Cottage Cheese Pancake Bars

High-Protein Baked Pancakes

My Cottage Cheese Pancakes have gone viral so many times, and for good reason! Adding cottage cheese to pancakes makes them extra fluffy, giving them the best texture, flavor, and adding protein. But while I love and make cottage cheese pancakes all the time, I don’t always have time to stand over the stove cooking pancakes one by one. So, I took that recipe and turned it into these large-batch baked pancakes!

It has all the goodness of the classic option, but I love that the entire batter goes straight into a square baking pan, bakes, cools, and then gets sliced into bars. Honestly, I’m completely obsessed! These pancake bars turned out SO light, fluffy, and better than anything I could have imaged. I cut them into 8 pretty large bars, but they can easily be made smaller and are great for breaking into pieces for littles. I do this for my toddler, and she eats every last crumb!

RELATED: Cinnamon Roll Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• High-Protein – The combination of cottage cheese and eggs makes these baked pancakes a lot higher in protein than your average recipe, with 11 grams of protein in every bar. No one even realizes there’s cottage cheese, either. It blends so smoothly that it disappears, making the pancakes extra fluffy! 
• Great for Meal Prep – I like to make multiple batches at once and store leftovers in the fridge or freezer. They’re way better than frozen store-bought options and reheat beautifully for a quick grab-and-go option I actually look forward to eating. 
• Quick & Easy – With minimal prep time and a quick cooking time, you can have breakfast ready for the whole family in under an hour. Just blend, mix, pour, and bake! The oven does all the heavy lifting, so you can sit back and relax while sipping on a Vanilla Latte. 
• Healthy + Best Toppings – These pancakes are naturally refined sugar-free and can easily be made gluten-free and dairy-free. They’re also super customizable and are delicious with mix-ins and toppings like fresh fruit, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts. 

You’ll Also Love: Easy Fluffy Pecan Pancakes

Ingredients

• Cottage Cheese – I always prefer full-fat cottage cheese for a better flavor and more tender pancakes. However, low-fat also works. 
• Eggs – These act as a binder, holding the batter together while contributing to the flavor and protein content. I haven’t tested this recipe with egg substitutes, but I think a flax egg would work great. 
• Milk – I find whole milk creates the best taste and texture, but feel free to use any regular or non-dairy milk you have on hand. 
• Butter – I prefer to use grass-fed butter, but any butter will work. Substitute dairy-free butter if needed. 
• Maple Syrup – This sweetens the pancake batter, adding a subtle molasses taste and keeping it refined sugar-free. Save some to drizzle on top, too! 
• Vanilla – This enhances the rest of the ingredients, adding depth to the batter. 
• Flour – I use a combination of all-purpose flour and almond flour for fluffy pancakes with healthy fats and extra fiber. I haven’t tested it, but a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour should work if you need gluten-free pancakes! 
• Baking Powder – Make sure it’s fresh, or your pancakes won’t rise! 

How to Make Baked Pancake Bars

This is the EASIEST pancake recipe you’ll ever make! You’ll need a square baking pan, a blender, and a large bowl. Here’s how to make Baked Pancakes:

1. Combine the batter – Combine the wet ingredients in a blender, pulsing until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, and whisk in the dry ingredients. 
2. Bake – Transfer the pancake batter to a baking dish lined with parchment paper, and bake until the batter is puffed and lightly golden brown around the edges. 
3. Cool – Let the pancake bars cool in the pan. Then, transfer them to a cutting board and slice the slab into bars. 

Tips

• Measure carefully – For the best results, I recommend using a food scale to measure all the ingredients. Or, if that’s not an option, use the spoon and level method to accurately measure your flour.
• Blend the cottage cheese well – You want to make sure it’s super smooth before adding the dry ingredients. Otherwise, your pancakes will be lumpy. 
• Avoid overmixing – When adding the wet ingredients to the dry, stir gently to combine them. It’s okay if there are a few small lumps. Overmixed pancake batter can lead to tough, flat pancakes. 
• Create a parchment paper sling – Line your pan with parchment paper, letting it hang over both ends. This makes it super easy to remove the pancakes once baked. 
• Avoid overbaking – Every oven is different. So, keep a close eye on your pancakes. You’ll know they’re done when the edges are golden, the batter puffs up, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
• Cool before slicing – I know it’s hard to wait, but trust me! Letting the pancakes rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing helps them set, which prevents them from falling apart once sliced.

RELATED: Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Variations

• Dairy-Free – Use a dairy-free cottage cheese, plant-based butter, and almond milk or your favorite unsweetened dairy-free milk for dairy-free baked pancakes. 
• Gluten-Free – Substitute a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour, and double-check the ingredient list for the rest of the ingredients. 
• Berries – Fold fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, or chopped strawberries into the batter before baking. 
• Chocolate Chip – Sprinkle mini chocolate chips (dairy-free, if needed) evenly over the batter before baking. 
• Banana Nut – Mash a ripe banana into the wet ingredients. Then, fold in chopped walnuts or pecans. 

Topping Ideas and Serving Suggestions

Pancakes are always better with toppings, right? I love to set out a toppings bar so everyone can choose what they like best. Some of my go-to options include:

• Maple Syrup
• Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries
• Bananas
• Chopped Walnuts or Pecans 
• Greek Yogurt
• Homemade Granola
• Powdered Sugar
• Whipped Cream 
• Peanut Butter or Almond Butter
• Chocolate Sauce

Of course, these can be served as a complete meal on their own. However, I like to add fresh fruit, bacon, sausage, cottage cheese egg bites, or pesto eggs for an even more filling breakfast, brunch, or dinner, especially when hosting. Bonus points: sip on a green avocado smoothie or a maple pecan pie latte!

How to Store

Fridge – Once cooled, slice the pancakes into bars, and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Freezer – Wrap individual bars in parchment paper or plastic wrap, and transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 2 months. 

Reheat – Thaw frozen pancake bars in the fridge overnight. Then, reheat them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or in the oven at 325°F for 5-7 minutes or until heated through. Add any toppings after reheating, and enjoy! 

Easy Pancake Recipes You’ll Love

• Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
• Strawberry Drop Pancake Bites
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• Chocolate Protein Pancakes
• Apple Pie Protein Pancakes
• Simple Protein Pancakes

More Cottage Cheese Recipes

• Cottage Cheese Waffles
• Cottage Cheese Brownies
• Cottage Cheese Muffins
• Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Rolls
• Cottage Cheese Breakfast Rounds
• Strawberry Cottage Cheese Ice Cream 

Looking for more? Find 35+ cottage cheese recipes!

5 from 11 votes

Print Recipe

Baked Pancakes

Baked Pancakes, or pancake bars (as we call them in our family), are soft, fluffy, and perfectly sweet with a classic buttery pancake flavor everyone loves. However, unlike traditional pancakes, which require a lot of hovering over a hot stove, these cook in the oven all at once with no flipping required! My kids love getting to choose their own mix-ins and toppings, and I love that they're made with cottage cheese in under 40 minutes. A single bar has 11 grams of protein and you can make a double batch ahead of time for fun, high-protein breakfasts all week long!

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 Bars

Calories: 237 kcal

Author: Christine McMichael

Video

Equipment

• 8×8" Baking Pan
• Blender

Ingredients

Pancakes

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups 4% cottage cheese
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 1/3 cup whole milk (or milk of choice)
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons grass-fed butter (melted and cooled)
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• ▢ 1/2 cup finely ground almond flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder

Toppings

• ▢ maple syrup
• ▢ raspberries, blueberries, strawberries
• ▢ powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a light-colored 8”x8” square baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
• In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, milk, butter, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth.
• Pour into a large bowl and whisk in the all purpose flour, almond flour and baking powder until just combined. It should be a bit thick and lumpy.
• Transfer the batter to the baking dish and spread into an even layer.
• Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the pancake is puffed, lightly golden around the edges and cooked through.
• Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and slice into 8 bars.
• Serve warm and drizzle with syrup, sprinkle with berries or dust with powdered sugar.

Notes

• I cut these into 8 bars, but you could easily cut them into 16 if desired!
• Make sure not to overmix the batter. There should be some lumps.
• Feel free to get creative with mix-ins and toppings. These are so fun!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Bar | Calories: 237 kcal | Carbohydrates: 22 g | Protein: 11 g | Fat: 12 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g | Trans Fat: 0.2 g | Cholesterol: 89 mg | Sodium: 295 mg | Potassium: 117 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 5 g | Vitamin A: 304 IU | Calcium: 139 mg | Iron: 2 mg

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