I love a good pancake breakfast, but I sometimes find that they don’t keep me feeling full for long. Enter: these gluten free cottage cheese pancakes. They are made with a whopping 500g cottage cheese along with eggs, milk and other filling ingredients. Depending on how many you eat per serve, they contain approximately 22-30g protein per serve. What a way to start the day!
Gluten free cottage cheese pancakes
These cottage cheese pancakes are free from added xanthan gum (although store bought cottage cheese generally contains it) nut free, easily made without any starchy flours and easily made low FODMAP. They are also high protein, containing around 22-30g protein per serve.
The pancakes are made with a blended mixture of cottage cheese, eggs, maple syrup and oil. This is whisked into the flour and baking soda mixture. From here, we’re adding the milk to suit the batter. This is because all cottage cheese tends to vary in its consistency and liquid content. It is also because rice flour varies quite dramatically in its absorbency, so adding the milk last ensures that we achieve a perfect batter consistency every time.
These pancakes are only lightly sweetened. I wanted to develop a breakfast appropriate recipe, but also to ensure that they could be topped with delicious things without becoming too sweet.
Because these pancakes are so filling, I love keeping them in the fridge for an easy pre-made breakfast or snack. They are so simple to make and don’t taste gluten free at all.
Ingredient notes for your gluten free cottage cheese pancakes
- I have tested Bulla high protein cottage cheese and Brancourts cottage cheese in this recipe. These are two commonly available cottage cheese varieties in Australia (where I live).
- Choose a fine, fresh white rice flour. Bulk food stores tend to be freshest, but if you are coeliac there is an issue with cross contamination. Whatever you do, fellow Australians – the cheap variety in a box at the supermarket is not suitable here. It is far too gritty and will produce a gritty, unpleasant pancake.
- I have not tested any egg substitutes in this recipe.
- This recipe is a close cousin of my gluten free ricotta pancakes recipe. That recipe uses 75g caster sugar instead of the maple syrup. If you would prefer to use caster sugar, feel free. Note that I haven’t tested any sugar substitutes in this recipe.
- You can use any neutral oil that you prefer in the pancakes. Similarly, you can use any milk you have on hand. Keep in mind, though, that oat milk is not considered gluten free in Australia.
Can I make low FODMAP cottage cheese pancakes?
Yes! These pancakes are easily made low FODMAP. There are only a few considerations and swaps to be made.
Firstly, you’ll need to use lactose free cottage cheese. In Australia, Brancourts sells this and I think Bulla used to as well. I couldn’t find much information online so I am not sure if they still do.
If you can’t buy lactose free cottage cheese, you can make your own. This is also helpful if you cannot have any xanthan gum because store bought cottage cheese generally always contains it.
Next, you need to choose a low FODMAP milk. My top suggestions are lactose free milk, macadamia milk, rice milk and soy milk made with soy protein instead of soy beans (which is higher FODMAP).
Maple syrup is a low FODMAP liquid sweetener, according to FODMAP Everyday. They say it is low FODMAP in serves of up to 1000ml. Monash list maple syrup as low FODMAP in 50g serves, but don’t give an upper limit. These entries are accurate as of late April 2025 and will be periodically reviewed to ensure they are up to date.
The remaining ingredients in these pancakes are low FODMAP. Be sure to choose low FODMAP toppings as well.
More high protein gluten free recipes
- Cottage cheese chocolate mousse
- High protein Ninja Creami frozen yoghurt
- Gluten free high protein bagels
- High protein chocolate blended chia pudding
- Gluten free high protein bread recipe
Gluten free cottage cheese pancakes
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 500 g cottage cheese see notes
- 2 extra large eggs (45-55g weighed out of shell)
- 50-75 g maple syrup or caster sugar
- 40 ml (2 tablespoons)* neutral oil
To finish:
- 175 g fine white rice flour
- 25 g tapioca flour see notes
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5g) baking soda (not baking powder)
- Lemon zest (optional, to taste)
- 60- 125 ml (1/4 – 1/2 cup)* milk of choice to achieve the right batter consistency – ONLY AS NECESSARY (see notes)
- Vanilla bean extract or paste optional to taste
To cook/serve:
- Neutral oil or butter for frying optional
Instructions
- Blend the wet ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flours, baking soda and optional lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl.
- Pour the blended mixture into the dry ingredients, scraping as much batter as possible from the blender.
- Whisk to combine, then assess your batter. The ideal consistency for these pancakes is just spoonable. The batter should not be so thick that it doesn’t drizzle off the spoon. However, it also shouldn’t be too runny that it doesn’t stay on the spoon. I like to spoon the batter into the pan, then have the ability to spread it with ease into the shape I want without it spreading much by itself. That is the consistency I aim for.
- Add milk to reach this consistency (if you need to) and the vanilla, if you are using it. Only add milk if you need it – see notes below.
- Heat a good quality pan thoroughly over a medium heat. Once thoroughly heated, turn the heat down and add a small amount of oil or butter. Spoon around 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan and use a spoon to spread it to your desired shape.
- Cook until the top is bubbling, then flip and cook 2-3 minutes longer or until cooked through. The centre of the pancake should feel solid and not yielding if you press it with your finger.
- Adjust the heat based on the first pancake before cooking the rest of the pancakes. I generally get about 9-11 pancakes per batch using 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake.
- I generally find you no longer need to add butter or oil (if you don't want to) after the first few pancakes provided the pan has reached the right heat.
- Serve immediately with toppings of your choice. Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- See ingredient notes in the body of the post for any potential substitutions.
- You can make this recipe with all rice flour, if you like. Simply use 200g fine white rice flour and omit the 25g tapioca flour/starch.
- How much milk you add (if you need to add any) is really dependent on the cottage cheese you use and how absorbent your rice flour is. When using the same bag of rice flour, I found that Brancourts cottage cheese needed no milk at all, while Bulla brand needed 125ml (1/2 cup)*. You need to assess your batter as per the description of how thick the batter should be and add milk accordingly. I found that with the Brancourts batter, it easily poured out of my blender and into the bowl. With the Bulla batter, I had to encourage it out a little with a spoon. This is a decent indicator as to whether or not you might need to add milk.
- These pancakes are only lightly sweet.
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