I’m a huge fan of cottage cheese – I love it mixed in overnight oats, making cottage cheese bowls, in smoothies, mixed with scrambled eggs, and topped on rice cakes. But these cottage cheese pancakes might be a new favorite!
Even if you don’t like cottage cheese, you will love these! They are light, perfectly fluffy, super easy to make, and filling! And hello, they are pancakes. Who doesn’t like pancakes?!
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The best thing yet, they are an easy way to add protein to your diet! We all know getting enough protein can be tough. But when you are eating things like pancakes, it seems effortless.
I love making these for an easy breakfast or for a post-workout meal. The recipe makes 2 servings, but adjust the serving size for your needs and goals. And of course, top them with all your favorite toppings!
Why we love these cottage cheese pancakes
- easy to make – just throw everything into the blender to make the batter!
- whole ingredients – made with healthy ingredients you probably already have at home
- 25 grams of protein per serving – the cottage cheese plus the eggs add a nice natural source of protein without any protein powders.
- macro-friendly and balanced – a good ratio of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber for balanced blood sugar and to avoid those spikes and crashes that a sweet breakfast can do.
Are cottage cheese pancakes healthy?
Yes, cottage cheese pancakes can be a great addition to anyone’s diet. Cottage cheese is known for being a high-protein food while still being relatively low in calories. It is also full of vitamins and minerals like B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and selenium.
By adding them to pancakes, we are naturally adding a great source of protein. These pancakes are also gluten-free and have 0 grams of sugar for a healthy and balanced way to start your morning.
Ingredients
- cottage cheese – I like using full-fat as I find it yields fluffier pancakes. I love the brand good culture.
- eggs
- rolled oats – these are going to act as the “flour” of the recipe
- cinnamon
- baking powder
- vanilla extract
- butter, oil, or cooking spray for cooking
How to make cottage cheese pancakes
- Blend ingredients to make the batter. Add all ingredients to a blender in the order listed and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Make sure not to over-mix. Let sit for 5 minutes. It should be pretty thick.
- Cook. Heat up a large nonstick skillet or griddle over low to medium heat. Once hot, add cooking fat and let it warm up. Using a 1/4 cup as a scoop, form into equal size pancakes. Cook for 3-4 minutes until small bubbles start to form on the outside and the sides start to fluff up (there won’t be a lot of bubbles though). Flip and cook for another 2-4 minutes until golden brown. You will probably have to cook in batches depending on your pan size.
- Enjoy! Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Why are my pancakes not fluffy?
If your pancakes are not fluffy, it’s because you blended them for too long. I find that 30 seconds is the maximum time for the dry ingredients to just be incorporated. If over-mixed the batter can break down too much and cause it not to be as fluffy.
Make them gluten-free
Use certified gluten-free oats to make them gluten-free.
Toppings
What are pancakes without some solid toppings?! Feel free to get creative but here are some of my favorite toppings:
- maple syrup
- greek yogurt
- nut butter – I love peanut butter or cashew butter
- fresh fruit – strawberries, blueberries, or sliced bananas
- butter
- cinnamon
Storage and reheating
- refrigerator – store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge. Pancakes should stay fresh for 4 days.
- freezer – allow them to cool completely. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer for 1-2 hours until frozen. Then place them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Freezing them in a single layer allows them to not stick together when you put them in a bag/container. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
- reheating – when ready to heat them up, pop them in the microwave or toaster.
Substitutions and additions
- cottage cheese – I like using full-fat as I find it yields fluffier pancakes, but you can try low-fat or fat-free. It doesn’t matter if you use large or small curd cottage cheese.
- eggs – I haven’t tried an egg substitute so I’m not sure if they will work.
- rolled oats – quick cooking oats will work instead of rolled. I have not tried this, but you should be able to use oat flour, a gluten-free flour mix, or whole wheat flour instead of rolled oats. Just add them to the blender, but you will probably not need to blend as long.
Here are some additions you can add to your pancakes as well:
- chocolate chips
- sliced bananas, berries, or chopped fruit
- spices – nutmeg, cloves, or pumpkin pie spice
- cacao powder – for extra chocolate
More healthy breakfast recipes
- protein pancakes
- cottage cheese bowl 2 ways
- coffee overnight oats
- cauliflower oatmeal
- smoked salmon breakfast bowl
- yogurt bowl
If you love quick and easy meals and want to learn how to build a balanced plate, check out our FREE How to Build a Balanced Plate Guide!
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
equipment
ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese (220 grams) – I recommend full-fat
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup rolled oats (100 grams)
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
instructions
- Blend ingredients to make the batter. Add all ingredients to a blender in the order listed and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Make sure not to over-blend. Let sit for 5 minutes. It should be pretty thick.
- Cook. Heat up a large nonstick skillet or griddle over low to medium heat. Once hot, add cooking fat and let it warm up. Using a 1/4 cup as a scoop, form into equal size pancakes. I get about 8 (you may need to cook in batches depending on the size of your pan). Cook for 3-4 minutes until small bubbles start to form on the outside and the sides start to fluff up (there won't be a lot of bubbles though). Flip and cook for another 2-4 minutes until golden brown.
- Enjoy! Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
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notes
- depending on your blender, you might not be able to half the recipe as there won’t be enough for everything to mix together. I found this is true with my Vitamix.
- if your blender is not very strong, I suggest blending the oats first to get a flour-like consistency and then adding the rest of the ingredients so they aren’t chunky.
nutrition
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I was a little nervous as this batter came out WAY too thick but taste wise they turned out ok. It was so annoying to scrape out of my Ninja (had to stop and stir multiple times) and then they took forever to cook. They tasted pretty good but I probably won’t make them again.
Sorry to hear they didn’t work for you, Ali. I mentioned in the notes that if your blender is not strong to blend the oats first to help the batter come together. They should cook up though so not sure of the issue there. Thanks for trying them though.
I’m obsessed! Protein packed, simple ingredients, and delicious.
Happy to hear you love them! Thanks, Ashton!
This looks very tasty! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Can you substitute the rolled oats with oat flour? If so how much oat flour should I use?
Also I only have an immersion/hand blender – would that still work?
Yes, that should work the same! I would say 3/4 cup oat flour would be the same as 1 cup rolled oats. If you need more, you can add it after everything is mixed and you can see the consistency. I would blend your cottage cheese in your immersion blender. Then mix it with your eggs and vanilla in a bowl. Mix your dry ingredients separately in a bowl. Then add them to your wet. Hope that helps! Let me know how they turn out if you try them.
These high protein pancakes are so easy to make and delicious! I love them!
So glad you enjoyed them, Patty! Thanks for trying them!
Love these! I actually make 4-6 servings and freeze leftovers. I like to grind the oats alone and add all dry ingredients to the bowl. Then, I blend all the wet and add to the dry. Super easy. My favorite is making them into waffles!!! Thanks for such a yummy and high protein recipe.
Oh, that’s such a smart idea!! I need to try waffles as well. Thanks for trying them Amy and glad to hear you enjoy them!
Too much. Cinnamon. Really unpleasant.
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy them, Alicia.
Yum! I made these and used 3/4 cup oats and 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder for some extra protein. Turned out great! My husband also liked them. I used a 1/8 cup to measure out the batter and ended up with 14 pancakes, 70g protein total for all. Idk if it was just my blender though, but when I went to unscrew the top, it exploded all over my face lol. I think it might’ve just been my problem though haha 😂
Oh no haha! That hasn’t happened to me, I wonder what it was lol. Glad you both enjoyed them Lauryn and thanks for trying them!
The baking soda causes that to happen.
Oh, I didn’t know that. It could depend on the size of the blender too. It’s never happened to me but good to know. Thanks, KC!
Great recipe but my blender had trouble with such a thick batter. I had to keep stopping the blender and stirring the batter. The end result was awesome nevertheless.
Glad you enjoyed them! I think having a high-powered blender helps. I can put that in the recipe notes as it might be easier to blend the oats first and then add the other ingredients. Thanks for trying them, Bonnie!
I added some milk and they came out great.
Glad to hear it! Thanks, Kat!