Perfect fluffy protein pancakes made without bananas, refined sugar, or flour! Made with protein powder, eggs and greek yogurt, these pancakes pack 9 grams of protein and are going to fuel you through your morning!
It's no secret that we love pancakes around here. We have 7 Homemade Pancake Flavors including Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes and Sweet Potato Pancakes. But the most popular pancake recipe on the blog is definitely these perfect, fluffy protein pancakes!
Protein powder has the tendency to make things dry or dense, but after many experiments, I got the right ratios to get perfect protein pancakes that are light and fluffy!
These are really a blank canvas for your favorite toppings. I like topping with extra greek yogurt, fresh blueberries and of course: maple syrup.
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Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
- the pancakes come out so fluffy and light
- they have no bananas (unlike 99% of the protein pancake recipes out there!)
- with 9 g protein per pancake, they'll fill you right up!
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these protein pancakes. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Ingredient notes
- Rolled oats- for this recipe, we blend the oats into flour, so quick oats should also work fine. Do not use steel cut oats.
- Protein powder- I recommend vanilla whey protein powder; pea protein powder yielded thicker pancakes that require more milk to thin out, and the texture was not quite as enjoyable.
- Eggs- we have not tested these pancakes with flax eggs; if you give it a try, we'd love to hear how your pancakes turn out!
- Greek yogurt- essential to provide moisture and thickness to the pancakes- use plain
- Maple syrup- for a touch of sweetness; swap for an equal amount of honey or your favorite liquid sweetener.
- Coconut oil- essential to provide moisture to the pancakes; I recommend using refined coconut oil. You can swap for melted butter or olive oil
Step by step directions
1. Blend oats- Add the oats to a blender, then blend for 30 seconds- 1 minute, until powdery (as pictured above).
TIP- I'm a big fan of this Vitamix!
2. Blend remaining ingredients- add the baking powder, protein powder, eggs, greek yogurt, vanilla extract, melted coconut oil and maple syrup. Place the lid on the blender, and blend until mixture is completely combined and no pockets of oat flour remain.
TIP- if you swap protein powders, you may need to add milk to thin the batter out.
3. Cook pancakes- Grease a nonstick pan and heat over medium heat. Cook ¼ cup portions of pancakes for roughly 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second.
TIP- Edges of pancakes dry out and pancakes will move around on the pan when shaken when they are ready to flip.
4. Enjoy! Top your pancakes with extra yogurt, fresh fruit and maple syrup.
FAQ
Yes! These pancakes can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. Be warned that they are best served fresh and do get a little drier as they sit in the fridge. But smother with greek yogurt and you won't notice. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
Yes, but you'll need a completely different recipe. Check out this No Flipping Sheet Pan Pancake.
I tested this with three types of protein powder. I highly recommend using a flavored whey protein powder (like vanilla). I did test with a vegan (pea protein) powder, and the pancakes were very thick... you can give it a try and add some almond or dairy milk to thin them out. The texture was completely different, so I really do recommend sticking to a whey protein powder.
I tested one variation of this recipe with 1 cup white whole wheat flour and they were good! However I haven't tested the final version of this recipe with it so if you try, I'd love to hear how they went for you!
Storage and meal prep
Due to the protein powder in these pancakes, they dry out a touch while storing. Smother with yogurt and syrup to serve and I doubt you'll notice 😉
- fridge- store in an air tight container for up to 4 days
- freezer- separate pancakes with strips of parchment or wax paper. Wrap the bunch loosely in parchment and store in a larger meal prep container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 1 month.
- reheating- heat in the microwave, or in a frying pan over medium heat. The air fryer may also work!
More pancake recipes
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Perfect Fluffy Protein Pancakes (no banana!)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats 135 g; see note 1
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder 30 g; ½ cup roughly; see note 2
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt 120 g
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted; swap for butter or olive oil; see note 3
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Blend oats- Add the oats to a blender, then blend for 30 seconds- 1 minute, until powdery (as pictured above).
- Blend remaining ingredients- add the baking powder, protein powder, eggs, greek yogurt, vanilla extract, melted coconut oil and maple syrup. Place the lid on the blender, and blend until mixture is completely combined and no pockets of oat flour remain.
- Cook pancakes- Grease a nonstick pan and heat over medium heat. Cook ¼ cup portions of pancakes for roughly 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second.
- Enjoy! Top your pancakes with extra yogurt, fresh fruit and maple syrup.
Tips:
- fridge- in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days
- freezer- separate pancakes with squares of wax or parchment paper; store in an air tight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month.
Video
Nutrition Information
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Mary says
Great recipe! I followed it to a T in the prep part and added chocolate chips before flipping them over and they were great! The Greek yogurt was a nice way to lighten them up! I’m surprised to know I had all the ingredients to make a protein packed breakfast pancake as well 🙂
Denise Bustard says
Hi Mary! So happy to hear you've enjoyed them. Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review 🙂
Ric says
Great recipe, but I had to modify it. Warning: if you are using a NutriBullet, only use it to grind the oats. This recipe make a thick batter and after trying to blend it and then removing the base of the blender, a lot of pressure was released! Batter everywhere! LOL. So, I transferred the mixture to a bowl, added milk to the consistency I liked and, man, were they GOOD and FLUFFY!
So, next time, I’ll grind up the oats, mix up the eggs and add everything together like I would using a traditional batter.
I also added a little cinnamon, but that’s just what I like.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Ric, thank you so much for reporting back, that is a great tip for NutriBullet users!
Sophie walsh says
Far too dense I’m not sure all the eggs and baking powder is needed.
Chef Super says
Very nice and healthy recipes. Thank you so much for making our lives easier, very much appreciated.
Can I please have notification of new recipes.
Ben | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Chef, we are so happy to hear you are enjoying our recipes.
You can get on our email list by signing up for The Meal Prep Quick Start Guide
Mckenna says
Seriously the best healthy pancakes I've ever had! I make them a couple times each month
Ben | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Mckenna, it is an honor to make it onto your menu. Thanks for sharing
Solvy says
I have never left the comment anywhere online, but this time i had to take a min to write that this is apsolutely the best pancake recipe i have eveeeeeerrrr tried!
Omg!!!
Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
Maria
Denise Bustard says
Hi Solvy! I'm so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Silvana verbon says
Love the protein pancakes.
Ben says
They are so good, aren't they?
Nadine says
One of the best recipes I’ve tried so far. I didn’t have Greek yogurt so I replaced it with almond milk and it worked perfectly! Not too dense
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Nadie, so glad to hear that these protein pancakes worked out perfectly for you! Thanks for leaving a rating and review 🙂
Jessica says
These turned out really dry for me. I used isopure protein powder and melted butter instead of coconut oil.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Jessica, sorry to hear. Thanks for sharing your feedback!
Selina Newell says
Im excited to try these tomorrow. I notices you wrote that the pancakes dry out as they sit in the fridge, was wondering if you have ever tried just making one pancake at a time? I was thinking of trying that, like just make one and seal up the batter and make another the next day until it is used up. Just wondering...
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Selina, we hope you enjoy! Great question - storing pancake batter overnight in the fridge usually works (though we haven't tested it with this exact pancake recipe). You will want to use it up within the next day though, since there are raw eggs in the batter and the baking powder may lose its rising powder as it sits. I hope this helps! Please let us know how it works if you do try it 🙂
Tara Craig says
I have been trying since 2017 to find a protein pancake mix, homemade or store-bought, that resulted in a taste and texture I enjoy. I am SO glad I stumbled on this one! This is the best! I cut the recipe in half, which resulted in 1.5 eggs needed. I know eggs have a lot to do with a recipe, so I did actually whip the second egg and add 1/2 of it to the recipe. I also left the syrup out of the recipe, unintentionally. I used a banana-cinnamon plant-based protein powder which required just a splash of milk to be needed in the batter. I did blend for a super long point to assure the smoothest texture possible. I am so happy to be done looking for the best protein pancakes! These cooked to perfection and resulted in light, fluffy pancakes with no gritty texture! So, so delicious!!!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Tara, wow! Sounds like you've been on a long quest to find the perfect protein pancakes recipe - and we're so glad you finally landed here! Thanks for sharing your feedback and review 🙂
Annika says
Don’t usually post reviews but I saw that you reply to all of them so it must really help your site 🙂 anyways these pancakes were DELICIOUS. Best protein pancakes I’ve ever made, and I’ve made ALOT. Thanks for blessing us with this recipe, going to be making them a lot in the future.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Annika, awe, thank you! We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed this pancake recipe, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a rating and review!
Gabriela says
Finally a no-flour pancake recipe that doesn’t makes the pancakes come out dry. These were so fluffy and delicious. Really enjoyed the subtle coconut flavour also, thanks!! :3
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Gabriella, Yay! We're so glad that these protein pancakes turned out perfectly for you. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!
Nnnnn says
I never comment but holy sh… these are the best pancakes I’ve ever had. Didn’t know it was possible for pancakes to come out this good! By the way I used Vanilla Cream protein instead
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi there, That's amazing! We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed these protein pancakes, thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!!
Sarah T says
I'm sorry but these came out awful! So so dry, I took the serving down to 4 pancakes not sure if that was why but they didn't have a good taste or texture. I used 100% whey vanilla protein as well 🙁
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Sarah, so sorry to hear that you did not enjoy. It seems this recipe is one that folks either love or hate! Thanks for your feedback.
Alexander says
Made them this morning with double the vanilla whey and normal butter since I ran out of coconut oil. Gorgeous pancakes! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Alexander, oh wow that sounds amazing, glad you enjoyed! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!
Joyce says
Soooo good and fluffy!! This is the 3rd time I’ve made these and they turned out the best. The only thing I did different was use olive oil instead of butter and thinning with a splash of milk. My previous pancakes tasted great but were denser.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Joyce, we're so glad to hear that this recipe has become one of your go-to's! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review.
michael says
Absolutely terrific. Made as noted and they were perfect. Thanks a wonderful creative pancake!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Michael, we're so glad these pancakes turned out perfectly for you! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!