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.
This stack of banana pancakes pretty much sums up my ideal Saturday morning. Except, well, I don’t eat 7 banana pancakes on my individual plate, but Jack would if I put them in front of him. Portion control aside, if you have ripe bananas hanging around, give this banana pancake recipe a try! It’s a super easy one-bowl recipe that’s sure to make it into your regular weekend breakfast rotation.
Why I Love These Banana Pancakes
While I’m not a huge fan of bananas on their own, I love them baked into muffins or bread, and now in these banana pancakes!
To make these pancakes a wholesome breakfast, I use a mixture of oat flour and whole wheat pastry flour, which makes them light and fluffy. I add cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla 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.)
Banana Pancake Recipe Tips
- 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, until they’re nicely golden brown.
Banana Pancakes Variations
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, sliced bananas, or your favorite fresh fruit would also make delicious toppings.
Serve these pancakes on their own, or as part of a bigger brunch alongside a veggie frittata or shakshuka. On special occasions, we serve these pancakes with mimosas, but otherwise, they’re wonderful with a glass of chilled vanilla oat milk.
Let me know how this vegan banana pancake recipe turns out for you in the comments – I love them, and I hope you do too!
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
If you love these banana pancakes, check out this post for more healthy breakfast ideas, or try one of these favorite breakfast recipes next:
- Classic French toast
- Cinnamon rolls
- Steel-cut oatmeal
- Overnight oats
- Gluten-free pancakes
- Pumpkin pancakes
Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ cup mashed banana, about 1 large
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve with maple syrup, sliced bananas, and pecans, if desired.
Notes
These pancakes look like the perfect Sunday morning treat! 🙂
Omg, this is the best website ever. I’m vegan and you have helped me so much and enjoyably. Thank you very very very much.
These pancakes look so delicious and perfect for brunch!
These look delicious! Would I be able to use regular flour or does it need to be pastry flour?
Hi Amber, I’d do 50/50 mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour. Whole wheat pastry flour is less dense than regular whole wheat flour but heartier than white flour. I hope that helps!
Yummy! Planning on making these this pancake day!
Hello! These look yummy! How would you recommend replacing the wheat flour? Do you know of any gluten free flours or blends that would work well for this recipe?
I hear these pancakes calling my name…
for when I allow myself the splurge on pancakes (granted yours are optimized for vegan ingredients), I do miss these flavors, and nice tips too, especially about over mixing, thank you!
I’ve been meaning to make banana pancakes FOREVER! This post must be a sign right? 😉 thanks for sharing! definitely giving it a go
definitely a sign! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Trying the recipe on the weekend 🙂
Made them today. Came out amazing! Cooking time is much shorter then non-oat flour banana pancakes. Pancakes made using your recipe are thick, stay fluffy and satisfying. Perfect on the go food eg. hike, picnic…
Wow they look amazing!
Elin / bakingandbeautybyelin.com
What else could be a perfect a way to start your day other than having a treat of banana pancakes for breakfast?
I made these this morning and they were so good! The nutmeg flavor really comes through in a wonderful way. My mom, who loves banana bread and banana treats loved them!
Aww these pancakes look so so good 🙂 I really love the combination with bananas and sirup!
thanks for sharing the recipe
lots of love, Miri
Banana pancakes are the most delicious treat! You feel so much better eating these than you would your average pancake and they are so fun to play around with!
Oh my gosh, these look blummin’ amazing!!
These look so good! We are always on the look out for new pancake recipes… my kids are pancake monsters… lol!
Haha, I hope your kids enjoy them!
I make something similar to these at the weekend. I will have to try out your recipe 🙂
These look absolutely amazing!! I’m definitely trying this out next time I make pancakes! They look like the perfect weekend breakfast for sure!!
I make these sometimes but without the vanilla. I think that’d be a tasty addition though, thanks 🙂 xo
These sound so delicious! And they came at the perfect time as I have been craving banana foods lately.
I even made a banana trifle this week but it still hasn’t satisfied my banana cravings!
I can’t wait to make these! I’m going use coconut milk
Just made these and in love! I never realize how much I need pancakes in my life until I find a post like this that makes me crave them!!
Thanks for the recipe! This is going to be a new staple in my house!!
Came out way too thick and had to tone it down
Hi John, stir in a little almond milk if the batter is too thick.
Delicious! Is the batter good to use the following day?
I’m glad you loved them! I don’t think the pancakes will puff up with 2nd day batter. I like to make all of the pancakes and freeze the ones I don’t eat. Hope that helps!
These look delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.