Insanely Easy Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes (with GF Option)

You know that meme making the rounds, like basically “Just had to quit my job in order to have the time to eat enough protein”?  That feels like the life I’ve been living lately.  I realized I hadn’t been getting nearly enough and so have been cramming it into everything I can (particularly animal proteins, which my body responds to way better than plant ones).

So that’s where these cottage cheese protein pancakes come in.

Now, I’m not telling you that you’re cranking 50 grams of protein out of these babies…cottage cheese pancakes *aren’t* meat.  But if you’re looking for a healthy brunch recipe to change things up, and want something a bit indulgent, these will still pack a protein wallop.

You’ve got 1/2 cup of cottage cheese (the amount in a half-batch) clocking in at 14 grams of protein…add to that an egg (6 or 7 grams) plus the milk (if you use whole cow milk) and odds and ends, and you have a respectable 25-ish grams of protein. 

You can squeeze out a bit more by adding nuts or even a bit of flavorless protein or collagen powder if you want to amp it up.  And I sometimes add a bit of nut butter to gild the lily.  

I’ve also provided the substitutions I use when I want to make these gluten-free.

For me as one person, I usually make a half-batch, and have provided those measurements at the bottom of the post along with the full batch. 

I love that these high-protein pancakes are SO easy, on the table in less than 15 minutes, and also have a perfect fluffy and moist texture that doesn’t make you FEEL like you’re eating protein-dense treats.

This will only take a few minutes!  Melt the butter halfway in the bottom of a large bowl (medium if you’re only making half), then whisk in sugar. This should leave the mixture lukewarm, not piping hot.  Whisk in the eggs until fully combined, then the vanilla and cottage cheese and the milk. 

Add all of the dry ingredients, then stir *just* until the flour disappears.  Don’t overmix, a few small lumps are fine.  

You’re looking for a thick batter, but not like a thick dough or cake batter.  But you don’t want it too liquid or the pancakes will stick.  If it’s too stiff, add more milk, a couple tablespoons at a time until it’s the right texture.

Why does that matter?  Because I’ve found that if the batter is too thin, it will stick to the pan like crazy.  I could NOT figure out what was going wrong, and finally realized that when my batter was fairly thick (and not pourable), it handled much better.

This first pic below is the perfect batter thickness.  The second pic is WAY too thin and was a real pain to work with. 

Heat the pan or griddle of your choice to medium and swirl in a pat of butter to evenly coat the pan.  Spoon one or two pancakes in (depending on the size of your pan), about a quarter cup per pancake. 

Cook until medium golden brown underneath, about 2 minutes.  Flip and cook until the second side is the same color. I usually lower the heat to medium-low while making pancakes so they don’t brown too fast, but my stove is pretty intense. Repeat with remaining batter.

Eat right away!  I like to add a little bit of extra protein with some nut butter and a bit of maple syrup.  I also sometimes top with a berry compote and some granola and fresh fruit.

These will also keep in the fridge for a few days, and you can reheat in the oven or a toaster oven.

Other healthy brunch recipes you’ll love:

• Healthy, Cozy Carrot Cake Oatmeal (GF, Vegan, Nut-Free)
• Cinnamon Maple Tahini Quinoa Granola (GF, vegan, almond-free)
• Peanut Butter & Jelly Baked Oatmeal (GF, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free)
• 5-Minute Vanilla Spice Cassava Flour Waffles (GF, DF)
• Easy Almond Flour Pancakes (Naturally Gluten-Free, Keto, Low Carb)
• Salmon & Potato Hash with Fresh Herbs

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

I always halve this for myself, so here’s the half-batch amounts I use:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 1 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, full or low-fat
• 1/4 cup of milk, any kind (& up to 1/4 cup more if needed)
• Big pinch of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• Strong shake of cinnamon (or more, to taste)
• 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour (I like to sub some or all white whole wheat)
• You can throw in fruit, nuts, etc. if you like as well

Insanely Easy Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes (with GF Option)

Yield: 10+ pancakes for a full batch

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

If you're looking for a high-protein but still indulgent breakfast option, these cottage cheese pancakes are super easy and delicious! They're soft and fluffy, and only take a few minutes to make! They can easily be made gluten-free as well (instructions provided).

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of cottage cheese, full or low-fat
• 1/2 cup of milk, any kind (& up to 1/2 cup more if needed)
• 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (or more, to taste)
• 1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour (feel free to sub some white whole wheat see GF notes)
• Optional additions: 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts, dried cranberries/cherries, a pinch of ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Melt the butter halfway in the bottom of a large bowl (medium if you're only making half), then whisk in sugar. This should leave the mixture lukewarm, not piping hot. 
2. Whisk in the eggs until fully combined, then the vanilla and cottage cheese and milk.  See notes on cottage cheese consistency.
3. Add all of the dry ingredients, then stir *just* until the flour disappears.  Don't overmix, a few small lumps are fine.  You’re looking for a thick batter, but not like a thick dough or cake batter.  But you don't want it too liquid or the pancakes will stick.  If it's too stiff, add more milk, a couple tablespoons at a time until it's the right texture.
4. Heat the pan or griddle of your choice to medium and swirl in a pat of butter to evenly coat the pan.  Spoon one or two pancakes in (depending on the size of your pan), about a quarter cup per pancake. 
5. Cook until medium golden brown underneath, about 2 minutes.  Flip and cook until the second side is the same color. I usually lower the heat to medium-low while making pancakes so they don’t brown too fast, but my stove is pretty intense. Repeat with remaining batter.
6. Eat right away!  These will also keep in the fridge for a few days, and you can reheat in the oven or a toaster oven.

Notes

1. The consistency of your cottage cheese makes a big difference in how much milk you'll need. See pics in the recipe post...if it's a really thick cottage cheese, you'll need a bit more milk. But if it's a watery cottage cheese, be careful about adding too much milk to start...you can always add more, you can't remove!
2. You can easily make this gluten-free if needed. I've done a few ways, but my favorite is subbing half oat flour and half Bob's Red Mill 1:1 mix. Or to do half Bob's Red Mill GF All-Purpose (which slightly mimics the taste of whole wheat) and half of their 1:1.

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