Yum! High Protein Cottage Cheese Pancake Recipe
Cottage cheese pancake with butter and syrup photo credit Rebecca Frey
Blame it on TikTok, or perhaps the high-protein craze, but cottage cheese, which has 25 grams of protein per cup, is cool. In fact, Circana has reported that cottage cheese sales jumped 20% from June 2024 to June 2025. But how did we get here? We used to think of cottage cheese as little more than a bland breakfast food. Typically paired with melon, pineapple, or cubes of gelatin, these mild, milky-white cow's milk curds didn't immediately scream cool.
But cottage cheese doesn't have to be boring. At EsterEv in Milwaukee, chefs Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite showcase house-made cottage cheese on the restaurant's tasting menu, coupling it with unexpected ingredients like peas, eggplant, or Brussels sprouts. Utah-based fast casual chain Café Zupas serves up a hot honey cottage cheese bowl with chicken, avocado, cashews, and roasted sweet potatoes. And at home, cooks can experiment with savory cottage cheese pastas and casseroles, along with recipes for sweet treats like cheesecake and chocolate mousse.
Here I've drawn inspiration from the ricotta pancake, blending full-fat cottage cheese with classic pancake ingredients like flour, sugar, and eggs, then frying the batter on a hot buttered skillet. Served with plenty of maple syrup and a big pat of butter, these fluffy, super-soft cottage cheese pancakes are anything but bland.
5 Tips for Making the Best Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Opt for full-fat cottage cheese
Fry in butter
Use a non-stick pan
Add your favorite mix-ins
Spice it up!
Cottage cheese pancake ingredients photo credit Rebecca Frey
Whole milk cottage cheese produces the richest, moistest, and most flavorful pancakes. You can use small or large curd cheese, as long as it contains 4% milkfat.
I fried test batches using butter, vegetable oil, and nonstick cooking spray, with butter as the clear winner, yielding perfectly golden brown pancakes with a slightly crisp exterior and pillowy-soft interior.
Pick the right pan. For easy flipping (and easy cleanup!) cook your pancakes in a nonstick frying pan or a nonstick griddle.
Add your favorite mix-ins. Before frying, stir in chopped nuts, blueberries, miniature chocolate chips, or a teaspoon of finely zested citrus.
Spice it up. Add ground cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, or pumpkin spice to the pancake batter for a seasonal spin.
Making and Serving Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Big cottage cheese pancake photo credit Rebecca Frey
I found it easiest to fry 1 or 2 pancakes at a time, rather than in big batches. These pancakes taste best immediately after frying, but you can arrange them on a parchment-lined tray and keep them in the oven on the warm setting until ready to enjoy.
Serve cottage cheese pancakes with real maple syrup, fresh fruit, or homemade berry compote for breakfast, or with whipped cream and chocolate sauce for dessert.
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Makes 9-10 4-inch round pancakes
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup whole milk cottage cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter, for frying
Maple syrup, butter, fresh fruit, or other toppings, for serving
Method
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside.
In a blender or food processor, blend cottage cheese, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract on high speed until smooth, with no cottage cheese curds remaining, about 20 seconds.
With a rubber spatula, fold cottage cheese mixture into the dry ingredients until just barely combined.
Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet or frying pan over medium heat.
Scoop 1/4 cup batter into pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles form on the surface. With a flat spatula, flip pancakes and cook for 1-2 minutes more, or until equally golden brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve hot, accompanied by butter, maple syrup, fresh fruit, or other toppings as desired.