Chocolate Protein Pancakes (in the blender!)

Start your day off with chocolate! These chocolate protein pancakes have lots of healthy protein that will keep you full all morning long and they’re seriously easy to make.

Enjoy a stack of chocolate pancakes for a healthy breakfast! While they may look like a decadent treat, these pancakes are packed with nutrition (and only 169 calories for two pancakes).

Does anyone else get in food ruts? I’m in a serious breakfast rut that consists of scrambled eggs. For me, protein is an absolute breakfast necessity.

I’ve learned through the morning time get-kids-off-to-school rush that I can make and eat scrambled eggs in 15 minutes. Not too shabby, right? I get up early to work out but somehow the mornings can still be chaotic.

Well, not somehow, I know exactly how. It’s because I wait until the very last second I can to get the kids up and ready for school, approximately 30 short minutes before we leave for the bus stop.

I get them going on breakfast, then run upstairs and get myself looking somewhat acceptable to be seen in public. By this time I usually have 10 or 15 minutes left. If it’s ten minutes, I resign myself to the fact that I’ll have to wait until I get home to eat breakfast. If it’s fifteen minutes, I whip out my little frying pan and make my scrambled eggs happen.

I’ve been living low-carb lately in my quest to lose a few pounds but when I’m not, I love having pancakes or muffins in the freezer for a quick and easy breakfast. I still usually like to have an egg or two with the pancakes/muffins to boost the amount of protein.

However, these chocolate protein pancakes are an exception, thanks to how much protein is loaded into them.

About Protein Pancakes

These chocolate pancakes are FULL of protein. Low fat cottage cheese is hidden in the batter, just like these lemon poppyseed pancakes. Chocolate protein powder is added for even more protein. Eggs and milk round out the protein power, along with whole wheat flour.

Whew, that’s a lot of protein: 12 grams per serving (2 pancakes). And it’s all wrapped up in a fluffy chocolate pancake that looks and tastes like a special treat. Things don’t get much better than that for breakfast, wouldn’t you say?

Oh, and did I mention these are made in the blender? They come together in minutes and are a fantastic way to start the day. Top with sliced bananas and it’s not a bad way to start the day, right?

Chocolate syrup is (somewhat) optional. I’ve been known to top them with homemade hot fudge sauce.

P.S. My kids still think these buckwheat pancakes are chocolate pancakes. Shhh….

I’ll get you started on the recipe here and give you some helpful tips, too. Look for the printable recipe card near the end of the post for complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information.

What You’ll Need

• Low-Fat Cottage Cheese: You’ll need a cup of cottage cheese. Really any type of cottage cheese is fine. It’s completely indiscernible in the pancakes. One cup of cottage cheese contains 25 grams of protein, along with calcium and vitamin B12.
• Eggs: Most pancakes have eggs but these protein pancakes have four eggs! Eggs have 6 grams of protein each and are a very healthy food.
• Skim Milk: With nearly 2 cups of milk, you add an appreciable amount of protein (8 grams per cup), calcium, and vitamin D. Other types of milk can be substituted.
• Whole Wheat Flour: Whole grain flour adds more than great taste and fiber. It also has 15% more protein than white flour. If you prefer a lighter textured pancake, substitute all-purpose flour.
• Chocolate Protein Powder: And the final source of protein is protein powder. Chocolate flavored protein powder enhances the rich flavor of the chocolate pancakes and also sweetens the pancakes. I use Bob’s Red Mill; it’s plant-based, gluten-free and has added chia seeds.
• Canola Oil: Just a touch of oil is added so the pancakes don’t stick to the griddle.
• Vanilla Extract: Adds sweet flavor without sugar.
• Maple Syrup: Just a couple of tablespoons adds more sweet flavor. Use pure maple syrup if you can, not maple flavored pancake syrup.
• Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is used in baking and is generally found in the baking aisle of the grocery store. It’s unsweetened and is actually quite good for you, with lots of antioxidants and and polyphenols.
• Baking Powder and Salt: Needed for leavening and seasoning.

How To Make This Recipe

This is a blender pancake recipe. A blender is necessary to wipe out those little curds of cottage cheese (unless you don’t mind little white chunks in your pancakes).

Start by putting all the “wet” ingredients in the blender: eggs, milk, cottage cheese, oil, syrup, and vanilla. Whew, did I forget anything? I don’t think so. Give that a good whirl, blending until it’s nice and smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary.

Next, add the flour, protein powder, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Use the scraper or a spoon to lightly stir the dry ingredients before putting the cover back on the blender. Turn the blender on and mix the dry ingredients in.

If the mixture is too thick for your blender, just stir it with the scraper. You may have to dump it all into a bowl.

Heat up your griddle, grease it if necessary, and drop the batter by quarter-cupfuls onto the hot griddle. It will take about two minutes per side to cook the pancakes.

This makes a pretty big batch of pancakes, about 24 pancakes depending on how large you make them.

Serve the pancakes with sliced bananas and chocolate syrup, if you like. Enjoy!

FAQs

Make Ahead, Storage & Reheating

Make Ahead: Make a double batch of batter, cook it all up into pancakes, and cool the pancakes in a single layer on a wire rack.

Refrigerate: Leftover pancakes will keep in the refrigerator up to five days in a covered container or resealable bag.

Freeze: Place pancakes in a resealable storage bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

Reheat: Pancakes are best reheated in the toaster oven or microwave. There’s no need to thaw frozen pancakes first.

Secret Ingredient: Cottage cheese 

Sneak a little extra protein into recipes with cottage cheese. It’s practically undetectable when it’s put through the blender and it really adds a good punch of protein. Check out these recipes that include cottage cheese:

• Egg white frittata with green chiles and spinach
• Breakfast cinnamon swirl cheesecake
• Mocha protein shake
• Peach, banana, honey, and cottage cheese smoothie
• Pita flatbread with asparagus and herbed cottage cheese
• Healthy mocha mini cheesecakes