Cottage Cheese Pancakes are soft, fluffy, and protein-packed. They are also easy to make and you probably already have all of the ingredients in the refrigerator. These breakfast pancakes puff up like nobody’s business and reheat well.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
My son does this hilarious thing where he pretends to fall over and pass out after tasting something that is just way too good for words. These pancakes passed his test and the kids went back for seconds.
We love pancakes in our house and recipes like Dutch Baby Pancakes, Crepes, and Pumpkin Pancakes are on the regular rotation. Pancakes are such a treat for breakfast, especially on weekends when we slow down and really savor the first meal of the day as a family.
Ingredients for Cottage Cheese Pancakes
- Cottage Cheese – we use small curd, undrained
- Vanilla extract – for flavor
- Honey – adds natural sweetness
- Eggs – add rich flavor and protein to the pancakes
- Raisins (optional) -use brown or golden1/3 cup raisins (regular or white raisins)
- All-purpose flour – measured correctly (fluff, spoon into measuring cup and level the top)
- Baking soda – activated by cottage cheese to give these amazing rise
- Oil to sautee – we use extra light olive oil

How to Make Cottage Cheese Pancakes
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs until well beaten. Add cottage, vanilla, honey, and whisk until combined then stir in 1/3 cup raisins.
2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda (if baking soda is lumpy, sift it into the flour). Whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium/low heat. Swirl in 2 Tbsp oil then add pancake batter a heaping Tablespoon at a time, or to your desired pancakes size. Sautee until pancake is puffed and golden on the first side (about 2-3 minutes) then flip and continue cooking another 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batches and add more oil as needed.

Pro Tip: We recommend a splatter guard since these do create a little bit of splatter. If you see too much splattering, turning down the heat will help.
Common Questions
If you prefer to use a different protein, you will love our Ricotta Cheese Pancakes or our Greek Yogurt Pancakes. We also have some fluffy Sour Cream Pancakes.
You can leave the raisins out if you prefer a simpler pancake. The recipe will work just as well.
Ukrainian cheese pancakes are typically made with a dryer cheese called Farmer cheese and are called Syrniki.
Cook pancakes about 2-3 minutes per side over medium/low heat. Flip the pancakes when they are nearly set on top and bubbles form around the edges of the pancakes.

Serve With
We love to serve cottage cheese pancakes with fresh fruit and these toppings (P.S. It’s perfectly acceptable to make these pancakes for dinner).
- Homemade Strawberry Sauce
- Easy Cherry Sauce
- Confectioners Sugar
- Sour Cream and Peach Preserves
- Honey Butter
- Raspberry Maple Syrup
- Fresh Berries

Reheating Pancakes
These are amazing serve these while they are warm and puffy, but you can also keep them warm on a baking sheet in the oven while you finish up your batches. Leftover pancakes also reheat really well with any of these methods:
- Bread Toaster – put pancakes in one at a time and toast until heated through.
- Air Fryer – add cold pancakes into the air fryer basket in a single layer and air fry at 350˚F for 2-3 minutes or just until heated through.
- Skillet – Place skillet over medium heat and brush with butter if desired. Heat pancakes in a single layer (flipping once), just until warmed through.
Fluffy Cottage Cheese Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients
- 16 oz small curd cottage cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup raisins, regular or white raisins
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour, *measured correctly
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 Tbsp extra light olive oil, for each batch
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 large eggs until well beaten. Add 16 oz cottage cheese, 1 tsp vanilla, 3 Tbsp honey and whisk until combined. Stir in 1/3 cup raisins, if using.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together 1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour and 1 tsp baking soda (if your baking soda has any lumps at all, sift it into the flour). Whisk the dry ingredients into your wet ingredients.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium/low heat and add 2 Tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot, place a heaping tablespoon of pancake batter into the hot oil and sauté until golden and puffed up (about 2-3 min per side). I recommend a splatter guard since these do create a little bit of a splatter. If it's splattering too much, turning the heat down will help. Serve warm with sour cream, maple syrup, fruit or jam, or all of the above!



I made half a batch, and added some apples that I had chopped and cooked earlier. I cooked them in a nonstick pan and used just a little butter. These pancakes were very good! I will be making them again.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Hi Natasha,
Silly question for you. Can I use butter instead of oil?
Thanks for sharing all your amazing recipes with us.
Hi Asha, yes, the butter will work to cook it in.
Love all your recipes!
Have you ever heard of using carbonated water in pancakes to keep light n Airy?
Hi Steven! I have not but that sounds like a great idea! Have you tried it before?
Delicious!! I love adding cottage cheese to pancakes! There’s no other way to make them!
The best!! Thank you Kristyn!
They really are so fluffy!! It’s amazing what the cottage cheese adds! Delicious!
I’m so glad you loved the pancakes!
Hi Natasha, have you tried using coconut flour instead/can I use coconut flour instead? Thank you
Hello May, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Hi May, I haven’t tried that substitution to advise on the process or outcome.
Hi! Do you drain the cottage cheese, and do you pack the 1 cup of flower? Also are they supposed to be so so soft that you can barely flip them? Tried twice and both times they are too soft to flip and rip into a pile. The flavor is awesome though! If I hold them until too dark, than I can flip without tearing. Thank you!!
Hi May, make sure to use a non-stick pan for sauteeing as cheese can stick to a metal skillet and make it difficult to flip. Also, I spoon flour into the measuring cup and level off the top. I will always specify if I drain cottage cheese. In this recipe, I did not. I hope that helps.
I have the same problem and if I leave them too long on one side to get to a point where I can flip it it just burns. 😩
Do you know how to make zapekanka?
Hi Liliya, I don’t have a recipe for that yet but thanks for your suggestion!
These were very yummy! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Melinda! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Would this work well on a stovetop griddle?
Hi Tanya, that may work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
It worked well
This is my third time making this recipe & I finally got it right. The first two times the pancakes were tough & flat. Some tips that helped me create fluffy delicious pancakes. First, don’t over mix the batter as it will make the pancakes tough. Second, let the mix rest for 15 minutes to thicken. Third, make sure you use wet & not dry cottage cheese. Fourth, make sure you use baking SODA not baking powder – the two are not the same happy cooking!
Thank you for sharing those tips with us Roxy!
Natasha, do you have a Zapekanka (запеканка) recipe? Would love to make for kids too.
Hi Dana, I do have a zapekanka recipe. Check that out and all of our farmer cheese recipes here.
Loved these. Hubby likes them better than regular pancakes. I like how they taste, and there is more protein. Super easy as well.
I also love how easy this recipe is! Thank you for sharing that awesome feedback with me, Ronna!
Just made them again now that I’m on holidays. Sharing your recipe around like crazy – everyone loves these.
This recipe is sooo yummy I had tons of cottage cheese to use up. Only thing is my pancakes didn’t look nearly as pretty as yours! I had to turn up the temp to med, med high and cover them with a lid of they would be way too runny to flip. Anyway, working with cottage cheese can be tricky but I’m glad it worked out. Sooo yum. Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Can you make this with homemade tvorog instead of cottage cheese?
Hi Marina, they would be awesome with tvorog, let me know how you like them :).
This was so delicious! I had the huge tub of cottage cheese from Costco about to expire. I made these today and they were so tasty! And protein packed! Dang!!! I want to try with pastry whole wheat next time. This is going to be my go to pancake! Thank you! I had these with cherry jam and Trader Joe’s European yogurt, and agave syrup on the other one.
I have tried so many recipes now! And love most of your recipes!!! Thank you for keeping our palate happy!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite! Thank you for that wonderful review, Madina!
Is it possible to save the batter for the next day? 🙂 Looking really forward to making them!
Hi Mette, You can definitely store this batter in the fridge for a day or two! Enjoy!
My new go-to pancake recipe! We had never tried cottage cheese pancakes before. I added cinnamon to mine, and just a few mini chocolate chips to my daughters’–they loved it. My nine year old couldn’t figure out what I did to make them taste “better” thank our usual recipe, and my 4 year old cleared her plate in about a minute, which is compliment enough! Didn’t even need syrup, the honey made them perfectly sweet without being overbearing. Thank you for sharing!
That’s so great, Lin! It sounds like you have a new family favorite! Thank you for the great review. 🙂
My 10 year old daughter said she wanted to try cottage cheese. I bought it. Not the reaction I had hoped. When life gives you lemons….. tried this recipe and even used whole wheat flour. Still totally fluffy and delicious. Added semisweet chocolate chips to her batch. Really delicious recipe!
Awesome, I’m happy to hear the recipe was a great success! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review Allison!
What’s difference between extra light virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil?
Hi Lana, extra virgin is not meant to be used for cooking since it has a low smoke point and it is very flavorful – ideal for salads and drizzling over finished foods. Extra light olive oil (I buy it at Costco) has a very high smoke point similar to canola oil but it’s healthier so I use it for pretty much everything – sautéing, baking, deep frying even 🙂