I’m a huge fan of cottage cheese – I love making cottage cheese bowls, adding it to smoothies, mixing it with scrambled eggs, and topping it on toast, to name a few. But these cottage cheese pancakes are always a favorite!
Even if you don’t like cottage cheese, you will love these! They are light and perfectly fluffy like a regular pancake, but more filling thanks to cottage cheese! Plus, they are easy to make with the batter being made in the blender. 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 foods like pancakes, it seems effortless. These cottage cheese protein pancakes also have 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 cause.
I love making these for an easy breakfast for adults or kids, or for a post-workout meal. The recipe makes two servings, but adjust the serving size for your needs and goals. And of course, top them with all your favorite toppings!
Why you’ll love this flourless cottage cheese pancake recipe
- light and fluffy texture!
- easy to make – throw everything into the blender to make the batter!
- whole food ingredients – made with simple ingredients you probably already have at home.
- 25 grams of protein per serving – the cottage cheese and eggs add a natural source of protein without any protein powder.
- recipe the whole family will love!
Are pancakes healthy?
Traditional pancakes can be high in carbs and sugar, spiking your blood sugar and leaving you hungry shortly after. But 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 rich in vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and selenium. By adding it 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.
Healthy cottage cheese pancakes ingredients
- cottage cheese – I like using full-fat cottage cheese as I find it yields fluffier pancakes with more flavor.
- eggs
- rolled oats – these are going to act as the “flour” of the recipe.
- cinnamon
- baking powder
- vanilla extract
- salt
- butter, oil, or cooking spray for cooking
How to make cottage cheese pancakes
For the complete directions, ingredient amounts, serving size, and accurate nutrition breakdown, scroll down to the recipe card below.
Make the batter.
Add all ingredients to a high speed blender in the order listed.
Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Make sure not to over-blend. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Cook.
Heat up a large nonstick pan or griddle over low to medium heat. Once hot, add cooking fat and let it warm up. Add about 1/4 cup of batter to your pan and form into equal-sized pancakes. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they fluff up, and the batter is set.
Flip.
Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
Toppings
What are pancakes without some solid toppings?! Feel free to get creative, but here are some of my favorite toppings:
- maple syrup or honey
- greek yogurt
- nut butter
- fresh fruit – strawberries, blueberries, or sliced bananas.
- jam
- butter
- cinnamon
What to serve with pancakes
- eggs
- bacon or breakfast sausage
- fresh fruit
- greek yogurt or cottage cheese
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 your pancakes not to be as fluffy.
Use certified gluten-free oats to make sure they are gluten-free.
Yes, you can refrigerate the batter for up to one day. I find the batter becomes super thick, and you will need to form the pancakes somewhat when cooking them, but they will still come out the same. Store batter in an airtight container and make sure to stir the batter before using.
Storage and reheating
Substitutions and additions
- cottage cheese – I like using full-fat (whole milk cottage cheese) as I find it yields fluffier pancakes, but you can try fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese, but the results may vary, as they are not as thick. 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.
- sweetener – if you want a sweeter pancake, add 1-2 tablespoons of sweetener to the batter.
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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 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- for serving – butter, maple syrup, fresh berries, cinnamon…
instructions
- Blend ingredients to make the batter. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender in the order listed and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Make sure not to over-blend. Let it 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. Add about 1/4 cup of batter to your pan and form into equal-sized pancakes. You may need to cook in batches depending on the size of your pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they fluff up, and the batter is set (there won't be a lot of bubbles like traditional pancakes). Flip and cook for another 1-2 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 information does not include any cooking fat.
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!