Banana Pancakes

These Easy Healthy Banana Pancakes are a deliciously satisfying breakfast perfect for those lazy weekends! They're made without eggs and are dairy-free for a great vegan option. Top with maple syrup and fresh fruit for a satisfying start to your morning!

We love making homemade pancakes for breakfast especially on the weekends! These Berry Pancakes and Banana Blueberry Pancakes are some of my favorites!

If you're looking for something delicious, healthy, and easy, these banana pancakes are definitely for you! They're soft, tender, super flavorful, and naturally sweetened. I love serving them with a dab of vegan butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Best of all, they're low in fat, dairy-free and can be made gluten-free!

So toss out that boxed pancake mix, grab a cup of coffee and let's whip up a tall stack of these babies all from SCRATCH!

What I Love About These Pancakes!

✔ They're easy to make.

✔ They're the perfect amount of sweetness.

✔ They're fluffy, light, and tender.

✔ They're free of refined sugars.

✔ They won't crumble when flipping.

✔ They can easily be made vegan!

Ingredients

• Flour - All-purpose flour is what I used but you can use whole wheat or gluten-free flour if you prefer.
• Baking powder - This is what helps your pancakes rise. Make sure your baking powder is not expired first!
• Bananas - You want super ripe, brown, spotty bananas. If your bananas are any bit green, your pancakes will not be as sweet or tender.
• Milk - To make these vegan, you want to use plant-based milk. If not, any milk, even vegan buttermilk, would work.
• Vanilla extract - Vanilla is a must when it comes to pancakes! It adds tons of flavor and goes so well with bananas.
• Agave nectar or maple syrup - These add natural sweetness. Either one works in this recipe.

Instructions

1. Preheat a nonstick pan or skillet over medium-high heat. If you don’t have a nonstick pan (or your nonstick pan needs a bit more slip), you can lightly oil the pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients. No need to add dry/wet ingredients separately. Just make sure to gently mix until the batter is just combined. Lumps are okay! Try not to over mix your batter or your pancakes will not be as tender.
3. Scoop out the batter with a ¼-cup measuring cup or mini ice cream scoop and pour it onto the preheated pan. Once bubbles begin to form on top and the edges are browned, flip the pancake over and cook the other side for a few minutes until the bottom is lightly browned.
4. Remove pancake from the pan and repeat until all the batter is cooked.

How To Know When Pancakes Are Cooked Through

Knowing when your pancakes are done takes a little bit of practice and consistency. The first pancake never comes out perfectly so use that as your guide. Keep the heat the same and time it. Then cut your pancake in half and see if the interior is cooked through. If the middle is still "liquidy", you may need to add another 30 seconds or so to the next one.

It's important to look for bubbles before your first flip. If your pancake is burning too quickly and bubbles are not forming on top, you need to turn down your heat.

If your pancakes are not cooked through, you can always add them back to the pan, bake them in the oven or pop them in the microwave for a little longer.

Pancake Toppings

🥞 Classic: Vegan butter and syrup!

🥞 Fruit: Add freshly sliced strawberries or blueberries.

🥞 Chocolate: Add vegan semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.

🥞 Whipped Cream: Make your own vegan whipped cream or purchase your favorite kind.

🥞 Spice them up: Add cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or apple pie spice for a delicious fall option.

🥞 Crunch it up: Add granola or chopped nuts.

🥞 A touch of sugar: Dust a bit of confectioners sugar over top or a drizzle of caramel.

*A vegan alternative can be used for all options!

Warming Tips

If you're making a larger batch, you may want to keep your pancakes warm until you're ready to serve them all at once. To do this, set your oven to the "warm" setting. This is typically about 200 degrees F.

Then add them to a baking sheet, sheet pan, or wire rack until ready to eat.

Freezing Tips

Lay your pancakes onto a sheet pan and flash freeze them for 30-60 minutes. Then add them to a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks.

This post will show you how to freeze them properly!

How To Reheat Frozen Pancakes

It's important that you do not dry out your pancakes when reheating them. The best options are to:

✔ Reheat them in a toaster oven, regular oven, or air fryer until just warmed through. High heat for a shorter time is best. Times will vary depending upon pancake size and oven. Covering them with foil will help to lock in the moisture.

✔ Microwave your pancakes in 10-30 second intervals until just warmed through. This will not get those crispy edges back but is the quickest option.

✔ Add them back to a skillet with a touch of oil or vegan butter and heat through. This will help get back those crispy edges.

Why Are My Pancakes Soggy?

There are a couple of reasons why the texture of your pancakes turned out mushy or soggy.

1. Make sure you measure your ingredients accurately.
2. Check your heat. The inside may not be cooked through so turn down your heat next time.
3. Check your baking powder. It might be expired and what's keeping your pancakes from rising.

Expert Tips

• Pancakes from scratch are tough to get right. Make sure you start off with a preheated pan; if you don’t, it will be difficult to flip the pancake and your first one or two will look funky.
• Try not to overmix the batter—the more you mix, the tougher they’ll be.
• To keep the pancakes warm while you’re cooking, place the finished ones on a baking sheet in a warm oven set at 200 degrees.
• Use OVERRIPE bananas: Just like banana bread, we want to use bananas that are very brown or very spotty. No green anywhere! They will result in the sweetest, best tasting pancakes.
• Use a large griddle to make multiple pancakes at once.
• Make mini sized pancakes to take on the go.
• Use a non-stick pan to ensure they don't stick.

*I adapted this recipe from Vegan With A Vengeance. If you don't have that book, you've gotta get it - it's really great for everyday use!

Other pancake recipes you'll love:

• Blueberry Pancakes
• Spinach Banana Pancakes
• Potato Leek 'Hashbrown' Pancakes