By When you need a quick and delish breakfast that feels fancy but you know everyone will love, you need this protein dutch baby! It's all blended up and then poured into a pan and baked. That's literally it! It's so decadent (without a bunch of added sugar), topped with Skyr yogurt, and it packs 30 grams of protein (yes, without protein powder)!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get fun new recipes from us every week!
I first had a Dutch baby (also called a German pancake) in a restaurant in an outlet store when I was a teenager. You know, the strip mall style that goes on for miles, but at either end, there is usually some type of diner? Yeah, that's the one!
This one was served with just powdered sugar and lemon, but the striking raised sides were so fun! Years later, I would recreate it, and now we've got a protein version. It's a very heavy egg-based type of pancake, more custard-like, that's perfect for a Sunday brunch or breakfast meal prep because of how easy it is. It's quickly become one of our favorite 30g protein breakfast recipes!
Jump to:
heat and butter your pan first
This is what allows those sides to rise! You heat the pan and melt butter in it first. Then, when you pour the batter in the center, it cooks, pushing the batter out and up the sides. Traditionally, these are made in a cast-iron skillet, but I like to batch larger servings in a casserole dish!
key ingredients & swaps
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for quantities.
- Flour: We keep it simple with all-purpose flour, but a half-whole wheat/half-all-purpose ratio will work. I suspect oat flour will work, too, but I haven't tested it myself. Otherwise, a gluten-free 1:1 swap works great.
- Eggs: This recipe uses 6, yes 6 eggs! Like I said, egg-heavy and more custard-like. Egg whites won't work because they will make this more like a cake (similar to our pancake coffee cake recipe) instead of custardy.
- Cottage cheese: Instead of heavy cream like a traditional Dutch baby, we use this for more protein! Make sure to blend all those curds out. Skyr yogurt or Greek yogurt will work too. Also, be sure to check out our cottage cheese bagels and our full list of breakfast recipes with cottage cheese.
- Basics: The rest is just butter, vanilla, and salt! I use salted butter, but unsalted is fine. Some is for under the batter and some is for topping the pancake.
- Toppings: To finish it off, I like to top my slice with frozen mixed berries (they soften when put on the hot pancake slice), a dollop of Skyr yogurt, and a tablespoon (over the whole thing) of powdered sugar. Dan loves a good drizzle of maple syrup, but if you limit the sugar this stays firmly in the category of a low-calorie high-protein breakfast.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
more favorite toppings
Because there is no sugar in this recipe, it can be sweet or savory! Here are some other options besides berries:
- Lemon juice, lemon zest, and powdered sugar
- Ham, jam, and white cheddar (Like a Monte Cristo)
- Avocado and balsamic
- A protein Nutella filling like we use in our crepe recipe
- Roasted apples or pears with cinnamon
- Honestly, any fresh fruit like mango, blueberries, passion fruit, even!
step by step: tips to nail this recipe every time
- Preheat your oven, pan, and melt the butter. You should only need the pan in the oven for about 3 minutes at the end of the preheat to melt the butter.
- Blend everything very well so no curds remain - none!
- Pour the batter in the center. This will instantly start cooking in the hot pan and then push the rest to the sides.
- It puffs a lot! When it's done, the center might crack and look and feel like a stiff golden brown soufflé. As it cools, this will sink back down and be pure perfection!
quick recipe video
melting the butter
As the butter melts in the baking dish (before adding the batter), be sure to rock the dish around. This will spread the butter all the way to the edges, so we get nice puffed sides.
how to store & meal prep it
If you're lucky enough to have leftovers, here are some helpful tips on storing and reheating.
- Fridge: You can keep the Dutch baby (without toppings) in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave when ready to eat, then add toppings.
- Freezer: Keep this frozen for up to 3 months.
- Meal Prep: I like to portion out slices with yogurt and frozen berries. I reheat the high-protein Dutch baby pancake just by taking it out and heating it on the lid, then recombining everything to enjoy together.
Recipe
protein dutch baby recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (or 1:1 gluten free flour, see post for oat flour ntoes)
- 1 cup cottage cheese (blended (full-fat plain Greek or Skyr yogurt works too))
- 6 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 teaspoon salted butter (unsalted is fine)
- 1 pinch salt
Toppings
- 3 cups frozen mixed berries (or fresh)
- 1.5 cups Skyr yogurt (plain or Greek)
- powdered sugar (optional)
Before you start!
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave us a review. We love to hear from you!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Butter an 8x14 inch pan by placing 4 tsps of butter in 4 squares. I like to slice off in 1 tsp-ish squares and put one in each quadrant of the pan. Put it in the oven for 3 minutes to heat up when the temperature reaches around 415 degrees.
- Blend the 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup cottage cheese, 6 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 pinch salt in a blender for about 45 seconds.
- Pour the batter into the pan and return to the oven to bake for 17-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Optionally, spread a little more butter on top (it'll melt as you spread. Then top with 3 cups frozen mixed berries and 1.5 cups Skyr yogurt, and enjoy! Skyr yogurt is less tangy than Greek, which is great for a sweet breakfast like this.
Video
Notes
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.
I have had some bad experiences with “blended cottage cheese” recipes, so I was hesitant to try this one. BUT, I’m so glad we did…this was delicious! The Dutch baby was dense and custard-y without a salty or cottage cheese flavor. My husband said it reminded him of French toast. We kept it simple and just topped it with maple syrup with fruit on the side. Next time I’d like to try a Monte Cristo type topping.
I made this exact recipe in a 12” cast iron skillet and it worked perfectly.
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
Does the 30g of protein per serving include the yogurt topping?
It does! Without the yogurt, it's 28g of protein 🙂
This was delicious and super easy! I can't wait to try the leftovers with my homemade peach jelly.
That sounds fantastic!
My family loved this recipe! I used non-fat Greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese, and didn’t even have vanilla on hand and it was still delicious! Loved the texture 🙂
Amazing!! So happy to hear that!
This was very simple and tasted amazing. Nice to have a recipe that ups the protein.
So glad you enjoyed!
10/10
Awesome! It also works with 2% cottage cheese.
Thanks for letting us know!!
This recipe is so delicious and easy to make but looks so fancy! I am not one to usually eat the same thing for several days in a row but I have had this for the last 4 days! It is so filling and tasty!
Amazing!! Isn't it just soooo good?!
Made this today for breakfast for me and my toddler. It was so easy to make and came out fluffy from the oven. We ate it topped with yogurt and berries. Feels like a guilty pleasure but love that it’s really simple ingredients and high in protein. We made it with whole wheat flour today, might experiment with GF flour so my husband can try it next time. Thank you for the recipe!
So happy to hear that! I make it a lot with oat flour and it works well!
this turned out great!
So happy to hear that!
While this recipe tastes good. I don’t see how you would get 28-30g of protein per slice. Between the eggs, flour, and cottage cheese, there is around 83g of protein. So when you divide the recipe into 6 slices you only get around 14 grams of protein. Not sure if I’m missing something but 30g a slice seems misleading, even if only for estimation purposes.
Hey Justin! The nutrition information includes the toppings listed in the ingredients section. The Skyr yogurt topping adds a lot of protein (42g) and also tastes delicious with the mixed berries! We like Painterland Sisters Skyr yogurt - it has 21g of protein per 3/4 cup.
Also, there are only 4 servings. They're big slices! You're right on track with the 83g of protein in the base. If you take that 83g + 42g for the topping you get 125g total (which is 31g for 4 servings). Hope you enjoy it.
Ahh! Now I see. Thank you for the clarification.
Great recipe! I did 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1/2 cup Fairlife Nonfat milk just in case my husband would taste the cottage cheese. He loved this recipe! Thank you!
That sounds perfect!
Love love love this recipe!!
So happy to hear this!!
The recipe says 4 servings but the picture shows 6 slices. Is is 30g
of protein for 1/4 or 1/6 of the total?
It's for 1/4th the recipe.
So good. 3/3 kids loved. I made in pie dish as I didn’t have the correct pan size. Turned out thicker and took a couple minutes to cook. I had the leftover slice this AM with air fried apple chunks on top. 10/10 recommend.