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 variations, you’re in the right place. During the fall when you have pumpkin purée on hand, try pumpkin pancakes. When summer rolls around and blueberries are plentiful, blueberry pancakes fit the bill. If you’re more of a purist, my basic pancake recipe is hard to beat. And of course, don’t forget bacon on the side (for perfectly crispy bacon, see how to cook bacon in the oven.)
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Pancakes
Step-by-Step Instructions
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.
Video Tutorial
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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.
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Very nice
This has been our fave go-to pancake recipe for a long time. I let bananas over-ripen in anticipation for this, and it never disappoints. Jenn’s Blueberry pancake recipe is also amazing. So when I have blueberries, I add a few onto each banana pancake. My own hybrid pancake. I make the full recipe for the two of us, and the extras are saved for the next day. I keep them between a couple layers of paper towels, then they are heated up in the toaster oven covered with parchment paper. This works for me in keeping them moist. Try them with that blueberry maple syrup! Oh – coconut oil to cook them in for extra yum!
Wow Jenn, these were the best pancakes I’ve ever had, let alone made! Fluffy and flavorful. I used 1.5 overripe bananas because that’s what I had on hand. Also had a 1/2 lemon I needed to use, so I squeezed it into the measuring cup before measuring the milk and let the milk plus lemon sit for a few minutes to make homemade buttermilk. Topped with a touch of salted Kerrygold butter and fresh maple syrup. Divine. Thank you for this recipe!
Fabulous pancakes! I used King Arthur’s gluten free blend and they were beautifully fluffy, and crisp. I would describe my banana as large versus small but it didn’t ruin the recipe at all. My 5 year old, who is extremely picky, requested “snow” on top (aka powdered sugar) and proceeded to devour them with a “yummy, mommy!” My 2 year old also loved them. This is a fantastic recipe that I’ll be using again and again as I have many ripe bananas in the freezer, waiting to be baked. I’ve cooked/baked numerous recipes by Jenn, and they simply don’t disappoint. She is my go-to as I have limited time in the kitchen with tiny humans and I don’t like wasting precious ingredients. She makes me a super star in my own kitchen and I’m extremely grateful! ⭐️ ♥️ 😋
Seriously the absolute BEST banana pancakes that I’ve had. If you haven’t made these, you are really missing out!
Jen, I love these as pancakes, but just got a new waffle iron—what adjustments, if any, would I have to make to use this recipe for waffles?
Thanks for such a wonderful recipe 🙂
So glad you like them! Hi, I wouldn’t recommend making waffles out of these as they’re really not intended to be converted. Although they don’t have banana mixed in, you could try these waffles. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
It came out wonderfully well the 3-4 times we have used this recipe.
We used two bananas of approximately 5inches, and like the ratio and taste of the pancakes.
Easy to whip up and just as delightful to have as a treat for breakfast or teatime. Absolutely approve.
Not sure what went wrong but my batter turned out quite runny, maybe as I had extra large eggs vs large ones, thought it should not have made a big difference. I had to almost add half of more flour
Hi Anushree the difference in the size of the eggs should not made a difference because I used 2 extra large eggs and it came out great for me. Maybe your measurements for the milk and melted butter was off. I hope you try it again because they are delicious.
I’ve made these weekly and they are delicious! Perfect use for (over) ripe bananas and I’ve been playing around with the different flours on my shelf. All have done very well – next I’m going to try separating the egg, and folding in the peaky whites at the very end to make them even more fluffy – well maybe – but honestly just follow the recipe!
Very good pancakes! My girls scarfed them down. A good way to sneak in bananas for my 3 year old who doesn’t like eating plain bananas.
The best!!! Absolutely amazing!!!
These Banana Pancakes are absolutely amazing!! My husband said Thank You about 5x this morning. He said they were cooked to perfection. I will never use another recipe again!
So delicious! Five star hotel worthy. Accidentally put too much vanilla, kids mauled them!
This is my go-to banana recipe! I like it extra banana-y so I use two medium bananas and take out one egg. Still delicious!
Delicious recipe! I made these as one bowl pancakes, mixing all the wet ingredients first and then sifting in the dry. Just makes things easier for me in my campervan! Will make these again! Thank you!
absolutely delicious! much better than just adding sliced bananas.
My grandchildren are super picky. Our grandson asked for 3rds.
Fluffy is right! These were delicious, and that’s coming from someone who made a vegan version with egg substitute and oil instead of butter.
Use this every time we crave pancakes.
I can even substitute milk with oat milk
This is my new go to recipe. Added some chocolate chips and they were fantastic. Nice and fluffy!
Hi,
Measurement-wise how is a ‘small banana’? Thanks
Hi Jane, I’d estimate that a small banana would be about 8 to 9 inches from the stem to the bottom (but it doesn’t need to be exact for this). Hope that helps!
Alright, I’ve made these enough times I have to add the review. These pancakes are perfect. I’ve cut the ingredients to two servings and I make them for my partner and I once every weekend. Before this I made pancakes one or two times a year.
I will admit that I don’t follow the recipe exactly but the only real change is adding a bit of extra banana (since I’ve cut down on other ingredients) and sometimes letting the barely combined batter rest to release any gluten that may develop.
All in all an excellent recipe.
Banana pancake
This recipe is delicious. I didn’t change a thing. The key is to use a spatula and fold the mixture together leaving lumps.
Very tender. I see many people beating the batter until it’s smooth which results in a flat, tough pancake.
Too often, people change the ingredients and then complain it was not good, lol.
Congratulations!
Outstanding! My bananas were really, really overripe, but you said the browner the better! And, of course, you were right. I had two bananas and about 1/2 of one was beyond redemption, so I had a little extra banana than called for. I added blueberries to half and chocolate chips to the other half. Within the first bite the family pronounced them the best. Needless to say I will be saving and using this often. Thanks for another winner!
Hi,
Can I make the batter the night before and use in the morning? Thanks
Hi Danielle, The pancakes will be much fluffier if you cook them right after preparing the batter, but it can be made in advance and refrigerated if necessary. Hope that helps!
These are fantastic and a hit with my family! I usually serve them with sliced bananas and fresh blueberries and strawberries, and a dollop of whipped Chantilly cream. Sometimes if I’m feeling extra decadent I’ll throw in some chocolate chips into the mix. Such a delicious dessert!
Wow! Absolutely fantastic recipe and they turned out perfect even for me, a disaster of a chef; my kids and I are in love! I’m going to be making these over and over again.
I truly loved this recipe. These are the best pancakes that I have ever made and eaten. Thanks for sharing.
Made these this morning and they were delicious. I used buttermilk and they were extra fluffy. I topped with sliced bananas and powdered sugar and just a touch of syrup.
Not very banana…an excellent pancake with just a mild banana flavour. I prefer to have banana as the main wet ingredient.
This didn’t work for me. Batter kept coming out way too thick, almost like a pizza dough.
Sorry you had a problem with the batter! Did you use the spoon and level method to measure the flour? Even a few extra ounces can make a big difference. This article/video explains it nicely.
I recently discovered I have a gluten allergy. I couldn’t find a GF banana pancake recipe that I wanted to try, but this one looked perfect, so I just swapped out the all-purpose flour for King Arthur Gluten Free blend and they turned out PERFECTLY. My batter was a little thick, so I put a lid on during some of the cooking to ensure they were cooked in the middle. But flavor and texture were phenomenal.
Question could I substitute gluten free baking flour? Thanks!
Sure, Jennifer, that should be fine. Please LMK how they come out!
It came out perfect for me and I followed the instructions as instructed. Maybe your measurements were off for the milk. I’m sorry to hear. Hope you try it again because my girls did it and it worked out.
Hello, I love all your recipes and they are definitely my go to’s when searching for something new. I’m wondering though how to get out the pockets of flour mixture in batters. I find that when I’m folding and combining to just mixed I get a lot of pockets of flour. Is there a trick to preventing this?
Hi Kim, so glad you like the recipes! When mixing batters that caution you not to overmix, there’s a delicate balance between getting out those pockets of flour and not overmixing. If you find that you still have pockets of flour in your batter, it means you may be a little too conservative with the mixing and should just mix a little bit more. Also, if a recipe (like this one) calls for a whisk, that can help to break up those little pockets. Hope that helps!
These are the best banana pancakes!
I used whole wheat flour because I didn’t have regular flour and they came out perfect and delicious! Definitely will make them again. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Hi, is it possible to swap out baking powder for bicarb?
No, unfortunately, they are not interchangeable. Sorry!
I ate these too fast to take a picture, but they were great! I subbed 1/2 cup of the flour with wheat flour and I liked the added texture. This was also the most exact recipe I’ve used – just like the recipe said, it made 12 pancakes using the 1/4 cup to pour on the griddle. Loved this!
Best pancakes I’ve ever made!! These are so good that you don’t even need anything on top! (I added a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract as well and sprinkled a little cinnamon sugar on top)
My go to recipe! Never fails and is good with or without syrup.
Made these this morning…I used unsweetened almond milk, reduced butter in half and used an organic canola oil spray on the pan and they turned out great. Light, fluffy and delicious. I will definitely make them again. Thank you Jenn for another great recipe.
I’m glad I tried this recipe because my wife now thinks that I know what I’m doing in the kitchen. I’ve tried it twice already and both times it came out just great.
Thanks!
🙂 Glad it was a hit!
This is the first time I’d made American Style Fluffy Pancakes as we call them in the UK. I searched the whole of the internet and came across this recipe. I’m so glad I did. It has the cup/metric quantities which is great. The recipe was easy to follow and they tasted amazing! I can’t fault it at all. We made them as a treat for Valentine’s Day 2021! Thank you for sharing it.
One word…….Fantastic!!
Thank you for this recipe! Yummm! I added a little bit of cinnamon to the batter and made them on a cast iron griddle, using just enough ghee to help keep them from sticking. These were super light and fluffy, and had the perfect amount of sweetness from the banana. And by adding a little fiber from bananas, these were much more filling than regular pancakes. I’ll definitely be making these again!
Hi Jenn. Can you make this batter in advance and store it in the fridge?
Hi Tracy, The pancakes will be much fluffier if you cook them right after preparing the batter, but it can be made in advance and refrigerated if necessary. Hope that helps!
Seriously so easy and the most delicious pancakes ever. I will never need to go out to breakfast when I want good pancakes because nothing will top this recipe. Amazing!
Wow! I can only add to the many 5 star reviews, these are fantastic banana pancakes! I followed the recipe exactly only using less oil to cook them in. We had them with warmed black cherries and sliced banana and they tasted fabulous.
I will be making theses again and again! Thank you
Delicious! I love the crispiness of the outside and the fluffy inside, it made these banana pancakes perfect! I will make these again and again.
I made this recipe for the first time yesterday. It’s been one I’ve wanted to try, but I’m not a huge banana bread fan, and cakes in general are not my favorite dessert. But I had three black bananas begging for me to do something with them so I decided yesterday was the day. This recipe is a winner and will go into the few cakes I like. As my husband says, the toffee sauce elevates this recipe to something special. I added the sliced bananas and chopped pecans, which tasted great dipped in the toffee sauce. I’m looking forward to left overs tonight!
These are my absolute favorite pancakes! They come out fluffy and perfect every single time. I love the subtle banana flavor and it pairs well with added chocolate chips or walnuts. If you’re looking for a quick go to pancake recipe – this is it!
These came out so delicious! I made small sized pancakes for my toddler. I froze the leftovers for future quick and easy breakfasts.
Just made these pancakes and they were fabulous. I used 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour and 3/4 cups of all all-purpose flour. Next time I will use the recipe as written and add some blueberries.
I made this recipe gluten-free and dairy-free and they came out wonderfully. I used ATK gluten-free flour mix, vegan butter sticks, and almond milk. Letting the batter sit for 30 minutes helps the texture be less gritty. I also freeze any leftovers right away, otherwise, they dry out very quickly.
When my little started to eat finger food, this was the first pancake recipe I made for her. She absolutely loved them and has ever since become my go-to! I use Almond or Flax milk and vegan butter. These are so simple, yet absolutely delicious. I sometimes add in a few dairy free chocolate chips or a dash of cinnamon.
I do not like banana-flavored things. These pancakes are absolutely delicious, simple to make, and beloved by my tween/teen boys. I love them, too – and did I mention I don’t like banana flavor? It’s actually hardly noticeable; they are just moist, light pancakes.Whenever we have bananas starting to go brown, my kids start begging for these pancakes and I’m more than happy to oblige. Thanks for another winner, Jenn!