Cottage Cheese Pancakes

These cottage cheese pancakes are thick, fluffy, and super soft in the middle. Made with just 6 ingredients, I love how quickly they come together.

Looking for more pancake recipes? Try coconut flour pancakes, almond flour pancakes, and oat flour pancakes.

If you thought protein pancakes were the only pancakes to get protein first thing in the morning, then my cottage cheese pancakes need to be next on your agenda!

I have a full-fledged love affair with cottage cheese now, and I add it to anything and everything (hello, cottage cheese bread and cottage cheese ice cream). These pancakes are just another way to show the versatility.

Table of Contents

1. Why I love this recipe
2. Ingredients needed
3. How to make cottage cheese pancakes 
4. Recipe tips and variations
5. Storage instructions
6. Cottage Cheese Pancakes (Recipe Card)

Why I love this recipe

• 6 ingredients. Cottage cheese, flour, eggs, and sugar, with a few leavening agents for good measure. 
• Packed with protein. As mentioned earlier, cottage cheese pancakes are a good source of protein. A cup of cottage cheese has around 28 grams of protein. 
• Savory or sweet. Serve these cottage cheese pancakes with fruits, whipped cream, and maple syrup. You can also make them savory by leaving out the sugar and adding herbs and spices instead.
• The BEST texture. Cottage cheese keeps the middle soft and fluffy while the added moisture keeps them crisp on the outside. Also, there is NO cottage cheese taste or flavor.

Ingredients needed

• Cottage cheese. You can use any cottage cheese you like. From low-fat to full-fat, any kind works. I recommend you use small curd cottage cheese for the batter as it doesn’t leave any clumps and melts easily into it. 
• Eggs. Use room-temperature eggs in the batter to make sure the pancakes rise properly. 
• Sugar. Granulated sugar to sweeten them. You can adjust the amount of sugar depending on how sweet you like your pancakes or use maple syrup instead. 
• Flour. All-purpose flour or wholewheat flour both work. 
• Baking powder. To create bubbles in the batter and make the cottage cheese pancakes light and airy. 
• Butter or oil. To cook the pancakes. Anything from ghee butter to avocado oil will work. 
• Salt. A pinch of salt enhances all flavors and balances them out. 
• Vanilla extract. Optional, but a touch of vanilla enhances the overall pancakes.

How to make cottage cheese pancakes 

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Make the batter. Crack the eggs into a blender. Add the cottage cheese and blend until smooth. Add the sugar, baking powder, flour, and salt, and blend once again until smooth. 

Step 2 – Cook the pancakes. Heat oil or butter in a non-stick pan. Once hot, add ¼ cup portions of the batter and cover the pan with the lid. Cook for 2-3 minutes and flip. Cook the pancakes for another 2 minutes until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is used up. 

Recipe tips and variations

• While I prefer using a blender or food processor for the batter, you can hand-mix it in a bowl if you don’t mind pockets of creamy cottage cheese in your pancakes.
• My #1 pancake tip! Always cover the pan when cooking the pancakes as they trap the heat inside. In turn, you’ll be rewarded with ultra-thick and fluffy pancakes.
• If your skillet or pan isn’t large enough, cook the pancakes in batches to allow them to spread naturally.
• Use whole wheat flour to make these pancakes even healthier. Blanched almond flour or oat flour will also work (especially if you want them to be gluten-free).
• Add mix-ins for some fun variety. Blueberries, chocolate chips, walnuts, peanut butter, bananas, and cinnamon are all fantastic options.

Storage instructions

To store: Place leftover pancakes in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To freeze: Freeze these pancakes in an airtight container or bag. Put sheets of parchment paper in between the pancakes to prevent them from sticking to each other. They will keep for 3 months.

Reheating: Either microwave them for 20-30 seconds or reheat them in a griddle until crispy. You can also reheat them in the oven on a lined baking sheet.

Originally published November 2022, updated and republished March 2024