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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This recipe was the BOMB. So good. Fluffy and yummy. Thank you!!
Delicious pancakes! I did cut the salt down to 1/4 tsp. because I was using salted butter – they were perfect. I’m not the most experienced pancake maker in our household, so knowing exactly when they were done was a bit of a stretch, but they worked out really well. I’ll be making these again and maybe add some blueberries too next time.
Super good, fluffy, tasty and thick.
You can taste the banana but not in a major way.
It’s super tasty, I’m in love!
“Phenomenal” banana pancakes is an understatement! Crazy Good! Said my husband while devouring these spectacular pancakes!! Another keeper recipe…thanks Jenn!!
Hi thank you for this wonderful recipe I have made this over and over again whenever I have bananas getting overripe. I use 2 bananas and it seems to work . It’s light fluffy sweet crispy and delicious. Today I made these with blueberries and raspberries quite a treat for Easter. This has become a go to thing to do once a month, become a tradition very grateful I stumbled upon your recipe.
I eat a banana every day…
On “Pancake Tuesday” one half the banana was incorporated in the pancake batter and the other half, along with a handful of mixed berries and lovely Canadian Maple Syrup drizzled over the mouth-watering stacks…. for a delicious welcome to the lenten season…..
Thank you Jen; you are the best!
Grandson approved – these were delicious, thanks for the recipe; will make them again!
I tried your recipe this morning and followed it exactly except I only had whole milk. I especially love “frying” them in combination of oil and butter. They were fabulous and will now be my go to recipe. I wonder, do you have a pancake recipe without banana?
Glad you enjoyed them! Yes, I few a few pancake recipes without bananas:
Homemade Pancakes
Ricotta Pancakes
I also have a few others with fruit. You can check them out here. Hope you enjoy any others you make!
These are great, just a little on the dry side.
I have some buttermilk I need to use up. Can I substitute that for the milk? Or even 1/2 milk and 1/2 buttermilk. I will be making this either way. I sounds delicious!
Hi Corinne, for the best results, I’d stick with regular milk. Hope you enjoy them!
the best pancakes ever!
Delicious! Texture is perfect; not too heavy that they clog up your throat yet not so light that they disintegrate on your tongue. The banana is subtle here, which is a boon since my roomie isn’t a fan of banana pancakes. But she absolutely liked these! I’m pretty sure I can leave off the Bisquick now.
Made these last weekend when we were at our cabin; added some walnuts. They were great. My husband who isn’t normally a pancake guy ate several.
I made them this morning for breakfast. They came out perfect, fluffy and delicious. Thank you for another great recipe.
Hands down, the BEST pancakes we’ve ever had!! Thank you, Jenn, for another amazing keeper!!
With left over bananas I’m always trying to find new ways to use them… I developed diabetes & no longer drink smoothies which had me scratching my head…
I made my own recipe up which I loved & the batter worked great for pancakes & waffles
I then searched the internet & found your recipe & loved it!!
Only difference I used 1/4 cup whole wheat flour with 1C all purpose flour + I add the banana last after mixing wet wit- dry…
Now I’m scouring your recipes & creating a shopping list off same lol
Thanks so much for sharing your passion with all of us!!!
Wow! Every banana pancakes recipe I tried before was a BIG FAIL! But not this one – DELICIOUS!!!
Thank you!
Don
Delicious recipe. I added 6Tbsp of prepared Irish sea moss to the recipe & it was amazing. My son & husband both commented on how wonderful they tasted.
Great recipe! I used one tablespoon maple syrup instead of sugar and it came out great.
I’ve made this recipe quite often and it’s always delicious! thank you!
Made these pancakes for Christmas brunch and as always your recipes are always the hit of the day. Absolutely perfect. BTW I always use gluten free flour for all my baked goods and they come out perfect. Thanks Jenn .
I made these this morning. They were fabulous, light and fluffy, so easy, and my family loved them.
I used whole milk because we don’t keep anything else.
This is a perfect recipe.
Yummy! Best pancake recipe I’ve tried. Pancakes were fluffy and tasty. Kids loved them too. Great way to use up overripe bananas.
The perfect use for tired old bananas! These are delicious, soft and fluffy with just the right amount of banana and vanilla flavor. Real maple syrup, cinnamon and powdered sugar on top – everyone wanted seconds. Used up some buttermilk as well, worked fine. Thanks!
absolutely delicious. best pancake recipe I have ever tried
I was looking for a whole wheat version. But you have a good reputation so I decided to use your basic recipe. The batter looks good, the right consistency. I think they will be fine. Waiting for husband to say he’s ready.
Really bad recipe. Followed it to the letter and they were shockingly thin, lifeless, tasteless.
I was wondering if you inadvertently used too much milk. Flour can be drier or wetter depending on humidity. I usually hold back some milk till it looks the way we like them, either thinner or thicker. Best wishes finding your perfect recipe.
Hello, I’d like to ask you if it is possible to make the batter and leave in the fridge for 1-2 days? Thank you for the recipe, the pancakes turned out to be very good! 🙂
Glad you like these! I wouldn’t recommend making the batter ahead. You can fully prepare them and refrigerate or freeze. Just pop them in the toaster to reheat them.
These are incredible. I even managed to pull off a 5-star result by amending the milk to oat milk, and the flour to whole meal.
Great recipe! Didn’t alter a thing, and the results were fantastic. Thank you!
My family loved them even without syrup!
Oh and I used whole milk not 2%
I made these pancakes for my pregnant daughter and husband this morning. They were at the table enjoying their breakfast while I was cooking up the rest of the batter. All I could hear over and over was “mmmmmmm” after each bite and “Oh! These are SO good!!” “If the baby kicks, it’ll be because she’s saying thank for these delicious pancakes Grandma!” It’s compliments galore with this recipe. It never fails.
Thank you for not adding a whole life story to this! Straight to the point 🙂
My 3yo daughter and I just made these. We added blueberries. They came out great!!! She did pretty much everything except the actual cooking part.
I’m not a big fan of pancakes, but my husband is and so I make them for his pleasure. I will usually eat 1 pancake to taste my creation and criticize it. I made these pancakes exactly as written…no additives or substitutions. I can honestly say that my husband loved them and so did I. No criticizing and I ate 2 of them. Thanks for this go-to recipe. I wonder, if I don’t have any bananas, can I still make this recipe without doing any other adjustments? Just wondering.
So glad you like these enough to have more than 1! While it may work without the banana, I’d just use this recipe instead.
We LOVED these! We went a little crazy and added mini-chocolate chips to half the batch and it was delicious.
This is the only pancake recipe I use. I make a double batch every two weeks and freeze the leftovers. My kids are obsessed with them. Delicious!
Made these for my daughter and I. I think maybe too many eggs to them and too much salt in the recipe…. we still ate them but not what we were hoping for.
Best banana pancake recipe! Found the batter to be way too runny the first time so had to add more flour but second time only used 100ml milk and came out perfect.
I followed the Intructions to the letter and batter looked nothing like the photos. I attempted and nothing bubbled and pancookies(can’t call them cakes because too thick to flatten) burnt to a crisp. I embarrassed myself in front of my wife. First time attempted to cook her pancakes
Hi Kyle, I’m so sorry you had a problem with these! Is your baking powder old or expired?
These are my absolute favorite pancakes as well as the favorite of my entire family. I have adjusted the recipe slightly. I add about a teaspoon of cinnamon and a nice grating of a nutmeg to the dry ingredients. I use also whole milk and omit the melted butter. They’re perfect every time.
Oh and I use a little extra vanilla extract. Aaaand I omit the sugar!
Easily the best banana pancakes I’ve made. My daughter loves them!
This is our go-to pancake recipe. Perfect fluffy pancakes with crunchy edges everytime.
SUCH A GOOD RECIPE! usually banana pancakes are flat and mushy but this recipe they’re so fluffy and delicious! I used buttermilk instead of the low-fat milk because that was all I had and it was sooo good. Now a family favorite. Thanks for the recipe!
This is my favorite pancake recipe. I love the banana, not too overpowering.
The banana pancakes are phenomenal and I make them about once a month. Great way to use a mushy banana!!!
This was the best recipe ever! My family loved it! Thank you!
THIS IS THE BEST RECIPE EVER BCZ I ALWAYS MESS UP MAKING PANCAKES AND FIND IT HARD BUT THIS ONE WAS SO EASY AND QUICK TO MAKE AND THE END RESULTS WERE DELICIOUS
Delicious!!!! Thank you!
It’s my first time making banana pancakes and they came out good. Kids loved it too. Very fluffy in the inside. I’ve tried many different pancake recipes and it’s hard to find one that is good. But this one is good.
Wow!!! These pancakes are phenomenal !!!! My super fussy son declared them to be the “best pancakes I’ve ever had in my life” – WIN! Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic! I loved it and so did my 9 month old and 3 year old.
I’ve made these vegan and several times now! I use unsweetened oat or almond milk, vegan margerine and flax eggs. Also I omit the salt since there’s some in the vegan butter. The flax eggs adds a yummy touch!!! I’ll never use another recipe!!