Light fluffy cottage cheese pancakes (Printer Version)

Tender, fluffy pancakes featuring cottage cheese for a subtle tang and delicate texture.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 1 cup cottage cheese (full-fat or low-fat)
02 - 1/4 cup milk

→ Dry Ingredients

03 - 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
04 - 1 tablespoon sugar
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
06 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Eggs

07 - 3 large eggs

→ Flavorings

08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ For Cooking

09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or neutral oil, for frying

# How to Prepare:

01 - In a large bowl, whisk together cottage cheese, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract until mostly smooth with some curds remaining.
02 - In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
03 - Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir gently until just combined; avoid overmixing to maintain a thick batter.
04 - Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease with butter or oil.
05 - Scoop approximately 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto the skillet, spreading slightly if needed. Cook 2–3 minutes until bubbles form and edges set, then flip and cook 1–2 minutes until golden and cooked through.
06 - Continue cooking remaining batter, adding butter or oil as necessary.
07 - Serve pancakes warm with fresh fruit, honey, maple syrup, or preferred toppings.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • They're naturally protein-packed, so you stay satisfied through the morning instead of reaching for a snack by 10 a.m.
  • The cottage cheese makes them impossibly tender without the heavy, dense feeling of whole wheat pancakes.
  • You can make a big batch and freeze them—weekday mornings become actually manageable.
02 -
  • Don't overmix the batter—it's tempting to get every last lump smooth, but that's how you end up with rubber pancakes instead of fluffy ones. Stop stirring while you still see streaks of flour.
  • The batter is thick by design, not a mistake; if it's too thin and pours like regular pancake batter, your pancakes will spread into thin, crepe-like things instead of staying fluffy and tender.
  • Medium heat is your friend here; go too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks through, go too cool and they take forever to set and come out pale and dense.
03 -
  • Cottage cheese varies wildly between brands—some are wetter, some are drier—so trust your eyes more than exact measurements; if the batter feels too thick after mixing, add a splash of milk.
  • A well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a properly nonstick surface is worth the investment here, because these pancakes don't need to be flipped aggressively and they'll stick to a mediocre pan.
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