Banana Pancakes

Enjoy these Banana Pancakes (made with an entire cup of mashed banana for plenty of flavor!) served with maple syrup and chopped nuts – a tasty breakfast treat that’s ready in a flash.

Banana Bread Pancake recipe

• This is a wonderful make-ahead breakfast, because it freezes so well! My monkey-loving daughter enjoys these banana pancakes so much, I always have some stashed away to reheat in the toaster oven on busy mornings.
• You only need a handful of pantry staples and some ripe bananas to make this recipe, it’s as simple as it gets.
• Thanks to plenty of mashed banana in the batter, these come out big, fluffy and super flavorful. They’re like a cross between a banana bread and a pancake!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredient notes

• Flour: Use 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup white flour for a healthy twist.
• Sugar: You may skip the sugar if you’re cutting back, or use 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup instead.
• Milk: I opted to use regular milk and white vinegar in this recipe to mimic buttermilk, but feel free to use real buttermilk if you have some on hand.
• Spices: I wanted to keep this recipe super simple, but if you have ground nutmeg, allspice (or even pumpkin pie spice mix) on hand – add a pinch to the batter to create even more flavor!
• Mix-ins: Add chocolate chips or chopped pecans/walnuts to the batter for an extra treat.

How to make banana pancakes

1. Combine ingredients separately: To make the fluffiest pancakes, combine the wet and dry ingredients very well separately before mixing them into a batter.

You want to combine both with a whisk, especially the dry ingredients (which may seem odd; but trust me – you need the whisk to break up and distribute the baking powder and baking soda).

2. Make batter: Add the wet to the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula just until combined – do not overmix. If you overmix the batter, your pancakes may turn out dense and gummy. The batter will be thick.

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3. Cook pancakes: Heat your griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat (I cook the pancakes at around 200°F), then add a little oil or cooking spray.

Drop about ¼ cup of batter per pancake on the surface. Cook the pancakes until small bubbles appear on the surface. As the bubbles begin to pop, flip and cook until golden brown on either side.

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Keep the pancakes on a cooling rack to keep them from getting soggy as you’re continuing to cook all of the batter. You can keep them warm in a low-running oven (set between 100°F – 200°F) on the rack.

Recipe tips

• Ripe bananas work best in this recipe, as they are the most flavorful and sweet. If your bananas are very firm still and you need to quickly “ripen” them, bake them in their peels on a lined baking sheet at 300°F for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool until you can safely touch them before using.
• I highly recommend combining the dry ingredients with a whisk, this helps to evenly distribute the baking powder – and yields evenly risen pancakes.
• Make sure you don’t overmix the batter – use a spatula (not a whisk!) and only combine until no more dry flour is visible. Lumps are fine!
• Heat the oven to a low temperature (around 100-200°F), and place cooked pancakes on a rack in the oven to keep them warm.

Freezer tips

To freeze these banana bread pancakes, place them on a lined cookie sheet. Cover and flash-freeze (just place them in the freezer until they’re firm – 30-60 minutes).

Then, transfer pancakes to a plastic freezer bag, label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months) and return to the freezer.

When ready to serve, remove as many pancakes as you want from the bag and microwave on defrost for 2 to 3 minutes.

Serving ideas

• We love the pancakes with maple syrup, chopped pecans and sometimes a dollop of Greek Yogurt as well.
• For extra decadence, serve these with peanut butter, whipped cream or chocolate sauce!
• The pancakes are also delicious with a side of bacon or breakfast sausage – the perfect sweet and salty combination.

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

Originally published on 09/22/2019. Updated with improvements to recipe, better text and new photos on 05/08/2021.

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