3 Ingredient Cottage Cheese Pancakes (High Protein & Gluten Free)
- Updated on Feb 15, 2024
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Here is my prediction: this Cottage Cheese Pancake will soon be one of the most popular breakfasts of humankind.
I know it’s a bold statement, but there are six strong indicators pointing to it. Let me elaborate:
First, it’s super simple to make. The basic recipe just calls for three ingredients: Cottage cheese, eggs and oats and from start to finish you need a maximum of 12 minutes.
Second, eggs are celebrating a huge comeback.
After being looked at suspiciously for decades, a new study has shown that there is no link between eggs and cardiovascular disease.
In other words eggs are super nutritious and not bad for you.
Third, these cottage cheese pancakes are gluten-free, which is very important these days, haha (note: make sure your oats are labeled gluten-free, because they’re sometimes processed in the same factory as gluten-containing grains!)
Fourth, this pancake – because of it’s ingredients – is a 100% natural, no extra powder added, protein powerhouse.
Next to gluten-free, high protein products are the rage nowadays and these tasty pancakes definitely tick that box. How about 26g of protein for breakfast? You’re welcome.
Fifth, all three ingredients help with weight loss because of their satiating effect, making these pancakes an excellent breakfast, even for people on a diet.
Sixth, they taste bloody good. Period.
Eggs are surging through on a comeback, and gluten-free and high protein are taking over the world.
To top it all off, convenient, great tasting weight-loss recipes are an evergreen and always will be.
See the puzzle falling into place? I do. Since the cottage cheese pancakes are riding high on all these trends, they’re a sure bet to become the world’s most popular breakfast from 2016 on (and I bet these cottage cheese bites will be up there too!).
I even ditched my long time favourite the Banana Egg Pancakes for this one!
In case you’re still harbouring any doubts, let’s move to the health section.
Ingredients
Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese belongs to the healthiest cheese groups out there, being low in carbs, low in fats and loaded with proteins ( no wonder we love cottage cheese recipes).
On top of that, cottage cheese is also high in micronutrients like calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin B2 and lots of other nutrients. Dang!
Oatmeal
Oats are one of the healthiest grains mother nature came up with. They’re high in fiber, proteins and a whole host of other nutrients.
As a further example, oats have been linked to lowering the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Oats can also keep you feeling full for longer which can help to stop you reaching for an unhealthy mid morning snack.
Eggs
Eggs raise HDL, the “good” cholesterol. HDL stands for High Density Lipoprotein. Higher levels of HDL can lower risk of heart disease, stroke and various health problems. Check out our other high protein egg recipes for more eggy inspo!
Not too bad for a breakfast pancake, right?
So tell us:
- Do you think these pancakes have the potential to be more successful than breakfast cereal?
- What is your favourite breakfast dish?
- In general, what was the last dish you’ve been extremely excited about?
- Could you imagine having a smoothie with raw eggs for breakfast?
Edit: Since we released this recipe, they have become my absolute, no doubt favourite breakfast of all time. I seriously love them – Howie was right all along. Dave.
Health benefits
These cottage cheese pancakes are high in protein, low in carbs, gluten free (if that sounds good, you need to check out our vegetarian low carb breakfasts!). we could go on! The reason this dish is so healthy is because of the amazing qualities of it’s individual ingredients.
FAQ’s
We’ve covered some of the most common questions about this recipe, but if you can’t find an answer to yours let us know in the comments section.
Can you freeze cottage cheese pancakes?
Yes, simply let them cool and freeze either flat, or with grease-proof paper between each pancake to stop them sticking together.
Can you make the mixture ahead and store it in the fridge?
You can definitely blend the mixture up and keep it prepped in the fridge for up to 2 days.
How many carbs do they have?
32g per serving – a lot less than their traditional flour based counterpart.
What about protein?
These cottage cheese pancakes are super high in protein – 26g per serving in fact!
Are these cottage cheese pancakes gluten free?
Yes, just make sure to choose oats labelled as gluten free.
Do I need to cook the oats before using them?
Nope, just pop them in the blender and you’re good to go.
Will this mix work for waffles too?
Whilst we haven’t tried it ourselves, our awesome readers have reported back that this recipe does indeed work for waffles!
Cooking tips
If you want to become a cottage cheese pancake flipping master, then try out these tips to achieve a fluffy golden pancake every time.
- Use a non-stick pan! This probably makes the biggest difference when making these cottage cheese pancakes.
- Make sure you have enough oil or butter on the cooking area of the pan, it helps the pancakes to cook a lot smoother all over and they shouldn’t break apart.
- Fry with a lid on when cooking the first side (around 9 minutes) and then flip and cook without a lid for a further 1-2 minutes to brown the other side. Check out the video in the recipe section for full details on this.
- Try cooking multiple small pancakes to begin with, as they’re much easier to flip and control compared to one giant one.
What our readers are saying
Absolutely stellar! Thank you!! I made these as a special treat for Mother’s Day b’fast, and was amazed at how light and fluffy they were!
ineduc8r ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You are God-sent. What’s more both of you are so humble replying to every query. Thank you. Tried it today as lunch and was amazing and so filling. I didn’t quite get the pancake right but the suggestions of others has been helpful. Great work guys!
Abbie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
OMG! Thank you soooooo much for the cottage-cheese-pancake recipe. I haven’t had pancakes in years (since being diagnosed as a Type II diabetic). Made this in the food processor, used coconut oil in the skillet. Gotta say they actually turned out better than any of my pre-diabetic attempts at pancakes!
Sheryl ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ingredients
- 1 tsp coconut oil (or butter)
- ⅓ cup low fat cottage cheese
- ½ cup rolled oats (no pre-cooking necessary)
- 2 eggs
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Get a bowl or, even better, use a blender.
- Throw in all the ingredients and whisk/mix until smooth.⅓ cup low fat cottage cheese, ½ cup rolled oats, 2 eggs, Salt to taste
- Add the oil (or butter) to a pan and fry the batter on low to medium heat.1 tsp coconut oil
- Flip with a spatula once bubbles start to appear. Cook until both sides are golden brown.
- Simple as!
NOTES
Make-ahead? Yes, just keep toppings separate. Freezable? Yes! Again, either the batter or the pancakes. Here are some ideas on how to pimp these pancakes up! (All optional of course) Batter ideas: 1 tbsp of coconut powder
* A small handful of hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts
* 1 tbsp of peanut butter
* 1 tbsp of protein powder
* 1 tbsp of raisins
* 1 tsp of cinnamon
* 1 tsp of vanilla extract
* A few thin slices of apple or pear Topping ideas:
* Honey
* Maple syrup
* Cherries, strawberries
* Yogurt
* Sugar and lemon juice EQUIPMENT & PRODUCT TIPS:
You’ll need a non-stick pan for successful pancake action, but that’s it. See what you think about this pan. I recently started using coconut oil instead of butter for frying. It works great, especially for pancakes! If you want, give this one a shot. IF YOU LIKED THIS RECIPE: Then you definitely have to check out our Banana Egg Pancakes! Probably even easier to prepare and absolutely delicious. Or if you’d rather like to go into no milk, no egg direction, check out our roundup of these 24 awesome vegan pancakes!
Nutrition
If you liked this, you should definitely try our cottage cheese fritter recipe too!
Comments
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251 comments
Vegetarian? What kind of plant does cottage cheese come from?
The broadest sense of vegetarian includes cheese, eggs and honey 🙂
Hi Howie: calorie count about 350?
Sorry, I didn’t understand the question, Dinah 🙂
Absolutely stellar! Thank you!! I made these as a special treat for Mother’s Day b’fast, and was amazed at how light and fluffy they were!
My changes/modifications:
* made in waffle-maker (cannot seem to get pancakes to work, plus easier and quicker)
* separated eggs and whipped up whites in my MagicBullet w/ a pinch of cream of tartar
* blended up my GF old-fashioned uncooked oats first in blender until finely blended
* added about 1/4 c. dark chocolate chips to batter before adding to waffle maker (killer taste!)
* added almond extract (actually 1-2 T Amaretto, out of almond extract)
* topped with raspberry purée – just a touch!
Next time, I’m adding sliced bananas and a touch of lemon or blueberry topping!
I’m eating one (leftovers rock) for lunch right now topped with a smidge of Justins Maple Almond Butter!
Side note: If you are ever in Bozeman, MT, be sure to try the cottage cheese pancakes at Nova Café!
Oops, also added 1/2 t baking powder – helped with fluffiness, I believe
Hi there!! A waffle maker you say? That already sounds it could become my next obsession 😀
Oh dear, dark chocolate and amaretto!! I think that is just the right treat for mother’s day! Thanks so much for giving our pancakes a shot for that day 😀
Actually there is a possibility I’ll come around to Bozeman! If I ever will, I’ll will definitely try their pancakes 😀
Yes, a waffle-maker – epic discovery – easy as can be! (have 1 left and am saving them for a post-workout treat one morning this week!)
I already told Dave about diving into the realm of waffles 😀
Quite excited about that tbh.
I must be doing something wrong as this just went straight into the bin. Mixture just fell apart in the pan and made a gigantic mess. Like the idea of the ingredients but it doesnt cook well.
Hi Bianca! That’s a shame – there’s gotta be a fix though. Did you use a non stick pan? It really makes a difference. It also helps to make sure you have enough oil on the cooking area of the pan, it means they cook a lot smoother all over and shouldn’t break apart. My last idea would be to cook just small pancakes to begin with, as they’re much easier to flip and control. I hope that helps – let us know how you get on!
Fabulous pancakes! I added a bit of pumpkin pie spice and vanilla to the three basic ingredients. My husband, 18 yr old brother, and 13 yr old daughter ate them up without knowing they weren’t traditional pancakes. All sang praises before I told them they were actually healthy! Honestly, they don’t have the fluffy rise of traditional pancakes, but the results are still great and I will be using this recipe from now on! Looking forward to tweaking with variations, like adding banana or blueberries to the batter. Thank you!!!
Hahaaa that is aweseome news!! Glad you and your family like them 😀
Yesss, try adding banana! That makes them even more fun to eat, I’m sure (I’m a classic banana egg pancake fan – it’s another recipe on our blog).
But yes, I think the batter is a great base to try out many additional ingredients!
Great recipe! Do you think that I could replace the cottage cheese with plain Greek yoghurt?
Hi Amelie!
Thanks for the props, and yes, absolutely! In case you try it with yoghurt, I’d love to know how it turned out 😀
This is definitely the biggest thing in 2016!! Deserves a five star award. Added a banana for a bit of sweetness and it worked fine. Made 3 batches and it turned out great every single time…pretty easy to flip as well. Thank you for this incredibly easy and healthy recipe.
Hi Rose!! Thanks for this AWESOME feedback!! 😀
Great to hear you like these pancakes. Dave is a huge fan as well. We could open up a cottage cheese pancake fan club?!