Switch up your breakfast routine and try these simple and flavorful banana pancakes! My recipe comes together in just a few minutes, and it even freezes well for a make-ahead breakfast option. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Easy Banana Pancakes
If you’re looking for something a bit different from your average pancake recipe, you need to try these banana pancakes! The taste is reminiscent of banana bread in pancake form. They’re soft, fluffy, packed with flavor, and the kids and I are equally in love with them.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Light and fluffy texture, (just don’t over-mix the batter!). My recipe includes plenty of tips to avoid over-mixing, including using room temperature ingredients, mixing by hand, and stopping once everything is just combined.
- Simple; no fancy ingredients or equipment required. Anyone can make these at home and have success.
- Incredible flavor from ripe bananas, vanilla, and cinnamon. They don’t even need toppings–my kids will eat them plain!
- Finishes in the same amount of time as cooking bacon in the oven, so you can have a full breakfast in just 20 minutes!
Ingredients
This recipe works best if all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This helps your batter combine easily and prevents over-mixing. Here’s what you need!
- Bananas. Almost anytime you’re baking with bananas, aim for ripe, spotty, well-browned (but not rotten) fruit. This is just as true with banana bread or banana muffins as it is with banana pancakes. These riper bananas are the most flavorful and sweet, so if you can, try to let yours get nice and spotty before making this recipe. Also a great way to use up any neglected, desperate-looking bananas on your countertop.
- Milk. While buttermilk plays an important role with flavor and texture (and is a critical ingredient in my blueberry pancakes and cornbread), regular milk actually works just fine with today’s recipe. Thanks to the afore-mentioned overripe bananas, we actually don’t need the extra moisture and flavor from buttermilk here.
- Brown sugar. Brown sugar offers a beautiful complement to the banana flavor that you just can’t get from classic white granulated. I stick with light brown sugar, while dark brown could work in a pinch it’s a bit richer in a way that doesn’t suit the pancakes.
- Cinnamon. While not a critical ingredient in banana pancakes and you can leave it out if you’re averse, this ingredient adds to the flavor and gives the end result a real banana bread feel.
- Vanilla and salt. These two ingredients add to the overall flavor of the other ingredients on the list. I love using my homemade vanilla extract.
SAM’S TIP: The key to fluffy pancakes is to not over-mix the batter. Batter that is mixed too much will yield dense, flat, rubbery pancakes. Because of this, you should NOT use an electric mixer with this recipe–just stick with a whisk and spatula/spoon.
Today’s recipe was a little tricky to perfect; adding bananas adds additional moisture and sugar to the recipe so it’s not as simple as just mixing mashed bananas into any old pancake recipe. I ultimately ended up modifying my pumpkin pancakes to strike the perfect balance (in both the flavor and texture department).
How to Make Banana Pancakes
- Mash the bananas in a medium bowl, then stir in the milk, eggs, and vanilla until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
- Drizzle in the melted butter while whisking, then set the wet ingredients aside. Note that the butter might curdle the mixture a bit when you add it–this it totally fine.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl until combined, then pour the wet ingredients into the center.
- Fold the wet and dry ingredients together with a spatula until just combined. Some small lumps in the batter are just fine–do NOT over-mix or your pancakes could turn out flat and rubbery.
- Brush your skillet with a thin layer of oil and heat over medium-low until hot. Letting the pancake batter rest during this time is important; it makes them fluffier and lighter and you may notice that the batter thickens as it sits.
- Scoop pancake batter into your prepared pan and cook until the edges look set and bubbles begin to form and burst on the surface. If the batter doesn’t spread nicely on its own, use a spoon to gently form it into an even disk shape.
- Flip and cook on the other side, then remove to a plate. Repeat this process, brushing oil on the pan between each pancake, until you’ve used up all of your batter.
SAM’S TIP: I like to use an ice cream scoop to add my pancake batter to my pan. I find this to keep things pretty neat and tidy, especially when working with a thicker pancake batter like this one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Because of the moisture from the bananas, they could be more likely to mold faster when left at room temperature. I recommend placing them in an airtight bag or container in the fridge and then enjoying within two days. You can also freeze them and I’ve included instructions for this in the recipe card.
Maple syrup and butter or even honey butter are our go-tos, but sliced bananas, blueberries, strawberries, whipped cream, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips would all be great additions as well.
If you’re looking for something more gourmet or decadent, drizzle some chocolate sauce or caramel sauce over the top!
Yes! You can add up to a cup chocolate chips or nuts to the batter. Peanut butter chips would work well too! Fold the add-ins into the batter when the wet and dry ingredients are about halfway combined, this will help keep you from accidentally over-mixing the batter (which, if you recall, could make the pancakes rubbery).
For an intense chocolate/pancake experience, see my chocolate pancakes.
If you like banana pancakes, try my banana coffee cake next!
Enjoy!
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Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 g) mashed banana (typically 2 large bananas)
- 1 ½ cups (355 ml) whole milk
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 Tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (65 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- Neutral cooking oil
Recommended Equipment
- Small skillet
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl combine mashed banana, milk, eggs, and vanilla and whisk together until thoroughly combined.1 cup (250 g) mashed banana, 1 ½ cups (355 ml) whole milk, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Slowly drizzle melted, cooled butter into milk mixture and whisk until combined. Set aside while you prepare your dry ingredients.4 Tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined and any clumps are broken up.2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup (65 g) light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon table salt
- Pour the milk mixture into the center of the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold the ingredients together until just combined. Don’t overmix your batter or pancakes will be dense, some small lumps remaining is fine!
- Set your batter aside and lightly brush your skillet with cooking oil. Turn your stovetop heat to medium-low and allow the skillet to heat for several minutes, if you hover your hand several inches above the pan you should feel the heat radiating from it.Neutral cooking oil
- Scoop pancake batter (I like to scoop mine to be about ½ – ⅔ cup) into the center of the skillet.
- Cook until the edges begin to appear cooked and bubbles forming in the batter begin to burst, then carefully flip the pancake and cook until the other side is golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove to a plate and repeat the process until you’ve used all of the batter. Lightly brush the skillet with additional oil between each pancake.
- Serve warm, we like ours served with butter and maple syrup.
Notes
Storing
Allow pancakes to cool completely before storing. They may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. You can reheat from frozen in the microwave, in the oven (place on a baking sheet in an even layer and warm at 350F/175C for about 10 minutes/until warm), or in the toaster.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Teresa
These sound so delicious. Could I substitute the whole milk for buttermilk and the butter for a neutral oil?
Sam
Hi Teresa! These substitutions should work. 🙂
Kristine Lajoie
I have a ton of bananas in the freezer. Can I use them or do you think they would cause the batter to be too watery?
Sam
Hi Kristine! If you thaw the bananas I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t work. 🙂
James Rowat
Tried these this Morning!
I did add some Nutmeg and Cloves. Just cuz I like Spice 😉!
They were so good! Definitely had the taste of Banana Bread.
pecans will be added next time
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed them, James! Love your additions 😊
Katie
these pancakes are so so good! they taste exactly like banana bread. your recipes always please everybody and are always the best in the world. thank you so so much!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We appreciate you giving them a try, Katie! Thanks for all the love 💕
Norma
These banana pancakes are so delicious! I will make these again and again!😋
Sam
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Norma! I appreciate the kind words!