Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes are a strawberry lover's dream come true. Creamy, fluffy cheesecake pancakes are topped with a homemade fresh strawberry sauce to create a decadent breakfast that will make you swoon!
We love pancakes of all shapes and sizes at our house, from Whole Wheat Pancakes to Chocolate Chip Pancakes to Sweet Potato Pancakes. But these Strawberry Cheese Pancakes are hands down my husband's favorite! After one bite, I think you will see why!
Reasons to Love Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes
- Amazing Texture: The pancake batter is made with cottage cheese, which may sound odd, but it adds a creamy element to the pancake batter and a bit of tang, like a good cheesecake.
- Restaurant-Quality Breakfast Recipe. From the fluffy pancakes to the homemade strawberry pancake syrup to the sweet cream topping to the crumbled graham crackers, these Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes are a memorable way to enjoy pancakes.
- Worth the Effort. While there are several steps involved in making these Cheesecake Pancakes, you will quickly see these steps are EASY and the results make the extra effort well worth it!
Notes On Ingredients
- Cottage Cheese: The magic in these cheesecake pancakes is cottage cheese. The cottage cheese melts into the pancake batter and gives the pancakes an amazing texture and tang.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour or whole white wheat flour for tender results.
- Sweetener: I use both sugar and maple syrup to sweeten up the components of these strawberry pancakes. Feel free to use granulated sugar in place of maple syrup or maple syrup in place of granulated sugar.
- Butter: Melted butter adds richness to the pancake batter, but feel free to use melted coconut oil or canola oil in place of the butter.
- Lemon: Don't overlook the lemon zest and lemon juice. The freshness of the lemon adds such a bright flavor to these pancakes. But be sure to zest the lemon before juicing.
- Strawberries: Because the strawberry sauce is cooked, you can use fresh or frozen strawberries to prepare the sauce.
- Sweetened Sour Cream (optional): To add a bit more "cheesecake" flavor to these pancakes, I love topping them with a dollop of sweetened sour cream. In place of sour cream, feel free to use plain yogurt.
- Graham Crackers (optional): For a bit of crunch and for that "cheesecake" flair, I also love to add toasted graham crackers as a topping to the pancakes. Optional, but a nice touch.
Recipe Modifications
- Fresh Strawberry Sauce: Instead of cooking the strawberries into a sauce, you can simply toss the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice and let them sit to macerate. Serve the fresh, sweetened strawberries and the juice over the pancakes.
- Short-Cut Strawberry Sauce: Warm strawberry jam, strawberry chia jam, or preserves in a heat-safe bowl for 60 seconds until warm.
- Extra Strawberry Flavor: Fold up to ½ cup of diced fresh strawberries into the pancake batter for a burst of strawberry flavor throughout the pancake.
- Substitute for Cottage Cheese: Use sour cream or plain yogurt in place of cottage cheese for similar results.
How to Make Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes
While you only need to prepare the strawberry topping, I highly recommend making the sweetened sour cream and toasted graham crackers as well if you have the ingredients on hand, for the ultimate cheesecake pancake experience.
Step One: Prepare Toppings. Before preparing the batter for the pancakes, prep the topping for the pancakes so that everything comes together at once for serving.
- For the strawberry sauce, combine the strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until thickened and strawberries have broken down. I let the strawberry sauce simmer, stirring occasionally while preparing the pancakes.
- For the sweetened sour cream, combine the sour cream and sugar in a small bowl and set aside for serving.
- For the toasted graham crackers, melt a bit of butter in a small skillet. Add in the crushed graham crackers and toss to coat. Toast for 2-3 minutes, or until just golden.
Step Two: Prepare Cheesecake Pancakes. Cheesecake pancakes come together just like traditional pancakes by combining the wet and dry ingredients separately and then folding them together. Just keep in mind that the batter will be a bit thicker to give the pancakes a cake-like texture.
Step Three: Cook Pancakes. Pour â…“ cup batter into a greased skillet over medium heat and cook 3-4 minutes per side, or until bubbles form on the surface and the edges are set. Flip the pancake and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
Serving Suggestions
These tender cottage cheese pancakes can be served simply with strawberry sauce, for delicious Strawberry Pancakes, But for the ultimate cheesecake flavor, I highly recommend serving the cheesecake pancakes with strawberry sauce, graham crackers, and sweetened sour cream.
Storage & Reheating
- Storage Instructions: Store any leftover cooled pancakes stacked between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Leftover strawberry sauce and sweetened sour cream in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The toasted graham crackers can be stored in a sandwich bag for up to 4 days.
- Reheating Instructions: To reheat, place the pancakes on a heat-safe plate, cover them with a moist paper towel, and heat in the microwave for 45-60 seconds, or until warmed through. To warm up the strawberry sauce, place it in a heat-safe bowl, cover it with a wet paper towel, and heat for 60 in the microwave.
More Favorite Pancake Recipes
- Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Egg-Free Pancakes
- Dutch Baby Pancake
- Peanut Butter Pancakes
- Banana Oat Pancakes
- Gluten-Free Cottage Cheese Pancakes
If you tried these Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Strawberry Pancakes
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Sauce
- 4 cups strawberries hulled and halved
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or maple syrup
For Sour Cream Topping (Optional)
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek Yogurt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
For Graham Crackers (optional)
- 2 whole graham crackers crushed
- ½ tablespoon butter
For the Pancake Batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup cottage cheese
Instructions
For the Strawberry Sauce
- Combine the lemon juice, strawberries, and sugar together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the strawberries are softened. Turn off the heat and gently mash with a fork. If desired, blend the strawberries, leaving the lid cracked on the blender to allow heat to escape, for a smoother sauce.
For the Sour Cream Topping
- While strawberries are cooking, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Set aside until ready to serve.
For Toasted Graham Crackers (optional)
- Over medium heat, melt ½ tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add the crushed graham crackers and toss to coat. Toast for 2-3 minutes, watching closely to not burn.
For the Pancakes
- Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium. Grease with a bit of butter or coconut oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, egg, maple syrup, melted butter, cottage cheese, lemon zest, and vanilla together. Add the cottage cheese mixture to the flour mixture and gently fold the batter together until just incorporated. The batter should be on the thicker side.
- Pour â…“ cup batter onto the heated skillet and cook 3-4 minutes per side, or until bubbles form on the surface and the edges are set. Flip the pancake and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
- To serve, top the pancakes with strawberry sauce, sweetened sour cream, and toasted graham cracker crumbs.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2017 but updated in 2022 with new process shots.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
This was such a hit! Thank you for this awesome recipe.
Brandy
I am in love with this recipe! These pancakes are beyond delicious! I've already made them twice for my husband and me!
Kristen Chidsey
That's awesome Brandy! Thank you for sharing.
Jenn
Fluffy and decadent! Loving this recipe - thanks!
sarah m
Oh my gosh! The cottage cheese makes all the difference. So yummy!!
Kristen Chidsey
It really does add so much flavor and creaminess to these pancakes. Glad you enjoyed Sara.
Marjory
These are decadent and healthy at the same time. Love this recipe!
Suzy
Oh my gosh! My girlslove these. They are so fluffy and flavorful.