Protein Pancakes for Breakfast

Protein pancakes are a great way to start your day where you are feeling like indulging while maintaining a certain macro friendly breakfast. Two eggs, one banana, two scoops of whey, a tablespoon of yogurt, blueberries, a pan. The whole thing takes maybe seven minutes start to finish and lands at around 65 grams of protein for one plate, which is more protein than most people get in their entire breakfast and lunch combined.

I'm not a fitness anything. I like tracking macros because it keeps me accountable and the protein-to-calorie ratio is the only reason it earns the "protein pancakes" name. The actual taste is just pancakes with a banana in them, which is fine, because that's already a good breakfast.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 2 eggs
• 1 ripe banana (the spottier the better, ripe banana mashes properly)
• 2 scoops of your favorite whey protein (around 50g, vanilla works best, chocolate also works)
• 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• A small handful of blueberries (about 30g)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil for the pan, or olive oil spray
• 1 teaspoon spreadable chocolate (Nutella or similar) to top. I tend to look for things without sugar.
• A side of fresh fruit (whatever's around, another small handful)

How to make protein pancakes

Mash the banana in a bowl with a fork. No blender needed, just mash until it's roughly smooth. Some lumps are fine, you'll mix them out next.

Crack in the eggs and whisk. Add the yogurt, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Keep going until it's kinda mixed up and the eggs are incorporated.

Add the whey, mix it in. Now check the consistency. The batter should be thick like a normal pancake batter. If it's runny like pouring cream, add another half-scoop of whey and mix again. The "not too liquidy" check is the one rule that actually matters in this whole recipe. Whey scoop sizes vary brand to brand and bananas vary in water content, so the same volumes don't always give the same texture, and honestly there is no such thing as too much protein.

Stir in the blueberries. Don't crush them. They're going to bleed a bit anyway when they hit the pan, which is fine, the purple swirls look great.

Heat a non-stick pan on medium. Brush a thin layer of olive oil across the surface (or use spray). Pour the batter in three or four medium pancakes, depending on pan size. Don't make one giant one, it's harder to flip and the inside cooks unevenly. The thing to take into account here is that you need to play around with the heat. No stove works the same and no pan transfers heat the same. You will sacrifice the first batch anyway.

Two minutes a side, give or take. Wait until the bubbles on top are popping and not refilling, then flip. The second side cooks faster than the first. If they're going dark too quickly, drop the heat. If they look pale after two minutes, raise it.

Plate, top with the chocolate, fruit on the side. A teaspoon of Nutella melts on contact with hot pancake. Spread it across the top of the stack. The fresh fruit on the side balances the sweetness and makes it feel like a real breakfast instead of a protein delivery vehicle (which it also is, but you don't want to think about that).

Macros (per plate)

• 595 kcal
• 65g protein
• 52g carbs
• 17g fat

These numbers assume two medium eggs, one medium banana, 50g of a whey at around 25g protein per scoop, 30g blueberries, a teaspoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of Nutella, and a handful of side fruit. Your whey protein bottle will probably claim something different per scoop, so adjust if you want a precise number. The protein-to-calorie ratio here (about 11 calories per gram of protein) is roughly the same as plain chicken breast, which is the entire point.

If you want a similarly-honest high-protein dinner that lands on the plate without a powder anywhere, the air-fryer turkey breast with rice post covers a 555-kcal, 74g-protein dinner version of the same idea.

Some questions about protein pancakes

Can I make protein pancakes without whey?

You can, but they won't be high-protein anymore. Without the whey you're left with eggs, banana, and yogurt, which is roughly banana pancakes (still fine, around 25g of protein per plate). If you want the macros without the powder, swap the whey for 50g of cottage cheese or quark and add a tablespoon of oat flour for structure. The texture changes (denser, more egg-forward) or even add normal flour.

Why two scoops of whey instead of one?

One scoop and the batter goes too liquid because the eggs and banana are already wet. Two scoops absorbs the moisture and gives you a real pancake batter that drops off a spoon in a thick ribbon. If your whey ships with an unusually big scoop, one and a half can be enough. If your scoop is small (some brands ship with a 25g scoop), you might want closer to two and a half.

What if my batter is too liquidy?

Add another half-scoop of whey and mix again. If you're out of whey, a tablespoon of oat flour or almond flour works. The "thick enough to hold its shape on the spoon" check is the right test. If the batter pours off the spoon in a thin stream, it'll spread too far in the pan and turn into a crepe.

Can I prep these the night before?

Mix the batter, no. The banana oxidises, the baking powder activates, and by morning you have a flat sad pancake.