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.
Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!
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
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
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.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
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
© 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.
Nancy says
These are delicious! I followed the recipe as is except I used chocolate whey protein. Thank you for sharing!
Sara says
I followed the recipe exactly and the batter turned out kind of thick and seemed to thicken as time went on. I also only got about 6 pancakes out of the mix even when using a 1/4 measuring cup. I will try this recipe again and will try adding a liquid to help thin out the batter (as some reviewers have suggested) to see if that helps. Other then that the flavor wasn't bad. Do they taste like REAL pancakes? No exactly, but for a protein pancake they're better than the store bought mixes I've tried.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Sara, did you by chance use pea or vegan protein powder?
Sara says
Hi Denise,
Nope. I used vanilla whey. I used low fat Greek yogurt. Not sure if that would make a difference.
Ciara says
Great healthy pancake recipe! I'm quite shocked at how good they came out. I've tried others & they never came out as I'd hope. I did need to add a little water to loosen up when mixing but it didn't change a thing as far as the fluffiness goes. Also I had plain whey protein powder instead of vanilla, but I did have vanilla greek yogurt so I switched that for the plain instead & it came out great! I've found my new favorite healthy way to make pancakes...thank you for sharing this recipe!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Ciara! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the pancakes! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review, especially with the specifics. I really appreciate it!
Cara says
These came out absolutely AMAZING and DELICIOUS!! I love how fluffy and thick they are, and so full of flavor! I did change the recipe a bit; I used a full tsp of vanilla and Orgain's plant-based protein powder (I had to add some almondmilk to thin it out).
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Cara, we're so glad to hear that you loved this recipe - I hope it is a regular in your breakfast rotation now! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review.
Josée says
I am 8 months pregnant, with gestational diabetes, and have been looking for a low carb/low sugar recepie. So I loved the fact that there are no bananas, and I skipped the maple syrup, and this has become a go-to breakfast for me. I have made this recipe a few times now for my husband and I. These are by far our favorite protien pancakes!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Josee! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for including your modifications, that's so helpful! Good luck with everything!
Sarah says
This was my first attempt at protein pancakes, and they were great! I probably needed to blend the oats a bit more, but I didn't mind the 'rustic' effect of my oats being a bit chunky to be honest! They were quick, fluffy, tasty and way more filling than standard pancakes, plus great for my PCOS low GI/high protein diet. I Only had 'lemon cheesecake' flavoured whey protein, and it works great. I also have unflavoured collagen protein powder, will try that next time too.
I served with some greek yoghurt, strawberries and a little maple syrup - delicious! Thanks so much!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for reporting back! Now I want to find lemon cheesecake protein powder 😉
Sarah says
I got it from a friend, it's called scitec nutrition 100% whey protein professional. I'm in Australia, so not sure if it's just available here?
Pascale says
WoW! Finally a great recipe that has no BANANA in it! It’s fluffy and delicious! Thanks so much!
Denise Bustard says
Haha!! Glad you approve, Pascale :). Thanks for taking the time to report back!
Alex says
I used sour milk instead of yogurt (used 100 g instead of 120 g) and skipped the maple syrup. I used a vegetarian protein powder made from primarily pea and rice protein. They had a bit of a funny aftertaste, and even with some honey on top, it could not be masked. While great in order to increase protein as compared to regular pancakes, I can't say these taste better. These are akin to eating vegetables you don't really care for solely because they are good for you. The culprit is most likely the protein powder I used - I was gifted it and it isn't something I would have purchased myself - but at the moment, I don't have access to whey protein.
Bottom line: Do they function as pancakes? Yes. Are they better tasting than regular pancakes? No.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Alex! I mentioned in the post that this recipe is best made with whey protein powder, I think it might get lost in the post, so I'm going to move it into the recipe card to be sure. Pea protein powder had a not great texture.
Denise Bustard says
Also--- yes, if you skip the maple syrup, they will not taste good.
Sam says
This is am unhelpful review if you decide to substitute ingredients and then say it's not a good recipe.
Lisa says
I made a double batch this morning & they were pretty good. I like them topped with apricot preserves instead of syrup. My big mistake was that I didn’t watch the video so I didn’t grind the oats enough. That may be why another poster commented that they were grainy., I can definitely tell though that they would be much better had I properly made the oat flour. I’ll definitely be trying this again next weekend. Thanks Denise! 😀
Lisa says
I just made them again, double batch. This time I put the oats in my Ninja.... perfect outsert oat flour. I ended up adding about 1/4 cup of my homemade hemp milk to thin out The batter & they came great. Next time, I’ll make them smaller & layer 3 with PB & raspberry preserves to have desert for breakfast, lol.
Lisa says
Correction... perfect “powdery” oat flour.
Denise Bustard says
Thank you so much for your feedback, Lisa! I really appreciate the time it took for you to come back and leave your comments. That's so helpful to me and others! Glad you enjoyed the second batch and I love the idea to top with PB + J!
Sandra says
Wow I love your recipe. I didn’t have any Greek yogurt I used cottage cheese and no maple syrup I added a splash of oat milk as I prefer a thin batter. Thanks for sharing your recipe *****
Denise Bustard says
Hi Sandra! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you so much for reporting back about the cottage cheese! That's super helpful as I've been asked about that a few times.
Alex says
Hi - how many servings does this make? The nutrition says one serving is 147 calories but is this for all
The mixture or 1/8th? Thanks
Adina says
I have the same question, thanks for asking!
Mike says
I have the same question.
Denise Bustard says
Hey guys! Apologies for my late reply here. The recipe makes 8 pancakes, and nutritional info is for one pancake. Of course I would probably eat 2-3 per serving. Sorry for any confusion!
stacey says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I've never found a recipe which makes protein pancakes so fluffy, they were amazing! Really enjoyed making them and they were so light and fluffy! 🙂
Denise Bustard says
Hi Stacey! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them, and that they were nice and fluffy for you 🙂
JB says
Hi! Going to try these tomorrow! Is there a way to only use egg whites, vs. while eggs?
Denise says
Hi JB! I have not tried that, would you let me know how it goes if you give it a try?
Jana says
Unbelievable how the taste and texture is just like regular pancakes! For the reader who said their mixture was grainy, that happened to me too, probably because I used a plant based protein powder. But I just added some almond milk to thin it out to pancake batter consistency and it was perfect. I added coconut flakes to the batter too and yum! Thanks for the recipe!
Denise says
Hi Jana! Wow, I love reading this! And thank you for your tip about adding extra milk to thin it out. That's super helpful!
Molly says
These are SO amazing. I've been settling for subpar protein pancakes for years and these have saved me! They have flavor, keep me full, and are so easy to make. I mostly have everything on hand to whip these up. And they do keep well! Although they've only lasted a couple of days in my house so I don't know about freezing them. I am wondering- would there be any alterations to this recipe if I wanted to use it for a waffle iron?
Denise says
Hi Molly! Your comment makes my heart so happy! It took me so many tries to get these right. I have not tried them on a waffle iron, and am not sure if you'd need to modify, but I'd love to hear how they go if you give them a try!
Jane says
Hi I am going to attempt this recipe! I was just wondering if you could use 1 egg and the some egg whites? Maybe leave out the syrup if I don’t have any? Looking forward to trying it!
Denise says
Hi Jane, apologies for my late reply. I personally haven't tried that, but would love to hear how it goes for you if you try it!
Javiera says
I've tried maany many protein pancake recipes and this is absolutely the best one. Fluffy, soft and almost like eating a muffin (I added some blueberries to the batter). I used low fat margarine instead of coconut oil, and added a couple tablespoons of water because soy protein made the batter too thick, and they came out absolutely perfecf!
Thanks for the recipe, greetings from Chile.
Denise says
Wow, thank you so much for the amazing review, Javiera! I'm so happy you enjoyed. Thanks for letting us know they work with soy protein. Stay safe!
Stephanie says
Thank you! I’ve relied on a yogurt/egg/banana recipe in the past, but wanted to introduce a more genuine “fluffy” protein pancake to fit my bfs palate. We both loved the taste of these! I added a bit of cinnamon in too and it was yumm. Followed the recipe but my batter was a little thick, so thinned down with 2% milk. These cooked well, though we did think they were a little dry, so I might opt for full fat Greek yogurt next time (I used nonfat in my version). I know you said the protein powder may also be to the issue, so I’ll keep trying to tweak. Thank you!
Denise says
Thanks for your feedback, Stephanie! Did you use a pea protein powder or whey? Pea protein really did not work for this recipe, unfortunately 🙁
Molly says
I used pea protein for mine and I used almond milk and a more heaping measurement of whole fat greek yogurt. They worked great that way!
Deana Dorman says
The batter makes sure looks nothing like pancake batter. It is thick and grainy. I followed the recipe. Not sure what happened
Denise says
Hi Deana, that's so strange! Did you watch the video in this post? Did the batter look similar? The only variable I can really think of is the protein powder. I had issues when I used plant-based protein powders...which type did you use?
Ali says
Best protein pancakes i have ever had... not dry like the pthers and turns out nice and thick! AND the taste is amazing! Thank you so much.
Denise says
WOW! Thanks for making my day with your review, Ali! I really appreciate you taking the time to report back.
Sally Trottier says
These are very good, thank you for sharing this recipe! I'm not a big fan of bananas so it's great to find this! A couple questions...is the serving size 1 pancake? Also is the coconut oil and syrup to be mixed in with the batter?
Denise says
Hi Sally! Yes, the nutritional info is per pancake. And yes, the coconut oil and syrup go into the batter. Hope this helps 🙂
Lana says
I don't know if it's really right to leave a review when I change a recipe so much, but your guide was definitely the start of these! I tend to adjust recipes to fit some of my needs and what I have on hand. First, for these, I had the white whole wheat flour you mentioned and had JUST used up my rolled oats for a horse cookie recipe I made. I always drink chocolate protein so that's what I have. I always eat Activia yogurt, either peach or black cherry (usually) so that's what I have. I used the black cherry. I didn't strain it to make it Greek, and since it had the added sugar, I eliminated the maple syrup, thinking the moisture and sugar from the yogurt would take its place. I also used 1 T of olive oil and 1 T of unsweetened applesauce. I have an apple tree and try to use up my applesauce any way I can! LOL! They came out really good. I had a little bit of a learning experience with them, since the top did not bubble like most pancakes, and I let a couple get a little too dark before turning them. I took the rest of my 1/2 cup contained of applesauce, blended it with some plain syrup and cinnamon and made a "syrup" that was out of this world. I'm waiting for my husband to get up to see what he thinks, but I am pleased!
Denise says
Happy to hear they worked for you with those modifications, Lana! I have found that applesauce can cause pancakes to burn on the outside before they cook through on the inside. Which is too bad because it's such a great natural sweetener! Anyway glad they worked for you. <3
Kathleen M Hendriks says
These pancakes are really good! I liked that they were filling and flavorful enough to get by without anything but some sliced strawberries on top or a little drizzle of sugar free pancake syrup (for those of us cutting calories). The recipe was easy to follow and I think I will even prepare a few baggies of measured dry ingredients (pre-blend the rolled oats, add the baking powder) for an even quicker morning meal. Thanks Denise!
Denise says
Hi Kathleen! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the pancakes. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!