Every time I find myself with ripe bananas, I feel like my mind goes blank and the only thing I can think to do is make banana bread. But as someone who would much rather have pancakes on hand for breakfast than banana bread, I created this recipe for banana cottage cheese sheet pan pancakes. They freeze and reheat beautifully, which has been clutch for these early postpartum months. (I freeze in a single layer on a cooling rack, compile into a freezer bag once frozen solid, then reheat in the microwave).

To add a little sweetness, I like to mix in chopped prunes and then top the batter with dark chocolate chips and more banana slices. I also tried out a one-ingredient prune syrup for this recipe, which I use in place of maple syrup. It’s an easy and super tasty swap that really makes a difference in my digestive health, especially post pregnancy.

You’ll see that I give a few different flour options in this recipe, but if you have white whole-wheat flour on hand, I encourage you to use it! The nuttiness of the whole wheat flour works really nicely here.

More cottage cheese pancake recipes to try:

If you make these banana cottage cheese sheet pan pancakes, let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you think!

banana cottage cheese sheet pan pancakes

makes 9 pancakes

Ingredients

For the pancakes:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for serving
  • 4 very ripe bananas (plus an extra one for topping the pancake, if desired)
  • 3/4 cup 2% or full-fat small-curd cottage cheese
  • 3/4 cup dairy or non-dairy milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, white whole-wheat flour, or a 1:1 GF flour blend, spooned and leveled
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup chopped prunes
  • 1/3 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
  • prune syrup, for serving (recipe below)

For the prune syrup:

  • 1 (7.5-ounce) can Sunsweet prune juice

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a 13×18-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; generously coat the parchment and sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Melt the butter in a small bowl; set aside to cool slightly. Mash the bananas in a medium bowl (you should have about 2 cups mashed). Add the cottage cheese, milk, eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla and whisk to combine.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the chopped prunes.
  • Scrape the batter into the prepared baking sheet and smooth with a spatula. Slice the extra banana, if using, and sprinkle over the batter along with the chocolate chips.
  • Bake until puffed and a toothpick comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, make the syrup: add the prune juice to a small pot set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to the consistency of maple syrup.
  • Slice into 12 pieces and serve with more butter and prune syrup.