If you're looking for fluffy gluten-free pancakes, these cottage cheese oatmeal pancakes are your new best friend! They're super simple with just a few main ingredients, they're higher in protein (thanks cottage cheese!), and they're actually fluffy and delicious like regular pancakes!
Recipe Price: $2.56 | Per Serving: $1.28 | Makes: 2
These beautiful cottage cheese pancakes are our new favorite pancake - and they're a perfect gluten-free option for folks who want a fast pancake without bananas. This recipe was inspired by these 3-Ingredient pancakes that were ok but a little lackluster.
Enter a few additional ingredients - baking powder for oomph and texture, maple syrup for flavor, almond butter for flavor and texture. Now this is a pancake!
My other favorite pancake recipes are these amazing flourless Paleo plantain pancakes, these whole wheat banana pancakes, and Downshiftology's Paleo Pancakes. It all depends on my mood, the ingredients we have on hand, and who's eating them!
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Why You Will Love This Cottage Cheese Pancakes Recipe
- Great texture! They're not your average oatmeal pancakes! When you bake blended cottage cheese it has a cakey quality, which works perfectly in this recipe. The eggs provide structure and the baking powder, as a leavening agent, provides lift. Together these elements counteract the dense gumminess you'd typically get from oat flour pancakes.
- It's so simple! This cottage cheese oat pancakes recipe is extremely simple - just 6 ingredients! And you can blend it all together in a blender or food processor.
- Higher in protein without protein powder! If you make 8 pancakes from this recipe, each pancake will have about 4 grams of protein! That's without the added hemp seeds! A regular pancake is going to have around 2 grams of protein, so the addition of cottage cheese really makes a huge difference here.
Ingredients
We're keeping things super simple here with gluten-free rolled oats, eggs, and cottage cheese doing all the heavy lifting, plus much-needed baking powder for that classic pancake texture! Be sure to check the recipe card for the full ingredients list and amounts.
- Cottage cheese (full fat or other): I recommend somewhere between 2% fat and full fat here, from a nutritional perspective, but you can use whatever percentage you prefer.
- Eggs: Two large eggs provide a lot of the texture to this recipe.
- Rolled oats (GF if needed): You can old fashioned or instant oats here.
- Almond butter: I love the flavor and texture this provides - feel free to try another nuts or seed butter you prefer.
- Maple syrup: This isn't strictly necessary as you can just add the maple syrup on top, but I do like a little syrup in the batter.
- Optional: Feel free to add 3-4 Tablespoons of Hemp seeds for additional protein if you'd like!
Dietary Modifications
- Paleo: These pancakes are not Paleo! Oats (a grain) and cottage cheese (dairy) are not Paleo-approved.
- Vegetarian: Yes! These are vegetarian, but they are not vegan. I do NOT think you could use vegan substitutes here.
- Low-FODMAP: As long as you're tolerating small amounts of dairy, these oatmeal cottage cheese pancakes are suitable for folks sensitive to FODMAPs!
How to Make Cottage Cheese Oatmeal Pancakes
I'm telling you, these are the simplest protein pancakes with cottage cheese - you'll be surprised how good they are! Here are the step-by-step instructions, but be sure to check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full instructions.
Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. For easier blending make sure the liquid ingredients are closer to the blender blades.
Step 2: Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt a tab of butter. If the butter browns, the pan is too hot!
Step 3: Pour about 3 tablespoons into the pan for each pancake. Cook until you see some bubbles forming on the top and the bottom is golden brown.
Step 4: Flip the pancakes and cook another 2 minutes or so on the second side.
Step 5: Serve the pancakes on a plate and add your preferred toppings! My favorite combination is maple syrup, almond butter, and blueberries. Enjoy!
PRO TIP: Nuts (almond butter) cook quickly! If your pancakes are browning before the top is puffy, turn down the heat.
Serving Suggestions
As written, this recipe makes about 8 gluten free cottage cheese pancakes, which can be anywhere from 2-4 servings, depending on what you're serving them with! Here are a few pairings I'd recommend:
- Greek yogurt and berries - and maybe a little high protein granola!
- For a make-ahead option, you can meal prep these Paleo egg muffins (or a frittata)
- Maple-sage sausage and fruit or this kiwi constipation smoothie!
- For a lovely brunch, pair these with stuffed Portobello breakfast mushrooms!
Expert Tips
As with any pancakes, the first one might come out a little bit funky while you're figuring out the right temperature for your pan. Every stove is different, every pan is different, so don't be discouraged if your first pancake is a bit darker or flatter than you'd like.
Make sure your baking powder is fresh! If your pancakes aren't rising or forming bubbles - check the expiration date on your baking powder.
The shelf life of opened baking powder is actually only about 3-6 months, so I recommend buying smaller jars and replacing them regularly so your recipes are able to rise properly!
FAQs
Cottage cheese proteins are pretty stable when cooked, so there will be no loss of protein. Similar to ricotta, cooked cottage cheese can provide a slightly cakey texture, which makes it perfect for this recipes. You can also cook cottage cheese in lasagna or scrambled eggs!
Cottage cheese pancakes can be stored in the fridge for about 5 days, or in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 months. Let the pancakes cool completely before adding to the storage container (especially if freezing them). To reheat, I recommend toasting them in your toaster or toaster oven for the best texture.
These cottage cheese pancakes contain 4 grams of protein per pancake if you make 8 pancakes from this recipe.
Cottage cheese is popular due to its high protein content and lower fat content when compared to other cheeses. A ½ cup portion (full fat) contains about 14 grams of protein and 5g of fat, while a half cup of shredded cheddar cheese contains about the same amount of protein but around 18g of fat. Most cheeses, from a macronutrient perspective, are considered to be fat sources, while cottage cheese is a protein source.
While there's nothing inherently wrong with fat (we absolutely need it), we typically need more protein than fat, which makes cottage cheese a great option.
On the downside, cottage cheese might not be a good option for you if you're intolerant or allergic to dairy or lactose, if you're following a low protein renal diet. Additionally, some brands can be incredibly high in sodium, which can be problematic for some people!
Just look at that texture! You never knew cottage cheese oatmeal pancakes could be so good!
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
Cottage Cheese Oatmeal Protein Pancakes
Ingredients
- ½ cup cottage cheese full fat or other
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup rolled oats GF if needed
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon almond butter
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- Optional: can add 1-3 Tablespoons hemp seeds for additional protein
- For serving: berries almond butter, and maple syrup
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to blender or magic bullet. Tip: make sure the wet ingredients (eggs) are closer to the blender than the dry ingredients (oats) for easiest blending. Blend until smooth.
- Head a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt a tab of butter. If the butter browns, the pan is too hot!
- Pour in the batter - about 3 Tablespoons or so per serving. Cook until you see some bubbles forming on the top and the bottom is golden brown. You can peek at the bottom here as needed. Note: nuts (almond butter) cook quickly! If your pancakes are browning before the top is puffy, turn down the heat.
- Flip pancakes and cook another 2 minutes or so on the second side, or until both sides are browned and the inside is cakey and not gooey. These pancakes will turn out like standard pancakes! They should not be gooey or gummy like typical oat pancakes.
- Add pancakes to a plate and add your preferred toppings! My favorite combination is maple syrup, almond butter, and blueberries. Enjoy!
Quiara
Delicious.This is an awesome recipe! Not gummy at all! Thank you!
Caitlin Self, MS, CNS, LDN
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them, Quiara! I was also shocked by their texture when I first made them. That cottage cheese + baking powder combo is gold. Thanks for sharing!
Caitlyn Guthrie
SO GOOD!
I added vanilla extract to mine and topped with: blueberries, Hu chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and almond butter! Best cottage cheese waffle recipe I have tried thus far 🤎🤎
Caitlin Self, MS, CNS, LDN
YUM!!! And as waffles...? Genius!