These cottage cheese oat pancakes are light, fluffy and protein packed. A breakfast that feels brunch-worthy yet still fits into busy mornings (just blend and cook!), they'll fuel your busy day.
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Breakfast at a Glance
- Prep Time: Just measure out, blend and cook- max. 20 minutes
- Planning Ahead: These pancakes can be made ahead of time and reheated or simply prepared in the morning
- Morning Effort: 10-20 minutes (depending on how many pancakes you can cook at a time in your pan)
- Protein: 33g
- Fiber: 4g (I like to serve these with berries to add some extra fiber)
Nessy's Note
When I was planning out the first recipes to share on Busy Morning Breakfast, cottage cheese oat pancakes were top of mind. I have fond memories of my Mom making these for us growing up and they have always felt like such a delicious way to get a high protein breakfast in.
They also hit that sweet spot of feeling a little brunch like and special but without requiring a lot of prep time (which is exactly what smoked salmon scrambled eggs feel like too!).
But when I first tested the recipe or at least what we could remember of it (my Mom used to make them from memory for us but it had been well over a decade since we last had them), they just didn't make the cut.
I mean, they were fine. I would eat them. Enjoy them even. But if I was going to publish them, they needed to be great. As in super fluffy, taste like a classic pancake yet still deliver on protein.
After many more test batches, these are the pancakes that finally checked all the boxes. I swear by using pressed cottage cheese but you can use regular and still end up with quite good pancakes (check out my notes on this in the recipe card).
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Large Flake Rolled Oats- Like in my vanilla baked oats, any type of rolled oats (old fashioned, quick or instant) should work here as they are being blended anyway. Steel cut or oat groats won't work though as they are too hard for most blenders.
- Pressed Cottage Cheese- I tested these with regular curd cottage cheese and pressed cottage cheese and preferred the results with pressed cottage cheese (which may also be labeled at "Twarog" and can be found in most grocery stores including Costco). Pressed cottage cheese is also a bit higher in protein which gives these pancakes a little extra boost. However, I do have notes for making these with regular cottage cheese in the recipe card (note that the nutrition estimate will vary a bit depending on what you use).
- Substitution: Regular cottage cheese can be used but omit the egg whites. See the recipe card for more details.
- Egg- This is essential for binding and I don't recommend omitting it. You can use ¼ cup of egg whites in place of a whole egg.
- Egg Whites- When I was testing these pancakes I found that they turned out fluffiest and were easiest to blend when I added some egg whites and used pressed cottage cheese. However, when using regular cottage cheese, it was better if these were left out.
- Baking Powder- Provides a bit of lift to ensure fluffy pancakes. I tested it without and they worked but were a lot flatter.
- Vanilla Extract- For some extra flavor. If you plan to add savory toppings to the pancakes, this can be omitted.
- Medjool Dates- I like to add some dates in order to sweeten the batter without needing any refined sugar. If you don't want them sweetened, you can leave this out.
- Substitution: You can also try sweetening the batter with your sweetener of choice.
My Tips for the Best Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Pancakes
- Adjust for your cottage cheese. I recommend using pressed cottage cheese and following the recipe as written. However, I have also tested this with regular cottage cheese and found they turned out reasonably well if you omit the egg whites.
- Weigh your ingredients. If you toggle the recipe card to metric, you will see the measurements in grams. I highly recommend weighing the ingredients if you have the option as pressed cottage cheese can be hard to measure in a measuring cup.
- Cook over medium low heat. I know you might be tempted to crank up the heat on your busy morning, but cooking over medium low ensures the inside cooks before the outside burns. I find that these only take 1-2 minutes per side even at this heat. To ensure it is quick, you can preheat your pan while prepping that batter!
More Cottage Cheese Recipes...
If you give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know what you thought in the comments below!
Cottage Cheese Oatmeal Pancakes
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup pressed cottage cheese (I used pressed; see note below for regular)
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup egg whites (omit if using regular [not pressed] cottage cheese)
- 1 medjool date
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- butter or oil as needed, for cooking
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except the butter to a high powered blender and blend until smooth.⅓ cup rolled oats, ⅓ cup pressed cottage cheese, 1 medjool date, 1 egg, ¼ cup egg whites, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Heat a non-stick skillet or well seasoned pan over medium low heat (or you can use a griddle). Add a small amount of oil or butter and coat the pan evenly.butter or oil
- Scoop ¼ cup of batter per pancake into the pan to form pancakes. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may only be able to do one at a time or you may be able to fit multiple.)Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbles form on the surface and the edges appear set. Flip and continue to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Enjoy with your favorite toppings! I love these with berries or classic maple syrup and butter.
Notes
- Maple Syrup and Butter (classic!)
- Berries and yogurt or nut butter
- Sliced bananas and peanut butter
- Or check out this post of healthy pancake toppings for more ideas!
Nutrition
Nutrition Note: Nutritional information is estimated using an online calculator and accuracy is not guaranteed. Remember food is more than numbers and this info is intended as a support.
Marie says
These turned out so fluffy and delicious!