Having a little nostalgia moment here as I rework and reshare this incredible pancake recipe from 2017. Yes, SEVEN whole years ago! Before Tony and I even got married let alone had 3 amazing little boys. For perspective, here’s a little snapshot from 7 years back:
“Listening to the new Drake album gives me pure inspiration to get my booty out of bed in the morning, throw around twenty pound dumbbells at the gym (not literally throw) and make some legit protein pancakes topped with all da berries and nut butter. Yesterday Abra and I went through and did a major brainstorming session for May. We’ve got our content calendar all mapped out including recipes and videos. The most trouble I have when it comes to blogging is deciding on which recipes to share because if I had it my way (and enough time), I’d share a recipe every single day because well, I love food, obviously.”
It’s safe to say the days here at AK (and my workout routine) look quite a bit different, but the recipe testing and planning is very much the same. That’s why we’re bringing back this fluffy stack of cottage cheese pancakes that are flourless, naturally sweetened with banana, packed with 20g of protein, and perfect for piling high with your fav toppings.
Cottage cheese pancakes: your new favorite breakfast
Besides being incredibly fluffy and delicious, you’re going to fall in LOVE with this healthy cottage cheese pancakes recipe because it’s:
- Easy to make right — the pancake batter is made in your blender!
- Packed with 20g of protein per serving (thank you, cottage cheese!)
- Naturally gluten free and flourless
- Great for both kiddos and adults!
Ingredients in these fluffy cottage cheese pancakes
These cottage cheese protein pancakes are made with 7 super simple ingredients (including baking powder) and seriously taste like your fav banana bread. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Rolled oats: these pancakes are nice and hearty thanks to old fashioned rolled oats. No flour needed! Be sure to use gluten free rolled oats if you want to keep the pancakes gluten free.
- Banana: you’ll need just half of a banana to naturally sweeten the pancakes.
- Egg: this recipe calls for 1 egg to give the pancakes the right texture.
- Cottage cheese: the key to fluffy, protein-packed pancakes!
- Baking staples: you’ll also need baking powder, vanilla extract and a little cinnamon.
What do cottage cheese pancakes taste like?
Whether you’re a big cottage cheese fan like our whole team or it’s not your thing, you won’t even be able to taste it in these protein pancakes. The banana gives these cottage cheese pancakes a lovely banana bread flavor, and you can feel free to add fun mix-ins in toppings (ideas below!)
Make them ahead & keep the pancakes warm
Feel free to make these cottage cheese pancakes ahead of time (or store leftovers) and keep them warm in the oven! Simply place your oven at 200 degrees F, add your pancakes to a baking sheet or oven-safe plate, and place them in the oven until you’re ready to serve.
Have fun with mix-ins & toppings
The best part about pancakes? All of the delicious mix-ins and toppings you can add! Here’s what we like to add to our cottage cheese pancakes:
- Fresh berries
- A dollop of yogurt
- Nut butter
- Chocolate chips
- Chopped nuts
- A drizzle of maple syrup
Freeze them for later
If you want to make these healthy cottage cheese pancakes ahead of time and serve them at a later date, you can place the pancakes on a baking sheet so they aren’t touching and place in the freezer for 30 minutes (this is called a flash freeze), then place them in freezer safe bags or an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to reheat, simply add pancakes to a plate and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warm.
More pancake recipes you’ll love
- Fluffy Yogurt Pancakes (high protein, gluten free)
- Healthy Apple Pancakes (made right in the blender!)
- Outrageously Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
- Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes with Wild Blueberry Maple Syrup
- Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes
Get all of our pancake recipes here!
I hope you love these amazing cottage cheese banana oatmeal pancakes! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Cottage Cheese Banana Oatmeal Protein Pancakes
Ingredients
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats, gluten free if desired
- ½ medium banana
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup low fat cottage cheese
- Optional add-ins/toppings: Fresh berries, chocolate chips, peanut butter
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium low heat. Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto skillet. Add desired toppings such as chocolate chips or blueberries.
- Cook until bubbles appear on top. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside.
- Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more cooking spray and remaining batter. Makes 3-4 pancakes
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by Monique Volz | Ambitious Kitchen, Photography by: Sarah Fennel
This post was originally published on April 25th, 2017, republished on October 27th, 2022, and republished on February 18th, 2024.
What can you substitute for the banana in these pancakes? I do not like banana 😊
Hi! These are banana pancakes, so I can’t recommend a sub here. Sorry! Feel free to check out all of my pancakes HERE (many of them are banana-free).
Delicious. Simple. Healthy. What more could you want? I topped mine with almond butter and caramelized dates. Yum!
Sounds amazing! Perfect breakfast!
Followed perfectly and turned into mush 😣
So strange! Did you cook the pancakes on medium-low?
Delicious pancakes with the perfect pancake texture!
Agreed! Glad you loved them!
These were so easy to make and so good! made 4 even size pancakes with the PB2 recommended topping and some blueberries. I made two batches to freeze one but my husband devoured the second batch. This will be a go to breakfast recipe on repeat! Thank you!
PerfecT! So happy to hear that!
Super easy to make and I was thrilled when I saw the lack of sugar in this recipe (banana excluded, of course) because all pancakes should be good enough without the extra sugar and normal humans put sweet toppings on pancakes after they’re cooked. I didn’t feel like having a half banana on my counter, so I doubled the recipe and I also didn’t feel like pancakes, so I made the recipe into waffles. They turned out great! I do recommend cooking them on a medium low setting for waffles, I increased the cinnamon because that’s what I prefer. But, I will definitely make these again. I’m now thinking of subbing out cooked pumpkin (plus maybe a little maple syrup) for the banana and seeing how that turns out. I bet applesauce would be great as well. I’ll let you know. Thank you for a great recipe!
Amazing! I’m glad the waffles turned out well 🙂 Let me know how the other experiments go!
These look delicious. Do you use ripe banana or do you think a slightly green banana would work?
I would use ripe banana to give the pancakes the proper sweetness!
Delicious!!! My new favorite healthy pancakes!!!
So happy to hear that!
If I double the recipe for the pancakes do I have to double also the baking powder?
Yes, you should double all of the ingredients!
I think the proportions are off or maybe an ingredient is missing like milk as they are the opposite of fluffy, very flat. Disappointing.
So strange! Did your batter seem overly thin? Did you use low fat cottage cheese? They shouldn’t need another liquid like milk to make them fluffier.
Could a substitute for oat flour be used such as almond or gluten free AP?
I haven’t tested it, so I’m not 100% sure! I’m afraid the texture might change.
These are AMAZING… I have made them 4 days in a row they’re just so good and easy.
So happy to hear that!
I love making these! I’ve began to experiment a little bit more. I like to add a handful of frozen spinach. Warning- it does change the color so if you like green, no big deal. In my opinion, the benefits are worth it. I also added a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa, again for the benefits, and it tastes great. Thanks for a wonderful, healthy recipe!!
I love the addition of spinach! Great idea!
Important to note the recipe is too small in volume to get properly blended in a regular sized blender. Need to double it.
I usually blend them in my Vitamix and it’s perfect but you can definitely use a smaller blender here!
I love how these pancakes are super easy to make & packed full of protein! They aren’t super sweet so I recommend adding some mix-ins or toppings – I topped mine with maple syrup, PB & the rest of the banana 🙂
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
I make big batches of these and freeze them for my toddler. He loves them!
Love that! Perfect breakfast!
I’m obsessed with pancakes and these are perfection. Maybe I’ll add apples to the batter next time. Has anyone added a bit of protein powder? Maybe I’m getting greedy 🙂
Easy and delicious! I haven’t tried adding protein powder, but if you test it out I’d recommend reducing the oats so the batter isn’t too thick.
I typically do not leave comments on recipes, but after making and tasting these, I felt obligated. These were amazing. I made a double batch and wish I had quadrupled this recipe. I ate them without anything on them and they were perfect. I can only imagine what they would taste like with berries and whipped cream. I put on Scrapbooking Retreats and cook all the meals, so I thought I would give these a test drive prior to my retreat. I believe my friends are going to love them just as much as I do. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
So happy you loved these! Such a great breakfast 🙂
We LOVE these pancakes. I make them all the time for my family. They freeze great, ingredients are staples and the recipe is quick, easy, nutritious, and delicious.
So happy to hear that! One of our favorite breakfasts 🙂
These were so good! The texture was amazing. I added one scoop of protein powder to a double batch for some sweetness and they turned out perfectly. I ate them plain with some berries on the side. Delicious!
Amazing! Such a great breakfast 🙂
Never have I had such an epic fail with a recipe. I substituted almond flour the first time, and the 2 nd time tried as published. Both times.. YIKES! Neither worked as pancakes, just a mound of yuck.
Hi! I wouldn’t suggest changing the flour in this recipe. When you made it as-written, can you help explain what happened so that I can help troubleshoot?
These are delicious and super easy to make cottage cheese pancakes. I easily doubled the recipe and added diced peaches.
These were absolutely delicious! I had some leftover cottage cheese which I blended with cinnamon and little bit of maple syrup to make a whipped cinnamon cottage cheese topping! Great recipe, thank you! 😋
Love that!!
Now I want to make pancake batter in the blender every single time – lol, so easy. The pancakes do have a really strong banana taste but assuming you are even on this page, you’re into that. I roasted some almonds and pecans to put on top, plus a bunch of berries and the other 1/2 banana. This is going to be so simple to make in my dorm kitchen. Thanks!!
So easy and delicious! Those toppings sound amazing 🙂
These are divine! So fluffy! I intended to make them for my toddler, but my husband and I love them too!
I’m so glad!!
These were great. I used 4% cream cheese and it was really thick and tough to blend though, I should have whisked it before the blender. I think even with 1 percent this would still be very thick batter. Its good but I’m wondering if I can add something like coconut milk to make it easier to blend and pour and more fluffy?
My family really enjoyed these! I made them as directed the first time and added a pinch of salt the second time. This recipe will be added to our breakfast rotation! We could taste the banana slightly but no one minded it.
Perfect! So glad these were a hit 🙂
Just made this exactly as written. Amazing to get 20 grams of protein and 7 grams of fibre from one giant pancake. Excellent recipe.
Absolutely! Such a great breakfast!
These taste good, have a good texture, and quick and easy to mix up!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
I very rarely comment on recipes but this was so so delicious and easy I’m sure I will be making it over and over again! I added nutmeg and walnuts and eyed most ingredients, also used quick oats as that’s what I had on hand.
So happy to hear that! Perfect breakfast 🙂
I just made these and they were absolutely fantastic! Definitely light and fluffy and a lot of food for the calorie count. The only cottage cheese I had was Lactaid, and the only oats I had were Bob’s red mill gluten-free quick cooking oats. (not sure if that’s the same as “rolled” oats). But everything turned out fantastic! It was almost too little batter from my blender because I had to blend it on low and scrap down the sides. Once blended, I let it sit for about five or 10 minutes so the baking soda could do its job. I added blueberries. I drizzled everything with a little bit of natural peanut butter, Lakanto monk fruit maple syrup, and a dollop of yogurt as suggested (plain coconut milk, yogurt). And oh my goodness this recipe turned out amazing! The pancakes cooked perfectly, and were indeed light and fluffy. I will definitely be making this again.
Perfect! So glad you loved them!
Was craving a gf pancake this morning and knew I would find one on your fantastic website! The pancakes were fluffy and delicious – will definitely be making this recipe on repeat! Topped them with half cup plain Greek yogurt for more protein – Yum!! Thank you
Absolutely! Glad you loved these!
How can I add more protein to these? Is it possible to increase the cottage cheese for higher protein?
More cottage cheese will likely make the batter too thin, but you could experiment with adding more oats to compensate. Let me know if you give it a try!
Yum! Yum! Yum! Incredibly good. I added blueberries and nuts then a bit of honey upon serving. This was such a treat with none of the guilt. 😊
Love that!
Yum! Yum! Yum! Incredibly good!
Any recommendations to replace the egg?
I’m afraid a flax egg would make these too runny!
You should never have people use cooking spray on a non stick pan, it ruins the pan
Looks heavenly! Can I prep the batter in the fridge the night before?
I’m afraid the batter will thicken up too much!
I’ve made these pancakes multiple times and they are always great! I love that they are easy to double, triple, etc if I want to make a bunch at once for meal prep. I typically add in 1/8 – 1/4C / serving of collagen to increase the protein.
Love that! Glad they’re a favorite!
These tasted great and were so easy to make. We loved the cinnamon and banana flavors. They were fluffy and light. I had to restrain myself from turning up the heat though. I am so used to cooking pancakes on a really hot pan. The slower cooking and lower heat paid off though. They plumped up, were cooked through but didn’t dry out. This recipe is a keeper.
Low and slow is best here! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Can you use frozen bananas?
Yes! Be sure to thaw them and drain off all of the excess liquid.
I’m going to make these tomorrow. To check, is it 358kcal per 4x pancakes, which serves 1 person?
Yes, that’s correct!
The recipe is off. I followed and the pancakes stayed wet and uncooked in the middle. Please advise [email protected]
Hi! Did you follow the recipe exactly? I’d recommend lowering the temp when you cook, and making sure that you’re only using 1/4 cup batter per pancake.