Healthy Protein Pancakes Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my Privacy Policy.
This protein pancakes recipe is a delicious way to get your oats and lean protein first thing in the morning!
The first time I heard about protein pancakes was from a Facebook friend. When she told me what was in them, I all but gagged. I just could not fathom the idea that these might actually be edible.
However…
A few weeks later, I was watching some videos on BodyBuilding.com of Ava Cowan (fitness model). I’m a big fan of hers, and was curious to see how she eats and works out. Imagine my surprise when she demonstrated how to make protein pancakes!
So I figured if my friend on Facebook and Ave Cowan can eat these, then there must be something to them other than just a high protein breakfast. So I gave it a shot.
I can tell you that not only was my son impressed (kids are the toughest critics!), but I was just over the moon. I’ve been eating these puppies for breakfast every morning since and I haven’t gagged even once! I swear! They are almost like eating a savory oatmeal muffin. A bit on the fluffy side, and just downright delicious!
RECIPES MENTIONED:
Recipe adapted from BodyBuilding.com.
PROTEIN PANCAKES RECIPE:
Clean Eating Protein Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
PANCAKE INGREDIENTS:
- 12 large egg whites
- 1 cup quick oats
- ½ tsp. olive oil (from an oil sprayer is easiest)
OOEY-GOOEY TOPPINGS:
- 1 tbsp. clean peanut butter (see info link above)
EXTRA FIBER TOPPINGS:
- 1 tbsp. clean hummus (see link above)
SAVORY MIX-IN SEASONINGS:
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
SWEET MIX-IN SEASONINGS:
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- top with maple syrup
Instructions
PANCAKE INSTRUCTIONS:
- Stir the oats and egg whites together in a mixing bowl.
- Spray a non-stick pan (yes, it has to be non-stick) with about ¼ tsp. olive oil. It's not much at all. Just a very light mist.
- Ladle 3 pancakes onto your pan and cook like a regular pancake. Each pancake should be approximately 1 scant ladle full. Depending on the size of your ladle, you should get about 7 pancakes out of it.
- Spray with the last half of the oil, and ladle on your last 3 pancakes.
- You can serve this with any clean toppings you like. But I prefer to eat them plain like a piece of toast. Once they’ve cooled down, you can just grab and go!
Notes
Nutrition
From the Gracious Pantry archives. Originally posted: 2/18/2011
I just made these for my little one and I for breakfast… I was hesitant, because my last experience with making protein pancakes was not a good one, but I recognized that this recipe was much simpler, so thought I’d give it a shot… I’m glad I did! They’re pretty good, and nice and quick. I didn’t have quick oats, only old fashioned, but they worked okay. Didn’t soak up the whites like I think quick ones would, but they were still fine!
Definitely one I will do again soon… thanks, Tiffany!
Barbara – Fantastic! Thanks for trying my recipe!
Sounds wonderful, Tiffany! I have a recipe that uses grated apple in the pancake, I might try adding it to it! Thanks for the recipe.
Karen – Oh wow! That sounds heavenly! Thanks for the tip!
Any recipes I’ve seen for protein pancakes have included cottage cheese. I’m glad to know protein pancakes can be made without it because I never seem to have cottage cheese on hand!
Sarah – Wonderful! I hope you enjoy them!
Hi just found your website, SO GLAD I did too. This is actually one recipe that I did have though. You can add almond or vanilla extract with cinnamon to give it a little extra something. Or you have Just Fruit Jelly you could add a little of that. Also I have added a 1/2 banana or strawberries before into the mix. But keep in mind I use a Handi Mixer.
Julie – Nice additions! Thanks for sharing that. Welcome! Happy to have you as a reader!
Glad you tried the protein pancakes!!! Aren’t they awesome?! Nice to switch it up! 🙂
Kristine – Definitely!!! I love em’!!
I have the perfect high protein high fiber recipe
1/2 cup FIBER ONE pancake mix
2 scoops whey protein..any flavor will work but my favorite so far is Optimum Nutition Vanilla Ice cream whey protein
1/3 cup milk-more if needed
1/3 cup applesauce-more if desired
cook as you would a regular pancake.
Sugar free syrup to taste. Any topping will work
I made some at 3:30am and reheated at work at 6:00 am. came out great.
Victor – Sounds yummy! I personally can’t have the diary, but I’m sure lots of others will be able to use this. Thank you for sharing it!
you think adding fruit to this is okay??
Michelle – I think it would depend on the fruit, but yes, it would be good. I think berries would be great in these!
Hi Tiffany,
A friend passed this nut butter pancake recipe along recently and it’s my new favorite. Not as much protein as your pancakes, but still a “clean” option.
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (peanuts, salt)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs (though you could tinker with this and use egg whites only I think)
1/4 tsp cinnamon (I added about 3/4 as cinammon makes me happy)
1/4 tsp vanilla (I also added more of this as well)
Mix until the ingredients come together. It does look a bit more loose than typical pancake batter, but the final product totally rocks!! Cook 2-3 minutes per side on low/medium heat (they will burn quickly). The recipe makes about 10 small pancakes (slightly larger than silver dollar pancakes). I freeze them by two’s and eat one serving with an apple as a morning snack.
Devon – Thank you!! I’ll give it a try, sounds really yummy!
Protein pancakes are a great find. Thanks for the recipe
PD – Sure! Hope you enjoy them!
sooo….I made the savory version this evening for dinner with a couple tweeks….added onion powder, garlic powder, dehy basil, pepper and a dash of parm cheese. Topped with a bit of light sour cream. YUMMM
Cari – Oh my! Sounds amazing!
What brand of quick oats do you use?
Kristen – I get mine at Trader Joe’s. All I know is it comes in a white box. It’s the 3 minute kind.
Thanks! I’ll have to look for them the next time I get a chance to travel to TJs!
Kristen – I just found the box. It’s McCann’s. Enjoy!
Hey!
Trying cooking these now – so far so good! How long would you say these keep for? Is it immediate delicious gobbling only?
Thanks!
Lindsay – They will keep a day or two, but you’ll see they taste best right away. Enjoy!
Maybe my ratio was off but I couldn’t get these down my throat! I tried making a single serving so I used 2 egg whites and about 1/3 cup of oats – it made a hockey puck instead of a pancake. Has anyone tried using a coffee grinder to grind the oats a little so its more of a flour than chunky oats? I’m not giving up, I will try again! It just made for a rough morning trying to find something clean and sugar free from the cafe at work!
Dawn – Your ratio is definitely off. If you cut things in half, it would be 6 egg whites to 1/2 cup of oats (or 3 egg whites to 1/4 cup oats). Too many oats would definitely create a hocky puck. lol. You could grind the oats gently, but you don’t want to turn it into flour either. So sorry for the rough morning!
I have to say, you have a great site! A few months ago my husband and I started on a clean eating meal plan and I’m still learning a lot 🙂 Your site has really helped me with food ideas.
I love protein pancakes! They are a staple in my meal plan. Below is the recipe I use for blueberry protein pancakes, very yummy!
1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1/4 cup blueberries (or any fresh fruit)
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of vanilla extract
1 pk. Stevia
1 tablespoon agava nectar (optional)
Put all ingredients in a food processor (except blueberries & agava) and blend. Once blended add the blueberries. Cook on pan like regular pancakes. Drizzle with agava nectar.
Toni – Yum!!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!! 🙂
My family loves these. My 12-year-old asked for pancakes Saturday morning. As I was making them she asked if I was making “those protein pancakes” when I told her that I was her response….”YESSSSSSS” with a fist pump. Thanks!!
Kim – LOL!!! That’s fabulous!!!
Is there a way that I can sub out some of the egg whites for whole eggs? Egg whites are so expensive, so I want to cut down on using almost 2 cartons of egg whites if I can 🙂
LLI – Yes, you can use 1 whole egg for every 2 egg whites. 🙂
Thank you!
LLI – You’re welcome! 🙂
Ava Cowan is my idol, lol! I’ve been following her for awhile. I have been making these pancakes for a long time too. I use 1 egg, 3 whites, 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, cinnamon, stevia and a drop of vanilla cooked with the cooking spray. I do allow myself 1 cup strawberries on top of the pancakes. I started doing this while working with a coach to prep for figure competition. Alas, I had to stop my prep for awhile, but have continued to still eat very similarly so that I do not regain the lost body fat and am now focusing on building muscle, so incorporating a little more carbs. Anyways, very glad to hear that you are a fan of Ava’s too! She’s DA BOMB!! 😀 And so are you! I share your blog with everyone 😀
Roxanne – Awwwe, thanks! Ya, Ava is fantastic! Love that chickie!
I made these the other day and have kept them in the fridge. Today I had these for breakfast, but I put a couple of tablespoons of the Strawberry Salsa I made last night and bit of syrup. Oh my goodness….they were so good, even my 5 y/o liked them. Definite breakfast keeper.
Kim – That’s awesome!! Strawberry salsa would be a fantastic topping for these!! Glad you enjoyed them!
You may have already answered this, but are these pancakes something I could make a bunch of and keep them in the fridge for a week?
Kelly – Maybe not a full week. But you could certainly freeze some. Just take them out the night before. Also, you may want to freeze with a piece of parchment or foil between them so they are easy to separate if you’re in a hurry. Enjoy!
I wanted to make these this morning, but I don’t have quick oats. I have regular oats. Can I use those instead? Are they the same thing if I’m not cooking them?
Kelly – You can try it. But I think you probably need the quick oats for this one. Sorry!
I just wanted to let you know that I have eaten this for breakfast lately after my runs and really enjoyed them. Mostly I have made them with 2 eggs and 2/3 c oats. (I cannot buy liquid egg whites here, sadly, so it’s full eggs for me.) A couple of times I’ve tried them with 1 egg and 1 flax egg, which was also very successful. Thanks for the inspiration!
Sarah – That’s wonderful! It’s a great way to get a good balance of carbs and proteins!
Genevieve – Wonderful! I hope you enjoy them!
Kathy – I haven’t had any issues, but everyone is different.
Jane – Wow! Thanks! I’ll try some of these for sure! 🙂
Hi. Thanks for posting this. I LOVE oats and was just wondering if they could be eaten as a savoury dish and I came across your webiste. It looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. I do have one question though: do you only use egg whites for health reasons, or because if wouldn’t work with the yolks? I would rather use whole eggs and not throw away the yolk, so if this recipe does work with whole eggs, how many do you think I would need to use. Thank you 🙂
Sabah – Yes, you can use whole eggs. For all recipes on my site, 1 whole egg = 2 egg whites, and visa versa. Enjoy!
Julie – That’s wonderful! I’m glad you’re enjoying them!
Adrienne – I wouldn’t, no.
have you tried making these and freezing left overs? I would love to have this on the regular but don’t have time to make it in the morning.
Jennie – I haven’t tried it, but I’m not sure these would freeze all that well. I’ll have to try it.
Ugh. Please help!! Mine look nothing like the pic! They look like egg white omelets with oats sprinkled in. They taste terrible. I used Old Fashioned Oats and I broke the eggs myself to get the whites. I even added a little PB2 to help with taste. They are terrible. = ( Any suggestions?
old fashion oats would be too hard to cook. You NEED the quick cook variety. Also, if you mixed the PB2 (which is not clean, just to be clear) into the batter, that could have done it, but more likely it was the oats.
I really like the protein pancakes.My question is… How is PB2 NOT clean?
Angel – The labels that I have read for PB2 include regular, white sugar. If there is a type that is JUST peanuts, then you’re good to go.
12 egg whites are approximately equal to 1 1/2 cups.
Interesting. I’ve never had that happen. Glad it all worked out! Nice additions!
These are so good! Thank you! I’m loving your blog and your recipes!
Thanks so much!
Yes, that would probably help. It could be a difference in the oats from what I used. That’s the only thing I can think of. But soaking may help.
One other recipe I’ve tried also puts sugar free preserves (i use raspberry, sometimes strawberry and even apricot). yummy too. Just a tsp or tbsp to your liking. Sometimes stevia or a little sweetener too
Kim – Sounds yummy!
this is the best recipe ive ever seen> i do not EVER use whey or soy protein powders i only use raw vegan but this one is fab> i added a dash of organic vanilla and some orange zest clean eating.. is clean not packaged to me this web site is a dream come true!
Jen – Thanks so much! Welcome! 🙂
I made them with with store bought egg whites and then tried them with fresh large organic brown eggs. The store-bought egg whites seem too watery and they had trouble setting up in the pan.
The fresh eggs yielded one cup for 6 eggs so I went with a cup dry to cup wet and they came out great very nutty tasting and moist. They did not taste like a pancake though unless you added something. It’s a great base to add flavors to. My husband had his with sliced strawberries and maple syrup and I had mine topped with hummus. Both were very good. I tried adding more eggs at 1 1/2 cups liquid to 1 cup dry but they tasted to much like eggs. Thank you for the quick and easy recipe.
Loreen – My pleasure! And thanks for sharing your experience!
But what do you do with all the left over egg YOLKS? Any suggestions?
Audrey – I used to bake with them. Now I make mayo or just add an extra yolk or two to my morning eggs.
Can you use chia seeds instead of eggs?
Ade – You could try it, but I don’t think it would work very well for this.
my protein pancake batter was very liquidy….is it because I used old fashion oats instead of quick oats???? thanks
Kim – Yep. The quick oats soak up the liquid immediately. Traditional oats… not so much…
I need to use gluten free oats. Could I use gluten free oatmeal. Should I cook the oatmeal first for awhile. How long or I could use gluten free rolled oats?
Also could I use almond or grape seed oil. Thank you. Susan
Susan – This recipe is not dependent on any gluten. So you can use gluten free oats for sure. But you want the quick-cook oats. Rolled oats won’t work here. You can use whichever oil you prefer. Enjoy! 🙂
I know this post is very old – but i was wondering if I am able to use 1 minute oats from Quaker to make these pancakes?
Thank you!!
Alicia – Sure! I have never used them, but that sounds like quick oats. So they should work. 🙂
I made these this morning. I liked the taste but I had a little trouble when I poured them into the pan. The oats clumped it the middle and the whites ran all over the pan. I spread the oats around and gathered the whites and they turned out fine. I spread peach preserves and vanilla greek yogurt on them! They were good!
Antoinette – What kind of oats did you use?
what are the calories in the pancakes.
Debbie – I no longer provide that information. You would have to plug the recipe into a recipe calculator. MyFitnessPal.com has a very easy one to use.
I think this sounds VERY expensive , to use 12 EGG WHITES for only 7 pancakes—- and then do WHAT with the left-over YOLKS!? CERTAINLY I couldn’t see doing this very often, no matter how great they are.
Karen – Most people purchase egg whites in cartons at the store. They are quite affordable.
AS a type 1 diabetic, I would like to know the nutritional information for this pancake recipe, especially the carbohydrate content of 1 serving. Is it available?
Darryl – You would have to enter the recipe into an online calculator. MyFitnessPal.com has an easy one. I do have a low carb waffle recipe on my other blog that you could probably make as pancakes if that helps. https://www.thatslowcarb.com/low-carb-waffles/
Did you get remarried?? How did I miss that?!?!?
Nan – Whoops! Nope, still single. I occasionally share old posts and failed to update that small part of my post. It’s now been updated! LOL!
I too got the liquidy whites with clumps of oatmeal. i used quick oats, cook in a minute. they are organic, would that make a difference? I let them sit a while and they did not soak up the oats. i added more oats too… Was your batter pretty thick?
Thanks, i enjoy your postings!
Lori – No, organic wouldn’t make a difference. Were your eggs cold? Sometimes that can affect things.
Yes, thank you for responding, will try that!
Lori – Let me know how it goes!
Instead of oats, can I use non-wheat flour? I’m doing a clean eating challenge so no gluten and gf oats are hard to find!
Suzanne – Not with this recipe. Sorry. I mean, you could certainly try it, but I have a feeling you’d end up with a mess. I do have other pancake recipes though!