These cottage cheese pancakes are light and fluffy, with pockets of gooey cottage cheese. With 6 g of protein per pancake, they will actually fill you up, and they are simple to mix up in one bowl.
Pancakes are a staple at our place on the weekend, whether it's a batch of perfect, fluffy protein pancakes, or deliciously savory bacon pancakes.
These cottage cheese pancakes are great because you don't need quite as much flour as traditional pancakes, and they get a boost of protein thanks to the cottage cheese. Not only that but they are so fluffy!
Reasons you'll โก this recipe
- the ingredients list is short (7 ingredients), and there is no oil
- they have 6 g protein each thanks to the cottage cheese
- they are easy to make ahead and freeze!
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Recipe video
Watch the video below for step by step instructions for prepping cottage cheese pancakes! You can find more recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Ingredient notes
- Cottage cheese- this recipe was tested with 2% cottage cheese. I believe it would work fine with low fat cottage cheese, but recommend avoiding dry curd cottage cheese, which would alter the moisture content of the pancakes.
- Flour- you may use a mixture of all purpose and whole wheat flour (50% of each), or you can use 100% all purpose, or 100% white whole wheat flour. Gluten-free, almond, oat and other alternative flours have not been tested.
- Maple syrup- feel free to swap for brown sugar or honey
A note about cottage cheese
When measuring the cottage cheese, make sure you get the liquid with the cheese curds. Depending on the brand of cottage cheese, it may be more or less 'liquidy'. Once the pancake batter is mixed up, if it seems dry, you may add ยผ cup or more of milk to thin it out. See the images below and video for a good visual of how your batter should look.
Step by step directions
Scroll to the recipe card for ingredient quantities.
Mix the batter- Star by mixing together the wet ingredients: add the cottage cheese, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix with a spatula until the batter is well combined. Next, add the dry ingredients: place the flour, baking powder and salt onto the wet mixture. Mix until no pockets of flour remain. At this point, you can assess whether the batter needs milk to thin it out; see the photo above for the desired consistency. If adding milk, start with ยผ cup, then add more as needed.
Measure + cook- I recommend measuring out ยผ cup portions of pancake batter; it may seem like it's not enough, but the pancakes expand quite a bit when cooking.
Heat a pan over medium heat. Spray the pan with spray oil, or grease well with olive or vegetable oil. Add the ยผ cup portion of pancake batter and pat it into a circular shape using the measuring cup. Cook for 2 minutes on the first side.
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Flip- Pancakes are ready to flip when the edges become set and dry, and there are bubbles throughout the pancake. Carefully flip the pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the second side.
Recipe tips
Measure your flour correctly
For this recipe, accurate flour measurement is essential- I recommend you use a kitchen scale to weigh out exactly 125 g, or that you fluff, spoon, then level the flour into a measuring cup. Scooping the flour can as much as double the amount of flour that you use, which will cause big problems for these pancakes.
Thin the batter as needed
Due to variations between brands of cottage cheese, you may need to add a touch of milk to thin the batter out. I recommend you compare your pancake batter to image 1) in the photo collage above, or watch the recipe video in this post to see what the batter should look like.
You can also cook a test pancake, and determine if the thickness of the pancakes is what you are looking for; if the pancakes are too thick to your liking, thin the batter out.
When adding milk to your batter, start with ยผ cup, then add more as needed.
Cook a test pancake
I always recommend cooking a test pancake to start. This helps you determine whether you'd like to thin out your batter, and whether your pan is at the correct temperature. Once you have those factors figured out, you can transition to cooking multiple pancakes at the same time.
Flipping the pancakes
When pancakes are ready to flip, they will become dryer around the outside, and lift up slightly from the pan. If I'm unsure of whether a pancake is ready to flip, I use my spatula to gently touch the edge of the pancake; if it sticks to the spatula, it's not ready. Pancakes will also have bubbles throughout.
To flip, quickly work the spatula all the way under the pancake, and in a fluid motion, flip it over. Practice makes perfect, and it's OK if your first flip is a flop ๐
Serving suggestions
Cottage cheese pancakes could be topped with either sweet or savory toppings:
- berries
- maple syrup
- powdered sugar
- chopped bacon
- scrambled or poached eggs
- chopped tomatoes
Storage and reheating
These pancakes store well for meal prep. You could cook up a double (or triple) batch, then freeze for later!
- fridge- cool completely on a wire rack. Stack pancakes in an air tight meal prep container, then store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- freezer- cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap individual pancakes in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag or meal prep container. For a plastic-free option, stack with a square of parchment or wax paper between them, cover loosely in parchment, then store in a meal prep container. Freeze for up to 1 month.
- thaw- heat in the microwave, or thaw overnight in the fridge.
- heat- you can place pancakes in the toaster (this works best with thick/sturdy pancakes), or reheat over medium heat in a frying pan. I bet they'd reheat great in the air fryer, too! Try 350ยฐF for 2-3 minutes.
Check out my favorite meal prep containers!
More pancake recipes
- Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe
- Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Zucchini Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Sheet Pan Protein Pancakes
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese see note 1
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup see note 2
- ยฝ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cups white whole wheat flour 125 g; fluffed, spooned & levelled; see note 3
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- ยผ cup milk optional; see note 4
Instructions
- Mix the wet ingredientsโ Star by mixing together the wet ingredients: add the cottage cheese, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix with a spatula until the batter is well combined.
- Mix in the dry ingredients- Place the flour, baking powder and salt onto the wet mixture. Mix until no pockets of flour remain. At this point, you can assess whether the batter needs milk to thin it out; see the photo above for the desired consistency. If adding milk, start with ยผ cup, then add more as needed.
- Prepare the pan- Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Spray with oil, or grease well with olive or vegetable oil.
- Cook the pancakes- Measure out ยผ cup portions and place into the greased pan. Pat into a circular shape, then cook for roughly 2 minutes, or until golden. Flip and cook for 1-2 additional minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to rest while you cook the other pancakes.
- Serve- Serve the pancakes with berries and syrup, or serve with savory ingredients such as bacon and scrambled eggs.
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Tips:
- Fridge- stack pancakes in an air tight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezer- wrap pancakes in plastic, then place in a freezer bag or meal prep container. Alternatively, stack the pancakes with squares of wax or parchment paper between them. Wrap loosely in parchment and then store in an air tight container for up to 1 month.
Video
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Toni says
These were fluffy & delicious. Made 1 batch as per recipe & adapted one to be gluten free. Used 100g Betty Crocker GF baking mix, added 1/4tsp baking powder (not sure if needed it but possibly couldโve even used more). Didnโt need to add any milk. Could probably have used full 125g of mix & then added some milk. Both batches were great - thank so much!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Toni, good to know that they worked out with gluten-free flour as well! Thanks so much for reporting back, and taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!
Linda says
My second time making these, today I added chopped strawberries to batter , served with turkey bacon
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Linda, we're so glad to hear that this recipe is in regular rotation in your kitchen! Strawberries sound like a delicious add-in! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review.
Cindy Smith says
I've made these twice for my hubby, young adult daughter and myself. They are yummy and fluffy and very filling. Even my husband can leave the table satisfied with a dinner of pancakes and bacon with these lovelies!
I make a double batch to ensure leftovers. I didn't have enough cottage cheese the first time so I substituted a cup of ricotta cheese and adjusted the moisture with milk. Very tasty but definitely better with all cottage cheese. Thanks for sharing!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Cindy, we're so glad that the whole family enjoys this recipe! Thanks for reporting back about the ricotta substitution - sounds like nothing beats the cottage cheese. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!
Anguree says
Beautiful fluffy pancakes. I replaced half the flour with Almond flour and used wholemeal for the other half. Added 1 egg, as you often do using nut based flours and a 1/3 cup of oatmilk to make the batter more liquid since I used Bulla 98% fat free cottage cheese. Beautiful results, in fact they got better through the cook so maybe letting it sit for 5 minutes or so will be good. Tagged you on Instagram xxx
Jennifer says
I have substituted the recipe with almond flour and they were delicious. I enjoyed them a lot. The almond flour was easy to substitute I used the same amount as the flour. The pancakes were flat but if you use es water they will be fluffier.
Thanks for the recipe with not a lot of options for me to eat that have protein this was a great find.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jennifer, thanks so much for reporting back! I had no idea that almond flour would work (have not had success with my other pancakes). I appreciate you taking the time to come back and let us know, thank you <3
Winnie says
Made these this morning - they are delicious! I also had trouble with my first pancake falling apart when I tired to flip it, so I turned up my stove temperature and the remaining pancakes flipped easily with no sticking in the hotter fry pan.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Winnie! Glad to hear the higher heat did the trick for you. I find the first pancake is always kind of a mess ๐ Thanks for taking the time to come back and review!
Sharon says
Why is my batter so much thicker than yours? Perhaps brand of whole wheat flour??
Denise Bustard says
Hi Sharon, thanks for your patience with my late reply (holidays!). Did you weigh your flour or fluff, spoon and level it? If you scoop or measure your flour incorrectly you can end up with almost double the amount required. I hope the pancakes worked out for you!
Cabi says
Can I replace the flour for oat flour??? Thanks
Denise Bustard says
Hi Cabi! I have not tried and couldn't say for sure without testing. If you try, would you let us know how it goes?
Rachel says
Am I able to replace the maple syrup in the recipe with Agave nectar instead? Just wondering because that is all I have on hand ATM ๐ I am excited to try!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Rachel! I haven't tried that, but don't see why it wouldn't work. Let me know how it goes! Hope you enjoy ๐
Meg says
Can you make these into waffles as well?
Meg says
Just made these into waffles! Doubled the recipe and got about 12 waffles out of it to freeze!! Look perfect ๐
Denise says
Amazing! Now I want to try! Thank you for sharing, Meg!
Christy says
Love these and make them weekly. Do you think they would freeze well?
Denise says
Hi Christy! I'm so happy you've enjoyed the pancakes. I do think they would freeze well. We freeze our pancakes in freezer or silicone bags, or stacked in meal prep containers. Thanks so much for your review!
Julita says
I found your (this) recipe a long time ago on Pinterest. We make it often for years now. We love it so much! I like to prepare the batter and while I cook the pancakes, I put frozen blueberries and strawberries into a large saucepan to heat them through and pour the berry sauce over a stack of pancakes. No sugar necessary, kids and hubby love them! Thanks for sharing!
Denise says
Hi Julita, I'm so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review for others. Have a great day ๐
Natalie says
These are delicious!!!! I have made soooo many different recipes and by far these are the best. I used all purpose flour and they turned out great! Super fluffy which is really hard to achieve with cottage chees3. Cooked them on low heat to make sure they cooked thru. Amazing!!!!
Denise says
Hi Natalie! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them! THank you so much for taking the time to leave your review ๐
Laur says
These fell apart and didn't cook through. Awful.
Denise says
Hi Laur, I am so sorry to hear that, but also puzzled as I just got a 5 star review for this same recipe. I am guessing that what happened for you is that you did not spoon your flour. If you scoop your flour, you can end up with almost double the correct amount, which would definitely cause problems. I always recommend either weighing or spooning, fluffing & levelling your flour to make sure you get the correct amount.
Jessy says
Hello! I want to replace the flour for all-purpose, how much do you think I should put? 1 1/2 cups of All-purpose?
Thank you!
Denise says
Hi Jessy, yes equal amounts of all purpose! They work interchangeably. Hope you enjoy!