Easy Cottage Cheese Gluten-Free Strawberry Pancakes
This is the best-tasting gluten-free strawberry pancakes recipe with an easy strawberry sauce, whipped cottage cheese, and sliced strawberries. They’re made with almond and cassava flour, avocado oil, maple syrup, whipped cream and lemon juice and are a perfect breakfast for busy mornings, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or any special occasion!
This is the best-tasting gluten-free strawberry pancakes recipe for delicious pancakes topped with an easy strawberry sauce with real strawberries, whipped cottage cheese, and sliced strawberries. We’re ditching the traditional pancakes and pancake mix (although we love them too!) and going for a healthier option packed with wholesome ingredients.
Forget the artificial flavors and syrups—these beauties are all about real strawberries and pure deliciousness. These fluffy, gluten-free pancakes make a perfect breakfast any day of the week, a fun Valentine’s Day surprise, or a Mother’s Day brunch!
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Strawberry Pancake Recipe
- You only need a few simple ingredients.
- It is super easy to make for an impressive result.
- The flavor-rich ingredients make it taste amazing!
- All the ingredients are easily digestible for a gentle tummy.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here is everything you need to make healthy gluten-free strawberry pancakes with cottage cheese:
Large Eggs: For a vegan option, use a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water).
Avocado Oil: Opt for light olive oil, melted coconut oil, melted butter, or any neutral-flavored vegetable oil.
Maple Syrup: Substitute with honey, agave nectar, date syrup, or brown sugar (dissolve the brown sugar in a little water first).
Vanilla Extract: In a pinch, use a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or a few drops of almond extract (though the flavor will be slightly different).
Apple Cider Vinegar: Lemon juice or white vinegar can be used in a 1:1 substitution. The flavor may be slightly altered.
Almond Milk: You can use any milk you like. My favorite is unsweetened vanilla-flavored almond milk.
Cassava Flour: You can substitute with coconut flour (use half the amount as cassava flour, as it’s more absorbent), oat flour (grind rolled oats in a food processor until a fine flour consistency is reached), or another gluten-free flour blend. Adjust the amount of liquid in the recipe as needed based on the absorbency of the substitute flour.
Almond Flour: Replace with oat flour (as mentioned above), hazelnut flour, or another gluten-free flour blend. Note that the texture of the pancakes may vary depending on the substitute.
Strawberry Compote Sauce
Berries: The sauce can be made with any combination of fresh or frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or cherries.
Pure Maple Syrup: Honey or agave syrup can be used instead of maple syrup for natural sweetness.
Vanilla Extract: Almond extract or any other flavored extract can be used as a substitute. You can also omit the extract.
Lemon Juice: Lime juice or orange juice can be used instead of lemon juice. Or you can omit it.
Salt: Use any type of salt you have on hand, such as sea salt or kosher salt or omit it.
Homemade Strawberry Compote: Instead of making the strawberry sauce, you can strawberry jam.
Cottage Cheese Whipped Cream
Cottage Cheese: You can use regular cottage cheese, small curd cottage cheese, or large curd. Ricotta cheese or Greek yogurt can be used as a substitute. You can also use cream cheese for a sweet cream cheese filling.
Powdered Cane Sugar: You can use regular granulated sugar or a substitute like stevia.
Lemon Juice: Lime or orange juice can be used instead of lemon juice.
Salt: Use any type of salt you have on hand, such as sea salt or kosher salt, or omit it.
Whipped Cream: This is optional, but if you want a dairy-free option, you can use coconut whipped cream or another dairy-free whipped topping.
How to Make My Healthy Strawberry Pancake Recipe
Here are easy, detailed, step-by-step instructions for making my easy gluten-free strawberry pancakes recipe. The instructions are also repeated in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.
Step 1: Make the Pancake Batter
Dice 3/4 cup of strawberries.
In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients, including eggs, oil, maple syrup, milk, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar, and whisk until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients, including almond flour, cassava flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just combined.
Gently fold in chopped strawberries.
Step 2: Cook the Pancakes
Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat. Grease lightly with your chosen oil (avocado, coconut, etc.).
Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto the griddle. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
Step 3: Make the Strawberry Sauce
In a saucepan, combine the berries, maple syrup, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries break down, about 5-7 minutes. Mash the berries with a fork or potato masher. Then simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency. Remove from heat and set aside. For a smoother compote pour the strawberry sauce into a blender or the chopper cup with an immersion blender and blend until smooth.
Step 4: Make the Cottage Cheese Whipped Cream
In a food processor, the chopper cup of an immersion blender, or an upright blender, combine cottage cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and salt.
Blend until smooth and creamy. Fold in whipped cream for a lighter texture.
Assemble and Enjoy! Stack pancakes and top with strawberry compote, whipped cottage cheese, and a few diced strawberries.
Helpful Recipe Notes
Don’t Overmix: Overmixing can lead to tough pancakes. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated with no streaks of flour remaining, stop mixing.
Batter Consistency: Add a tablespoon or two of milk to achieve a pourable consistency if the batter seems too thick. Conversely, for thicker pancakes, add a little more cassava flour to the batter.
Serving Suggestions
Berry Bonanza: Swap the strawberries for other berries like blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries, or use a delightful mix!
Spice It Up: Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the batter for a warm and cozy flavor.
Chocolate Drizzle: For a decadent touch, drizzle melted dark chocolate over the finished pancakes.
Do you love pancakes? Check out more of my easy and nutritious pancake recipes:
Easy Cottage Cheese Gluten-Free Strawberry Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons oil (avocado oil is my fave)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons milk (almond milk is my fave)
- 1/3 cup cassava flour
- 2/3 cup almond flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
Whipped Cottage Cheese:
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup whipped cream
Strawberry Compote:
- 2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
Strawberry Pancakes:
- Dice 3/4 cup of strawberries.In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients, including eggs, oil, maple syrup, milk, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar, and whisk until well combined.Add the dry ingredients, including almond flour, cassava flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chopped strawberries.
- Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat. Grease lightly with your chosen oil (avocado, coconut, etc.).Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto the griddle. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
Strawberry Sauce:
- In a saucepan, combine the berries, maple syrup, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt.Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries break down, about 5-7 minutes. Mash the berries with a fork or potato masher. Then simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency. Remove from heat and set aside. For a smoother compote pour the strawberry sauce into a blender or the chopper cup with an immersion blender and blend until smooth.
Cottage Cheese Whipped Cream:
- In a food processor, the chopper cup of an immersion blender, or an upright blender, combine cottage cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and salt.Blend until smooth and creamy. Fold in whipped cream for a lighter texture.
Video
These are some of the best pancakes I’ve ever had!! I love the strawberry!
Thank you for review! I appreciate it 🙂
These pancakes are so delicious that I want to eat them every day! The healthy toppings are a bonus of tastiness that are so heavenly that it’s hard to believe how healthy they are. If you try no other new recipe this year, do make this one.
Hi Sandra, thank you so much for the review! This recipe is a new staple in our house 🙂
That sauce is to die for!!! I’m in strawberry heaven!!! I’ve never made whipped cottage cheese before. My husband doesn’t normally like cottage cheese and he complains about the curds. But he gobbled these up!!
Haha…that’s awesome, Claire! I feel honored your husband was won over with my recipe 🙂
I’m excited to share this recipe with you! The light and fluffy pancakes taste so good with the strawberry sauce and the cottage cheese whipped cream 🙂 Please let me know what you think if you have a chance to try them!