Ok, trust me with this one.

How many times have you searched Pinterest looking for the perfect protein pancake? I personally think I have about 20 different versions saved. They typically are made with protein powder, and while I love protein powder, if often leads to rubbery pancakes. Enter: cottage cheese.

If you haven’t jumped on the cottage cheese bandwagon yet, you are missing out! Cottage cheese is packed with protein and is so versatile. You can make it sweet, savory, blend it up to use as spread on toast, add it to pizza and spaghetti sauce, scramble it into eggs, mix it into smoothies, add it to salads, and now…..use it to make some protein-packed pancakes. 

The middle of these stays a little soft because of the cottage cheese, and it makes it taste like custard-filled pancakes. I was so skeptical when I first tried them, but they are delicious.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Prep time: 5 minutes 

Cook time: 15 minutes 

Servings: 3

Ingredients:

• 1 c cottage cheese 
• 3 eggs (large) 
• 2/3 c oats (rolled or quick) 
• 3 c strawberries (sliced) 
• 1/4 c all-natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil 
• Cinnamon (to taste) 

Instructions:

1. Add the cottage cheese, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, and oats to a blender. Blend until smooth. 
2. Heat a bit of the oil over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup of the batter at a time, cooking 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Don’t rush this – these will turn out much better if you cook slowly over lower heat. Repeat with the remaining batter and oil. 
3. Divide and top with strawberries and peanut butter right before serving.

PHFF Deets:

Protein: 22
Fat: 25
Fiber: 6