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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These are AMAZING!! Definitely making these again. Thanks so much for this incredible recipe!
I love these pancakes! They are easy to make and to flip.
I generally use white whole wheat flour and almond milk and they turn out great. This time I even ran out of butter so I subbed olive oil and they still turned out fantastic.
I put the banana/eggs/almond milk in the blender to avoid chunks of banana, just my preference. I also double the sugar since I eat them plain with no syrup.
Question: I’m trying to eat healthy. Do you think White Whole Wheat flour would work out in this recipe? Thanks in advance, I’ve just found your website and we loved the black bean soup!
Hi Lisa, Glad you’ve discovered the blog and enjoyed the soup! Yes, I do think white whole wheat will work here. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
I love this recipe. The pancakes were light and fluffy. I will definitely make these again.
Perfect, fun and easy banana pancakes, will never bother with other pancakes again!
Best pancake recipe ever.. after trying out at least 10 other highly rated ones…this is the best.
Added a scoop of vanilla whey protein (stevia-sweetened), and omitted the sugar. These were delicious!
Delicious! Absolutely what you do with that last ripe banana.
I’ve been making pancakes from scratch since forever using a recipe I got out of some long-ago cookbook. Thought I’d give this recipe a try for lunch today since I had a ripe banana and because Jen’s recipes are always so awesome 🙂 When I asked hubby what he thought of this recipe he replied “These are SO good, so much better than what you usually make.” Ouch! LoL
Well, needless to say that old recipe is no longer around. I don’t have a griddle so used my electric frying pan; followed the recipe exactly as written and they cooked up perfect – fluffy, with a crisp edge.
Once again Jen – thank you, thank you, thank you!
Fast, easy and tasty!!!! New favorite!
I am obsessed with these pancakes! They are delicious! Thank you for sharing.
This is our go-to pancake recipe. Perfect balance of sweet, banana flavor, and salty – and turns out great every time.
These were delicious!! I’m vegan, so I subbed the eggs with Just Egg, used vegan margarine and almond milk. They came out perfect!!! I never make good pancakes, even from a mix, so I was blown away! Saved recipe and will definitely make again!
The best pancakes I’ve ever had!
These were amazing! Thank you!!
If you’re someone like me who somehow messes up a recipe, this is the recipe you want. The pancakes came out deliciously fluffy and the balance of flavours was perfect. Best pancakes ever! I’m not sure I can go back to boring old plain pancakes.
Really good flavor. I did swap half cup of flour for whole wheat to make myself feel a bit better about it, used whole milk because that is what I had, and added some ground cinnamon. I’m a fan of this recipe!
I’ve done this recipe over and over, loved it every single time!
The best banana pancakes I even made! Happy family, thanks so much for sharing.
Simply delicious 😋 made these with my 5 yo and he loved them! Topped them with peanut butter and banana slices 👍
Brilliant! Best pancakes I ever made. I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you!!!
Absolutely loved them!!! With or without syrup! They came out beautifully! I’m an American living in Portugal and I’m always looking out for “something” when ever I’m homesick… 🙂
So yummy! My daughters declared it their favorite pancakes! And so easy to make!
Oh my gosh, these were heavenly!! Absolutely the best pancakes I’ve ever made. I’ll be coming back to this recipe!
Thanks for the recipe. The pancakes came out great and it was perfect with photos for each step showing how things should look.
I made a few substitutions and they still turned out fluffy moist and banana-y. Whole wheat flour, 2 bananas (1 c. mashed), coconut sugar, unsweetened soy milk. Delicious!
Thank you Jen! Just what I needed for breakfast this morning. Great recipe. X
I thought they were pretty good, but not as banana-forward as I anticipated. The banana flavor was lost with any syrup.
Absolutely the best way to use ripe bananas; very moist and fluffy. Children will love them…delicious without any butter or toppings!
I just made these and doubled the recipe. They are delicious! My husband loves pancakes.
I only had 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter and that seemed to work just fine even though doubling would have been 6. Nice comforting flavor with bananas, if you enjoy pancakes try these. 🙂 Thank you, Jenn!
Delicious! I had some leftover bananas and found this recipe. It was light, with a faint taste of banana, crispy on the outside and filling. I will definitely make again. If you don’t want it crispy then you don’t need to butter/oil the griddle but it does give it an extra bit of crunch which made it delicious. Topped it with cut up strawberries and maple syrup. Yum! Had some leftovers so will be eating those for the next few days.
didn’t really think had much banana flavor.
I’ve made these before and they were delicious. My family will want more but I’m hesitating to double the recipe given past experience when recipes have not turned out as good as the original. I was wondering if I should make the recipe two times or if I can double the ingredients. Thank you!
Glad you like them! You can get away with doubling this one. 🙂
Thanks Jenn! I single batched last time and they were delicious as always. Double batching today!
This is a keeper! Love them!
Tried this pancake recipe this morning and I am telling you, this is the best pancake I have made and eaten – perfect recipe!! Soft, fluffy and tasty. Thank you!!
This is an amazing recipe! My husband said these were the best pancakes I’ve made. I added some mini chocolate chips as well … so good! This recipe is definitely a keeper 🙂
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to try the chocolate cake. I am sure it will taste as good as it looks.
Forgot the 5 stars, definitely 5 star worthy
Loved them!!! So easy!!!So light and crispy,served them with freshly whipped cream and blueberry syrup!!!! Thanks for the delicious recipe!!!!
Just perfect! Made with my 5 yr old and 2 yr old grandsons. They gobbled them up! Grownups loved them, too. Thanks, Jenn. I love all your recipes and your clear instructions.
I’ve been using boxed pancake mix for years but after trying this recipe, I’m ditching it! My family loved these pancakes very much and they wanted to keep the leftovers for later. So happy I tried this recipe.
This was a great recipe, thanks! Do you think Bisquick could be substituted for the dry ingredients? And do you think 1/4 cup of instant oatmeal could be added to make them a little more hearty?
Just curious – the recipe was great as is and I’ll definitely make these again. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked them. I wouldn’t recommend Bisquick here – for the best results, I’d stick to the recipe – sorry!
My go to recipe for best banana fluffy pancakes ever!!! This is a keeper!
Jenn Segal, thank you for your efforts. Much appreciated. Banana pancakes were perfect. As I’m sure all your other recipes are. White kitchens rule. On a lighter note, the photo of your banana pancakes ingredients would’ve been much better without Wesson included 😉
Most amazing pancakes ever! These are my go-to whenever I have time for a homemade breakfast. My little girls devour them and even my picky husband loves them. They are rather filling too, so the family is stuffed off of one batch. Great way to use up overripe bananas. I’ve made them a dozen times or so now, and never a bad batch—impossible to mess up it seems! I’d give it more stars if I could.
Amazing pancakes!! They were so fluffy and tasty, made around 12 pancakes as the recipe said and were super filling! Can be topped with loads of different toppings too
makin banana pancakes
Delicious, nice and fluffy and measurement worked. I added 1 extra teaspoon vanilla extract and used original almond milk.
This recipe didn’t come out well for me. Batter was runny and pancakes were chewy. Unless I over mixed the batter or messed up because I substituted a little bit of syrup for vanilla extract. It wasn’t flavorful at all. I spent the rest of the cooking process adding flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to make it better…. Ended up using brown sugar to improve the taste. Maybe it’s chewy because of the bananas?
I’m sorry the pancakes didn’t come out well for you! Is there any chance you made a measuring error? I don’t think the syrup you used in place of the vanilla extract would’ve made a difference. I suspect they were chewy because they were overmixed.
I also use brown sugar and almond milk because I don’t consume dairy or use white sugar. I try to stay on the healthier side however the measurements worked for me. They were fluffy and delicious. Maybe your measurements were off. I think you should try it again and use a fork to whisk the eggs and banana don’t over mix and use a plastic spatula to fold flour mixture with egg mixture. My children did it and it came out great.
Easy and delicious on the first try.
I thought the mixture was very chewy. I followed the recipe in it’s entirety. I just made waffles instead of pancakes. Maybe that’s where I went wrong, because I didn’t enjoy this at all.
These pancakes are my absolute favorite. The only change I make is substituting a tablespoon of the milk with rum (some funky, aromatic Jamaica rum for preference.) It goes amazingly well with the bananas.
I tried these today and I must say they were a hit. I will totally be saving this recipe, but I have a question, can I use wholewheat flour for this recipe or brown sugar or other sweeteners if I would like to?