Cottage Cheese Pancakes
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My cottage cheese pancakes are thick, fluffy, and super soft in the middle. Made with just 3 ingredients, you can whip them up in the blender.
If you think protein pancakes are the only way to get a high-protein breakfast, these cottage cheese pancakes need to be next on your list.
I started making them when I wanted something fluffy and satisfying without protein powder. I took inspiration from my healthy oatmeal pancakes, but swapped out the banana for cottage cheese, and I think I have a new favorite.
They’re so quick and easy to make and work as a blank canvas for toppings. Even better, they cook up super thick and fluffy, with zero cottage cheese flavor. My judgmental partner swore they tasted like classic pancakes.
Table of Contents
Cottage cheese pancake recipe highlights
- 3 ingredients. Cottage cheese, oats, and eggs. They are almost identical to my cottage cheese waffles.
- Savory or sweet. I purposely keep these pancakes mild so you can enjoy them with maple syrup and berries, or even with sour cream and finely grated cheese.
- The BEST texture. Cottage cheese keeps the middle soft and fluffy while the added moisture keeps it crisp on the outside. Also, there is NO cottage cheese taste or flavor.
What readers are saying
★★★★★ – “These cottage cheese pancakes are SO fluffy and thick and healthy. You can’t even taste the cottage cheese in them whatsoever. A weekly staple now.” – Andie
Key Ingredients
- Cottage cheese. I’ve tested these pancakes with full-fat cottage cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, and even low-fat cottage cheese, and there was minimal change in texture or flavor. My only recommendation is that you use small curd cottage cheese for the batter, as it doesn’t leave any clumps and melts easily into it. My dairy-free cottage cheese is also an option if you want to skip the dairy.
- Eggs. Use room-temperature eggs in the batter to make sure the pancakes rise properly.
- Rolled oats. Or quick-cooking oats. Oats soak up the liquid, which helps the pancakes hold their shape.
- Optional flavor boosters. Vanilla extract or sweeteners.
How to make cottage cheese pancakes
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1- Add cottage cheese, oats, and eggs to a blender.
Step 2- Blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides and blend once more.
Step 3– Add 1/4-cup portions of batter to an oiled skillet and cover the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Step 4– Repeat the process then serve.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Cover the pan as it cooks. 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.
- 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.
- If your skillet or pan isn’t large enough, cook the pancakes in batches to allow them to spread naturally.
- Add sugar or maple syrup if you want these pancakes to be sweet from the start. Remember, they are like a blank canvas.
Frequently asked questions
Because my pancakes don’t use any flour or gluten, they rely on a smooth batter, proper blending, and correct pan heat. If the pan is too hot or you flip the pancakes too early, they may fall apart.
Unfortunately, no. Eggs are the binder that gives the pancakes structure and helps them set.
Pancakes turn out soggy in the middle if the heat is too high and the exterior browns up too quickly. Always cook on medium-low heat.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition information has been reviewed by registered dietitian Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
3-Ingredients Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup rolled oats
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, and rolled oats and blend until smooth.
- Add oil to a non-stick pan. Once hot, add 1/4 cup portions of the pancake batter and cover the pan immediately. Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes, before flipping and cooking for another two minutes.
- Once the pancakes are cooked, remove them from the heat and repeat the process until all the batter is used up.
Notes
Nutrition
More cottage cheese breakfasts
Recipe updated
I originally published this recipe in November 2022, then republished it in February 2025 with a brand-new recipe after extensive retesting. I updated it again in November 2025 to include common reader questions. No further ingredients or measurements have changed.
Superb pancake recipe! I made some variations some cinnamon, some vanilla and some plain. Also added 1/2 tsp baking powder as some comments suggested. Turned out awesome! Finally a fluffy pancake recipe that works!
Hi did you add 1/2 tsp baking powder to the original recipe for 12 servings? Or to how many servings?
Need
Just made these for my son who is trying to watch his food intake as well as I. I did cut it in half and I added 1/4 tsp BPowder, a dash of lemon juice, a dash of vanilla extract (pure) and a little sprinkle of some brown sugar. I thought I did coconut sugar. He really enjoyed these a lot as did I! Thanks for the recipe!!
I didn’t think these would be worth the hype, but they were super easy an yum!
This was amazing!!! Halved the recipe added a bit of maple syrup and 1/4tsp baking powder. Cooking with the lid on they did come out fluffy. the pancakes not their on taste amazing not really taste sweet even a bit savory but very good. Also great with some yogurt/cherries on top.
The pancakes were good but definitely needs baking powder to get the fluff. I added vanilla & cinnamon to my mixture. Will make them again.
These are my favorite cottage cheese pancakes because they aren’t sweet- I sometimes make them savory by adding shredded cheese to it.
i’ve been making a 1/2 recipe of this recipe for many years. I’ve always added vanilla and baking powder to the “blank slate” and still would get flat…I mean really flat pancakes. The true Game Changer for me was putting them into a pan with a lid. Whoa, I got really fat fluffy pancakes making them this way. BTW, I made the full recipe, I still added vanilla and 1/2 tsp of baking powder. Thank you.
This was a great template. I made some changes and sharing here in case it helps anyone else. I swapped two of the eggs for egg whites from a carton, added 1/2 t baking powder, and swapped the oat flour for Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1. It made four perfect and tasty pancakes. The texture is great. The flavor is great.
Cooked them on medium heat in a small cast iron skillet, covered immediately, flipped at 3 minutes, had to turn my heat down to medium-low after the first 2. I ate the first two with strawberries and maple syrup. I’m going to try the other two with something savory later. Thanks for a great recipe!
Delicious! These pancakes were so moist and fluffy. I didn’t tell my husband the ingredients that I used to make pancakes until he ate the last bite. I asked him before I told him the ingredients that I used to make pancakes what he thought of the pancakes and he said they were so delicious. Then I told him that I used cottage cheese, eggs, and oatmeal to make pancakes. He said he couldn’t tell the difference that they were made with cottage cheese. He just liked them a lot and so did I. I was surprised as how they tasted like regular pancakes.
These were great! Will definitely be making them more often. Thank you!
Loved these, but they were flat as fruit leather until I added 1 tsp baking powder to the batter 🙂 great recipe though! Will be a repeat from now on.
These were fantastic!!! Thank you!!!
These look fabulous!
Ive been wanting a recipe of any sort with cottage cheese for ages, and stumbled across yours, so thought…why not? I also love Japanese ‘fluffy’ pancakes, so, this was a great recipe. I love the high protein aspect of it, and also that there’s no sugar as some other recipes have in them. I didn’t have any quick oats, but I did have a bag of finely ground wheat free oats with chia & flax mix, so used this. (so, extra protein again!). Made an easy blueberry topping and vanilla coconut yogurt for some decadence, and these pancakes came out a treat. (Also thanks to your putting the lid on, method! Nice & fluffy!). These will definitely be my staple pancakes to make from now on. Cheers from Melbourne, Australia.
Hi Karlene- thanks for your kind words! Please use the lid on the pan trick for all pancakes- it always works!
I have made this recipe twice this week. I liked it as pancakes. I am diabetic so I used a thin layer of sugar free jam on top and a little bit of whipped cream. We made waffles with it tonight really loved it. My husband puts sliced strawberries and a little whipped cream. It is very filling and satisfying. Will be making it often.
Hi Arman. My husband is allergic to oatmeal. Could the oats be substituted with all purpose flour and is it a 1:1 ratio? Is there any other change needed to the recipe?