Contents 10 sections
- The protein pancakes without whey recipe
- How much protein is in these pancakes without whey
- What can you use instead of whey in pancakes
- Our tips for nailing your protein pancakes
- How long do these pancakes keep
- What to serve with your protein pancakes
- Shop-bought protein pancakes or pancake mixes: what to look at
- What if you do want to add whey after all
- Our verdict on protein pancakes without whey
- Frequently asked questions
Summarise this article with:
💡 The essentials
For pancakes that are genuinely high in protein without whey, build them on fat-free fromage blanc and egg whites, not on banana. Our recipe makes 8 pancakes at roughly 5.6 g of protein and 84 kcal each, which is around 22 g of protein for a serving of 4 pancakes.
- Base: 2 eggs, 2 egg whites, 200 g fat-free fromage blanc, 1 banana, 80 g porridge oats.
- Time: about 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- Figures calculated from the ANSES Ciqual food composition table, ingredient by ingredient.
The banana and oat version you find everywhere is delicious, but it delivers less than 4 g of protein per pancake: banana and oats are mainly carbohydrate sources. If you want pancakes that really count towards your protein intake, without buying any powder, you have to find the protein in the fridge.
That is exactly what this recipe does: fromage blanc and egg whites replace the whey, while the banana stays for sweetness and a soft texture. And if you already have a tub of whey in the cupboard, our whey pancake recipe goes higher still in protein.
🍳 The protein pancakes without whey recipe
- Preparation: 10 minutes
- Cooking: 10 minutes (2 to 3 minutes per side)
- Yield: 8 pancakes, so 2 servings of 4
Ingredients
- 2 whole eggs (about 100 g shelled)
- 2 egg whites (about 66 g)
- 200 g plain fat-free fromage blanc (a French fresh cheese, close to quark)
- 1 medium ripe banana (about 120 g peeled)
- 80 g porridge oats, blitzed into flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1 pinch of salt
- A little coconut oil (or butter) for the pan
Method
- Blitz the porridge oats until you have a fine flour.
- In a mixing bowl, mash the banana with a fork, then add the fromage blanc, the whole eggs and the egg whites. Whisk until smooth.
- Fold in the oat flour, the baking powder, the cinnamon and the salt, without overworking the batter.
- Leave it to stand for 5 minutes: the oats soak up some of the liquid and the batter thickens.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat, grease it lightly and pour in a small ladle of batter per pancake.
- Flip them when bubbles appear on the surface (2 to 3 minutes), then let the other side turn golden.
📊 How much protein is in these pancakes without whey?
One pancake gives you roughly 5.6 g of protein for 84 kcal, excluding the cooking fat. Here is the breakdown for 1 pancake (1/8 of the recipe):
- Calories: about 84 kcal
- Protein: about 5.6 g
- Carbohydrates: about 10 g (of which sugars: 3.3 g)
- Fat: about 2 g (of which saturates: 0.5 g)
- Fibre: about 1.6 g
A serving of 4 pancakes therefore gives you around 22 g of protein for 337 kcal. That sits inside the 20 to 40 g of protein per serving that the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand gives as a benchmark for athletes. For comparison, the original banana, oat and egg recipe (2 bananas, 2 eggs, 60 g oats, honey) works out at roughly 3.6 g of protein and 103 kcal per pancake, for 6 pancakes.
🔬 Our method
Every figure in this article is calculated, not measured in a laboratory. Ingredient by ingredient, we added up the values per 100 g from the ANSES Ciqual table (raw egg, raw egg white, plain fat-free fromage blanc, raw banana, porridge oats), then divided by the number of pancakes. Assumptions: 50 g per medium shelled egg, 33 g per egg white, 120 g of flesh per medium banana. Baking powder, cinnamon and salt are ignored (less than 1% of the calories), as is the cooking oil: add roughly 45 kcal per 5 g of coconut oil absorbed. For an exact figure, weigh your own ingredients.
⚖️ What can you use instead of whey in pancakes?
The best stand-in for whey in a pancake batter is egg white, followed by fat-free fromage blanc: they are the everyday ingredients that bring the most protein for the fewest calories. The table below compares the options people mention most often, using the Ciqual values per 100 g (and the label of an unflavoured whey isolate for the reference row).
| Ingredient | Protein / 100 g | kcal / 100 g | Protein density | Protein per calorie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw egg white | 10.9 g | 48 | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ |
| Plain fat-free fromage blanc | 7.3 g | 48 | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Whole raw egg | 12.8 g | 140 | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Chickpea flour | 22.4 g | 359 | ★★★★★ | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Porridge oats | 10.6 g | 369 | ★★★★☆ | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Raw banana | 1.1 g | 88 | ★☆☆☆☆ | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Unflavoured whey isolate (reference) | 89 g | 380 | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
Chickpea flour is very high in protein, but it is also very calorific: it suits a bulk better than a cut. It also has a pronounced pulse flavour, which is why we use it in our protein crepes without whey instead. For the full tour of the alternatives (foods and plant powders), read our guide to what to use instead of whey.
✅ Our tips for nailing your protein pancakes
- Medium-low heat: a batter rich in eggs and fromage blanc colours fast, so it is better to cook a little longer over a gentler heat.
- A non-stick frying pan keeps the cooking fat down, and with it the added calories.
- Batter too thick? Add a splash of milk. Too runny? A spoonful of blitzed oats.
- One ladle per pancake for evenly sized pancakes (and nutrition figures that stay accurate).
- Blueberries or nuts: drop them straight onto each pancake in the pan rather than into the bowl.
- To serve everyone hot, keep the first pancakes warm in the oven at 100°C.
🕒 How long do these pancakes keep?
Allow 3 to 4 days in the fridge and 2 to 3 months in the freezer, which are the benchmarks Health Canada gives for cooked dishes containing eggs. Let them cool, store them in an airtight container, and reheat them in a frying pan or a toaster.
🍓 What to serve with your protein pancakes
To keep the protein advantage, serve them with a spoonful of fromage blanc and fresh fruit rather than a big pour of syrup. The other options are still fine, you just have to count them:
- Sweet side: berries, banana, a drizzle of maple syrup or honey, almond or peanut butter.
- Savoury side (leave the cinnamon out of the batter): scrambled eggs, mashed avocado, smoked salmon.
🛒 Shop-bought protein pancakes or pancake mixes: what to look at
Ready-made protein pancakes and powdered mixes will do in a pinch, as long as you read the label. Check three lines: the protein content per 100 g (compare it with the 7.8 g per 100 g of raw batter in our recipe), the sugar content, and the ingredients list (sweeteners, flavourings, additives). A mix whose first ingredient is a flour rather than a protein source will not give you much more than an ordinary pancake.
🥛 What if you do want to add whey after all?
It is true that whey is still the simplest way to push the protein in a recipe up: a 30 g scoop of isolate on its own brings more than 25 g of protein. The full step by step is in our whey protein pancake recipe, and our comparison of the best whey isolate will help you choose.
If you are after a good-quality whey for cooking, we recommend Nutripure whey isolate, with no artificial flavourings and no sweeteners in its unflavoured version. It ships from France.
🏆 Our verdict on protein pancakes without whey
For us, this is the right recipe if you want protein without buying any powder: supermarket ingredients only, around 22 g of protein per serving, and a single banana is enough to sweeten the batter. The trade-off is that it takes a few more ingredients than a scoop of whey, and the serving is still less protein-dense than a whey version.
This recipe is not for you if you are vegan (eggs and fromage blanc), if you are allergic to eggs or milk, or if you are aiming for more than 30 g of protein on one plate: in that last case, the whey version or a protein shake without whey alongside will do the job better. For more ideas, browse all our protein recipes, including our homemade protein bar without whey.
⚠️ Watch out
Egg, milk and oats (possible gluten) are all allergens to keep an eye on. If you have an allergy, kidney disease or you are pregnant, ask your doctor before raising your protein intake sharply.
❓ Frequently asked questions
What can you use instead of whey in pancakes?
Fat-free fromage blanc and egg whites, the two everyday ingredients with the most protein per calorie. According to the Ciqual table, egg white brings 10.9 g of protein for 48 kcal and fat-free fromage blanc 7.3 g for 48 kcal. Chickpea flour is the plant-based option, with more calories.
How much protein is in a protein pancake without whey?
About 5.6 g per pancake with our recipe, against 3.6 g for the banana, egg and oat version. The difference comes from the fromage blanc and the egg whites. A serving of 4 pancakes gives you around 22 g of protein.
Can you make protein pancakes without banana?
Yes: swap the banana for 100 g of apple puree with no added sugar, or for a little more fromage blanc. The banana is mainly there to sweeten and bind the batter. Without it, add a little honey or vanilla if you like your pancakes sweet.
Do protein pancakes make you put on weight?
No, no more than any other food: what counts is your calorie balance over the day. At roughly 84 kcal per pancake, they fit into a cut just as well as a bulk, as long as you count the toppings too.
📚 Sources
