Banana Pancakes

If you like banana bread, you'll love these banana pancakes! They're not only delicious, but they're also healthy, made with oat and whole wheat flour.

Pictured above is what my ideal Saturday morning looks like. Except, well, I don’t eat 7 fluffy pancakes on my individual plate, but Jack would if I put this whole plate in front of him. Portion control aside, if you have a ripe banana hanging around, give these banana pancakes a try! This is a super easy one-bowl recipe that’s sure to make it to your weekend breakfast rotation.

Why I Love These Banana Pancakes

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of bananas on their own, but I love them baked into muffins or bread, and now in these banana pancakes!

To make these pancakes a wholesome breakfast on their own, I use a mixture of oat flour and whole wheat pastry flour, which makes them soft and delicate. I add cinnamon and nutmeg to give them a warm, spiced banana flavor. And with plenty of sweetness from ripe bananas, they require no added sweetener. (Though I don’t hesitate to serve them with a generous drizzle of maple syrup.)

Tips for Making A+ Banana Pancakes

• Don’t overmix! If your batter is too well-combined, your pancakes will be rubbery, not light and fluffy. If there are a few lumps in your batter, that’s ok.
• Adjust the heat as you cook. Typically, I start with my pan over medium heat, but I lower it during cooking to ensure that the pancakes cook evenly. If your heat is too high, the outsides will burn while the insides stay raw.
• Wipe out the pan if you have excess oil on the sides – left alone, it will burn.
• Add oil between batches. Nothing’s worse than a pancake that sticks to the pan, so brush your skillet with olive oil each time you’re ready to pour in new batter.
• Be mindful of your timing. This batter is thick, so it doesn’t bubble up as much as traditional pancake batter might. I usually cook pancakes for 2 minutes per side, but I cook these for about 1 1/2 minutes per side.

Get creative with your banana pancakes!

Fold a scoop of chocolate chips or blueberries into the batter, or change up the spices! A dash of cardamom or ginger would be a great addition. And though I’m partial to maple syrup, peanut butter, almond butter, or your favorite fresh fruit would also make delicious toppings.

Let me know how this banana pancake recipe turns out for you in the comments – I love these pancakes, and I hope you do too!

If you love these banana pancakes…

Try our healthy banana bread, banana muffins, French toast, or pumpkin pancakes next! Or check out this post for more healthy breakfast ideas or this post for our best brunch recipes.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Banana Pancakes

 

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Cook time

25 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

My favorite banana pancakes! These soft & fluffy pancakes are healthy, easy to make, and warmly spiced with cinnamon & nutmeg.

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: breakfast

Serves: 8 pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 3 tablespoons water
• ½ cup mashed banana (about 1 large)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons almond milk (more if needed)
• 1½ cup whole wheat pastry flour*
• ½ cup oat flour**
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• heaping ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Maple syrup, banana slices, pecans, for serving

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flaxseed, water, and banana. Mash and stir until well combined. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Add the olive oil, vanilla, and almond milk and whisk. Add the flour and sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt evenly over the top. Stir until all the ingredients are combined, but the batter is still a bit lumpy. The batter will be a bit thick but if it’s too thick to scoop, stir in an additional 1 tablespoon almond milk.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle to medium heat. Brush the skillet with a little olive oil and use a ⅓-cup measuring cup to pour the batter onto the pan. Use the back of the cup to gently spread the batter a little more. Cook the pancakes until bubbles appear, about 1½ minutes per side, turning the heat to low as needed so that the middles cook without burning the outsides. I usually start with medium heat and move to low heat as my pan starts to hold residual heat after each batch.
3. Serve with maple syrup, sliced bananas, and pecans, if desired.

Notes

*I like Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
*To make the oat flour, use a food processor or a blender to process a heaping ½ cup rolled oats into a fine flour and measure out one level ½ cup.

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