Thanks to their light and fluffy texture and low-carb appeal, even those who don’t care for cottage cheese adore Kathleen’s Cottage Pancakes!
High protein and low carb are typically not the words I associate with pancakes, but this recipe shakes things up a bit!
A friend of The Fountain Avenue Kitchen passed this novel pancake recipe along to me, saying that it is something she makes for her husband almost every morning.
The ingredients are quirky–for pancakes, anyway–but so very healthy. I simply could not pass this recipe by.
The cottage cheese lends a lightness to the batter while the eggs provide exceptional protein and flavor. I loved the underlying egg flavor.
Note, there’s not a speck of sugar in this recipe–and just a small amount of flour. I think next time I will try whole wheat flour, or perhaps my gluten-free blend. My dad would like these.
By the way, my sons both declared this a “make-again” recipe. My picky eater did not so much as notice there was a “funny” ingredient in there: )
Note: I have been asked several times if I have tried these pancakes with my gluten-free flour blend, and I wanted to provide an update. In addition to making them with that blend, I have also tried them with oats, as one friend shared that she had successfully done. That time, I used quick oats and added 1/2 teaspoon each baking soda and baking powder in lieu of the 1/4 teaspoon baking soda called for in the original recipe.
While they tasted fine, the resulting pancakes lacked the fluffiness present in the original recipe. The gluten-free blend fares very well, resulting in an end result similar to the original version. I use the 1/2 teaspoon each of baking soda and powder here, too. Both times, I polled my husband and kids and they gave both versions their stamp of approval although did notice a difference with the oat version, mainly because those pancakes appeared flatter than usual.
Update 4/4/18: Recently, I’ve had several readers ask about making these with almond flour. Although I have not yet tried it, my suspicion is that it would work but that the pancakes would be somewhat flatter. If you try, please feel free to comment!
- 6 eggs
- 1½ cups cottage cheese
- ¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt*
- ½ cup flour (see comments above regarding gluten-free options)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
-
Beat eggs until light. Mash cottage cheese (Kathleen uses a food processor, I used my mini chopper to really get it smooth). Add to eggs along with the remaining ingredients. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a lightly-greased griddle (I like to use my cast iron skillet) and cook over medium heat until browned on both sides and cooked through. Top with maple syrup or fresh fruit, as desired.
-
Makes about 2 dozen small pancakes. I made mine a bit bigger and got 17 or 18.
*If using regular table salt, you may wish to start with ⅛ teaspoon. Also, sodium contents vary among cottage cheese brands. If your brand contains a high level of sodium, I recommend using less (or even skipping it) when making these pancakes for the first time.
For a healthy, aromatic option with a high smoke point, try cooking the pancakes in coconut oil.
Just wanted to let you know I made the batter the night before and they turned out wonderful. My husband said the recipe is a keeper!
I’m delighted the recipe worked so well when the batter was prepped in advance. Thank you for taking a moment to follow up and enjoy those pancakes!
I was wondering how many carbs where in these??
Hi Cindy, Because of options I often provide within my recipes and because of variance inherent with different products, I don’t usually provide nutritional stats. I do have a user-friendly link in the “Helpful Tips” section of this blog that you may want to look at. Also, several commenters have mentioned the stats if you want to quickly scroll through them.
What is the calorie count?
Hi Laurie, I don’t regularly provide nutritional stats but provide an easy tool (as well as the reason for this) in the Helpful Hints section. Several commenters have also noted the carb and calorie count if you’d prefer to scroll back through the comments.
Made these with almond flour today and they tasted fantastic! My daughter who does not like cottage cheese loved them!
Love it when that happens! Thanks for your comment, Catherine!
Just tried these. I used almond flour and put in the baking soda & powder you suggested. I left out the salt, added cinnamon and a bit of stevia. They do flatten, but I used them more as a crepe, put kodiak cakes first berry syrup and whipping cream that I whipped with stevia, vanilla and cinnamon. Even my keto- hating daughter thought they were good!
That’s terrific, Katrina! I’m so glad they were a hit with your adjustments and that your daughter enjoyed them, too!
Is this Keto friendly. If not. How can I make them Keto
I’m not an expert on Keto eating, but full-fat dairy and eggs are typically fine. Grains are where you’d run into some trouble, so you’d have to use some form of nut flour. In this case, the pancakes would likely taste good but be a little flatter. I hope that helps!
Made these with almond flour and it seemed to work well.
Tomorrow I’m going to try substituting ricotta cheese for cottage.
Tip: I like cooking them with a lid. Seem even better
Thanks for your feedback, Mikey, and so happy you enjoyed. I especially like your suggestion of trying with a lid…will try that myself. Good luck with the next batch!
Our family lives a keto lifestyle. I have tried using almond flour in place of the all-purpose flour but the pancakes come out too flat and break apart. My variation to the recipe is:
16 oz. tub of organic cottage cheese
6 large eggs
1/2 c. Almond flour
1/2 c. All-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
Blend it all in a blender. Add a small amount of ghee to an omelette size pan over low/med heat. Pour a 1/2 c. of pancake batter in pan and cook for approx. 3 min. each side.
Makes 9 pancakes.
These pancakes are the bomb! Light and fluffy and very tasty!
I spread on some Greek yogurt and add a few berries. Delicious!!
I freeze the remainder of pancakes then reheat during the week. Making weekly meal prep a snap!
Thanks for sharing your modifications 🙂
Thanks for sharing your adjustments. I had made these with almond flour – light, fluffy, tasty – but they just did not stay together. I had wondered if more eggs might help bind better. I see you also did half almond flour and half all-purpose flour – not sure if I am ready for wheat flour again yet, but I’ll keep it in mind.
Thanks for your feedback, Karen. A few commenters have indicated success with almond flour, but I have not tried. If you want to go half and half, perhaps you could use a cup-for-cup all-purpose GF substitute. I’m also wondering what would happen if you used a tablespoon of coconut flour or possibly a half to two-thirds almond flour and the balance a starchy flour like tapioca, potato, corn or arrowroot.
I have made these a dozen or more times. We love them!! I modify slightly to match my family’s taste. But these are perfect just the way they are!
Wonderful, Terri! So happy you make these regularly for your family. Thanks for your comment!
Hi I made these keto pancakes with 1/4 cup almond flour and 1/4 cup coconut flour. They tasted very eggy but were not bad with cinnamon and the fake sugar. I just had them for my supper but made them bigger. Thanks
Hi Rosz, I think coconut flour can enhance the eggy taste in recipes that have a good number of eggs. That said, I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes with your modifications and that they worked for your keto diet. Thanks for your comment!
In the 1960’s a similar recipe (Adele Davis @Prevention Magazine) used oatmeal instead of flour. I lost the recipe in Hurricane Camille (Cat 5, 1969 in Biloxi Ms.) My kids loved them and will try this recipe on my great grand kids! Thank you.
Betty, I’m delighted you found a recipe that seems similar to the one lost so many years ago in what must have been a devastating storm–and I love that you will be cooking these for your GREAT grandchildren. How lucky they are to have you!
Has anybody tried using coconut flour? I would like to try it but am worried about the outcome haha. 6 eggs is a big waste if it turns out wrong
I’d love for someone who has tried to weigh in, Jennifer, but I have not. I will say that the ratio of all-purpose flour to coconut flour is between 3 and 4 to 1, so you’d likely need somewhere between 2 to 2-3/4 tablespoons of coconut flour as opposed to the stated 1/2 cup of regular flour.
I wonder if ricotta cheese were subbed what the results would be….
Hi Donna, I’d be inclined to try it, realizing that the texture of the finished pancakes could be slightly different (not necessarily worse!) due to slight differences in water and fat content. If you do try, I’d love to know what you think!
I love love loved these pancakes. I purchased sugar free Mrs Butter-Worths syrup. I will make these again. I Will however omit the salt. It came thru a little much. But all and all. Delicious . I would love to figure out the Weight Watchers points. Thank you!
I’m delighted these are a keeper, JoAnne! As I mention in the recipe, the salt really does depend on the brand of cottage cheese used. There’s such variation from one to the next. Perhaps another reader will be able to mention the WW points for you.
What about making them with almond flour?
Hi Cheryl, A few people have recently asked this question. Although I haven’t tried, I think almond flour would work but would yield a thinner pancake. If you try, I’d love to know what you think!
Thank you for this recipie-these are a dieter/healthy eaters best friend!
I used gluten-free Bisquick for the flour and coconut oil spray for the cooking. I used the blender for all mixing. Made myself an extra special large thin pancake, put a tablespoon strawberry jam, rolled it up and topped with a tbsp of yogurt-delish!
Also, they freeze like a dream so I double the batch!
That sounds fantastic, Linda. Thank you for the feedback and the helpful mention regarding the gluten-free Bisquick!
I would love to try these pancakes but I can seem to copy and print. Could you please email me all version of the pancake mix to my email below. Thank you
Hi Debbie, Sometimes the print option opens in a new window on your browser. Check and see if that happened, and if you still can’t print let me know!
I am one person to eat this super recipe, if i make using all ingred. amounts is too much…
can i keep for 1 or 2 days in the fridge or is it a one time food…? maybe i can try 50% of ingred. amounts… your opinion very important… thank you!
Hi Betty, You could definitely cut this recipe in half, although the lesser amount of batter may be hard to blend thoroughly in a standard size food processor. It would definitely work in a mini processor. You could also make the full batch, cool completely, and then freeze some for later. The pancakes reheat well in a toaster oven. Hope this helps!
The pancake can be made with chickpea flour. Add finely chopped onion, grated carrots, chopped coriander.
Sounds like a delightful savory option, Shuchi. Thanks for mentioning!
Could the flour be Almond Flour instead ?
Coincidently Phyllis, the previous commenter just asked the same thing. This was my reply: I haven’t used almond flour in this recipe but I believe another person commented after making the substitution at some point. My recollection is that it worked but the pancakes were flatter than usual. I hope that helps, and if you try, I’d love to know how you make out!