes. Made with whole wheat flour, these pancakes are incredibly light and fluffy—thanks to a handful of power ingredients. You’ll love the extra crunch the poppy seeds add!
These lemon poppy seed pancakes are the epitome of a sunshine-y spring breakfast. They boast the same wonderful flavor as my lemon poppy seed Bundt cake, but are acceptable at 8am (though cake for breakfast is always a good idea!). While these pancakes are made with healthier ingredients like whole wheat flour and Greek yogurt, they remain soft and fluffy—no dry, dense hockey puck pancakes today!
These Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes Are:
- Light and fluffy
- Easy to prepare
- Made with wholesome ingredients
- Bursting with fresh citrus flavor
- Perfect for lazy weekend mornings
- Delicious served with lemon curd, whipped cream, maple syrup, or fresh berries
Power Ingredients in Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
These ingredients are the secret behind the delicious flavor and unbeatable texture.
- Whole Wheat Flour: I love to use whole wheat flour whenever I can (like in these whole wheat banana pancakes), but it does weigh down the batter so you have to be very careful when using it. Make sure to keep the batter light with other ingredients, otherwise these fluffy pancakes quickly turn into hockey pucks.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Use both leaveners to create lift and rise because whole wheat flour weighs the pancake batter down otherwise.
- Greek Yogurt: We use a whopping 1 cup of protein-packed Greek yogurt for added moisture and flavor.
- Melted Butter: A little butter adds so much flavor! I don’t recommend leaving it out. Without it, the pancakes taste a little flavorless and rubbery. It’s what makes birthday cake pancakes so delicious, too!
- Lemons: I like to use both lemon juice and lemon zest for lots of lemon flavor, just like we do for lemon poppy seed bread and lemon poppy seed muffins. If you love lemon treats for breakfast, be sure to try my lemon sweet rolls next!

Greek Yogurt Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- Microwave butter until melted. Set aside to slightly cool. You do not want it piping hot.
- In a large bowl, preferably with a pour spout, toss the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds together until combined. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk the yogurt, milk, butter, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently whisk to combine. Make sure there are no patches of dry flour at the bottom of the bowl. The batter is thick and a few lumps are fine.
- Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Coat generously with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Once it’s hot, drop/pour a heaping 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle. Cook until the edges look set and you notice holes in the pancake’s surface around the border, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until cooked through, about 1–2 more minutes. Coat griddle/skillet with butter or nonstick spray again, if needed, for each batch of pancakes.
- Keep pancakes warm in a preheated 200°F (93°C) oven until all pancakes are cooked. Serve pancakes immediately with toppings of choice.
- Cover and store leftover pancakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.