Banana Pancakes
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Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside and delicately flavored with bananas, these are phenomenal banana pancakes.

Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and delicately flavored with bananas and vanilla – these are phenomenal banana pancakes. The recipe, believe it or not, is adapted from a Williams Sonoma children’s cookbook, which only proves how easy they are to make. I love them with a simple drizzle of maple syrup, but if you want to dress them up and hint at what’s inside, top them with fresh sliced bananas and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.
Banana pancakes are good year round, but if you’re up for trying seasonal pancake recipes, you’re in the right place. During the fall when I have pumpkin purée on hand, I love to make pumpkin pancakes. When summer rolls around and blueberries are plentiful, my family loves blueberry pancakes. If you’re more of a purist, these basic pancakes are hard to beat.
What you’ll need To Make Banana Pancakes
How to make banana pancakes
Begin by combining the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
Whisk well and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mash the banana until almost smooth.
Add the eggs.
Whisk with a fork to combine.
Mix in the milk and vanilla extract.
Pour the banana mixture and melted butter into the dry ingredients.
Fold the batter with a rubber spatula. It will be thick and lumpy.
Heat the vegetable oil with a pad of butter on a griddle or in a non-stick pan (the butter gives flavor and the vegetable oil prevents the butter from burning). Spoon the pancakes onto the griddle and cook until some bubbles appear on the top and the underside is golden brown and crisp.
Flip the pancakes and cook a few minutes more.
Top with maple syrup and fresh sliced bananas, if you like.

Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Video Tutorial
More Breakfast Recipes
- Best Breakfast Pancakes
- Crepes
- Ricotta Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
- Dutch Baby
Banana Pancakes
Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside and delicately flavored with bananas, these are phenomenal banana pancakes.
Ingredients
For Pancakes
- 1½ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 small, over-ripe banana, peeled (the browner, the better)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons low fat milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For Cooking
- 1 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For Serving
- Maple syrup
- Sliced bananas
- Confectioners' sugar (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork until almost smooth. Whisk in the eggs, then add the milk and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour the banana mixture and the melted butter into the flour mixture. Fold the batter gently with a rubber spatula until just blended; do not over-mix. The batter will be thick and lumpy.
- Set a griddle or non-stick pan over medium heat until hot. Put a pad of butter and one tablespoon vegetable oil onto the griddle, and swirl it around. Drop the batter by ¼-cupfuls onto the griddle, spacing the pancakes about 2 inches apart. Cook until a few holes form on top of each pancake and the underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is puffed, 1 to 2 minutes more. Using the spatula, transfer the pancakes to a serving plate.
- Wipe the griddle clean with paper towels, add more butter and oil, and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve the pancakes while still hot with maple syrup, sliced bananas and confectioners' sugar if desired.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The pancakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between each pancake and stack together. Wrap the stack of pancakes tightly in aluminum foil or place inside a heavy-duty freezer bag. To reheat, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until hot.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: 2 pancakes (does not include maple syrup or toppings)
- Calories: 278
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 299 mg
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
I didn’t want to make the whole recipe seeing as it’s just me. I halved everything except I used a whole (small) banana and added about a tablespoon of chocolate peanut butter (homemade). These turned out to be the best pancakes ever – and I’m not a pancake fan! Didn’t even put any syrup on top. I also left out the melted butter because I didn’t see it until too late.
When you are making breakfast for dinner these pancakes really hit the spot. They are delicious.
Best pancakes i’ve ever made! They are a lot fluffier then many other recipes I’ve tried. This will be my new go-to for weekend pancakes. Thank you!
Where did you get that fabulous coffee pot? I haven’t tried the recipe, but after reading the reviews, I intend to!
Hi Francine, that picture was shot by a food stylist for my first cookbook so, unfortunately, I’m not sure where it’s from — sorry! Hope you enjoy the pancakes though if you make them. 🙂
Too funny, I clicked through to the comments to ask that same question! Definitely adding this recipe to our pancake repertoire regardless tho. Happy Mother’s Day Jenn!
This has been my go to recipe for ages now. I usually sub the milk for almond or oat milk, and I sometimes use coconut oil instead of butter and add cinnamon. They always turn out amazing!
From India, made this recipe, very yummy, felt that it needed 2 ripe bananas instead of one. Otherwise perfect.
Super yummy! I will make these again and again. Thank you!
I have tried at ;east 6 different banana pancake recipes over the last few months. This recipe is BY FAR the best one I have found. A little crispy on the outside and pancakey on the inside. I didn’t use the oil, just a bit of butter on a non-stick pan, and I added dark chocolate chips on each cake. Deeee-licious. Thank you for the recipe!
So good! Just like all Jenn’s recipes, simple concept recipe of pancakes, but perfected. Added chocolate chips. Doubled the recipe and froze half, which worked well!