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These pumpkin protein waffles are made with cottage cheese, pumpkin puree, and warm pumpkin pie spice for a cozy, high-protein breakfast with 20 grams of protein per serving! Topped with a creamy honey cottage cheese drizzle, they're the perfect fall breakfast for slow weekends and to prep ahead for busy morning!
Table of Contents
- Pumpkin Protein Waffles (Easy Cottage Cheese Recipe)
- Why you'll love these pumpkin protein waffles
- Simple ingredients you'll need
- How to make healthy pumpkin waffles
- Recipe tips
- Serving suggestions
- Meal prep & storage
- Substitutions, optional variations & dietary adjustments
- FAQ
- More recipes you'll love
- Pumpkin Protein Waffles (Easy Cottage Cheese Recipe)
- Save this waffle recipe to Pinterest and make it later!
Pumpkin Protein Waffles (Easy Cottage Cheese Recipe)
Pumpkin season is officially here, and these waffles are my absolute favorite way to celebrate it!
The secret is cottage cheese. It blends right into the batter, so you get a big boost of protein without any protein powder (and no, you can't taste it!).
They come out golden and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. Plus, that honey cottage cheese drizzle on top is SO good.
They're perfect for cozy mornings with you and your kids, and they freeze beautifully for busy weekdays too.
Hope you love this one as much as we do!
Why you'll love these pumpkin protein waffles
Protein-packed - Each serving has 20 grams of protein thanks to the cottage cheese and eggs, no protein powder needed in this one!
Cozy pumpkin flavor - Pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon make these taste like fall in waffle form.
That honey cottage cheese drizzle - Creamy, lightly sweet, and way better than plain syrup (trust me on this one!).
Freezer friendly - Make a big batch and pop leftover waffles in the toaster on busy mornings. Super time saver!
Simple ingredients you'll need
Here's what you'll need to make these healthy pumpkin waffles. You'll find the full amounts and nutrition information in the recipe card below.
For the waffles
- Eggs - Help bind the batter and add extra protein.
- Pumpkin puree - Use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. This is a great way to use up leftover pumpkin too!
- Cottage cheese - The star of the show for protein and a super tender texture. Any fat percentage works, though I tend to use 2%.
- Maple syrup - Just a little for natural sweetness.
- Vanilla - Rounds out all those warm pumpkin flavors.
- Flour - All-purpose or whole wheat flour both work.
- Flaxmeal - Adds a little fiber and healthy fats.
- Pumpkin pie spice - Store-bought or a homemade pumpkin pie spice mix.
- Cinnamon - Because you can never have too much in a pumpkin recipe!
- Baking powder - Gives the waffles their lift.
For the honey cottage cheese drizzle
- Cottage cheese - Blends up silky smooth.
- Cream cheese - Makes the drizzle rich and creamy.
- Honey - Sweeten it to taste.
How to make healthy pumpkin waffles
- Start by adding the pumpkin puree, eggs, cottage cheese, maple syrup, and vanilla to a blender. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth with no lumps of cottage cheese left.
- Next, add the dry ingredients right into the blender with the wet ingredients. That's the flour, flax meal, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and baking powder.
- Blend again just until everything is combined. The batter will be thick, and that's exactly what you want!
- Heat up your waffle iron and grease it well. Pour in the batter and cook until the waffles are golden brown and crispy.
- While the waffles cook, make the drizzle. Blend the cottage cheese and cream cheese until totally smooth, then sweeten it with honey to taste.
- Drizzle it generously over the warm waffles and dig in!
Recipe tips
- Blend the cottage cheese well - Make sure the wet ingredients are completely smooth before adding the flour. This is the key to a smooth batter with no cottage cheese bits.
- Don't overmix - Once the dry ingredients go in, blend just until combined so the waffles stay fluffy.
- Get the waffle iron hot - A fully preheated waffle maker gives you that crispy outside. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for how much batter to use.
- Grease every time - Lightly grease the waffle iron between batches so nothing sticks.
- Keep them crispy - Set cooked waffles in a single layer on a wire rack instead of stacking them so they don't get soggy.
Serving suggestions
The honey cottage cheese drizzle is my favorite, but here are a few more ways to top these pumpkin protein waffles:
- A drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon
- A dollop of Greek yogurt for even more protein
- Peanut butter or almond butter
- Sliced bananas or chopped pecans
- A handful of chocolate chips (the kids love this one!)
Serve them with a side of cottage cheese scrambled eggs or my homemade breakfast sausage for a filling high-protein breakfast.
Meal prep & storage
These waffles are perfect for meal prep!
- Fridge - Store leftover waffles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer - Let the waffles cool completely, then freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once firm, transfer them to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat - Pop them straight into the toaster or toaster oven until warm and crispy. No need to thaw!
- Drizzle - Store the honey cottage cheese drizzle separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Substitutions, optional variations & dietary adjustments
Below you'll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this pumpkin protein waffles recipe.
Flour - Swap in whole wheat flour, oat flour, or a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Almond flour can work too, but the waffles will be softer and more delicate.
Maple syrup - Use honey, agave, or your favorite sweetener instead.
Flaxmeal - Leave it out or replace it with chia seeds.
Extra protein - Add a scoop of your favorite protein powder for an extra boost of protein. You may need a splash of milk to thin the batter.
Egg whites - Swap some of the whole eggs for egg whites for a lighter waffle.
Drizzle - Use Greek yogurt in place of the cream cheese for a lighter, higher protein topping.
Mix-ins - Stir chocolate chips or chopped pecans into the batter right before cooking.
If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!
FAQ
Each serving has 20 grams of protein, including the honey cottage cheese drizzle.
Nope! The protein comes from the cottage cheese and eggs. You can add protein powder if you'd like extra protein, but it's not needed.
Not at all. Once it's blended, it just makes the waffles moist and tender.
Yes, they're the same thing! Any standard or Belgian waffle maker will work.
Make sure your waffle iron is fully preheated and let the waffles cook until golden brown. Cooling them on a wire rack instead of a plate helps keep them crispy too.
It's best cooked right away since the baking powder starts working once it's mixed. For make-ahead breakfasts, cook the whole batch and freeze the waffles instead.
More recipes you'll love
- Healthy hot chocolate protein waffles
- High protein almond flour waffles (47g protein!)
- Protein pumpkin greek yogurt pancakes
If you try this pumpkin protein waffle recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!
XO
Heather
Pumpkin Protein Waffles (Easy Cottage Cheese Recipe)
Ingredients
Waffles
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tbsp flaxmeal
- 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Honey Cottage Cheese Drizzle
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese
- honey, to taste
Instructions
- Blend the wet ingredients. Blend the pumpkin puree, eggs, cottage cheese, maple syrup and vanilla together in a blender until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, flaxmeal, pumpkin spice, cinnamon and baking powder, then blend again just until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Cook the waffles. Pour the batter into a hot, greased waffle iron and cook until golden and crispy.
- Make the drizzle. Blend the cottage cheese and cream cheese until completely smooth, then sweeten with honey to taste.
- Serve. Drizzle generously over the warm waffles and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Save this waffle recipe to Pinterest and make it later!
