Our protein pancakes recipe makes the most delicious protein packed pancakes you’ll ever taste! They’re fluffy and thanks to cottage cheese, there’s no chalky flavor or aftertaste. Best of all, this healthy high protein breakfast can be ready to serve in just 15 minutes!
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If you want fluffy pancakes but also want a high protein breakfast, this is the recipe for you.
Cottage cheese protein pancakes may sound strange, but trust us – they are incredibly delicious and there are 16 grams of protein in one serving!
Unlike other protein pancakes that can be dry and artificial tasting – these pancakes taste absolutely amazing! They have a thick, fluffy texture that is just like ‘real’ pancakes!
3 reasons to make protein powder pancakes
- Thoroughly tested recipe. We tested several protein powders to find the perfect combination of ingredients. This means you’ll have perfectly moist, fluffy pancakes that taste amazing.
- Easy to make: The batter comes together in a blender. This means less dishes to clean up, too!
- A high protein breakfast. In each pancake, there are 16 grams of protein and 1 gram of fiber, making them a filling breakfast that can support your goals.Â
- So tasty! Cottage cheese protein pancakes taste so much like the classic breakfast treat that you will hardly notice that they contain healthier ingredients.
Ingredient Notes
For these pancakes you’ll need:
- oat flour – I haven’t tried this with any other flour. Oat flour is our favorite because it’s light and fluffy in baked goods.
- vanilla protein powder – I’ve tried this with vegan, whey and beef protein and they all work well. There are notes on protein powders below.
- cottage cheese – you can’t taste it, I swear! This gets blended up and helps add protein and moisture to the pancakes!
- eggs
- honey – you could also sweeten with maple syrup
- baking powder
- milk
It will also be helpful to have a high powered blender or food processor. A large cookie scoop is helpful when scooping the pancakes, and so is a griddle!
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR PROTEIN PANCAKES
Oat Flour – I recommend using store bought oat flour instead of whole oats in this recipe. You can use gluten-free oat flour if necessary! See notes below if you plan to make your homemade oat flour. To use homemade oat flour, you will want to make the oat flour first. If the oats are added to the blender with the other ingredients, they won’t fully break down and the results may be variable. You will need about ¾ cup of whole old-fashioned rolled oats to make 2/3 cup of oat flour. You absolutely can’t substitute oat flour with almond or coconut flour.
Vanilla Protein Powder – I tried both Iconic Protein grass-fed whey protein powder and Truvani plant-based protein powder in this recipe. Both these options produced great results, but I did need to double the milk used for the vegan option. Both these brands contain only the protein sources, vanilla, and a sweetener, which allows for more consistent results. You could also swap with chocolate protein powder.
Cottage Cheese – I tested this recipe using full-fat cottage cheese; however, I imagine lower fat cottage cheese will also work but may produce slightly drier pancakes since no oil is added to the recipe.Â
Eggs – I did not test any substitutes for eggs in this recipe.Â
Honey – Pure maple syrup can be used as a substitute for honey.Â
Milk – Milk or any milk alternative may be used. Water will likely also work.
To Make it Vegan – Although I tested a plant-based protein powder in this recipe, I don’t recommend trying to make this recipe vegan-friendly. Eggs and cottage cheese make up the bulk of the recipe and contribute a significant sound of protein. Substituting these ingredients will be difficult because they will affect both the chemistry of the recipe and the nutrition content. Vegan protein powder was tested so that you have more options to use in case that is the type of protein powder you keep on hand.
Choosing the Healthiest Protein Powder
There are many protein powders out there, and it can be difficult to know which brand is the best one! Here are our favorites:
- Whey Protein Powder
- Vegan Protein Powder
- Beef Protein Powder (this protein powder made slightly flatter pancakes, but they still tasted great)
When choosing a protein powder look for one with minimal ingredients and no added sugars.
Simple ingredients tend to provide more consistent results when using protein powders for baking. The more complicated the ingredient list the more likely you might experience varied results.
Unflavored whey protein (one ingredient: whey protein isolate) will also work but I would recommend adding a little vanilla extract and another tablespoon of honey to the batter to achieve a similar flavor. You can also experiment with different flavored protein powders.
Can I use protein powder instead of flour for pancakes? Protein powder can’t be used interchangeably with flour for pancakes. While you can add protein powder to pancake recipes, it needs to be balanced out with the appropriate amount of liquid and fat to make sure you don’t get super dry pancakes.
Since whey protein is less dense/lighter, it absorbs less liquid, and therefore, requires less liquid to be added to the batter. Consider the type of protein powder used before deciding how much milk or milk alternative to add. For the protein brands I used, 2 tablespoons of milk for whey and 4 tablespoons of milk for the vegan option worked great.Â
Liz’s tips for the fluffiest protein powder pancakes
- Keep the batter thick! When adding milk to the batter, keep in mind that you do not want the batter as thin as traditional pancake batter. A thick batter results in a better rise and thick, fluffier pancakes. The type of protein powder used will greatly affect how much liquid you need to add to the batter. Typically, a denser protein (one with more ingredients like vegan options) will require more milk because it absorbs a lot of liquid.
- Avoid overmixing the batter. You can blend the batter sufficiently to get the cottage cheese to become smooth and creamy, but mixing beyond that point may cause your leavening agent to lose effect and will result in flat, rather than fluffy, pancakes.Â
- Use a cookie scoop with a release. If you do not have a large enough scoop, you can use a ladle or a large spoon to transfer the batter to the pan.Â
- Watch the pancakes closely to prevent them from burning. These pancakes do not bubble like regular pancakes when they are ready to be flipped. The ingredients also brown a little easier than traditional pancakes. Keep an eye on them, look for firm edges as an indicator, and don’t be afraid to use a spatula to take a peek at the bottom to see how they are coming along.
How to Make Fluffy Pancakes
- Place the ingredients in a high-powered blender. Start by adding 2 tablespoons of milk, and blend for several seconds. Add more milk if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep in mind that the batter should be fairly thick. Scrape the sides and blend again until there are no lumps. Avoid over mixing.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over low-medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with cooking oil. Once the pan is hot, scoop the batter using a 2-ounce cookie scoop.
- Once the bottom is browned, flip and cook the other side. Avoid overcooking, but note that these pancakes will be a slightly darker color. Once cooked, remove from the pan and repeat for the remaining batter.
serving suggestions:
Cottage cheese protein pancakes can be a complete breakfast on their own. We like to serve them along with a warm healthy pumpkin spice latte, healthy vanilla latte, turmeric latte, or healthy peppermint mocha.
If you want a larger breakfast, they also pair well with crispy bacon and/or turkey breakfast sausage. Other entrees to consider are a ham and cheese frittata, or serving of egg, cheese and bacon casserole.
Pancake Topping Ideas:
- fresh blueberries, strawberries or a Simple Fruit Salad
- Thawed frozen berries or a berry compote
- Homemade whipped cream or coconut whipped cream
- Classic maple syrup and real butter
- Peanut butter and jam
- Honey and Greek yogurt for extra protein
- chocolate chips (feel free to mix some mini chocolate chips in the batter!)
- nuts or nut butter (I love them with peanut butter!)
Trying to eat more protein?
If you’re trying to eat more protein, check out our High Protein Dinners Ebook! It has 24 easy recipes you can make in under an hour with 25g+ protein per serving!
Protein Powder Pancakes FAQ
Protein powder makes pancakes dry because it is very different than flour. Protein powder needs to be balanced out with fat to keep pancakes moist!
Storage
Storing: Leftovers last in the refrigerator for about 3 days, as long as you keep them in an airtight container.
Freezing: Protein pancakes can be stored in a resealable freezer bag for up to 1 month. They are best stored with parchment paper between each pancake to prevent them from sticking to one another. No need to thaw them, simply take them out of the freezer and pop them in the microwave, oven, or toaster oven (depending on if you want them soft or crispy). Â
If you need more freezer friendly recipes check out our Fill Your Freezer Ebook with 22 easy freezer meals!
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave, toaster oven, or on the stove in a pan.
Other healthy breakfast recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Breakfast Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy breakfast cookbook.
Protein Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup oat flour
- 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder whey or vegan – see notes for details
- 3/4 cup cottage cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons milk or milk alternative
Instructions
- Place the ingredients in a high-powered blender. Start by adding 2 tablespoons of milk or milk alternative, and blend for several seconds. Add more milk if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time (I found that 2 tbsp was enough for whey protein, but I needed 4 tbsp using vegan protein powder). Keep in mind that the batter should be fairly thick. Scrape the sides of the blender using a rubber spatula and then blend again until there are no lumps or visible curds from the cottage cheese. Avoid over mixing.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over low-medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with cooking oil or cooking spray. Once the pan is hot, scoop the batter onto the pan using a 2-ounce cookie scoop or a large spoon.
- Once the bottom of the pancake is browned, flip and cook the other side. The batter will not bubble like regular pancake batter, so look for firm edges and check the bottom side, if needed, to avoid overcooking. Reduce the heat as the pancakes cook if you notice the bottom is browning too fast. Note that, with the ingredients used in this recipe, the pancakes will be a slightly darker color. A dark brown pancake doesn’t necessarily mean it is burnt.
- Once the pancake is cooked, remove from the pan and repeat for the remaining batter. Serve warm topped with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Keep the batter thick! Â A thick batter results in a better rise and thick, fluffier pancakes.
- Watch the pancakes closely to prevent them from burning. These pancakes do not bubble like regular pancakes when they are ready to be flipped. The ingredients also brown a little easier than traditional pancakes.Â
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days
Alexandra says
Delicious, easy, quick, and reasonably healthy- loved this recipe! I did one pancake with butter, berries, and whipped cream, and one with peanut butter, chocolate chips, and strawberries. Delicious! 😋
Lind C says
I’ve been trying different protein pancakes recipes for a long time and this one is a WINNER! Fluffy and flavorful, will definitely be keeping this recipe handy.
Mary f says
Very fluffy and delicious
Mary says
These are really good. My teenager approved. I used FlavCity protein powder. They were a little flat but again they are delish and I would make them again.
N says
You stated it needs 1/4 cup of protein but then said 2 tbsp of whey or 4 tbsp of plant based protein? Confused in this. Thanks
The Clean Eating Couple says
The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of protein powder. You can use whey or plant based protein. In step 1, the tablespoons are referring to milk, not protein! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Denise says
In the recipe for Protein Pancakes. Is that a 1/4 cup 3 different kinds of protein powder ?
The Clean Eating Couple says
The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of protein powder. You can use whey or plant based protein.