Protein Pancakes are a filling breakfast idea that you can make ahead of time. Pop them in your toaster to reheat for a fast morning!
These pancakes are my solution to getting more protein into my family’s mornings. Each serving contains up to 13 grams of protein, depending on the protein powder you use.
My kids don’t love eating eggs for breakfast, but they don’t mind when I add a scoop of protein powder to their favorite pancake recipe.
This high protein recipe is inspired by my Banana Oatmeal Pancakes which come together quickly in a blender. Once you get the hang of it, you can whip up this batter in the time it takes your pan to heat up on the stove top.
Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need is a handful of simple ingredients to get started. Banana, oats, and eggs make up the base of this dairy-free pancake batter, then add your favorite unsweetened protein powder to help make them more filling.
This recipe calls for an unsweetened plant-based protein powder, but you can use whey protein powder or any other variety you keep in your pantry. Use certified gluten-free oats if you need to make gluten-free pancakes.
If you’re using a protein powder that is already sweet, you might not need the added maple syrup. My family doesn’t pour syrup on top of pancakes (we prefer peanut butter on top) so I like to make the batter taste appealing, without the need for a sweet topping.
Note: You can’t taste the olive oil in this recipe, but feel free to use any other neutral flavored vegetable oil you keep in your home. Coconut oil will solidify when it touches eggs that are cold from the fridge, so it’s not my first choice for making pancake batter.
How to Make Protein Pancakes
In a high-speed blender, combine the banana, eggs, rolled oats, protein powder, olive oil, maple syrup, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt.
Blend until very smooth.
Let it rest in the pitcher as the skillet warms up; the batter will thicken as it rests. If the batter thickens to the point that you can’t pour it out of the container, add a tablespoon of water and blend again.
Heat a skillet over medium heat on the stove top and lightly grease the pan with cooking spray. Pour a 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and cook until the top starts to bubble, about 2 to 3 minutes. You may need to spread the pancake batter out with the back of a spoon until it’s roughly 4 to 5 inches wide.
When a spatula easily slides under the pancake, flip it over and cook the other side, which should take another 2 minutes.
Remove the cooked pancake from the skillet and repeat with the remaining batter.
The batter will thicken as it rests, so you will definitely need to use a spoon to spread out the batter towards the last few pancakes. (Adding water to thin the batter is okay, but will make the pancakes have a slightly more gummy texture.)
Flavor Variations: If you’d like to make blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes, press your topping of choice into the pancake batter once you’ve spread it out on the skillet. They will be cooked inside when you flip the pancake.
It’s easy to customize different options for your family this way!
This recipe makes roughly 8 pancakes when you use a 1/4 cup of batter. (This size will fit in a standard toaster for easy reheating.) Feel free to double the batch if you want to have more ready for the week ahead!
Serve warm with your favorite toppings, like sliced strawberries or a drizzle of nut butter. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To reheat, pop them in the toaster until the centers feel warm again.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are looking to add protein powder to a recipe, you’ll need to remove some of the dry ingredients, like oats or flour. In this case, I replaced some of the oats in my favorite recipe with protein powder, so the pancakes won’t be dry.
No, this recipe is made with oats which are not low-carb. If you’d like to experiment with a grain-free flour, try replacing some of the almond flour with protein powder in my Almond Flour Pancakes recipe. (If you use a vanilla protein powder, you can skip the maple syrup in that recipe.)
Don’t replace all of the flour in a recipe with protein powder, because the results won’t taste good. However, you can replace a portion of the flour with protein powder to help make them more filling.
You can replace the banana in this recipe with Greek yogurt or even cottage cheese, but they won’t be quite as sweet in that case. You can add a touch of cinnamon to help enhance the flavor, if you’d like.
Once you’ve poured the pancake batter into the skillet, you can top the pancake batter with chocolate chips, blueberries, or raspberries. When you flip the pancake, the topping will cook into it! This is an easy way to make custom flavors for your family members.
Looking for more protein powder recipes? Try Protein Balls, Protein Cookies, Protein Muffins, or Protein Waffles for more ideas.
Protein Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ripe banana
- ¼ cup unsweetened protein powder (see notes)
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup (optional; see notes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, combine the eggs, banana, protein powder, oats, maple syrup, olive oil, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Secure the lid and blend until the batter looks smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides to make sure the ingredients are mixed evenly. Add a tablespoon of water and blend again if the batter looks too thick to pour out of the container.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. You'll know it's ready to cook when a drop of water instantly sizzles when it hits the pan. Spray with cooking oil then add a ¼ cup of pancake batter to the pan. If the batter is thick, spread it out with the back of a spoon until it is 4 to 5 inches wide. Press a few fresh blueberries or chocolate chips into the top of the pancake batter, if you'd like a flavor variation.
- Cook until the pancake batter starts to puff up or bubble in the center, which should take about 2 minutes. When a spatula easily slides underneath, flip the pancake over and cook the other side for another 2 minutes or so. When the pancake has puffed up, remove it and repeat the cooking process with the remaining batter, making 8 pancakes total.
- Serve the cooked pancakes warm with your favorite toppings. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat a pancake by popping it into the toaster for a fast morning.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try these protein pancakes, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.
Thank you for another delicious recipe! I made these for dinner last night, and they’re our new favorite. I’m often beset by end-of-day what’s-for-dinner panic, and your site (and fantastic cookbooks, which I refer to multiple times a week) always comes to the rescue.
Oh, for those who don’t have a banana on hand, I subbed 1/2 cup applesauce and they came out great. Thanks again!