With just 3 simple ingredients and no banana, these 3 ingredient oatmeal pancakes are my go-to breakfast recipe. They use cottage cheese to add protein but since they are blended, they are uber fluffy and totally kid-friendly! Top them with maple syrup, blueberries, peanut butter, or your favorite pancake toppings.
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You’ve probably figured out that I’m a bit of a pancake lover. They are easy to make, can be customized to whatever your needs or likings are, and are great reheated. My 3-ingredient Greek yogurt pancakes, 3-ingredient Pumpkin Pancakes, and 3-ingredient Protein Pancakes are all delicious breakfast options that I eat regularly.
But, these 3-ingredient Oatmeal pancakes might be my favorite pancake recipe to date. First off, it’s hard to believe they only take 3 ingredients with how tasty they are and second they are gluten-free and flourless which just makes them a whole other level of awesome. And third - there’s no banana which I can’t stand in “healthy pancakes” because they are never good and instead are soggy and dense!
why these 3-ingredient oatmeal pancakes without banana will make you do the happy food dance
- High protein but no protein powder thanks to cottage cheese! Are you guys tired of hearing about cottage cheese yet??
- Kid-friendly because they are made in a blender. This means kids can help make them and there is no weird texture from the oats or the cottage cheese.
- Uber fluffy thanks to a little trick when dealing with oat flour - let the batter sit to rehydrate the oats!
Jump to:
- why these 3-ingredient oatmeal pancakes without banana will make you do the happy food dance
- recipe ingredients
- how to make 3-ingredient pancakes without bananas (with photo & video!)
- expert tips
- common questions
- trouble shooting & testing notes
- storage & meal prep tips
- what to serve with oatmeal pancakes without sugar
- Recipe
recipe ingredients
notes
- Everything ya need: You only need cottage cheese, rolled oats, and eggs. Yup, that’s it, no sugar, no milk, and no banana here!
variations & substitutions
All substitution options are a 1:1 substitution unless noted otherwise.
- Cottage cheese → Greek yogurt: You can use Greek yogurt, but you might need to add a splash of milk for the right consistency. The pancakes also will have a tang to them so you might want to add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the batter.
- Rolled oats → quick cook oats: I make these with quick oats all the time, to do it make the pancakes as directed. Then after the batter has rested for 5 minutes, stir in ¼ cup additional quick cook oats and let that sit for 5 minutes to give the pancakes some texture to cook around. Otherwise, quick cook oats don’t rehydrate the same making the pancakes super runny.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you try anything else, let us know how it goes in the comments!
toppings & mix-ins
There are so many delicious ways to mix up these pancakes! These are just some of our favorites.
Mix-Ins
- Chocolate Chips - a favorite in our house! We love using a bar of dairy-free chocolate like Hu to mix in.
- Butterscotch chips - this is for the true sweet-aholic because butterscotch is SWEET.
- Berries - a super quick variation is to mix in thawed frozen berries. Wyman's are our favorite for wild blueberries.
- Bananas - making banana pancakes, pretending like it's the weekend! Jack Johnson knows what's up so of course you know it's good.
- Sprinkles - these are always a hit with the kiddos because everyone can pick their own sprinkles. My favorite is ugly sweater sprinkles for Christmas!
Toppings
- Chocolate or Nutella - chocolate is always the answer. This could be chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, etc.
- Peanut butter - this adds a little more protein and adds a creamy classic flavor.
- Fruit - A lot of things that would go in a pancake can also go on top of these dairy-free pancakes! Again, I love frozen blueberries and bananas but there are so many great options like mango, raspberries, or coconut shreds.
- Whipped Cream - this is my absolute favorite and I literally could just have pancakes with whipped cream. I wish I could find the photos of me with my pancakes and whipped cream "tacos", seriously the best!
- Syrup - maple syrup is a classic but there are so many other fun syrup flavors now, like apple syrup (a Midwest staple), vanilla bean syrup, protein syrup, and cinnamon syrup.
how to make 3-ingredient pancakes without bananas (with photo & video!)
- Blend the oatmeal until a flour forms
- Add the eggs and cottage cheese and blend until smooth
- Rest the batter for 5 minutes while you heat a skillet over low to medium heat.
- Pour ⅓rd cup of batter onto the pan and cook until bubbles form, then flip.
- Repeat for all the batter then enjoy!
how to know when the pancakes are ready to flip
When you see bubbles form on the batter all around then the pancake is ready to flip. This means that the hot air has made its way all the way through the pancake.
quick recipe video
expert tips
- Make sure the batter has thickened up before cooking. This happens as it rests and the oat flour rehydrates. It should go from runny to a normal pancake consistency.
- Stop to scrape down the side of the blender. This prevents you from over mixing the batter and thus making the eggs too fluffy.
- Use low to medium heat to cook the pancakes for best results.
- The first pancake is always a test. Evaluate and adjust the heat as needed.
common questions
You can add bananas to the batter but you can not use banana to substitute eggs. The eggs provide the rise since they are flourless and have no baking powder.
Yes, to make them with quick cook oats, make the pancakes as directed. Then after the batter has rested for 5 minutes, stir in ¼ cup additional quick cook oats and let that sit for 5 minutes to give the pancakes some texture to cook around. Otherwise, quick cook oats don’t rehydrate the same making the pancakes super runny.
You can but I would use quick cook oats if you won’t be blending it. These will absorb the liquid more to provide the right thickness. However, not blending the oats or cottage cheese will result in a denser and more lumpy pancake.
trouble shooting & testing notes
My pancake batter is super runny.
If the batter is still really runny after letting it sit, you can either place it in the fridge to continue to thicken or mix in up to ⅓rd cup additional oats. Just mix them in with a spoon (don’t blend) and let the batter sit for another 5 minutes.
My pancakes are gummy and not cooked but appear burnt.
This happens when the pancakes are cooked at too high of a temperature. Because these are flourless pancakes, they are especially susceptible to this.
storage & meal prep tips
Fridge
Let the pancakes completely cook before storing them. Then store in a ziplock bag or air-tight container. They will keep in the fridge for 7 days but start to dry out after 4 days.
Frozen
Let them cool completely before freezing. Then layer the pancakes with parchment paper in an airtight container or flash freeze them on a baking tray. Then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container.
Meal Prep
To meal prep these, double or triple the recipe. Pop some in the freezer and the rest in the fridge. I also like to dice up fresh fruit to have a quick grab-and-go topping option too.
Reheating
You can reheat these from frozen or in the fridge in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, on a stovetop, in a toaster, or toaster oven until heated through. The toaster makes them a bit crispy.
what to serve with oatmeal pancakes without sugar
⭐️ Did you make this and love it? Leave us a review, we’d love to hear from you! ⭐️
Recipe
Fluffy & Flourless 3-ingredient Oatmeal Pancakes (no banana!)
Equipment
- 1 blender
- 1 nonskillet
Ingredients
- ¾ cup rolled oats (see notes for using quick cook)
- ½ cup cottage cheese (unsweetened)
- 3 eggs
- *see post for topping and mix in ideas*
Before you start!
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave us a review. We love to hear from you!
Instructions
- Add the ¾ cup rolled oats to a blender and blend until a flou consistency forms.
- Add the 3 eggs and then the ½ cup cottage cheese to the blender and blend until smooth. The mixture will be thin so let it sit for 5-10 minutes for the oats to rehydrate. The batter will thicken as it sits.
- While the batter rests, heat a non-skillet over low to medium heat.
- Pour about ⅓rd cup of batter on the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side. Then flip and cook another 1-2 minutes. You will know the pancake is ready to flip when bubbles on the batter.
- Repeat this process with remaining batter until all the pancakes are made. Then enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make sure the batter has thickened up before cooking. This happens as it rests and the oat flour rehydrates. It should go from runny to a normal pancake consistency.
- Stop to scrape down the side of the blender. This prevents you from over mixing the batter and thus making the eggs too fluffy.
- Use low to medium heat to cook the pancakes for best results.
- The first pancake is always a test. Evaluate and adjust the heat as needed.
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
lucas Pieper-White says
This looks amazing!!! Can’t wait to try it!
Andrea says
These turned out great!