Homemade Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Do you often – if not all the time – pass up cottage cheese in the dairy cooler at the grocery store, thinking it’s too bland?

I see that upturned nose! I’ll tell you exactly what you’re missing out on every time you avoid buying it:

So many fun recipe ideas, including my homemade sweet and fluffy pancakes!

Cottage cheese, typically made with unaged curds mixed with milk or cream and seasoned with a pinch of salt, is a perfectly plain base ingredient. Its curdy simplicity can be easily and creatively used in multiple applications.

See how I’m not complaining? It deserves rave reviews!

From ziti to khachapuri, and from chicken salads to smoothies, you can do far more than just eat it plain by the bowlful, or with sliced fruit and granola.

Staying comfy and cozy in the breakfast category, you can also incorporate cottage cheese in pancake batter.

With the addition of this ingredient, you will create a moist and tender pancake, with a little tangy acidity and the nutritional bonus of extra protein and calcium.

But I haven’t told you the best part yet. Here we go…

Because the small curds will not fully dissolve into the batter, the mix will be speckled with little tiny pieces of cheese.

Take note, breakfast makers: This is what you want. Leave the curds alone.

Don’t freak out, thinking you’ve done something wrong, and try to voraciously over-whisk the batter to get rid of the cheese flecks.

As the pancakes cook, all of the tiny curds will soften and begin to melt. And some on the surface will begin to brown and caramelize. And when you hungrily cut into your stack of hot pancakes, each and every rip will potentially create the cutest mini cheese pulls you have ever seen!

Not only will you get to enjoy the crispy edges of a griddled flapjack, but you’ll also adore gobbling up the delicately cheesy and irresistibly fluffy and moist interior.

Making the batter is no different than what you’d do with any typical pancake mix: whisk the dry ingredients separately from the wet, gently combine everything together, let it rest for 10 minutes, then cook.

It’s easy, so you really don’t have any excuses not to cook your next at-home breakfast completely from scratch!

Complete the dish by serving it with the tastiest accompaniments: maple syrup and fresh berries are my usual toppers, but we have some amazing fresh fruit syrups that you might also like to drizzle all over your flapjacks.

I’ll be in your head the next time you’re at the store – with my recipe in mind, you’ll be tempted to buy a tub of cottage cheese.

And I’ll let these fluffy pancakes make their way into both your heart and your stomach – it will be love at first cheese pull, even before you take your first bite!

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep and Measure

Set out a large nonstick skillet, or your electric griddle.

Set out all the tools you need for making the batter: one small mixing bowl, one large mixing bowl, and a whisk. Set out all the tools you need for cooking: a 1/4-cup liquid measure, a spatula, a spoon rest or plate to rest the spatula on, and kitchen towels to keep your work area clean.

Measure out 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter into a heatproof bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave and allow it to cool slightly while you measure the other ingredients.

Measure out the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt.

Crack 2 eggs into the large mixing bowl or a separate small bowl, and remove any shell fragments.

Measure out the whole milk, vanilla extract, and cottage cheese – low-fat or full-fat cottage cheese are both fine options to use here. You can also try your hand at cheesemaking at home, and make your own batch of fresh cottage cheese!

Decide if you will be using vegetable oil or butter to grease the skillet or griddle – I prefer using clarified butter, which gives you fantastic crispy pancake edges and the amazing flavor of butter, but with a higher smoke point than regular unclarified butter.

Step 2 – Whisk Dry Ingredients

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients – the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt – in the small mixing bowl.

Mix until all of the ingredients are completely incorporated. Set aside for now.

Step 3 – Whisk Wet Ingredients

Whisk together all of the wet ingredients – the eggs, cottage cheese, milk, melted and cooled butter, and vanilla extract – in the larger mixing bowl.

Whisk until the eggs look like they are totally combined with the other ingredients.

Most of the cottage cheese curds will not incorporate into the liquid ingredients, and individual pieces will be visible throughout the mixture. This is fine!

Step 4 – Whisk Dry and Wet Ingredients Together

Delicately whisk the dry ingredients into the wet. Use a gentle hand! Don’t overmix the batter, which can result in a gummy pancake.

If the batter seems too dry or thick, gently mix in a tablespoon of milk at a time. If the batter seems too thin and runny, mix in a tablespoon of flour at a time.

And here is another reminder that the curds will remain solid and intact at this point, dotted throughout the batter.

Step 5 – Rest the Batter

Set the batter aside to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes without mixing.

By allowing the batter to rest before cooking, the flour will have a chance to hydrate fully, and the pancakes will be especially fluffy and light.

Take this opportunity to strategically manage your passive time by cleaning any messes created in the past few steps, or by squeezing in a quick workout!

Step 6 – Cook

Heat the nonstick skillet on the stovetop over medium heat, or preheat your griddle to an appropriate heat setting for cooking pancakes.

Once the skillet or griddle is fully heated, add enough oil or butter to lightly coat the surface. To help with this process, swirl to coat the entire surface of the skillet, or brush the griddle with a heatproof pastry brush.

Be sure to keep extra oil or butter nearby. You’ll need to re-grease the pan as needed while you cook the pancakes in batches!

Using the 1/4 cup measure as your guide, start forming your pancakes in the skillet or on the griddle. Make sure to leave a little space between each one so they cook uniformly. Depending on how big your skillet or griddle is, the number of rounds you can cook at one time will vary.

After 1 to 3 minutes, small bubbles will form on the surface of the pancakes. Using your spatula, carefully flip each pancake over and cook until the other side is golden brown, or cooked to your desired level of doneness, for 1 to 2 additional minutes.

You will see any exposed cheese curds start to glisten and melt.

Step 7 – Serve Immediately and Cook Remaining Batter

Transfer the finished pancakes to a serving plate – I recommend that these be served immediately while they are still hot from the skillet or griddle to enjoy seeing the stringy, melted cheese with every slice!

Repeat Step 6 and 7 with the remaining batter. Enjoy!