Each of these waffles come out to be about 8-9 grams of protein each, and the best part is that these are packed with of vitamins and minerals all thanks to the help of some canned pumpkin added in.

This recipe does not take an enormous amount of effort and can easily be converted to make pancakes.

Here I go into nutrition, ingredients, tools you need, and the instructions on how to make your own version of protein pancakes/waffles.

Let’s Dive In…

Protein Waffle Recipe with Pureed Cottage Cheese and Pumpkin

You can use storebought canned pumpkin but if you want to can your own pumpkin here is my Recipe for that: Canning Pumpkin & How to Puree it later

Tools you need

• Blender
• Mixing Bowl
• Waffle Maker

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cottage cheese, well blended
• 1 quart jar of canned pumpkin, drained or 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons vanilla or plain protein powder, choose your favorite brand*
• 1/2 cup of water
• 2.5 cups waffle/pancake mix
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Frugal tip: skip the protein powder and replace the water with milk or a protein shake. I can’t be sure how much protein you will get per waffle, but this will be cheaper.

Instructions

How many waffles you get will depend on the size and shape of your waffle iron.

1. Preheat your waffle iron, medium- high or high heat.
2. In your blender, add cottage cheese, pumpkin, protein powder, and water. Blend until absolutely smooth, and no curds remain. This takes about a minute or two. Pour mixture into your mixing bowl.
3. To your mixing bowl, add the pancake mix, eggs, syrup, and cinnamon. With a whisk, mix very well.
4. Once your waffle iron is heated, pour enough batter to fill your waffles (each waffle iron is slightly different, but a 1/2 cup of batter works for me).
5. Allow to cook until a golden-brown crust has formed. These will be softer waffles to begin with from the added moisture to the batter. So, make sure to get a good crust in the outside so it’s not mushy.
6. Serve immediately with either butter, syrup, fruits, or whichever your favorite toppings are. Enjoy! Freeze any leftovers.

Nutrition

Pumpkin offers a wide variety of vitamins and fiber, including vitamin A, K, E, C, B6, copper, iron, magnesium, and potassium.

Cottage cheese offers extra protein along with calcium, phosphorus, selenium, and even B12.

Whey protein offers about 2-3 extra grams of protein per waffle, depending on which brand you buy. Some protein powders also offer extra vitamins and antioxidants, also.

Eggs offer a large variety of vitamins, minerals, omega-3s and it’s considered a complete protein. Always purchase “pasture raised” eggs vs organic eggs if you don’t raise your own.

In the end, the batter will have about 70-71 grams of protein total and makes about 8 four-inch waffles.

Dividing the total up by the 8 waffles, each waffle should have about 8-9 grams of protein per waffle.

For kids, one waffle would be the same as eating a half of a sandwich, a cup of yogurt, or even a half cup of black beans. Here’s a great source that goes deeper into that (Link here).

Video

I will update this when it’s published to YouTube.

That’s IT!

Cottage cheese is such an affordable way to make sure your up your protein intake.

Although my family hates cottage cheese, and this waffle recipe is pretty much the only way I can get it into their diets, it’s still worth purchasing it on a regular basis for us.

Any questions about the recipe comment down below.

Enjoy!