If you had told me a few years ago that I would soon become obsessed with cottage cheese, I would have laughed in your face. And now look at me, whipping up delicious Cottage Cheese Pancakes for a high protein breakfast!
Really, I have come to love that funny curdy cheese that I used to consider “grandma food”. It’s tasty by itself and I will happily eat it straight from the container. But it also works well in so many low carb baked goods. From keto protein bagels to high protein pizza crust, cottage has become a staple in my kitchen.
Recipes abound for cottage cheese pancakes, but so many of them rely on oats or flour to give them bulk and structure. While they may be high in protein, they also contain upwards of 30 grams of carbs. That’s a deal-breaker for me anyone on a low carb diet.
So I got tinkering in my kitchen with a little almond flour and some protein powder, and came up with a very tasty alternative. I gave mine a spring flavor twist with a little lemon but you could make them plain vanilla too.
Don’t forget, I have a new cookbook coming out that’s all about high protein, low carb recipes. Check it out!
Why we love this recipe
My husband and youngest child absolutely devoured these protein pancakes!
- So easy! Just whiz the ingredients together in a blender and you’re ready to get cooking.
- Adaptable: You can easily switch up the flavor profile to suit your tastes. Make classic pancakes by using vanilla instead of lemon extract and water instead of lemon juice.
- Amazing texture: I can’t say that these are as light and fluffy as my regular keto pancakes. But they have a delectable creamy texture inside from the cottage cheese.
- Make ahead recipe: They store well so you can make a big batch and pop them in the fridge or freezer for easy breakfasts!
- Great macros: This delicious breakfast recipe has 6.6 grams of carbs and 19.5 grams of fiber per serving.
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: Fine blanched almond flour always produces the best texture. If you want to be nut-free, you can try sunflower seed flour.
- Protein powder: I like to use the protein powder from Just Ingredients, which is a mix of protein sources. But regular whey or egg white protein should work as well.
- Sweetener: I prefer to use an erythritol based sweetener, as allulose will darken the exterior too much. You could also use highly concentrated sweeteners such as monk fruit or stevia extract.
- Xanthan gum: Keto pancakes lack gluten and starch, so they tend to be more fragile than regular pancakes. A little xanthan gum helps add strength to the pancake batter.
- Cottage cheese: I used whole milk cottage cheese but 2% should work just as well.
- Lemon juice: You can use fresh or bottled lemon juice.
- Lemon extract: This adds extra lemon flavor without the carbs. You can substitute with vanilla extract.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, baking powder, butter or oil for the pan.
Step by Step Directions
- Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, sweetener, baking powder, and xanthan gum. Whisk to combine and break up any clumps.
- Blend the wet ingredients: Combine the cottage cheese and eggs in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the lemon zest and lemon extract and blend briefly again.
- Finish the batter: Add the flour mixture and blend until well combined. Then add just enough liquid (lemon juice, almond milk, or water) to thin that batter so it’s easily scooped onto the griddle.
- Prep the griddle: Preheat a griddle to medium or set a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Brush lightly with butter or oil.
- Make the pancakes: Use about 3 tablespoons of batter for each pancake and spread into a 3 or 4 inch circle. Cook the pancakes until bubbles begin to appear on the tops and the edges are set and dry, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Flip and finish: Carefully flip the pancakes and continue to cook until golden brown on the second side, another 2 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter or oil to the pan as needed.
Tips for Success
You really can adjust these pancakes to your favorite flavor profile. Leave out the lemon and make them with vanilla extract. Banana extract or maple extract would also be nice. Feel free to add some chocolate chips or blueberries to the batter.
I recommend a blender for mixing up the batter, to get it nice and smooth. Whisking the dry ingredients together helps break up any clumps in the almond flour and protein powder before you begin.
Keep the pancakes on the small side so that they are easier to flip. Don’t make them any bigger than 4 inches in diameter. I recommend using a very thin-bladed flippers and wiggling it underneath one edge, then flipping quickly.
Remember to look for dry, set edges and some bubbles in the top before you attempt to flip them!
Frequently Asked Questions
Cottage cheese is a wonderful addition to pancakes. It adds wonderful flavor, plenty of protein, and gives them an almost creamy consistency on the inside. Make sure you blend it until smooth first, as you don’t want chunky curds in the pancakes.
Yes, these pancakes freeze very well. I recommend flash freezing them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet until they are solid before placing them in a freezer safe container. This way, they don’t stick together as they freeze. They should last for up to 4 months in the freezer.
This keto cottage cheese pancake recipe has 6.6g of carbs and 2.0g of fiber per serving. That comes to 4.6g net carbs for 3 pancakes.
Serving suggestions
- Powdered sweetener with fresh berries
- Keto Blueberry Syrup
- Homemade Keto Maple Syrup (pair with non-lemon pancakes!)
- Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce
- Keto Nutella (pair with non-lemon pancakes!)
Cottage Cheese Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (112 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (54 g) unflavored whey protein powder
- 3 tbsp (30.43 g) granular sweetener
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 cup (210 g) cottage cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract, or vanilla extract
- 2 to 4 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice, (or almond milk or water)
- Butter or oil for the pan
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, sweetener, baking powder, and xanthan gum. Whisk to combine and break up any clumps.
- Combine the cottage cheese and eggs in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the lemon zest and lemon extract and blend briefly again.
- Add the flour mixture and blend until well combined. Then add just enough liquid (lemon juice, almond milk, or water) to thin that batter so it's easily scooped onto the griddle.
- Preheat a griddle to medium or set a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Brush lightly with butter or oil.
- Use about 3 tablespoons of batter for each pancake and spread into a 3 or 4 inch circle. Cook the pancakes until bubbles begin to appear on the tops and the edges are set and dry, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Carefully flip the pancakes and continue to cook until golden brown on the second side, another 2 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter or oil to the pan as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Ooh!! I cannot wait to make these, but I try to avoid almonds in any form due to oxalate kidney stones. Do you have another suggestion to sub for the almond flour??? Love your recipes!!! <3
Please read the blog post! 🙂
Another great recipe! I made them in my waffle maker and they were awesome.
Love the addition of lemon zest and extract to this! I had to sub pea protein for the whey powder which I think made my batter extra thick and sticky.
GF pancakes seem to always be hard to flip. I ended up using a piping bag to make extra small and flat pancakes that could hold together while flipping. That made it so much easier.
Other than that – another great recipe from my favourite cooking site!
I recommend a spatula with a very thin edge… wiggle it under rand then flip quickly.
I made these pancakes and they are delicious but I used maple extract, my friend who does not eat keto loved them. Thank you!
Great idea!
So glad I tried these!! I love the texture and taste! Very satisfying!
Had to decrease the temp on my gas burner, so they cooked through and didn’t burn.
Thanks Carolyn
You mention and link to the Just Ingredients website. They don’t have unflavored protein powder, just chocolate and french vanilla. Also, they have no lists of ANY ingredients in any of their products.
Just wondered if you knew.
I have no idea what you are looking at but they do indeed have an unflavored variety (Just Plain) and they do indeed list the ingredients on ALL of their products. I am on there right now and there is a specific tab for ingredients right at the top.
In the initial instructions it says…
“Lemon juice: You can use fresh or bottled lemon juice.
Lemon extract: This adds extra lemon flavor without the carbs. You can substitute with vanilla extract.”
In the recipe it says
lemon zest and lemon extract
Did you use juice or zest?
It says all three… lemon zest, extract and juice.
I never use Xanathem gum . . .. what I use instead? chia seeds?
I really can’t say… I made it with xanthan gum.
Can egg white protein be substituted for the whey protein in this recipe?
It should work, I think.
so easy and so delicious, I can’t believe I waited so long to try this recipe!!
These are very good! I left out the lemon as I prefer vanilla but I love the texture and fluffiness of these cakes. I thinned the batter with a little cream. Would have given them a 5 but even though I greased the griddle very well, they required patience to turn without tearing. Will definitely make them again!
Just made these using a mini waffle maker. They are delicious with that hint of lemon even tho I only used the lemon zest. I had to use vanilla whey powder as I had no plain. I will definitely make these again!
Hi Carolyn,
I’ve been following you for along time now. finally I have gotten the courage to write you. Your my biggest Fan! My go to when I need to eat something that sweet, that is healthy with protein. I use Equip prime protein.
thanks, for being my friend
yours truly Sharon Nichols
Thanks!
These turned out absolutely perfect, even with really dry cottage cheese. Thanks for the recipe Carolyn!
ciao😘come posso sostituire le proteine del latte? in Italia nn trovo l’ allulosil e il sostituto del zucchero di canna,come posso sostituirli? grazie le tue ricette sono meravigliose 🤩. grazie e buona giornata 😘
These were delicious! I added blueberries and I think my batter was a bit thick even after I added extra coconut milk. Wondering if you could spread this out on a sheet pan and bake it in the oven? I saw you have another oven pancake recipe but not sure if the higher protein one would work in the oven. Mat try it as waffles next time. Thanks!
I think it’s worth a try!