Buttermilk Protein Pancakes

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Make these easy buttermilk protein pancakes from scratch in just about 30 minutes for a high protein weekend breakfast.

A stack of buttermilk protein pancakes on a plate.

Protein pancakes have been all the rage ever since the rise of Kodiak Cakes. While we love the idea of a healthier pancake breakfast, there is a point where some pancakes become too healthy. If we’re going to eat pancakes, we want them to actually taste like pancakes; otherwise, why are we even wasting the calories? That’s where our buttermilk protein pancakes come in.

These buttermilk protein pancakes are semi-healthy high protein pancakes that still taste like pancakes. They’re fluffy and moist and just a little bit sweet, so you can enjoy the true flavor and texture of a classic pancake breakfast while adding some extra protein to your diet. 

We’re not going to sugarcoat it (no pun intended). Our buttermilk protein pancakes are not the type of healthy pancake that’s just a mixture of oats and banana pretending to be a pancake. They’re made with flour and sugar and salt and buttermilk, all of which you could argue are “unhealthy” ingredients. But we’ll argue that anything made from scratch with fresh, high quality ingredients can be considered healthy, because these pancakes don’t contain any of the unrecognizable ingredients you might find on the back of a box of store-bought pancakes.

So if you’re a fellow pancake lover in need of a slightly healthier version of your favorite weekend breakfast, give these high protein buttermilk pancakes a try. If nothing else, you can fuel up on them after an early morning workout and feel good about giving your body the protein it needs to thrive.

A stack of homemade pancakes.

Buttermilk Protein Pancakes Ingredients

You can easily make delicious high protein pancakes from scratch with the simple addition of protein powder to a traditional buttermilk pancake recipe. No banana, no oats, and no overly healthy ingredients necessary – these protein pancakes are meant to still taste like pancakes!

Here’s what you’ll need to make our protein pancakes recipe:

  • All purpose flour
  • Whey protein powder – chocolate or vanilla
  • Sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Buttermilk
  • Egg
  • Vegetable oil
  • Vanilla extract

You’ll also need butter or cooking spray to grease the pan before cooking, plus butter and maple syrup for serving.

We like to use this 100% whey protein powder for its macro ratio and delicious flavor. We definitely recommend this brand if you’ve never tried protein powder before! It’s made with minimal ingredients and its fine texture makes it super easy to blend into shakes, smoothies, and recipes like these protein pancakes.

Buttermilk pancakes on a plate.

How To Make Buttermilk Protein Pancakes

Making pancakes from scratch is actually quite easy, and these buttermilk protein pancakes are no exception. Simply combine the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another, and then mix the two together until you have a batter. Then, cook them on a griddle or large frying pan and enjoy!

Here are step by step instructions for how to make our buttermilk pancakes with chocolate protein powder:

  1. First, add the flour, protein powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
  2. Next, whisk the buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract in a separate, larger bowl.
  3. Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined – the batter should be slightly lumpy.
  4. Preheat a large griddle (we like to use our cast iron griddle for a nice, even crisp on the pancakes) over medium-low heat. Add about a half tablespoon of butter to the griddle and spread it around while the pan heats, so the whole cooking surface is greased.
  5. Then, use a quarter-cup measuring cup to scoop pancake batter onto the griddle, spreading each scoop out into a roughly 5-inch diameter pancake. Cook until you see bubbles beginning to form and pop on the top surface, about 3 to 4 minutes, then carefully flip the pancakes and cook until both sides are lightly browned, about 2 to 3 more minutes.
  6. Continue cooking the pancakes in batches until you’ve used all the batter, lowering the heat if they start browning too quickly and adding more butter to the pan between batches as needed.

The important thing is to not over-mix the pancake batter. Too much mixing removes the air from the batter, which leads to dense pancakes. Less mixing will yield fluffier, lighter pancakes that melt in your mouth.

Note that you can use cooking spray to grease the pan instead of butter, as a healthier alternative.

Buttermilk Protein Pancakes: Serving Suggestions

You can’t have pancakes without drenching them in maple syrup! Top your pancakes with a pad of butter and drizzle a high quality maple syrup (not the sugary, processed “syrup” that doesn’t actually have any maple in it) over them to enjoy a high protein version of your favorite sweet breakfast food without compromising on flavor.

Serve buttermilk protein pancakes with a side of fresh berries and coffee, tea, or juice to round out your weekend breakfast. We love eating raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries with our pancakes.

Pouring maple syrup over buttermilk protein pancakes.

Storing & Reheating Leftovers

You can keep leftover pancakes sealed in a zip-top bag in the fridge for up to one week. Or, you can even freeze them if you made a big batch! Place small squares of parchment paper between pancakes to prevent sticking, and freeze in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months.

There are a number of ways to reheat leftover pancakes; a few popular methods are outlined here.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

While these buttermilk protein pancakes aren’t quite as healthy as some protein pancake recipes out there, they’re an easy way to get some added nutrients out of an otherwise indulgent breakfast. With about 9 grams of protein per pancake, you can treat yourself to Sunday pancakes and get a head start on your protein fix all in one go.

That sounds like the perfect post-workout Sunday brunch food, if you ask us 🙂

Try our easy buttermilk protein pancakes recipe if you want an extra protein boost in your weekend breakfast! Don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below to let us know what you think of this recipe.


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A stack of buttermilk protein pancakes on a plate.

Buttermilk Protein Pancakes

Nicole
Make these easy buttermilk protein pancakes from scratch in just about 30 minutes for a high protein weekend breakfast.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 6 5-inch pancakes
Calories 178 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 30 grams whey protein powder chocolate or vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon butter divided
  • Maple syrup for serving

Instructions
 

  • Add the flour, protein powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
  • In a separate, larger bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined, making sure to fully incorporate the dry ingredients. The batter should be slightly lumpy.
  • Preheat a large griddle over medium-low heat. Add about a half tablespoon of butter to the griddle and spread it around while the pan heats up, so that the whole cooking surface is greased.
  • Once the pan is hot, use a quarter-cup measuring cup to scoop pancake batter onto the griddle, spreading each scoop out into a roughly 5-inch diameter pancake. Leave a bit of space between the pancakes so they don't run into each other (this will also make it easier to flip them later on).
    Cook until you see bubbles beginning to form and pop on the top surface, about 3 to 4 minutes. Check the bottoms of the pancakes – they should be lightly golden brown at this point (if they're not, wait until they are before flipping). Then, carefully flip the pancakes and cook until both sides are lightly browned, about 2 to 3 more minutes.
  • Continue cooking the pancakes in batches until you’ve used all the batter, lowering the heat if they start browning too quickly and adding more butter to the pan between batches as needed.
  • Serve hot, topped with a pad of butter and maple syrup.

Notes

Protein powder: We always have chocolate protein powder in our pantry – it tastes so good in shakes and smoothies! In these pancakes, the chocolate flavor doesn’t really come through since there’s so little protein powder compared to the total volume of dry ingredients – so you can use vanilla protein powder if you’d like and the flavor will be similar.
Mixing the batter: Be careful not to over-mix the batter. You want to make sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated, but stop mixing just when everything comes together – it’s okay if the batter is lumpy! This leaves air in the batter so your pancakes turn out light and fluffy. Over-mixing leads to dense pancakes, and no one wants that.
Serving suggestions: We recommend serving a stack of 2 to 3 pancakes per person. Top the stack with a pad of butter and drizzle with maple syrup (the real kind, not the fake stuff)!
Storing & reheating leftovers: You can store leftover pancakes in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container (we like to use a zip-top bag and squeeze all the air out). You can also freeze them for up to 3 months – just place squares of parchment paper between each pancake to prevent sticking. Check out the link in our blog post above for some tips on reheating!

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 9gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 244mgPotassium: 104mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 183IUCalcium: 110mgIron: 2mg
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Keyword baking powder, butter, buttermilk, chocolate protein powder, egg, flour, granulated sugar, high protein, salt, vanilla, vegetable oil
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5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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