Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

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Healthy pumpkin pancakes made with oats and cottage cheese. Full of pumpkin spice flavor and packed with protein and fiber, these pancakes are the perfect way to fuel a fall morning!

Few things are better than a nourishing, filling, fall breakfast! These healthy pumpkin pancakes are our new go-to! They’re simple enough to whip up for a weekday morning but also fancy enough for a weekend brunch. I based this recipe off of my healthy apple pancake recipe, but we’re using pumpkin instead of apples for another fall spin!

Stack of healthy pumpkin pancakes drizzled with peanut butter. A jar of maple syrup is beside the pancakes.

I think a lot of people consider pancakes an indulgent breakfast option, but you can upgrade a few ingredients and have a healthy, powerhouse breakfast to start your day. These pumpkin pancakes have oatmeal and pumpkin puree, which are both high in fiber. And the cottage cheese and egg whites offer a major protein boost. Top with a little nut butter or coconut oil for some healthy fat and voila — you’ve got yourself a complete breakfast that will keep you full for hours!

Blender with ingredients for pumpkin pancake batter.

Ingredients in Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

  • old fashioned oats – – my fave brand is Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats. 
  • egg whites – acts as a binding ingredient, keeps the pancakes light and fluffy, and really amps up the protein!
  • cottage cheese – another protein booster, cottage cheese also helps to keep these pancakes moist.
  • pumpkin puree – make your own pumpkin puree or pick up canned pumpkin. Just be sure it’s not pumpkin pie filling!
  • pumpkin pie spice – this tasty spice blend is used in pumpkin pie. You can use store-bought or make it yourself with my pumpkin pie spice recipe.
  • cinnamon – pairs perfectly with pumpkin for the ultimate fall flavor!
  • maple syrup – drizzle over your pancakes for a boost of sweetness.
Stack of pumpkin pancakes, drizzled with peanut butter and maple syrup, with a bite taken out of the stack.

How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

If you usually make pancakes by taking a pancake mix and adding water, you definitely need to try making a homemade version! They taste so much better and they’re healthier for you.

These pancakes are made in a blender which makes mixing and clean up a breeze! Add the oats, egg whites, cottage cheese, pumpkin puree, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to the blender and process until the batter is relatively smooth.

Heat a pan or griddle to low-medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Scoop a quarter cup of batter onto the pan and cook until little bubbles form and the edges of the pancakes are solid enough to put a spatula underneath. Flip and cook for an additional one to two minutes. This recipe should make about 8 small pancakes. To serve, stack four on a plate and drizzle with maple syrup and/or nut butter.

Fork with a slice of the stack of pumpkin pancakes.

More Healthy Pancake Recipes

Be sure to check out all of the pumpkin recipes as well as the full collection of breakfast recipes on EBF!

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4.64 from 41 votes

Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

Healthy pumpkin pancakes made with oats and cottage cheese. Full of pumpkin spice flavor and packed with protein and fiber, these pancakes are the perfect way to fuel a fall morning!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients  

  • 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

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 of recipe (4 small pancakes) | Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 577mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy pumpkin pancakes
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
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62 Comments

  1. So excited to try this!! What could be substituted for the cottage cheese if I don’t have any around/care for it?

    1. 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

        1. 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.

          1. 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!

    2. 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.

  2. 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!

    1. 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. 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    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!!

    1. 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!

    1. 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!

    1. 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

  4. 4 stars
    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.!!

    1. 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

    1. 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.

  5. 5 stars
    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!!

    1. 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

  6. 5 stars
    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!

    1. Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Becky! I’m so glad you found my website and are enjoying the recipes. 🙂

  7. 5 stars
    Omg. You have to try these to believe how delicious they are! I scoured EBF’s website for pumpkin things and these are EPIC!

  8. 5 stars
    One of my favorite! EBF recipes!! So delicious!! I used 2 eggs instead of 1/2 cup egg whites and it turned out great!!

    1. 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!

  9. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 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. 🙂

  10. 5 stars
    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!

    1. Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear!! I’m so glad you enjoyed these pancakes, Marisa. Thanks for making them. 🙂

  11. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 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. 🙂

  12. 5 stars
    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.

    1. 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

  13. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 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

  14. 5 stars
    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

    1. So glad these pancakes were a hit, Sarah! I appreciate you coming back to leave a comment + star rating. <3

  15. 5 stars
    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!!

    1. 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!

  16. Can I substitute cottage cheese with whole milk kefir? Would it be a 1 to 1 substitution?

    1. 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!

  17. 5 stars
    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.

    1. 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!

  18. Can you taste the cottage cheese in the pancakes? (I dislike cottage cheese).
    Could I substitute the cottage cheese for ricotta cheese?

    1. 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. 🙂

  19. 5 stars
    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.

    1. Woo!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Paula! Thanks for giving it a try and for the review. I so appreciate it!

    1. Woo! Love to hear that, Joleen. Thanks for making them and coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it 🙂

  20. 5 stars
    I look forward to making these every Autumn! Today I added hemp seeds and they turned out wonderfully. Thank you for this recipe!!

    1. 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.

  21. 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…

    1. Hi Silvia – In the photos I have served these with maple syrup and drippy peanut butter. My favorite! Hope you love this recipe. 🙂