Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Cottage cheese pancakes are a fluffy, protein-boosted twist on traditional pancakes. Serve them up sweet or savory!
A number of you were curious about the cottage cheese pancakes I mentioned (in passing) a couple posts back. They're pretty great, and a nice alternative to pancakes that are predominately flour-based. There are never enough pancakes and waffles over here. Lol.
Cottage Cheese Pancakes: Ingredients
The best thing about these protein-rich pancakes is how easy they are to make using common ingredients. Beyond that, they’re wildly adaptable.
- Cottage cheese: Cultured cottage cheese is a great choice here, it’s a bit tangy and the curds tend to be larger. That said, I’ve had good results with every type of cottage cheese I’ve used for these pancakes.
- Milk: You can use the milk of your preference. I’ve had good results with both dairy, homemade oat milk and almond milk.
- Flour: As far as choosing flour goes, I like to use a mix of whole wheat pastry flour with all-purpose flour for this recipe. If you don’t have any whole wheat flour, no problem. Unbleached all-purpose flour is a-ok. And, if you’re avoiding gluten - I’ve had great results using oat flour in place of the flour called for. The 100% oat flour pancakes are more tender, and a bit trickier to flip, but they’re just as delicious.
- Eggs
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Add-ins: See below
Cottage Cheese Pancakes: Add-ins
Here's the thing with these pancakes. I'm going to share a version I make that incorporates minced cauliflower. The added nutritional bump you get from it is nice, and if you chop it finely enough, no one is the wiser. That said, you can take these in a completely different direction if you like. Work something with added texture, flavor, and nutritional oomph into the base batter and you’re set. If it's not cauliflower try chopped spinach, blanched/chopped nettles, broccoli, dill, finely shredded carrots, etc. It's hard to go wrong, and it's fun to experiment.
Play With Scale
The pancakes you see here are standard size - roughly 4-5-inches or so. That said, you can do, smaller blini-sized versions of these.
Toppings
There are so many options here! You can serve these pancakes topped with roasted strawberries, vitamin C honey, or blackberry saffron honey. They’re fantastic topped with the dill butter from Super Natural Every Day (page 99), even better with the spiced nori butter from Near & Far (page 172). Both of those are on the savory side, or experiment with just about any of these compound butters. Seriously, blank canvas. Have fun with them!
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Cottage Cheese Pancakes
To those of you who aren't cauliflower fans, yes, you can absolutely leave out the cauliflower. Or swap in an comparable amount of any the following: blanched nettles, broccoli, or spinach. With the spinach or nettles - blanch quickly in salted boiling water, drain well, and chop (nearly) into a paste. If all you have is unbleached all-purpose flour, no problem, use it in place of the flour blend called for. To make these gluten-free, swap out the flours for 1 cup / 110g / 4 oz oat flour. And you can use dairy milk, oat milk, or almond milk for the liquid here.
- 1 cup / 7 oz / 200g cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup / 180 ml milk
- 4 room temperature eggs, separated
- 1 cup / 4 oz / 115g raw (or quickly blanched) cauliflower, chopped into rice-sized bits
- 1/2 cup / 75 g whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup / 75 g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- butter or oil, for cooking
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In a large bowl mix the cottage cheese, milk, and egg yolks until smooth. Stir in the cauliflower.
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In a separate (clean) bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.
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Combine the flours, baking powder, and salt into another bowl. Add the flours to the cottage cheese mixture, and stir until just barely combined. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter with a spatula.
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To cook, warm a griddle or pan over medium heat, melt a bit of butter or oil in it, then spoon a little scoop (say, 3-4 tablespoons) of batter into the pan for each pancake, working in batches. You want to cook these relatively slowly, until each pancake is deeply golden on one side.
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Flip each pancake, and wait until the other side is golden, and the pancake is cooked through. Continue until you've worked through all the batter.
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You can keep cooked pancakes in a 225F oven until you finish, to keep them warm. They're great simply with a pat of butter and a sprinkling of salt. Or, if you want to get a bit fancy, whip up a bit of harissa, saffron or pesto-swirled salted yogurt, or any of the toppings suggested in the above post.
Makes ~2 dozen medium pancakes.
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Comments
First off, I really like the idea of using cottage cheese in the pancakes. And now, I’m already thinking about how much I want to make pancakes this weekend!
These were delicious, perfect winter comfort food. Thank you for the recipe!
My boyfriend and I have been searching for the perfect pancakes recipe. This might be the one.
Great recipe – thank you! Now my husband asks for these pancakes instead of the package (!) variety.
I love cottage cheese in pancakes for the extra protein boost and love your idea for adding chopped vegetables.
i usually use yogurt in my pancake batter, but never thought to sub cottage cheese. made these this morning with caramelized onions and spinach instead of the cauliflower. topped them with some homemade roasted orange bell pepper sauce. even my 1y/o devoured them! great way to add more veggies into the diet. might try some grated citrus zest and chopped herbs next time. thanx for the inspiration, heidi!
I made these on Saturday and could not stop eating them. These were so yummy!
These were a huge hit! Great texture, greta taste. I used cauliflower and dill and simply topped with with some plain yogurt. Yum!
Hi Heidi!
Just stumbled across your lovely little space here. =)
Pictures of the past are always very fascinating, its like a time machine or a window to an other world and time. I used to take home lots of pictures like yours from flea markets to make collages.
Your cottage cheese pancake look so perfect. I d surely love to have one with a nice green salad and vinaigrette.
thanks for sharing!
I made these for dinner and they were great. To make the pancakes gluten-free, I used almond meal for the whole wheat flour and garbanzo/fava flour for the all purpose. Perfect! Fried in coconut oil & topped with a bit of goat cheese, it was lovely. Thanks!
HS: Thanks for reporting back Meg – happy to hear they turned out!
These look fabulous; I think they sound perfect to accompany a smear of cream cheese and chives for a nice side to a lunch salad or bowl of soup.
What a fresh and lovely recipe. I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate cottage cheese into things (given its versatility and protein content). Thanks!
Love your recipes and also your photos. Great photography.
This kind of small pancakes are very popular in my country. But I’ve never tried it with a cottage cheese before. As always, very interesting post.
Cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are my favorite vegetables and I am ALWAYS trying to find new ways to prepare them. I am definitely going to try this. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
I’ve never tried making cottage cheese pancakes before. But your version looks delicious and the addition of veggies is great.
I have been reading your blog for the past year and ABSOLUTELY love everythng you post. Even though I don’t get a chance to cook everything; your postings about your life and food are fabulous. Thank you so much for letting us into your life…
We had a cottage cheese frittata at a bed and breakfast a while ago, and it made it so light and fluffy. I am not surprised they make for a great addition to pancakes as well!
I never thought of adding cottage cheese to pancakes but these look incredible. Going to whip some up this weekend, maybe with some lox…yum
I make a cottage cheese pancake all the time. except I mix the dough in a blender. Then I make them like crepes. they are great. My family begs for them. hmmm great with maple syrup..
These pancakes look so delicious. And then, all the old photos, it feels like being in another world, gorgeous.
I love this. Cheese pancake, it is special and must be delicious. I love cheese and pancake. Definitely have to try it. Maybe add chopped onions instead of cauliflower will be nice too. 🙂
my mom had cottage cheese latkes (more cottage cheese, less eggs and add flour) and i make them for my family served with sour cream. they are my daughter’s favorite meal and requested always for her bday dinner.
What beautiful photos and a wonderful recipe – I think I might make these with spinach and have them cold with some hummos for dipping at work this week.
These cottage cheese pancakes with cauliflower today was a huge hit today! I adored them so much!!! The plan yogurt with pesto swirled in was a perfect touch. This recipe is definitely a keeper with my family! Thank you, thank you!!
Love the fabulous flavor of cauliflower in these pancakes. Reminds me slightly of Gobi parathas..an indian flatbread stuffed with cauliflower mash. Yummm!
ok now I’m really hungry
I love the idea of using cauliflower in pancakes – not something I’ve ever come cross before. Gorgeous.
We have an old family recipe that is similar and incorporates apples. They are so old-style and special!
The possibilities are endless! I am so excited for this recipe. You always inspire…thank you!
i adore cottage pancakes, for their light, custard-like loft, and their added protein oomph. that said, we usually make ours with ricotta, as i’ve a child who’s not fond of the “white bits”.
we usually take ours in the sweet direction, with a touch of maple syrup, and soft butter at the table. they are out of this world with tiny frozen blueberries, and/or lemon zest, and/or nutmeg, and/or orange zest + tiny cranberry bits.
also, the photos, yes, more please!
I love cottage cheese pancakes! I’ve never had them with cauliflower though. Another version of this is ricotta pancakes with lemon zest mmmm!
They look so good. I love pancakes.
I am so into these.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I used to make my children cottage cheese pancakes when they were little as none of them cared for milk. I used the pineapple in them for sweetener and in lieu of flour I added corn meal. Now that they are all grown up I will have to make them your version when they visit!
Yum! I love that they’re such a blank canvass. I can’t wait to try them with some dilled creme fraiche and smoked salmon.
I was just thinking about buying some cottage cheese and these pancakes have convinced me! Love that you added some cauliflower in there too.
I just made these for lunch and they were simply wonderful. I halved the recipe, used romanesco, and topped the cakes with a dollop of greek yogurt mixed with herbs de provence.
Thank you for the recipe
I am fascinated by old photos and have spent many an hour in antique shops perusing boxes of lost and forgotten memories. When looking at old family photos I can sometimes discover some familiar resemblence but whether I’m related or not to the subject or place, there remains a romatic mystery, a time gone by that I long to know more about. I try to imagine what was happening in the lives of the people in the picture or who was photographing that moment in time. I love that you’ve posted some of your favorites, I thought I was alone in this strange fascination. I’ll look forward to more if you choose to share and as always I’ll look forward to reading about your travels.
Another beauty!
Love the idea with raw cauliflower. This will definitely be made this weekend! Thanks 🙂
Always loved the idea of cottage cheese in pancakes for the tang and protein it adds. But the cauliflower-that sounds remarkable!
I haven’t seen chopped cauliflower in pancakes before, but it sounds like a pretty good idea. I would definitely love to have these for brunch with a rich cheddar sauce on top. Mmmm…
I love cauliflower and these little pancakes look divine. I have never seen pancakes with cauliflower in them. What a great find.
These are so unique! Love this idea.
These sound amazing! I would totally drizzle them with maple syrup though. Is that weird?
What a fascinating recipe with interesting ingredient variations. Can’t wait to try it!
Cauliflower and pancakes! Two of my very favorites in one package – I had to make them for lunch. So what if I didn’t have any cottage cheese or milk? I used thick yogurt and half-and-half, and they were terrific….with just butter and with maple syrup (I know they’re supposed to be savory, but…they’re pancakes). I made half a recipe and got 16, 8 for lunch and 8 in the freezer for a future treat.
HS: Wow – now I have to try this version!
i have some good friends who just made something like this for us a few weeks ago…LOVE it!
This is a gorgeous recipe. This may be an impossible question, but: is there any way to do a non-dairy version of these pancakes? If anyone has a suggestion for a tasty alternative, I’m open to it!
ooh – another clever way with cauliflower!!
It’s printed and put on next weeks meal plan!
Last week I came over a recipe (on another blog) that uses cauliflower as “rice” in a “Cauli-otto” – delicious and nutricious!!
Great photos. I love the use of cauliflower here – great way to add something something!
Do you have a preferred brand of cottage cheese? Is 2% ok?
HS: Hi Darien – should be fine.
Which flour can I substitute to make them gluten free?
I love cottage cheese pancakes and have been making them for years. We serve then with lemon curd, or fresh raspberry preserves.
But I have always struggled with them sticking to the pan. My most recent effort has been to use coconut oil instead of butter. etc to grease the griddle. Tastes lovely, but still not totally effective.
What do you recommend?
Pancakes that are healthy. A dream come true. Love love love it.
Uh oh. Cottage pancakes. I’m in trouble now…..I LOVE cottage pancakes.
I’ve been experimenting with savory ricotta and cottage cheese pancakes lately as well! A version with roasted winter squash and sage has been making frequent appearances. I was trying to make a muffin out of it originally but found that the cheese would stick and I’d lose half my muffin to the tins or liners, so I gave up on muffins and switched to pancakes. Thanks for sharing this version!
I love the sweet-breakfast pancakes but I’ve never tasted a salty version of them.
I’ve just some cottage cheese in the fridge. I’ll try this recipe! thanks! 🙂
best regards from Italy
Irma
I have to try out those pancakes but I might use spinach instead of cauliflower as you suggested!
Thanks you for this fantastic recipe
I am Russian and one of our staples is a farmers cheese pancake called a Syrnik. It’s traditionally made with farmers cheese, flour, egg and sugar. I make these for my kids every week, as they are perfect for breakfast or lunch on the go. I never considered making them savory, but this looks interesting. Do you think its important to use cottage cheese? We use farmers cheese because its less runny.
The cottage cheese doesn’t surprise me, but the cauliflower does! That’s a unique ingredient, but I’m sure it’s delicious. I love when sweet meets savory.
I’m too distracted with how GORGEOUS the light is in your kitchen. DANG.
Ok now i’m gonna go look at the pancakes. *yum*
I make cottage cheese pancakes with grated apples. The cauliflower sounds delicious, and would be great for dinner pancakes. I have cauliflower but not cottage cheese right now. I might have to make a trip to the store tomorrow.
I can’t really think of anything that wouldn’t be delicious with that dill butter. I recently had to buy dead-of-winter dill to make it because I couldn’t face waiting until summer to have it again. These pancakes look like another great excuse to whip up a batch.
yum, so pretty!
I love cottage cheese pancakes but never make them at home. Looking forward to trying this recipe this weekend!
I’ve never heard of adding chopped cauliflower to a pancake batter… and only rarely have I heard of cottage cheese pancakes. These sound delicious though! Next time I make pancakes I’m trying out this type of version.
I was just wondering what to do with leftover cauliflower- perfect! what a great new recipe- thanks!
I never thought of putting cottage cheese into the pancakes! 35 years ago, I used to make oatmeal pancakes for my sons, topped with cottage cheese and grated apple. A substantial meal for growing boys.
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