Cottage Cheese Pancakes
These super simple Cottage Cheese Pancakes use just 4 ingredients to make a delicious, satisfying breakfast — or breakfast for dinner! These are one of my favorite ways to get a high-protein meal into my kids, and they reheat beautifully, too.

These cottage cheese pancakes have been enriching my life for more than a decade, essentially since I joined forces with my husband. The recipe came to us from my sister-in-law, Carrie, who is married to my husband’s brother and who had the excellent wisdom to include it in her section of one of those old, collaborative, spiral-bound family cookbooks.
These pancakes are just so dang delicious! It almost doesn’t seem possible that they’re also packed with protein and seriously simple to make, but that’s exactly what makes them so magical. They have tender interiors, slightly crisp edges and golden brown speckles, and a sweet, mild flavor that makes a dreamy base for your favorite berries or other fruit.
A word to the wise: these do not and are not intended to have the same texture as “regular” pancakes. I would say they are more substantial and filling, with a definite creamy effect from the cottage cheese curds. They’re truly a treat unto themselves.
Ingredient & Substitution Notes
Here are a few notes and shopping tips about the ingredients you’ll need. Find full amounts in the print-friendly recipe card below.
- Four large eggs.
- One large (16 ounce) container cottage cheese. Any type works; our favorite is whole milk, small-curd. As you might expect, a large curd will yield noticeably more lumpy pancakes.
- All-purpose flour. This can be substituted with a 1-for-1 gluten-free blend, such as this one from King Arthur Flour. Some flour is necessary as a binding agent, in our experience. I am still experimenting with the right ratio for almond flour.
- Vanilla extract. Or vanilla bean paste. Yum!
- Butter for cooking, maple syrup and your favorite berries or fruit for serving. OK, these are technically extra above the four ingredients; please forgive me. 🙂
I nearly always keep a container of cottage cheese in the fridge, explicitly so that I can make these pancakes as an emergency breakfast-for-dinner. This saved me from dropping money on take-out at least a dozen times!
Pro Tip
We absolutely love the flavor and hearty texture of these pancakes with the batter just whisked together, but if you prefer a smoother effect, just blitz everything together in the blender or food processor for 45-60 seconds, then pour and cook as you would any other pancake batter.
What fruit goes with cottage cheese pancakes?
Our top choice is cottage cheese blueberry pancakes! You can sprinkle on top of a cooked stack or press blueberries directly into the pancakes as they cook. For the latter option, we find it best to pour the batter out into rounds, then press 4-5 berries into the raw side of each one. If the bottom side cooks, the blueberries will hold when you flip the pancakes.
Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches or nectarines when in season, thinly-sliced or diced Granny Smith apples — you really can’t go wrong with the other fruits you sprinkle on top.
How to keep cottage cheese pancakes warm?
Obviously it’s easy to serve these straight off the griddle, but if you’re making them for a sit-down meal it’s nice to keep the first batches warm for a bit. Fortunately this is really easy, and the pancakes’ texture is well-suited to it.
As pancakes come off the griddle, stack them in a baking dish or pie plate and transfer to an oven set to 200 degrees F. I’ve done this for up 30 minutes with good results: toasty warm pancakes but no drying out.
Storage & Reheating
Cottage cheese pancakes keep well in an air-tight container (we use a large Stasher bag) for 3-4 days in the fridge. Toss a couple of pancakes on a plate, microwave for 45-60 seconds, and enjoy!
Related Recipes
Some of our other favorite everyday breakfast recipes include sausage cheddar egg bites (which also have cottage cheese for added protein), a Mediterranean frittata, spinach Parmesan frittata, banana blueberry muffins, lemon zucchini muffins with olive oil, strata with pancetta and caramelized onions, and banana almond milk smoothies.
My son’s all-time favorite? Five banana banana bread, hands down!
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Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 16 ounces cottage cheese we prefer whole milk and small-curd; any type works
- 1 cup all-purpose flour can substitute a 1-for-1 gluten free blend
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- butter for cooking
- maple syrup and fruit optional for serving
Instructions
- Whisk eggs, cottage cheese, flour, and vanilla together in a large bowl. The mixture will be thick and lumpy. Set aside.
- Generously coat a large non-stick pan or griddle with butter and melt over medium heat. Pour batter out into circles (I use a generous 1/4 cup batter per pancake) and cook on one side for 4-5 minutes, until set all the way through. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side, until golden brown.
- Serve right away with maple syrup and fruit, as desired, or stack pancakes in a baking dish and keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: Cottage cheese pancakes keep well in an air-tight container (we use a large Stasher bag) for 3-4 days in the fridge. Microwave a couple of pancakes for 45-60 seconds and enjoy.
- Nutrition: The nutrition facts below are an estimate based on 1 pancake in a yield of 16 pancakes.
- Recipe: Family recipe shared by my sister-in-law, Carrie, and loved by literally everyone.