Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Cottage cheese: Small curd or large curd both work since it all goes into the blender. I reach for 4% because the higher fat makes a richer pancake, the same way whole milk does, but any brand or percentage can be used.
• Eggs: Three large eggs do double duty here, holding the pancakes together and adding more protein. No need to bring them to room temperature.
• All-purpose flour: This is what makes them eat like a real pancake, soft in the middle with a little structure. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off so you don’t end up with a heavy batter.
• Baking powder: Two teaspoons sounds like a lot, but this batter is thicker and heavier than a standard pancake batter and it needs the extra lift.
• Salt: Just enough to keep the cottage cheese pancakes from tasting flat.
• Maple syrup: A tablespoon in the batter makes them lightly sweet before you add any toppings. Use the real thing if you have it. Honey will work if that’s what you have.
• Butter: Cook these in butter, not oil. It’s what gives you those golden, crisp edges.

How to Make Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Add the cottage cheese, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and maple syrup to your blender and run it for about twenty seconds, until the batter is smooth and you can’t see any curds.

Don’t be alarmed by how thick it is. This one is a more pourable batter than you might be used to, but that thickness is what gives you tall, tender pancakes instead of flat ones.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium and let it come up to temperature before the butter goes in. Since there is maple syrup in the batter, these brown faster than regular pancakes and pan that is too hot will darken the edges before the centers set.

Add about a quarter cup of batter per pancake to the griddle. Cook until bubbles start forming around the edges and bottoms are deep golden, one to two minutes, flip and give them another minute or two. They should feel springy in the middle when they’re ready.

Serve them hot off the griddle with butter, a pour of maple syrup, cinnamon pancake syrup or buttermilk syrup, and a handful of fresh berries.

Tips for Fluffy Cottage Cheese Pancakes

• Shape them with your measuring cup. This batter is too thick to spread on its own, so use the back of the cup to nudge each scoop into a round after it lands in the pan.
• Drain watery cottage cheese. If there’s a lot of liquid pooled on top of the container, pour some of it off before you measure. Too much and the batter loosens up, which costs you the height.
• Add mix-ins after you blend. Make blueberry pancakes or chocolate chip pancakes by stirring the mix-ins into the batter by hand. Anything that goes in the blender gets pulverized.
• Wipe the skillet between batches. A quick pass with a paper towel clears the browned butter before you add fresh, so pancake number six looks as good as the first one.
• Keep them warm in the oven. Set finished pancakes on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven while you work through the rest of the batter.