Healthy Apple Pancakes
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There healthy apple pancakes are made with oats and cottage cheese. They’re packed with 18 grams of protein and great for meal prep!
To celebrate apple week I’m sharing an oldie, but such a goodie that recently got a much needed upgrade. These apple pancakes are the ultimate fall breakfast and sooo good! I can’t wait for you to try them.
They’re sweet, comforting and feel indulgent even though they are 100% healthy in my book…they’re loaded with protein and fiber. One serving (4 pancakes) has 5 grams of fiber and 18 grams of protein. Boom, the perfect way to start your day! Added bonus: The batter is made in the blender, which makes it super easy to whip up and easy to pour directly from your blender into the skillet for cooking.
If you’re as excited about apple season as I am, you should definitely check out my apple cinnamon overnight oats or these delightful apple yogurt muffins. Both are perfect for adding more apple goodness to your mornings.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthy – Jam-packed with healthy ingredients and have 18 grams of protein per serving!
- Family-friendly – Both adults and kiddos will love these pancakes.
- Easy to make – Just add ingredients directly to your blender. Yay for less dishes!
- Delicious – The cinnamon apple topping is chef’s kiss! Don’t skip this step.
Ingredients Needed
- old fashioned rolled oats – rolled oats are the base of this recipe. Once blended, the oats turn into oat flour! Oats are naturally gluten-free but are often cross-contaminated, so make sure you grab certified gluten-free if needed! I like using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Rolled Oats.
- egg whites – acts as a binding ingredient, keeps the pancakes light and fluffy and really amps up the protein! I usually use liquid egg whites (from a container) so I don’t have to crack eggs and waste the yolks.
- cottage cheese – another protein booster, cottage cheese also helps to keep these pancakes moist. I typically use full-fat cottage cheese, but 2% cottage cheese will also work.
- applesauce – make your own homemade applesauce or use store-bought. Just make sure it’s unsweetened if you go that route.
- baking powder – a leavening agent.
- cinnamon – a must for apple pancakes!
- apples – you’ll need about 1-2 apples for both the pancakes and the topping, peeled and finely chopped into pieces. I prefer to use Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Fuji apples, but any variety will work.
- maple syrup – this is my favorite natural sweetener. We’re using maple syrup to make the cinnamon apples and for an additional drizzle on top.
- cinnamon apple topping – this is legit the best part of this recipe (in my opinion). It’s an extra step but 100% worth it! For the cinnamon apples, I use the same quick microwave method that I use for my apple overnight oats and it works like a charm. It makes instant baked apples!
Recipe Substitutions
- Oats: If you don’t have old-fashioned rolled oats, quick oats can be used in a pinch. They’ll create a slightly different texture but still work well.
- Cottage cheese: I haven’t tried it, but Greek yogurt would probably be a good substitute for cottage cheese. Cottage cheese typically has plenty of sodium, which is why we don’t need any added salt in this recipe, so if you do use Greek yogurt you might want to add a pinch of salt!
- Eggs: The egg whites really help with keeping these pancakes light and fluffy. If you prefer, you can also use 2 full eggs in place of the egg whites.
- Make it dairy-free: I haven’t tried this, but you could try swapping the cottage cheese with a dairy-free yogurt instead.
- Make it vegan: You could try using two flaxseed eggs or chia eggs as a substitute for the egg whites as a vegan option.
How to Make Apple Pancakes
Step 1: Add all ingredients, except diced apples, into a blender and process until the mixture is relatively smooth.
Step 2: Gently fold in the diced apples to the pancake batter and begin heating a pan over medium heat.
Step 3: Place a quarter cup of batter in a hot pan and cook until little bubbles form, then flip and cook for another minute or two.
Step 4: While pancakes are cooking, prep the cinnamon apples in a bowl and microwave for 30-60 seconds, or until apples are soft.
Brittany’s Recipe Tip!
If you really want light and fluffy pancakes, avoid over-mixing the batter. Stir the ingredients just until combined, even if there are a few lumps remaining. Over-mixing usually causes the batter to become dense and the pancakes to lose their airy texture.
What to Serve With Apple Pancakes
We often eat these pancakes on their own for breakfast, but if you’re hosting a brunch or want a more filling meal, here’s what I recommend serving with pancakes:
- Quiche – get your savory fix with this dairy-free spinach quiche or this kale and feta crustless quiche.
- Meat – some sort of breakfast sausage and/or bacon would be delish paired with these pancakes.
- Fruit salad – I love this fruit salad with mint or this simple fruit salad.
- Coffee – make this pumpkin spice latte for the ultimate fall experience.
- Fun drink – make these apple cider mimosas or keep it healthy with this apple pie apple cider vinegar drink.
How to Store Leftovers
These pancakes store super well which also makes them great for meal prep! If I make these pancakes on a Sunday, I like doubling the recipe so we have leftovers for the week. Let your pancakes cool before putting them in an airtight container or ziplock bag (I like using my Stasher bags). Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
To reheat, I like to pop them in the toaster oven so they get a little crispy, but you can also reheat them in the microwave. If serving with the apples, I’ll make more cinnamon apples the morning of. I also like eating the pancakes cold, straight out of the fridge. I’m weird like that!
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! If you don’t want to microwave your apples you can cook them on the stovetop. Just add your apples, cinnamon and maple syrup to a small saucepan over low-medium heat and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the apples have softened. Make sure to stir the apples occasionally to avoid them sticking or burning to the bottom of the pan.
I haven’t tested out a dairy-free recipe for these pancakes yet, but I’m sure you could replace the cottage cheese with a plant-based yogurt or a dairy-free cottage cheese alternative.
Yes! Feel free to add crushed walnuts, dried fruit, or even a handful of chocolate chips to the batter. Just be sure to fold them in gently to avoid over-mixing the batter.
More Pancake Recipes to Try
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Apple Pancakes
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup egg whites
- ½ cup full-fat cottage cheese
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup diced apples
- maple syrup, for topping
Cinnamon Apples
- ½ cup diced apples
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Add oats, egg whites, cottage cheese, applesauce, baking powder and cinnamon into a blender and process until the batter is relatively smooth with a thick consistency. If the batter seems too thick, feel free to add a splash of milk or water to the batter.
- Gently, fold in diced apples.
- Heat pan or griddle to low-medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Once hot, scoop out about a quarter cup of batter at a time and pour onto pan. You should be able to make about 8 small pancakes. Cook until little bubbles form and the edges of the pancakes are solid enough to put a spatula underneath. Flip the pancakes and cook for one to two additional minutes.
- While pancakes are cooking, prep cinnamon apples by adding diced apples, maple syrup and cinnamon in a microwave safe bowl. Stir to combine and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until apples are soft and look similar to baked apples.
- For serving, place four pancakes on each plate, top with warm cinnamon apples and drizzle with maple syrup and/or nut butter.
Video
Notes
- Egg whites: You can use 2 whole eggs in place of the egg whites if needed.
- Cottage cheese: I haven’t tried it, but Greek yogurt would probably be a good substitute for the cottage cheese.
- For meal prep pancakes: Make pancakes as instructed in the recipe. You can also prep the cinnamon apples, but store those in a separate container. Let pancakes cool and place in a sealed storage container in the fridge for up to 5 days. When ready to eat, eat cold with toppings of choice OR reheat the pancakes until warm in the microwave (should only take 30 seconds or so), in a toaster oven or on the stovetop.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Equipment
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Well, we tried round one this morning. On the griddle forever, still undercooked and super flat. Come back and see if you want light and fluffy, stir ingredients until just combined. Ok. So next time, I’ll try blending the oats to make them flour, blending the cottage cheese so my husband can’t tell it’s there, and then stirring everything. No idea how you folks are just blending everything enough to break it down and still getting a pancake that looks like a pancake. I must not have the right pixie dust. lol We did like the flavor though, so we’ll try again.
Oh no! So sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t turn out for you. Did you add the baking powder? That’s strange the pancakes turned out flat. Also, what brand of cottage cheese did you use? I’m wondering if yours was super liquidy and that might have been the issue with them being undercooked.
Made these (and applesauce) to use up some apples from this fall and they were a total hit with all my kids and hubby. One batch only makes eight small pancakes so I did 4x which still easily fit in my Vitamix. They are absolutely delicious when hot and reheat beautifully, don’t taste so awesome cold so I won’t be sending them as a fun lunch for my kids. This is a blender recipe which makes it an instant win. I was keeping things easy so didn’t bother with the apple topping. Will definitely be making again.
Yay!! That makes me so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit with your family. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Really good. I will make this recipe again!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed these pancakes, Jodi. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
The apple topping really raised these pancakes to 5 stars. I used two whole eggs so not sure how much that affected the nutritional values. Very moist and satisfying.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed these pancakes. Thanks for making this recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I followed the recipe exactly and my batter was very thick so thick that it was difficult to cook them all the way thru? I used egg white from a carton? Stove top at med low ? Any idea what I did wrong?
So sorry to hear that. It sounds like maybe your cottage cheese was super thick with not much added liquid. What brand did you use? Next time, you can always add a splash of milk to thin out the batter if it’s too thick! I’ll be sure to add that note to the recipe.
So delicious! Loved the apples and the great cinnamon flavor. My new favorite fall breakfast. Thank you!
Yay! So glad you loved this recipe, Mary. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it!
Ooooh these are really good. I subbed a banana for the applesauce and used 2 whole eggs instead of egg whites but had to add a splash of oat milk to get the right consistency. The diced apples inside are a great way to use up apples that are past their prime.
Yay! So glad you liked the apple pancakes! Love the banana swap and great call adding a splash of oat milk to get the consistency right. Thanks so much for sharing your tweaks and for coming back to leave a review!
Just made these for lunch and they were so good and filling! It actually made more than 8 small ones for me so I might have been off on my measurements. Love that they are full of protein and little added sugar especially when we add maple syrup on them. Definitely will be a keeper for us!
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear! I’m glad you loved these pancakes. Thanks for trying the recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I must be doing something wrong. These just stick to the pan. Help!
Hi Courtenay. I am so sorry to hear they are sticking to the pan. Are you using a non-stick pan? Spraying it well with non-stick spray? and make sure you are not cooking them on high heat, medium-low should be perfect.
These are my family’s favorite pancakes! I make them on repeat – once I was out of apples and had to use bananas and they were still great!
YUM! I am so glad you and your family are loving these pancakes, Katie. Thanks so much for sharing your review & star rating, I appreciate it!
I just made these pancakes last night for todays breakfast and enjoyed it sooo much!! They’re moist and very filling, I didn’t have any apples to dice so I omitted that. The next time I make these I’ll add that
Thank you for sharing
YUM! So glad you’re loving these pancakes, Lynda. I love that you were able to make them the night before as well, perfect for meal prepping. Thank you for your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
I love these! I’m making them for the second time this weekend. Also perfect for my 9 month old baby who is learning how to feed himself. Great fall breakfast 🙂
My preference is to cook the topping down in a pot because I like a really soft texture. Otherwise I follow the recipe as is.
YAY! I am so happy that you and your little one are loving this recipe, Samantha! Great idea to cook the topping down. I appreciate you sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
These were fast and delicious! We’ve been getting lots of apples in our CSA each week and looking for new ways to use them. The quick “baked” apples turned out great! I swapped ricotta for the cottage cheese because that’s what I had. Thank you for the recipe.
So happy to hear these pancakes were a success even with the ricotta, Sophie. Thanks so much for the review. I really appreciate it!
Delicious! I added 2 tsp of coconut sugar so they’re sweet enough for my 3 year old to take on the go without having to worry about any sticky toppings.
Yay! Happy to hear these apple pancakes were a hit, Janine. Thanks so much for the review and trying them out. I really appreciate it!
Hi. Would this recipe work for making waffles? Would I need to make any modifications? Thanks
I’ve never tried using it to make waffles but I love the idea and I think it would work just fine. Let me know if you try it!
Looks so yummy!! I’m a huge fan of oatmeal. Can I ask what you use for applesauce?
Hey Nicola – Do you mean what brand I use?
What kind of apples do you suggest?
Any types of apples will work, but I prefer Honeycrisp, Fuji or Pink Lady.
our whole family loved them, including my toddler! thank you 🙂 can’t wait to try the rest of your recipes!
YUM! I am happy to hear that you and the family are loving these pancakes, Carla. Thank you SO much for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I truly appreciate it!
I loved these pancakes! They are totally satisfying even though they are sugar free! Love it!
Ahh yay! So glad you’re a fan of these pancakes. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Love this recipe! This weekend we mixed it up a bit and added a quarter cup of shredded carrots and a dash a ginger. Then topped with toasted coconut flakes, walnuts and raisins. Turned out to be the perfect carrot cake pancakes to start the day!
Woo! So glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
The whole family enjoyed these this morning. It was so nice that everything just goes into the blender. My daughter said that these should be in a restaurant which I think means she liked them!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Christine. I’m so glad these pancakes were a hit with the family! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
FANTASTIC! whole family loves them. I had to use cream cheese because I didn’t happen to have cottage cheese on hand and I couldn’t wait to make them! I will try with cottage cheese next time. Love love love this recipe!!
Yay!! I’m so glad these pancakes were a hit with the whole fam! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, I so appreciate it. 🙂
I made these this morning and they were delicious and sweet. I will definitely make them again but I will make a double batch for my family. I just noticed the serving size is half of the recipe! You will want to eat the whole serving!
I know, it’s very easy to eat the whole batch in one sitting. Haha! 🙂 I’m so glad you tried and enjoyed this recipe, Mindy! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. The reviews are super helpful to other readers, so I appreciate it! <3
These are amazing! I love that they are made from a base of oats & do not require protein powder. I used whole eggs out of preference & pumpkin because we do not have applesauce. They turned out beautifully!
Yay! Thank you so much, Kori. I’m so glad that you liked them. Thank you so much for sharing on IG and for coming back here to comment and leave a star rating. It means so much to me and is so helpful. <3
Hi, Looking forward to making these pancakes. Unfortunately, I live in Chengdu, China and I can not buy cottage cheese. What would be a good substitute? Thanks!
Hi Lucy! Someone else used buttermilk as a substitute for the cottage cheese and said they turned out well! You could also try yogurt, but I haven’t tried making them with yogurt so I’m not 100% sure that they’d turn out the same. Let me know what you end up using and how they turn out!
Loved them! Perfect Sunday breakfast! Didn’t have cottage cheese, so used buttermilk! Could you suggest a dairy free option?
Oh, so glad to hear that they turned out well with the buttermilk as well. I haven’t tried it, but dairy-free yogurt might work well as a sub for the cottage cheese. You’ll have to let me know if you try it.
I tried these super yummy apple pancakes. The warm cinnamon apples on top take them to another level. Thank you for sharing your easy delicious recipes with us.
Much love ❤
Can I use old fashioned oat flakes or does it have to be ground?
Yes, you can use old fashioned oat flakes.
Great recipe! I found they stuck to the pan though and were hard to flip. Any ideas why? Thanks!
Omg I have got to make these. I’m going to next weekend. They sound yummy
Under ingredients you list 1tsp cinnamon after the baking soda, but never told when to incorporate that into the recipe, with the batter ingredients in the blender?
Then there is another 1/4 tsp cinnamon used in the cinnamon apples mixture.
Thanks for your help.
Thank you so much for heads up on this. I’ll update the recipe.
Hi! Iz there a possible substitute for the cottage cheese? I’m lactose intolerant.
Thanks!
Hope I can try your recipe, looks good.
I was wondering about the same thing, I hate cottage cheese, maybe using one of those almond milk yogurt instead? I will use greek yogurt on mine
Delicious recipe! I made it for lunch today, and everyone loved it. The maple cinnamon apples on top were such a nice touch. I will definitely be making these again. Thank you! 🙂
Hooray! So so happy that you liked the pancakes, Angelia!
Made these tonight for dinner…amazing! So delish and comforting on a damp, dreary night. Thank you!
Ahh!! So thrilled that you enjoyed the pancakes, Cynthia!! <3
Hi Brittany. I was very excited to see this recipe. Your banana chocolate chip cottage cheese pancake recipe is my all time favorite EBF recipe and I make it almost every week. I was excited to see another oatmeal-cottage cheese protein pancake option. I meal prepped mine last night and had my first serving for breakfast this morning. Really enjoyed it!
Just made them! So. Good. This will definitely be my go to recipe for pancakes. Love that they have so much protein! I used two eggs instead of the egg whites and they turned out great!
Yay!! I am so glad that you liked them, Beth! Thank you for coming back to leave a comment letting me know how they turned out. 🙂
do you think you could use whole eggs instead of egg whites?
Yes, I’d use 2-3 large eggs instead of the egg whites.
On list of new recipes to try this weekend!
Yay!! Enjoy, Rhonda.