Lemon Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Blend it up.

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Long before the cottage cheese craze, my grandma Charlene was blending it into pancake batter— and decades later, trend or not, I’m still making these cottage cheese pancakes. Stacks of slim, lemon-flecked flapjacks, ready to be topped with homemade blueberry sauce, showered with powdered sugar and lemon zest— or just eaten as they are.

You can buy cottage cheese is a variety of fat percentages, but I recommend using 4% or full fat for this recipe. The additional creaminess helps the batter to blend more smoothly and also prevents the pancakes from becoming gummy. My go-to brand is Daisy (I really am my grandma’s grandchild!), but any brand you have or can find will work well. 

While many cottage cheese pancake recipes are made entirely in the blender, I discovered in testing that this often resulted in dense, gummy pancakes. I also found that, once the flour goes into the blender, the batter becomes too thick to pour easily from the blender anyway. Pouring the blended cottage cheese-egg mixture into a bowl and then whisking in the flour and melted butter by hand solves both of these problems. The result is delightfully tender pancakes with just a little chew. 

Most pancakes take 2-3 minutes to cook on the first side and show bubbles on top as an indication that it’s time to flip them. This style of pancakes, on the other hand, cooks for just 1 minute per side and doesn’t bubble on top, so it’s important to stay nearby while the pancakes are cooking and check underneath early and often so they don’t burn.

Due to the lactose (milk sugar!) in the cottage cheese, these pancakes brown more quickly than most pancakes. To avoid burning, keep the heat moderate and don’t wait for more than a minute before flipping. If you have any doubts, peak underneath and check the bottom sooner rather than later. 

Enjoy!

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Cottage Cheese Pancakes

(Makes 8)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

2 large eggs

½ cup (4 oz.) cottage cheese, preferably full-fat

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt (I used Diamond Crystal)

Zest of 1 lemon (or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)

½ cup (60 g.) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Neutral oil, for pan

Blueberry sauce, for serving

Equipment: Blender, large bowl, large nonstick pan or griddle, pancake flipper

Instructions

1. In a blender, combine eggs, cottage cheese, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Blend on high until a thin, smooth batter forms.

2. Pour blended batter into a medium bowl, then whisk in flour and melted cool butter.

3. Rub a large nonstick or griddle pan with a small amount of neutral oil. Heat over medium until a drop of water dances when it hits the surface.

4. Spoon two circles of batter (about 3 tablespoons each) into the pan, spreading the batter slightly with the back of a spoon to encourage it to be spread (it will be thick).

5. Cook until the pancakes are browned on the bottom, about 1 minute. (They won’t bubble before you need to flip as some pancakes might, so don’t wait for this!) Flip and cook on the other side until slightly puffed and cooked through, 1-2 minutes more.

6. Remove pancakes to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

Originally posted January 12, 2025. Edited and reposted May 23, 2026.