Easy protein powder pancakes with 20 grams of protein made from just five ingredients and perfect for meal prep or a quick, delicious breakfast!
Hello friends! I don't know what inspired me to make this recipe look red, white, and blue, but we are rolling with it because these pancakes are easy and delicious!
When I was pregnant, I was not too fond of the taste of protein powder, so I often used egg whites for extra protein in pancakes. But, no babies on board right now, so I'm all about making these easy pancakes for an easy meal prep-friendly protein dose in the morning. (And PS, you can also turn them into protein powder waffles, see how here!)
I tried this recipe with vanilla whey and vanilla vegan protein powders I had on hand at home. The only protein powder I have is the jars that come with my smoothiebox subscription, so that's what I used. It's similar to your basic protein powder found in stores, so it should be comparable to most other brands. However, there was a significant difference in the amount of liquid required with each (vegan vs. whey), so be prepared to adjust your liquid level according to your brand and type of protein!
I love them with peanut butter and a little maple syrup, but I couldn't resist the maple syrup pour shot.
How to Make Protein Powder Pancakes
Friends, this recipe couldn't be any easier.
But, really.
You don't need a how-to section. Combine your ingredients and make pancakes. That's it. The only thing I would say is that you want to add milk slowly until you get a smooth drippy batter. Then, flip your pancakes as soon as you can slide your spatula under to flip them. They don't "bubble" like other pancakes.
PS - I used ¼ cup per pancake.
Swaps and Substitutions
Vanilla Protein Powder - Feel free to use whey protein or vegan protein, really any flavor you want. I tested this with vanilla vegan and vanilla whey protein powder. They require different amounts of liquid, so you will need to adjust. They also differed slightly on final texture. Both were delicious, but when comparing them to each other they were slightly different. The whey protein pancakes were lighter, but a little drier than the dairy-free version. The dairy-free pancakes were moister and a bit heavier. Since every protein powder has different fillers and thickeners, you will get different textures using different protein powders. Unless you make a recipe from the protein powder company's website, this is to be expected. So, if your pancakes don't turn out the way you had hoped, don't blame me. Blame the protein powder.
Oat Flour - oat flour is so easy to make, you blend oats for 30 seconds in a blender, and you have oat flour. I keep some ready to go at all times. You could probably sub chickpea flour and maybe whole wheat flour, but you'd likely have to change the quantity of flour. I'd say stick with oat flour if you can!
Egg - This recipe will likely work with a flax egg, but I haven't tried it! (
Baking Powder - do not omit.
Vanilla Unsweetened Almond Milk - you can use any non-dairy milk (except canned coconut milk) or water. Real milk and canned coconut milk would likely be too heavy. Start with ¼ cup and add to the mix until it looks like pancake batter. It should be thick enough to create resistance when stirring but runny enough that it easily pours on the skillet and holds form on the skillet.
More Healthy Pancake Recipes:
- 2 Ingredient Egg White Pancakes
- Easy Protein Pancakes
- Blueberry Vegan Protein Pancakes
- Blueberry Cottage Cheese Oatmeal Pancakes
- Oat Flour Pancakes
- Healthy Sweet Potato Pancakes
Tag me if you make these! I love to see what you guys make! You can tag me on Insta @hungryhobbyRD and Facebook @hungryhobby!
You can also turn these pancakes into protein powder waffles! Get the recipe here!
Protein Powder Pancakes
Ingredients
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder
- ½ cup oat flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tsps baking powder
- ¼-3/4 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk *
Instructions
- Whisk protein powder, oat flour, egg, baking powder, and ¼ cup almond milk in a medium-size bowl. Add almond milk two tablespoons at a time until you have a smooth, slightly running pancake batter.
- Heat a skillet or pancake griddle to medium and add cooking spray to the pan. Make pancakes by adding ¼ cup of the batter per pancake to the skillet, leaving room between them so that the pancakes don't touch each other when they spread out. Cook for 1-3 minutes before flipping the pancake over. Pancakes are ready to flip as soon as you can slide the spatula underneath. They will not bubble.
- Serve with berries, syrup, nut butter, or whatever you like!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Valerie Lynn says
Delish - These were terrific. I used the Blueberries and Cream oatmeal instant packs (2) beccause that is what I had on hand together with Banana flavored protein powder. WOW - These will be a staple and I will be using other flavors of the oatmeal packets. 2 pancakes netted 25 grams of protein and and 257 calories.
Janelle Middleton, RD says
Loved the ease of the recipe; these pancakes were super easy to flip with great texture while maintaining their shape. Didn’t love the taste of my protein powder in them as there was a weird sweetness, but I tried a few toppings to help balance that and determined they were best with apple butter! I also used flax eggs, all-purpose flour, and oat milk since those are what I had on hand. Thanks for sharing Kel, will definitely make again! So proud of you, too 😉
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Thanks, Janelle! You are so sweet! Thanks for sharing your modifications and for all your support!
CK says
Love these pancakes! Got tired of making smoothies, so this is the perfect way to get my protein powder. I top them with the fruit I would have put in the smoothie. The last time I made them, I used whey protein powder to see how that would work...I forgot to put in the egg, and they still turned out great! I use a home made baking powder because I am allergic to both corn and potato starch. A word of caution to some: the pancakes may have a more intense flavor of your protein powder than in a smoothie. I cover that up with blueberries and raspberries heated with a little maple syrup. Yum, yum, yum!
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Love this! Thank you for sharing!
Bee says
Choco peanut butter protein powder and used half a cup of milk and a mashed banana, um amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Love these modifications! Way to make it your own!
Victoria DelPo says
When you added the banana, was it to replace something else, like the egg? Or was it just an addition?
Matt says
These were good! I made them as instructed first time, but I did find the pancake batter a little thin and difficult to work with, so the cook was a little uneven. Still, very good results.
As for the thinness, I made them a second time but subbed in 1/2 cup plain keffir for the almond milk and, by golly, the batter was perfect, and the pancakes were great!
Thanks for this recipe! I'll let you know if I try tweaking anything!
K says
This recipe is so delicious, I make it at least once a week! Perfect and so filling!
PJ says
Tasted disgusting!
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
So sorry you didn't like it! It really depends on the protein powder how they come out! Mine were delicious!
latres richardson says
They are very dry I will try again maybe change or add a few things but this is a good base to start with.
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
That could be the protein powder! Different thickeners int he protein powder will need more or less liquid!
Tracy says
Thinned the batter a bit with more milk (used Fairlife), added a tsp of vanilla extract, protein powder was Quest (cinnamon crunch), and did these in my dash mini waffle maker. Yielded 8 crispy waffles that you can reheat in the toaster. Delicious taste, good texture, not overly dry like some protein pancakes. I may cut the oats down to a quarter cup next time. Thanks!
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Love the idea of mini waffles! Thanks for sharing!
Laura says
I always come back to this recipe because it never fails me! I was astounded by the 3.9 review so I’m here to tell it works!
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Thank you !!!! Despite my warnings in the post, if you don't use a protein powder you love then you will not like the taste as these are HEAVY protein powder taste ha ha I'm guessing that's the reason for the low score!
sarah says
these were great! I used sweetened oat milk and topped with butter, super delicious and crazy easy. will be making this on repeat! thank you for the recipe!
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
I'm so glad you loved them as much as I do!
Kunkumangi says
Wasted a lot of expensive protein powder & these did not turn out.
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
I'm so sorry,it likely has to do with the composition of the protein powder.
Star says
Same here. And they tasted horrible
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
So sorry they didn't work out for you and you didn't like the taste! Like I said, the taste of the protein powder really affects this recipe. If you didn't like these, I highly suggest you try my easy protein pancakes which have no protein powder but still a ton of protein! https://hungryhobby.net/easy-protein-pancakes/