Is there a better breakfast than light, fluffy pancakes? You may think not, but wait! This recipe for healthy, high protein, low fat apple fritters may change your mind. Delicious like the best of fluffy pancakes, but also filled with sweet apple – a perfect treat for cold, autumnal mornings. Apple fritters, though made with a different recipe, were one of my favourite meals my mum made when I was a child. A great way to incorporate a seasonal product – apples – into a popular meal, elevating the flavours. Now, I recreated the idea of apple fritters, but invented my own recipe – healthy, moist, and high in protein to keep your muscle strong. It doesn’t get any better!

When I was a child, we often had a sweet lunch at home on Fridays, and pancakes were one of my favourite things to have, amongst waffles and sweet dumplings. Back then, I never considered pancakes as breakfast food! Now, living in a different country, I see that they’re a popular choice for a cosy weekend breakfast. Whenever you choose to have these high protein apple fritters, it’s up to you! They’re a great way to kick start your day, but they can also make a fantastic, delicious afternoon snack to have with a cup of coffee.

You may notice that this recipe is essentially a slightly modified recipe for my favourite high protein, moist pancakes. That batter is a fantastic base for other alterations!

Ingredients for high protein apple fritters

For 1-2 servings you will need:

• 200g low-fat cottage cheese
• 2 eggs
• 45g plain flour
• 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
• a few drops of vanilla extract (optional)
• 2 small apples
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• low-fat oil spray, regular oil or butter for frying

How to make high protein apple fritters

Peel the apples and slice them horizontally into 1 centimetre wide rings. Cut out the core. I recommend snacking on the peel and not letting it go to waste – it’s full of fibre and vitamins!

Crack the eggs into a bowl and break the yolks, then whisk with a fork for 30 seconds until smooth.

Add all remaining ingredients and blend everything with a blender until you have a smooth batter.

Heat up a non stick pan on low-medium heat. Add your choice of frying oil or butter.

Dunk an apple ring in the batter to evenly coat it, then carefully place it on the pan. Continue with further apple rings until you’ve run out of space on the pan.

Cover the pan with a lid and fry the apple fritters on low heat for around 4 minutes, until golden-brown. Flip them over and fry for a further 3-4 minutes on the other side.

The key to making these apple fritters is frying them slowly on low heat, to let the apples cook through. If you use too high heat, the batter will brown, but the fruit inside will remain hard.

Serve with your favourite toppings. Enjoy!

This recipe makes around 12-15 apple fritters. Depending on how hungry you are and what toppings you choose to have with your apple fritters, they will make 1 large or 2 small snack-size portions.

Do high protein apple fritters taste like cottage cheese?

Absolutely not! The batter for these high protein apple fritters tastes like traditional crepes, with the apples adding a hint of sweetness and cinnamon further elevating the flavours. You’d never guess that they’re made with cottage cheese. What’s more, they don’t scream “healthy” in how they taste – but they actually are incredibly nutritious!

What to serve apple fritters with

These apple fritters, although fit and healthy, are delicious on their own! I ate mine lightly dusted with icing powder and loved every bite.

If you’re feeling fancy and want a more indulgent treat, consider serving your apple fritters with Nutella. Chocolate and nuts are the perfect companions for apples! You could also roast some chopped up hazelnuts on a dry non-stick pan for a few minutes and sprinkle them over the fritters for extra crunch.

Alternatively, why not try adding some jam, fresh fruit or whipped cream? You can’t go wrong with those!

Are these high protein apple fritters better than protein pancakes made with protein powder?

There are many recipes online for protein pancakes made with protein powder – including this one on my blog. Whilst they are indeed extremely high in protein and can serve as a good base for delicious toppings, they typically turn out dry and don’t taste great on their own. These cottage cheese apple fritters are also high in protein, but they remain moist and taste like a treat – not like typical health foods!

Why is protein important?

Protein is a vital part of our diet. It’s the most satiating macronutrient and crucial for maintaining healthy muscle. It’s literally a building block of our bodies! A diet rich in protein is known to aid in weight management, as protein keeps us full for longer between meals.

Nutritional value of high protein apple fritters

The full recipe (without any toppings or frying oil) has 665 calories, 50 grams of protein, 80 grams of carbs and 12 grams of fat.

I used specialty low-fat cottage cheese, higher in protein than regular cottage cheese. The difference isn’t huge though, and using any low-fat cottage cheese will keep these pancakes high in protein.

How to store high protein apple fritters

These apple fritters taste best when warm and fresh, and they’re so tasty that it’s unlikely you’ll have any leftovers! But if you do, you can store them in the fridge – they’re great for packed lunch or as a snack. Aim to eat them within a day from making them.

You can reheat the apple fritters on a non-stick pan, but they taste good cold as well.

Also see:

• Food
• Sweet