I have been bursting to share these Protein Pancakes with Oats and Orange with you guys! I added them to the Best of Healthy Seasonal Recipes because I am so in love with them and I know you will be too. Not only are they naturally gluten-free but they have 9 grams of protein each. They’re made from kitchen staples like oats and eggs and one of my favorite seasonal ingredients for the winter: citrus!

pouring maple syrup over Tangerine Protein Pancakes

Table of contents

Why We Love This Recipe For Protein Pancakes with Oats and Orange

I am so excited for you to try these protein pancakes because I know that you’ll fall in love!

I’ll admit that I have had limited experience with protein pancakes, and until now I was not really interested in having more experience with them because I wasn’t a fan. They were more like omelet pancakes or crepe pancakes than pancake pancakes. Well, folks, these protein pancakes are a game changer.

They are like pancakes. They ARE pancakes. Are you with me?

The oats make them leathery and chewy and not strange and eggy. Even though there is a lot of egg in them.

Cottage cheese is such a sneaky ingredient because it is really high in protein, but it has a neutral flavor, unlike Greek Yogurt which is sour. So you can’t tell it’s in the pancake batter.

Don’t worry, I bet you’re thinking about the texture of cottage cheese, and I know that it sounds gross to put cottage cheese in your pancakes. But good news: the cottage cheese and the oats are completely pureed in the blender so the texture works out great. In fact cooking these is just like working with regular pancake batter.

But really the super special thing about these is the fresh citrus!

What I did was I zested and juiced one of the oranges and blended that up with the eggs, oats and cottage cheese. Then I added in chunks of orange and just pulsed that in. The vanilla and the orange flavor together is sort of like a creamsicle. So fantastically delicious!!

I love making these pancakes as well as these Apple Protein Pancakes in the fall. They’re both healthy yet delicious and sweet breakfast recipes.

Protein Pancakes with Oats and Orange on a plate

Key Ingredients For This Recipe

Orange

I’ve made this recipe using both oranges and tangerines. If they’re available I definitely recommend trying it with tangerines, otherwise oranges are just are good.

Gluten-free old-fashioned oats

Although regular oats are naturally gluten free, I recommend purchasing oats that clearly state that they’re gluten free if you’re really trying to stick with the gluten-free theme of this recipe. If it doesn’t really matter that much to you then regular oats are fine.

Low-fat cottage cheese

Cottage cheese is one of those sneaky protein super foods. It’s incredibly high in protein and (like I mentioned above) pretty flavorless which makes it great to add to most things. I used low-fat cottage cheese but you can use 2% or 4% if you’d like. The brand Good Culture is the BEST!

Egg whites

Egg whites is another sneaky protein food. Plus they’re super lower in calories. One egg white has almost 4 grams of protein and only 17 calories.

Additional Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • cooking spray, avocado oil or coconut oil

Step-by-Step Instructions to Make These Protein Pancakes with Oats and Orange

Step 1: Prep orange

Cut the skin and pith off one orange and cut the flesh into small chunks or segments. Set aside. Grate about half of the zest from the remaining orange, then squeeze the juice from it.

Step 2: Combine ingredients

Combine oats, cottage cheese, egg whites, eggs and the orange zest and juice in a blender and blend on high until completely creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the orange chunks, vanilla and baking soda and pulse to combine.

Step 3: Cook pancakes

Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Coat with cooking spray or brush lightly with avocado oil or coconut oil. Ladle ¼ cups-full of the batter onto hot griddle (it will spread out to 4-inch circles). Let cook, undisturbed until browned on the bottom and the edges are slightly dry, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip pancakes with a spatula and let cook on the other side until the center is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve them hot with maple syrup, if desired.

gluten-free Orange Protein Pancakes on a plate with maple syrup

FAQs and Expert Tips

What to use instead of gluten-free old-fashioned oats:

Like mentioned above you can use regular non-gluten-free specific oats if you don’t have an allergy. You can also use rolled oats or if quick oats if that’s all you have.

How to make these lactose-free:

If you have lactose intolerance you can purchase lactose-free cottage cheese. Green Valley has a really awesome one.

How to store extra pancakes:

Although they are best eaten fresh, you can store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Make sure they’re completely cooled before storing.

How to tell when pancakes are ready to flip:

You’ll know they’re ready to be flipped when you start to notice little bubbles forming on the surface. If the bottoms are browning too quickly before this happens just lower the heat a bit.

Additional Healthy and Yummy Pancake Recipes To Try

whole wheat blueberry pancakes with maple syrup poured overtop

Healthy Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes
Oatmeal Pancakes with a pitcher or syrup pouring over a stack of pancakes

Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes (Easy, Fluffy, Moist}
Behold, fall on a plate! These gluten-free Apple Protein Pancakes are going to be on your breakfast table for the entire fall season. Mark my words. They are made with oats, cottage cheese, eggs, and apples! You would never guess they don't have any flour in them! They're 106 calories each and have 7 grams protein each.

Apple Protein Pancakes {gluten-free}
a stack of pancakes with maple syrup running over it

Paleo Pancakes

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Tangerine Protein Pancakes | Breakfast | Gluten Free | Winter | Kid Friendly | Healthy Seasonal Recipes | Katie Webster

Protein Pancakes with Oats and Orange

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 11 pancakes 1x
Print Recipe

Description

These gluten-free Orange Protein Pancakes have 9 grams of protein each! And they’re made from kitchen staple ingredients like oats and eggs with an added bright kick from the citrus for a perfect Winter breakfast!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 oranges (or tangerines)
  • 2 cups gluten-free old-fashioned oats
  • 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • 4 egg whites
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • cooking spray, avocado oil or coconut oil

Instructions

  1. Cut the skin and pith off one orange and cut the flesh into small chunks or segments. Set aside. Grate about half of the zest from the remaining orange, then squeeze the juice from it.
  2. Combine oats, cottage cheese, egg whites, eggs, the zest and the juice in a blender and blend until completely creamy and smooth, about 1 minute on high. Add the orange chunks, vanilla and baking soda and pulse to combine.
  3. Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Coat with cooking spray or brush lightly with avocado oil or coconut oil. Ladle ¼ cups-full of the batter onto hot griddle (it will spread out to 4-inch circles.) Let cook, undisturbed until browned on the bottom and the edges are slightly dry, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip pancakes with a spatula and let cook on the other side until the center is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Notes

Cooking Tip:

You’ll know they’re ready to be flipped when you start to notice little bubbles forming on the surface. If the bottoms are browning too quickly before this happens just lower the heat a bit.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 minutes
  • Category: breakfast
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 pancake
  • Calories: 109
  • Sugar: 3 g
  • Sodium: 216 g
  • Fat: 2 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 13 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 9 g

Keywords: Protein pancakes,tangerine pancakes,orange pancakes,cottage cheese pancakes,gluten free protein pancakes,oat pancakes

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