Cottage Cheese Oat Pancakes — Four Ingredients, One Blender, No Protein Powder

These pancakes are four main ingredients in a blender: cottage cheese, eggs, rolled oats, and a ripe banana. No flour, no protein powder. A serving of four small pancakes has about 22 grams of protein. We first had this number down as 32 g, and when we ran it against USDA values it didn’t hold, so 22 g is what you’ll see here and on Instagram.

In our house these are a weekend brunch, and I make them for the family. My first batch came out soggy because I got the liquid wrong, which is why the amounts in the card are exact. Our baby is only nine months old and hasn’t had them yet; that will wait until after the first birthday.

Ingredient Notes

Rolled oats, not quick oats. Quick oats make a thinner batter that spreads in the pan.

Cottage cheese. Any brand and curd size works, since it all gets blended. Full-fat gives the most tender pancake.

Banana. It is the only sweetener and helps hold the batter together. Without it, use ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce.

The 5-minute rest. The oats absorb liquid and thicken the batter, and that is what makes the pancakes fluffy rather than flat.

Medium-low heat. High-protein batters brown faster than flour batters. Give them time to set before you flip.

Gluten-free? Oats are naturally gluten-free, but only oats labeled certified gluten-free are processed to avoid cross-contact.

Cottage Cheese Oat Pancakes

Makes 8 small pancakes · Serves 2 · Prep 5 min · Rest 5 min · Cook 15 min · Total 25 min · Breakfast

Ingredients

• 1 cup (225 g) cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup (45 g) rolled oats
• 1 small ripe banana
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• Butter or oil for the pan
• To serve: berries, plain yogurt, maple syrup

Instructions

1. Blend the cottage cheese, eggs, oats, banana, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
2. Heat a nonstick pan over medium-low and brush it with butter.
3. Pour ¼-cup rounds. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles form and the edges look set. Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
4. Keep the first batch warm while you cook the rest. Serve with berries and yogurt.

Per serving of 4 pancakes, toppings not included (estimated from USDA FoodData Central values): about 330 kcal · 22 g protein · 30 g carbohydrate · 13 g fat · 3.5 g fiber · about 560 mg sodium. The whole batch has about 44 g of protein. Adding ½ cup plain Greek yogurt on top adds roughly 10 g.

Make It Yours

• Vanilla and cinnamon: add ½ tsp vanilla extract to the blender.
• Blueberry: drop a few berries onto each pancake right after pouring.
• Savory: skip the banana and cinnamon; add a sliced scallion and black pepper.
• Make ahead: freeze cooled pancakes in a single layer, then bag them. Reheat in a toaster.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked pancakes up to 3 days, or freeze up to 2 months.

This is part of our cottage cheese week. Read how cottage cheese went from farmhouse leftover to protein icon and whether 30 g of protein per meal is a real target. More on our cottage cheese hub.