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These cottage cheese protein pancakes are tender, golden brown, and lightly sweet, with 20 grams of protein in every 4-pancake serving!

Made with oats, cottage cheese, and eggs, the batter blends smooth in an ordinary blender, without any protein powder.

Stack of four browned pancakes on a dark plate with butter and syrup on top, beside a small glass pitcher of dark syrup and a blue cloth.

Why this recipe works
Recipe ingredients
How to make cottage cheese protein pancakes (step by step photos)
Expert tips
Ingredient substitutions
Storage instructions
Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes Recipe

Why this recipe works

These pancakes are soft and tender without feeling wet or heavy, even when cool. They hold their rise without collapsing, so they’re thicker and more satisfying than many store-bought varieties.

Made with inexpensive, everyday ingredients, they’re ready in minutes. You can also make the batter ahead or cook a big batch for quick breakfasts all week.

If you love Trader Joe’s protein pancakes as much as I do, now you can make your own anytime, for about 1/4 the price. They’re just as high in protein, with even better taste and texture.

For more high-protein ideas, try my protein muffins with 10 grams of protein each, or my protein balls without protein powder, with 6 grams each.

Four golden brown pancakes overlap on a dark plate, showing mottled browned surfaces.

Recipe ingredients

Here’s what you need to make the pancakes, including the role that each ingredient plays in the perfect cottage cheese protein pancakes:

Rolled oats, cottage cheese, sugar, vanilla, egg whites, two eggs, salt, baking powder, and baking soda arranged on a white surface.

Cottage cheese: Adds a lot of protein, moisture, and some richness and tangy flavor. Since we blend it smooth, it helps create tender pancakes without any noticeable texture from the curds. Use any cottage cheese you like, but avoid fat free since some fat adds richness.
Oats: Provide much of the structure of the pancakes in the absence of a traditional flour. I use old fashioned rolled oats since they’re least expensive, but you can also use quick cooking oats or even oat flour. Just be sure to measure by weight for consistent results, since different forms will have different volume. Be sure they’re gluten free if you need the pancakes to be gluten free, like I do.
Egg whites: Add protein, structure, and plenty of moisture to bring the pancakes together. The egg whites prevent the pancakes from losing their rise as they cool.
Eggs: The added yolks here provide some richness, and the whites add more protein and structure.
Sugar: Adds some sweetness and helps to retain moisture. You can use up to 3 times as much sugar without changing anything else, if you’d like added sweetness.
Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor. I call for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, but you really can use vanilla extract or paste. And measure with your heart, since it doesn’t change the chemistry much at all.
Baking powder & soda: The baking powder adds rise, and a touch of baking soda helps the pancakes brown during cooking.
Salt: Enhances other flavors.

How to make cottage cheese protein pancakes (step by step photos)

Here’s a visual overview of how to make these pancakes, step by step, so you can envision making them in your kitchen. For specific ingredient amounts, please scroll to the recipe card below.

Step 1: Grind the oats
Place old fashioned oats in your blender, cover it, and process or pulse them for about 45 seconds, or until the oats turn into a powder. There will still be some larger pieces, but they will be broken up later.

Step 2: Add the other dry ingredients
Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar, and pulse just to combine. This will distribute the other dry ingredients evenly without over-processing the oats.

Rolled oats sit inside a blender pitcher viewed from above.

Finely ground oats fill the bottom of a blender pitcher.

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the cottage cheese, eggs, egg whites and vanilla on top. This will make it easier to blend by positioning the wet ingredients closer to the blades.

Step 4: Blend the batter
Turn the blender on medium-low speed until all of the dry ingredients are moistened (less than 30 seconds), then increase the speed to medium and blend until mostly smooth (about 2 minutes total). Do not overblend.

Let it rest
Let the batter rest for at least 5 minutes and up to 30 minutes. This will soften any remaining larger bits of oats and thicken the mixture as the oats absorb moisture.

Cottage cheese, two cracked eggs, and a pale liquid sit over ground oats in a blender pitcher.

Pale tan raw pancake batter swirls inside a blender pitcher as it blends.

Steps 5: Pour the batter
Heat a griddle to about 300°F or a nonstick pan over medium-low heat, and grease it to ensure the pancakes don’t stick and help them brown. Pour the batter in portions of about 3 tablespoons each onto the surface about 1 inch apart, without crowding the skillet.

Step 6: Cook the first side
Allow the pancakes to cook for about 2 minutes or until the edges aren’t glistening, and there are bubbles breaking through all over the tops. If you flip too soon, the batter will leak over the edges, forming a “foot.”

Four small round portions of pale raw pancake batter cook on a greased black griddle.

Four pancakes cook on a black griddle as small bubbles form across their pale tops.

Step 7: Cook the second side
Use a wide spatula suitable for nonstick surfaces to flip each pancake gently, beginning with the one you poured first. Cook the second side until it appears set (about another 90 seconds).

Step 8: Serve
Flip back and forth for more browning on either side. You can keep cooked pancakes warm in a 200°F (maximum temperature) oven on a lined baking tray while you finish cooking. Repeat with the remaining batter, and serve warm.

Four pancakes cook browned-side up on a black griddle, showing mottled golden brown surfaces.

A stack of small golden brown cottage cheese protein pancakes sits on a beige plate beside a striped cloth.

Expert tips

Rest the batter

The freshly-blended batter will be relatively thin. Letting it sit for at least 5 minutes and up to 30 minutes at room temperature will give the ground oats a chance to absorb moisture. That will make taller pancakes that spread less and have better overall texture.

Don’t overprocess

Overworking mixtures with oats or oat flour tends to make it clump and harden, so be careful not to overblend. Not only don’t you need a high powered blender (I don’t own a Vitamix or equivalent), but using one can easily lead to overworking the batter.

Ingredient substitutions

Egg and dairy free

The eggs and egg whites provide so much of the structure, and the cottage cheese is so important to the protein content and texture, that I can’t make any suggestions for how to make this recipe dairy free or egg free. Instead, try my gluten free protein pancakes recipe, made with protein powder, and follow the suggestions in the “Ingredient substitutions” section of that post.

Oat free

If you’d like to try making these oat free, try using an equal amount, by weight, of quinoa flakes. You can also try using buckwheat flakes, or another substitute for oats.

Storage instructions

You can make the batter and refrigerate it raw in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Let it sit at room temperature just until it’s pourable (no longer than 2 hours) before cooking it. The cooked pancakes can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 2 hours, or wrapped tightly and refrigerated for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost or rewarm in the microwave or toaster oven.

Stack of pancakes with butter and syrup on top, with wedges cut from the stack and arranged beside it on a dark plate with a forkful in the background.

Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes

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