Cottage Cheese Pancakes

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Updated on 01/18/22
cottage cheese pancakes

Elaine Lemm

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 8 pancakes

Cottage cheese is the ultimate pancakes hack. Who knew that adding this American staple to your pancake batter could make them tastier, fluffier, and overall tastier? Get ready for a stack of amazing pancakes that are so easy to make that you can even fi them into a weekday morning. Add texture, flavor, and nutrition to your next batch of pancakes with this simple recipe.

Cottage cheese is a fantastic ingredient and delicious on its own on top of fruit or toast. A 100-gram serving of low-fat cottage cheese has a fantastic 11 grams of protein, which makes it a filling food to eat. With healthy levels of calcium, B12, riboflavin, and selenium, this a real powerhouse of nutrition.

Serve these pancakes with your favorite fresh fruits, honey, agave, maple syrup, nut butter, bacon, or even a fried egg on top for an unforgettable breakfast or brunch. Use any cottage cheese you'd like, from low-fat to full fat, although keep in mind that the caloric intake will greatly vary depending on the fat content of the cheese. We recommend using a non-stick pan and pouring a uniform amount of batter in the pan to have equally sized pancakes and a consistent cooking time.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain cottage cheese

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 3 large eggs, free-range

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. 

  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cottage cheese, oil, and eggs to create a batter. The batter will be lumpy from the cottage cheese, but that's the texture that's needed.

  3. In a separate bowl, add the baking soda to the flour.

  4. Sift the flour mixture over the cheese and egg batter and whisk thoroughly until there are no flour lumps. The batter is ready when it is light and frothy with bubbles on the surface. Set aside.

  5. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add some butter to sufficiently grease the pan and drop 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan.

  6. Cook on one side for 2 to 3 minutes until bubbles are forming on the surface.

  7. Flip over and cook for a further 3 minutes. If the skillet is large enough, you can make two or three at the same time. Remove from the pan and wrap in a tea cloth to keep warm while you repeat the process with the remaining butter and pancake batter.

  8. Serve your pancakes warm with your favorite sides.

  9. Enjoy!

How to Store Cottage Pancakes

The cooked pancakes keep well for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Heat up in the microwave or pan fry in butter for a minute on each side. For freezing, use parchment paper to separate the pancakes and place in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Make-Ahead Cottage Pancakes

The batter can be made the night before. Mix all of the ingredients, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Cook straight from the fridge.

Recipe Variations

This batter is a great basic recipe to add to with other ingredients:

  • Add a little spice to the batter with ground cinnamon, grated lemon zest, nutmeg, or vanilla extract.
  • Switch out the plain cottage cheese for a savory cheese flavored with onions, chives, or other herbs. If you can't find a flavored version, then create your own by mixing finely chopped teaspoons of fresh or dried parsley, chives, dill, and onion powder, garlic powder, or seasoned salt.
  • Use other flours like whole wheat or gluten-free mixes to adapt the pancakes to your preferences and dietary needs.
  • Add a teaspoon of chili flakes and a dash of hot sauce for a spicy version. These tasty pancakes are great with scrambled eggs and sausage.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
357 Calories
22g Fat
26g Carbs
14g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 357
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 28%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 172mg 57%
Sodium 568mg 25%
Total Carbohydrate 26g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 73mg 6%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 144mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Cottage Cheese, Low-Fat. FoodData Central. United States Department of Agriculture.