Cottage Cheese Pancakes

By Vaughn Vreeland

Updated April 21, 2026

  • Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 2
Ready In
20 min
Rating
5(211)
Comments
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When done properly, these protein-packed pancakes are worth the hype. A blender (regular or immersion) does most of the work for you, blending the cottage cheese curds so that they lend tenderness and protein to the pancakes without tasting “cheesy.” An ice cream scoop is great for making quick work of dropping the batter into the pan — just be mindful that the pancakes will spread a bit before they’re ready to flip. This is a great base recipe for mix-ins such as chocolate chips or blueberries, and it can be easily doubled to feed a crowd. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 cup/220 grams full-fat cottage cheese

  • 3 large eggs

  • 3 tablespoons milk of choice

  • 2 tablespoons/25 grams sugar 

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

  • 1 cup/128 grams all-purpose flour 

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda 

  • Canola, grapeseed or other neutral-flavored oil, for greasing

  • Maple syrup or honey, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

48 grams carbs; 150 milligrams cholesterol; 335 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 9 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 550 milligrams sodium; 14 grams protein; 21 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

    1. Step 1

      Blend the cottage cheese, eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla with a blender until quite smooth. (Some small curds are OK.) Transfer to a large bowl and gently fold in the flour and baking soda with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until mostly incorporated but some lumps of flour remain. 

    2. Step 2

      Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium. Lightly grease it with an oiled paper towel or silicone pastry brush (there should be no pools of oil). Drop ¼-cup dollops of the batter into the skillet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. 

    3. Step 3

      Cook the pancakes until they bubble on top and start to look a bit matte around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until cooked through, reducing the heat if the pancakes are browning too quickly. Transfer to a platter or small baking sheet, covering with foil to keep warm, if desired. 

    4. Step 4

      Regrease the pan and repeat to cook the remaining batter.

    5. Step 5

      Serve the pancakes immediately with syrup or honey. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 3 days and reheat in the microwave until hot, about 30 seconds.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
211 user ratings
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Comments

Dal

I make a version of these (almost) every morning for my wife, so can report on a lot of experiments. I recommend increasing the egg a bit (two eggs per half cup of flour and cottage cheese) and adding a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of light olive oil for every half batch. Lemon zest is a nice addition, especially if blueberries will be added. Using a good whole-wheat pastry flour (Whole Foods has one; Sunrise Flour Mill's is also good) instead of white takes them to the next level.

Elizabeth

I don’t like cottage cheese BUT my family needs more protein and not everyone wants eggs every morning. THESE. ARE. DELICIOUS! Just so good and made exactly - for once- as written. #loveastackofpancakes!

Jill PDX

I've been making cottage cheese pancakes very similar to these for years. I just blend the wet ingredients in my blender, throw the dry ingredients in for a few pulses and then pour the batter directly from the blender onto my griddle. Saves some mess and less wasted batter. A quick blueberry compote and Greek yogurt served on the side - wonderful breakfast (or lunch!) Leftovers are almost as good and can be heated in the microwave or in a skillet. Yay NYT Cooking!

Tom Severin

Only had pre-portioned cottage cheese cups which were 5.3oz. Just used a single tub and left the rest of the quantities as written. I did use buttermilk what I had on hand instead of regular milk and these turned out great. My 11 yr old who wouldn’t come within 10 feet of a serving of cottage cheese ate them without issue.

CloseKnitinNH

Just wanted to share a big success I had with this recipe. We recently started refocusing our diet to include more protein. Pancakes were something we sort of gave up on, so when I saw this recipe, I was really excited. I replaced half of the flour with vanilla protein powder, which added more protein and removed the need to add vanilla or sweetener. The pancakes came out amazing. The whole family ate them without noticing they weren’t the usual pancakes. The batter is super thick, almost like pudding, and it doesn’t get bubbles on top before you have to flip it so you kind of have to check it after a minute or so. But they were so great, and the protein was so high that this was a big win for us in our new regimen! The recipe couldn’t have come along at a better time!

Pam

Anyone worked out the nutritional stats?

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