Banana Pancakes
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Start your morning off right with fluffy banana pancakes, made with simple ingredients and packed with sweet banana flavor. Whether you’re craving a quick weekday breakfast or something special for a weekend brunch, these pancakes are the perfect way to kick off your day.
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.
This banana pancake recipe is great year-round, but you can switch it up with seasonal variations—try pumpkin pancakes in the fall or blueberry pancakes in the summer. For a classic option, my basic pancake recipe is always a winner!
“SO good! I’m constantly making batches of these. The family devours them! Sometimes I add a handful of chocolate chips, but they’re lovely as is. Thanks Jenn!”
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Pancakes
- All-purpose flour: The foundation of the pancakes. For best results, scoop it into your measuring cup with a spoon and level it off with a knife.
- Sugar: Just enough to lightly sweeten the pancakes.
- Baking powder: Helps the pancakes rise so they turn out soft and fluffy.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out all the flavors.
- Banana: Adds natural sweetness, moisture, and that classic banana flavor. Use a very ripe banana–the riper, the better.
- Eggs: Hold everything together and give the batter some richness.
- Milk: Adds moisture and helps create a smooth batter.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a little warmth and flavor in the background.
- Melted Butter: Brings richness and moisture to the batter; also used for greasing the pan and adding flavor while the pancakes cook.
- Vegetable Oil: Used along with butter to cook the pancakes to a golden-brown without burning.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Make sure to whisk thoroughly to break up any lumps and evenly distribute the baking powder.
Step 2: Mash the banana and mix the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, mash the banana until nearly smooth. Add the eggs, whisk with a fork, and stir in the milk and vanilla.
Step 3: Combine everything. Pour the banana mixture and melted butter into the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula. Folding gently (instead of stirring vigorously) prevents overworking the batter, which can make the pancakes dense or tough. The batter will be thick and a bit lumpy—that’s totally normal.
Step 4: Cook the pancakes. Heat a little vegetable oil and butter in a nonstick pan or on a griddle over medium heat. (Using both oil and butter is kind of the best of both worlds: oil prevents burning, while butter adds flavor.) Spoon the batter onto the surface and cook until bubbles form on top and the bottom is golden and crisp.
Step 5: Flip and finish. Flip the pancakes and cook a few minutes more, until cooked through. (Resist the urge to press down on the pancakes—this squeezes out air and makes them less fluffy.)
Step 6: Serve with toppings. Serve warm with maple syrup and sliced bananas. You can also add chopped nuts or a dusting of cinnamon for extra flavor. Leftover pancakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Video Tutorial
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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 milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For Cooking
- 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For Serving
- Maple syrup
- Sliced bananas
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 and sliced bananas, if desired.
Notes
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
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.
Comments
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This worked really well with gluten free flour.
Hi Jenn,
If I omit the bananas and go for a regular pancake? What do I need to change in the recipe? Thanks so much
Hi Ahu, If you’re looking for a good plain pancake recipe, instead of omitting the bananas from this one, I’d suggest trying my breakfast pancake recipe. Hope you enjoy!
So delicious! Was craving banana pancakes and these really hit the spot!
These pancakes were a huge hit in our house. My 3 year old kept repeating that these are the best pancakes she has ever had and my 1 year old didn’t want to stop eating either. Even my husband, who is not a banana lover (especially not, when they are very ripe) loved them. Also when I reheated them in the toaster for the girls a few days later, they still loved them and were disappointed there was not more.
I am very happy I found your recipes! Whatever I try, it is so delicious. I’ve tried a few things over the last few weeks (beef stew, spinach/gruyere quiche, broccoli & cheese soup, chipotle chicken quesadillas, chocolate cupcakes and the molten chocolate cakes) and all came out great. Thank you so much for creating, adjusting and publishing your recipes.
Does it make sense to substitute buttermilk in this recipe if i have it on hand? or would you recommend just sticking to regular milk?
Hi Raquel, Definitely stick with milk — they won’t rise properly with buttermilk. Enjoy!
Substitute equal portion of buttermilk for milk and cut baking powder back to one teaspoon. Rises perfectly and elevates the taste !
No, no no! I tried your suggested substitution and they were the worst (heaviest/doughiest) pancakes I’ve ever made. I’m sorry, Jimmy, but 1 cup of buttermilk and 1 tsp of baking powder does not a good pancake make.
Jenn, I should have heeded your advice about the buttermilk no-no…lesson learnt! I made your (original) recipe for my family a few days ago and they were perfect. Merry Christmas to all!
I wanted to do something special for my son this morning, it being his 1st birthday. I know he loves pancakes and he loves bananas. This was the first recipe I ran into online. I did throw in an extra banana just to make sure they were sufficiently banana-ey. They are, hands down, the most delicious pancakes I’ve ever had! They came out so fluffy and perfect, exactly like your picture. I had to slow my little man down he was shoveling them in so fast. Needless to say we will absolutely be making these again, soon! And they were so quick and easy to throw together and prepare, which is an absolute Must when cooking for a hungry 12m old. Thank you thank you, from me and my little birthday boy!
I made these for breakfast this morning & my boys loved them. Very nice texture, perfect banana flavor and they looked just like your pictures. Thanks for providing recipes I can always count on!
I have made this recipe 3 times by now, and it just keeps getting better! Me and my boyfriend have become obsessed with banana pancakes lately, and after finding this recipe they have become a staple in our Saturday breakfast, so far we’ve had it every other weekend! These come out super fluffy and soft. We always add another banana to the batter, plus an extra one chopped up and stirred into it for maximum banana flavour. This time we had them with strawberries on top – absolute heaven. Most highly recommend these to anyone with a banana crave like ours!
Best pancakes ever!!! But I’m not sure if the calorie content is quite as accurate as it can be. Despite this, the recipe is excellent!!!
The loveliest, fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever had! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!