Step 1

For the pancakes: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until combined.

Step 2

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ricotta, almond milk, vanilla, blood orange zest and juice and egg until combined.

Step 3

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine until the ingredients are just moistened (be careful not to overmix).

Step 4

In a large nonstick pan or griddle, heat the butter over medium heat. For each pancake, add 1/4 cup of batter to the pan, spreading the batter out with the back of the measuring cup into a round shape.

Step 5

Cook until the surface of the pancakes starts to bubble, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes over with a spatula and cook until the second side is lightly browned, 3 minutes more. Serve warm with blood orange syrup, if desired.

Step 6

For the blood orange syrup: Stir together the maple syrup and blood orange zest and heat in the microwave until warm, about 15 seconds. Drizzle over the pancakes and serve with additional blood orange slices.