Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
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These pumpkin protein pancakes are light, fluffy and packed with fall flavor. With protein from cottage cheese and egg whites, they make a healthy breakfast that’s filling and delicious.
Few things are better than a cozy fall breakfast that actually keeps you full. These pumpkin protein pancakes have quickly become a staple in our house. They’re made with cottage cheese and egg whites for a boost of protein (no powder needed) and still turn out light, fluffy and full of pumpkin spice flavor. They’re actually inspired by my healthy apple pancakes , but I swapped the apples for pumpkin to create a cozy fall version with even more protein.
Why You Gotta Try This One
I make a lot of pancake recipes, but these pumpkin protein pancakes are extra special. Here’s why they’ve become a fall favorite in my kitchen:
- Meal-prep friendly: They reheat beautifully, so you can make a batch on the weekend and enjoy a healthy breakfast all week.
- Protein without the powder: These get their protein naturally from cottage cheese and egg whites, so you do not need a scoop of protein powder to get a filling breakfast.
- Fluffy and cozy: Made with pumpkin purée, oats and warm spices, these cook up light and fluffy with that perfect pumpkin pie flavor.
- Energizing, not heavy: Unlike traditional pancakes that can leave you feeling sluggish, these keep me full and satisfied for hours.
// ★★★★★ Review //
“I have made these twice and they were delicious both times! I made them for myself and baby and we both loved them! I love how the recipe is simple and easy to make and also how they don’t contain any sugar. The pancakes are very flavorful without sweetener!” – Heather
Ingredients Needed
- old fashioned oats – I love using rolled oats for the base of these pancakes. They blend up beautifully to create a hearty, flour-like texture that still feels wholesome.
- egg whites – these help bind the batter, keep the pancakes light and fluffy, and add a big boost of protein.
- cottage cheese – the secret ingredient that makes these pancakes moist, satisfying and packed with protein.
- pumpkin purée – real pumpkin gives the pancakes their cozy fall flavor and extra moisture. You can make homemade pumpkin puree or grab a can, just be sure the ingredient list says only “pumpkin.” Don’t accidentally pick up pumpkin pie filling since it already has sugar and spices added.
- pumpkin pie spice – a warm blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves that brings the classic pumpkin spice flavor. You can use store-bought or make your own pumpkin pie spice.
- cinnamon – pairs perfectly with pumpkin and gives the pancakes even more fall flavor.
- maple syrup – the natural way to add a little sweetness when serving.
How to Make Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
These pumpkin pancakes are one of the easiest healthy pancake recipes because everything goes straight into the blender. The batter comes together in seconds and clean up is a breeze.
Step 1: Add oats, egg whites, cottage cheese, pumpkin purée, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to a blender. Blend until the mixture is mostly smooth.
Step 2: Heat a greased skillet over medium-low heat. Pour about ¼ cup of batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles form and the edges look set, 4–6 minutes. Flip and cook another 1–2 minutes until golden.
Tips for the Best Pancakes
- Keep the heat low and slow: Since these pancakes are thicker and packed with protein, they need a lower cooking temperature so the insides cook through before the outsides brown too much.
- Use a nonstick skillet or griddle: The batter is moist and can stick more easily, so a nonstick surface (plus cooking spray or a little oil) makes flipping stress-free.
- Flip gently and only once: Wait until you see bubbles across the top and the edges look set before flipping. This keeps the pancakes fluffy and prevents them from breaking apart.
More Healthy Pancake Recipes
- Blueberry Protein Pancakes
- Coconut Flour Pancakes
- Butternut Squash Protein Pancakes
- Protein Pancakes
- Banana Pancakes for Babies
- Protein Pancake Bowl
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- ½ cup egg whites
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- ¼ cup pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- nonstick cooking spray
- maple syrup, for topping
Instructions
- Add oats, egg whites, cottage cheese, pumpkin, baking powder pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon into a blender and process until the batter is relatively smooth.
- Heat pan or griddle to low-medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking 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, about 4-6 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook for one to two additional minutes.
- For serving, place four pancakes on each plate and drizzle with maple syrup and/or nut butter.
Video
Notes
- Use old fashioned oats: Quick oats can work, but steel-cut oats won’t blend smoothly. I like using Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats for the best texture.
- Keep the heat low: These pancakes are thick and protein-packed, so low and slow cooking helps them cook through without burning on the outside.
- Make ahead: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month. Just reheat in the toaster or microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
So good!!! I topped with almond butter and maple syrup drizzle. Very filling and still a nice pancake texture.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Is there a way to make this dairy free?
I haven’t tried it, but you could try swapping the cottage cheese for a dairy-free yogurt. That will change the protein count of course, but it should work. Let me know if you end up trying it and how it turns out.
Best pumpkin pancakes I have ever had. So glad I doubled the recipe for leftovers! Def worth making and will in the future.
That makes my day—so glad you loved them! Doubling the recipe was a smart move… leftover pumpkin pancakes are the best. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Hi! Curious what makes the sugar content 16g?
If you leave off maple syrup and sweetened peanut butter, how much does that reduce?
Hi EL. Great question! Most of the 16g of sugar comes from the maple syrup topping. Without the maple syrup, and if you use unsweetened peanut butter, the sugar content drops significantly to around 5-6g, mainly from the natural sugars in the pumpkin and cottage cheese. Hope this helps!
Wow! Thank you so much for providing this recipe it was wonderful, SUPER fluffy pancakes with the cottage cheese!
I did make a few tweaks on the x3 proportions doing only 1 cup cottage cheese and used 3 eggs instead of the egg whites.
Made enough for leftover servings for week day breakfasts.
WOO! This is so great to hear, G. I am so glad you gave these a try and they turned out amazing for you. Thank you for taking the time to share your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
This sounds so delish! Having said that, I’m dairy intolerant, what can I substitute for the cottage cheese to keep the protein up? Thanks so very much!
Hi Betty – You could try a dairy free yogurt like Siggis.
I made 6 pancakes with a 1/4 c to measure and spoon onto the griddle. I replaced the egg whites with 2 eggs. Makes a quick and easy breakfast with the perfect amount of pumpkin spice and sweetness. I topped with whipped topping and a touch of maple syrup with a few pecans for crunch. Delightful!
Sounds perfect, Jessica. I am so glad you gave these a try and they turned out delicious for you. Thank you for taking the time to share your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
good for how healthy they are. my gf friend loved them
YAY! I am so glad thee were a hit, Bree. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
good for how healthy they are
I would love to try these. I’m wondering what syrup do you have drizzled on your pancakes. it doesn’t look like maple syrup but all I found on this post was maple…
Hi Silvia – In the photos I have served these with maple syrup and drippy peanut butter. My favorite! Hope you love this recipe. 🙂
I look forward to making these every Autumn! Today I added hemp seeds and they turned out wonderfully. Thank you for this recipe!!
Ah! What a great addition, Hillary. I am excited to hear that this recipe is a hit! Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I so appreciate it.
Great recipe! Love that it leaves you feeling full!
Woo! Love to hear that, Joleen. Thanks for making them and coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it 🙂
Can I use this recipe to make waffles?
I don’t see why not! Let me know if you try it and how they turn out. 🙂
These pancakes were fabulous. I hesitated to make them because I just like pumpkin… I don’t love pumpkin like others do. I did not have cottage cheese but used regular vanilla yogurt, not Greek and they were delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Woo!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Paula! Thanks for giving it a try and for the review. I so appreciate it!
Can you taste the cottage cheese in the pancakes? (I dislike cottage cheese).
Could I substitute the cottage cheese for ricotta cheese?
I don’t think you can, but I also love cottage cheese. 🙂 Ricotta cheese might change the flavor, the closest sub I would say would be Greek yogurt. 🙂
I was craving pumpkin pancakes and decided to give these a try. Seriously just as delicious as my favorite brunch hangout’s version but so much healthier.
Yay! I love hearing this, Ava. So pumped these pumpkin pancakes were a hit. Thanks so much for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Can I substitute cottage cheese with whole milk kefir? Would it be a 1 to 1 substitution?
Hey Jennifer, I haven’t tried it so I’m not 100% sure but I bet that would be fine to sub the cottage cheese with the kefier 1:1 ratio. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Brittany! Can we use yogurt in place of cottage cheese? Thank you
Hey Tania – Yes, yogurt should work just fine!
Made these two weeks ago and they were a hit!! I substituted non fat Greek yogurt for cottage cheese since we didn’t have cc on hand but otherwise followed your recipe and it was delicious! Thank you!!
Woo!! So glad this recipe turned out for you, Connie. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it!
So delicious! Made them with 2 whole eggs and they had a great texture. Me, my husband, and my 10 month old all enjoyed them! My son even clapped after every bite
So glad these pancakes were a hit, Sarah! I appreciate you coming back to leave a comment + star rating. <3
I have made these twice and they were delicious both times! I made them for myself and baby and we both loved them! I love how the recipe is simple and easy to make and also how they don’t contain any sugar. The pancakes are very flavorful without sweetener!
Woo!! So glad these pancakes are a hit!! Thanks so much for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, Heather. I so appreciate it. <3
I made these pancakes as breakfast today .For me these were super good bc of the amount of ingredients, not many of them and I put anything on top that suits me. I made it with honey and taxini. Super delice. Thank you Brittany.
You’re so welcome, Marie! I’m so glad you enjoyed these pancakes. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
We made these for lunch today and they were so yummy! I added a few chopped pecans to each pancake cause I love crunch. My husband is not a pumpkin-flavored type of person but said they were the best pumpkin-flavored thing he had had. I doubled the recipe so we can have more another time. Love how protein packed they are!
Ahh yay! That makes me so happy to hear, Priscilla! So glad these pancakes were a hit. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. 🙂
Delicious, honestly so good! I hate cottage cheese normally, but by some recipe magic, these become delicious pumpkin pancakes. I don’t even miss real pancakes because these are so tasty. Thanks for the recipe!
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear!! I’m so glad you enjoyed these pancakes, Marisa. Thanks for making them. 🙂
What is the ratio of oat flour once ground? I have pre ground oat flour
One cup of oats = just a little under one cup. I have a blog post all about oat flour here. 🙂
I made this using non fat Greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese to achieve 3 points per pancake (2 large pancakes per recipe) on WW Blue. I think the yogurt also improves the consistency of the batter. Serve with a sliced banana and sugar free syrup for a great fall weekend breakfast!
So pumped these pancakes turned out for you, Sally! Thanks for sharing that you used Greek yogurt instead of the cottage cheese. The subs are super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it. 🙂
One of my favorite! EBF recipes!! So delicious!! I used 2 eggs instead of 1/2 cup egg whites and it turned out great!!
So glad these pancakes turned out for you, Lacy! Thanks for sharing the sub you made. It’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it!
Omg. You have to try these to believe how delicious they are! I scoured EBF’s website for pumpkin things and these are EPIC!
You’re on a pumpkin roll!! I love it. 🙂 So glad these were another hit! Thanks for trying them, Hilary.
I have just discovered this website after trying to improve my eating habits for the past year. I made this pancakes this morning. I did use only 1/2 cup of oats, rather than 2/3, just to reduce the carb content a titch. The batter worked perfectly, the pancakes were delicious with a small amount of maple syrup on them. I saved the other half for tomorrow, which will make getting up a lot better looking forward to my breakfast!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Becky! I’m so glad you found my website and are enjoying the recipes. 🙂
I made these this morning and they were so delicious!! Although, my batter was so thick that I couldn’t pour it so I had to add a little milk. Definitely will make again!!
Hey Sonya! I’m so glad you enjoyed these pancakes!! Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
Would you make any adjustments if you wanted to use this for waffle batter?
I haven’t made this recipe as waffles, but I have a few readers who have and they said this recipe worked really well as waffles. 🙂 Let me know how they turn out for you.
Made this healthy pumpkin pancakes recipe, and it was quite good… Although pancakes were very dense and very filling.. I think next time I make this, I will add a little more liquid to thin out the batter, to make it more pourable and less dense.
Definitely will be making this again.!!
Hey Bonnie! Thanks so much for trying this recipe. I’m glad you enjoyed it. The pancakes are definitely supposed to be filling since they are packed with protein and fiber. Did you make any changes to the recipe? They shouldn’t be overly dense, but if they’re too dense you can definitely add more liquid. I suggest adding 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you are looking for. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating, it means the world to me! <3
Love this recipe! I’ve been making it into waffles for my family in the weekends!
Ohh!! I love the idea of turning it into waffles. I need to try that soon. I don’t use my waffle iron nearly enough. And thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating on the recipe. The ratings are super helpful for my site! <3
Delicious! I halved the recipe and poured it all in my waffle iron. Turned out perfect!
Amazing!! So glad that this recipe turned out for you as waffles instead of pancakes. Thanks for leaving a comment + star rating, I really appreciate it, Danielle!
Amazing timing on this! Had some leftover cottage cheese to get through and eggs that were going bad. Did’t have egg white mix so just used three full eggs and turned out perfectly. Usually my pancakes turn out total disasters- this actually turned out!! So thank you for a fantastic recipe- the griddle helped a ton too- way too many bloggers are obsessed with cast iron and I find it heats up too much, starts burning the outside, sizzling, making a mess and only one or two pancakes at a time. So again, thank you for this gem!!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed these pancakes and that the 3 full eggs worked well instead of the egg whites. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating. The reviews are super helpful!
This recipe could not have been more timely. I just put a pumpkin chocolate-chip cake in the oven and was staring at a half-cup of leftover pumpkin puree and asking myself, “now, just what am I going to do with this?!” The pancakes look delicious and will be a treat for tomorrow morning. Thank you!
Can’t wait for you to try them! Definitely let me know what you think of them and how they turn out with Greek yogurt. 🙂
So excited to try this!! What could be substituted for the cottage cheese if I don’t have any around/care for it?
I just had the same question and learned that you can replace cottage cheese with the following:
1. Plain Greek Yogurt
2. Ricotta Cheese
3. Tofu
4. Egg Whites
5. Beans and Chickpeas
6. Fromage Blanc
7. Kefir
Hey Sara Anne! Thanks for sharing these subs. What recipe did you try them with?
While I have used Greek yogurt with no apparent difference when making a lasagna that called for cottage cheese, I found the list after doing a Google search. 🙂 I was planning on making the pancakes tomorrow and will let you know how it works with the Greek yogurt.
Got it! Lasagna is definitely different than baked goods or pancakes, but that’s good to know. Definitely let me know how the pancakes turn out with yogurt!
Hey Rachel! I haven’t tried the recipe with anything besides the cottage cheese. It makes the pancakes fluffy and delicious and you can’t taste the cottage cheese at all. That said, I think your closest sub would be Greek yogurt if you still want the protein and don’t mind using dairy. All this said, I haven’t tried the recipe with Greek yogurt so I’m not 100% how it will turn out. Let me know if you try it.
Okay, thanks Brittany — not sure which I do, but will report back :)!
I’m going to try it with DF Ricotta. I’m thinking it will work just fine.