Add a protein punch to your next breakfast (or lunchbox!) with a family favorite recipe for the lightest, fluffiest cottage cheese pancakes made with just a few simple ingredients.
Cottage cheese is one of my absolute favorite ingredients on the planet. It’s cool, creamy, protein-packed, and most important in my household of 6, it’s versatile.
Aside from serving as a quick, healthy snack paired with your fruit of choice, it’s also a welcome addition to smoothies, dips, pizza crusts, soft pretzels and even chocolate mousse. There is nothing this humble ingredient cannot do!
It takes center stage in your next breakfast, and you might not even know it’s in there! Whipping cottage cheese transforms it into a silky-smooth blank canvas, ready to take on the flavors of anything it’s combined with. So toss out that store-bought pancake mix and get ready for healthy, fluffy flapjacks that come together in minutes.
Table of Contents
How to Blend Cottage Cheese
Whipped cottage cheese is one of the most versatile additions to pasta sauces, dips (I love this Whipped Cottage Cheese Dip as a healthier alternative to Ranch!), spreads, and now, pancakes. The fastest and easiest way to whip cottage cheese is in either a blender or a food processor. It will take less than 2 minutes, depending on the strength of your equipment.
If you don’t have either appliance, use a fork to mash the curds then stir them until smooth. You can also push the cottage cheese curds through a fine mesh sieve.
Choose any variety of cottage cheese! This recipe works great with all varieties of cottage cheese, from fat-free to full-fat. It also works with curd sizes both large and small, as the cottage cheese is blended into a smooth purée before being whisked into the pancake batter.
Here’s what you’ll need for the pancakes:
- Cottage cheese: The star of the show! I like using 4% milk fat (a.k.a. whole cottage cheese) for the best texture and highest protein content.
- All-purpose flour: This recipe works great whether you use all all-purpose flour or a 50/50 mix of all-purpose flour and whole-wheat flour.
- Baking powder: A whole 4 teaspoons of baking powder lighten the density of the pancake batter, guaranteeing the fluffiest flapjacks.
- Milk: Any variety will do, from non-fat to whole, almond to soy. Pick your favorite and let the whisking begin!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Start by whipping the cottage cheese in a food processor or blender, then whisking it into the wet ingredients until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Stir together the wet and dry ingredients just until combined. The batter should be lumpy!
Preheat a skillet or grill pan, then grease it lightly with cooking spray or butter. Spoon on 1/4-cup portions of the batter. Once you see bubbles form across the entire pancake, flip it once and continue cooking an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
My Favorite Electric Griddle
I have cooked pancakes on every surface imaginable, and this budget-friendly electric griddle is my absolute favorite. It heats evenly, has a large surface area and has tens of thousands of 5-star reviews. Run, don’t walk!
Why Are My Pancakes Dense?
If your stack of flapjacks are thin and dense rather than thick and fluffy, chances are you’ve made any of the following mistakes:
- Over-mixed the batter: Don’t be tempted to whisk out all those lumps. Whisking excessively develops the gluten in the flour, which leads to a rubbery, dense texture.
- Flipped… then flopped: Once you’ve added the batter to your hot skillet, let the pancakes be! Do not flip them until you see bubbles form across the entire surface of the pancakes. Flip them once, cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes, then remove them.
- Expired leavener: Check the expiration date of your baking powder. Make sure it’s fresh so it can work its magic aerating the batter and making bubbles in the pancakes.
Storage Tips
Pancakes are one of my favorite foods to make and freeze. Once the pancakes have completely cooled, seal them in a plastic bag, with each pancake separated by a small piece of parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking.
This allows you to warm up one or a dozen pancakes in the microwave, where they’ll only need to be reheated for less than a minute.
How to Make Mini Pancakes
The higher protein content of this recipe makes it a favorite of mine for my four tiniest taste-testers. I like to make silver dollar-sized pancakes for them, which they eagerly dip in maple syrup or peanut butter.
They’re also a great lunch box alternative to bread! Sandwich two mini pancakes together with your preferred nut butter or jam for a fun addition to the midday meal lineup.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1 1/2 cups milk of choice
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- Cooking spray or butter, for greasing pan
Instructions
- Add the cottage cheese to the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the whipped cottage cheese to a medium bowl then whisk in the milk, eggs and vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and sugar with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Add the cottage cheese mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. (The batter should be lumpy.)
- Preheat a nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat. Grease it with cooking spray. Spoon ¼ cup portions of the batter onto the griddle. Once bubbles form across the entire surface of the pancakes, flip them once and continue cooking an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately or let cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Nutrition
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