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Fluffy inside with crisp, golden edges, this easy banana pancake recipe turns one overripe banana into a breakfast everyone loves.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
This banana pancakes recipe comes from an unlikely source: a Williams Sonoma children’s cookbook, which tells you just how easy it is to make. Mashed ripe banana gives the pancakes natural sweetness and plenty of banana flavor, while vanilla adds a warm finishing note. I love them with a simple drizzle of maple syrup, or topped with sliced bananas to hint at what’s inside.
“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.”
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Pancakes
- All-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt: Flour provides the structure, while baking powder gives the pancakes their light, fluffy texture. For the most accurate measurement, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Banana: The riper, the better—a heavily spotted or brown banana will give you the sweetest, most pronounced banana flavor. Frozen and thawed bananas work well, too—see my guide on how to freeze bananas for details on freezing and thawing.
- Eggs and milk: Eggs add richness and structure, while milk keeps the batter tender. Any type of milk works here.
- Sugar and vanilla: A little sugar supplements the banana’s natural sweetness, while vanilla rounds out the flavor.
- Melted Butter: Adds richness to the batter and flavor as the pancakes cook.
- Vegetable Oil: Using oil along with butter helps the pancakes brown without the butter burning.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Banana Pancakes
Mix the batter: Whisk the dry ingredients together so the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed. In a separate bowl, mash the banana until nearly smooth, then combine it with the wet ingredients. Fold the wet mixture into the dry just until combined. Don’t try to work out every lump—the batter should be thick and a little lumpy, and overmixing can make the pancakes tough.
Cook the pancakes: Heat a little oil and butter in a nonstick skillet or on a griddle; the butter adds flavor while the oil helps keep it from burning. Add the batter and cook until bubbles form on the surface and the undersides are golden and crisp. Flip and cook through without pressing down with the spatula, which can deflate the pancakes.
Serve or store: Serve warm with maple syrup and sliced bananas, or add your favorite toppings. Leftover pancakes can be frozen for an easy breakfast another time; see the recipe card below for freezing instructions.
Video Tutorial
More Pancake Recipes You’ll Love
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
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.
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Our family had incorporated this into our weekly Saturday morning breakfast. Thank you so much for sharing from the bottom of our hearts
You’re so welcome! 🙂
This had the highest rating among the banana pancake recipes I found on Google. I tried it and liked it very much. So did my boyfriend.
My first pancake was a bit thick, so for my second pancake, I added a tiny bit of milk and it was still really good.
I ate it on its own and it tasted really good. There was just enough flavour, not overpowering egg taste, fluffy, fragrant. Though I used full cream milk. I will use this recipe again for sure!
Thanks heaps for sharing
These were absolutely yummy! I never made banana pancakes before (I don’t know why…I am the pancake queen!). I had a ripe banana and was wondering what to do with it and I thought, why not make banana pancakes? and I stumbled upon this recipe. OMG…seriously! I thought, where have you been all my life? These are absolutely delicious. I shared the recipe with both my daughter-in-laws and I expect a huge thank you from my sons and grandkids.
I wish I could give this 10 stars!
Speaking of thank you…Jenn for sharing this in the first place.
I have never had a more satisfying banana pancake! My whole family loved it!! They are light, crispy and fluffy, just the way I like my pancakes. I too used almond milk as a substitute and you don’t even notice the difference. This recipe is a keeper and has motivated me to subscribe to this site so that I can try other recipes. They are THAT good 🙂 Thank you, Jenn!
delicious
Hi!
Can i make the batter and keep it overnight? And add the baking powder next day morning?
Hi Binita, I wouldn’t recommend it but you could combine all of the dry ingredients in one bowl and all of the wet ingredients in another (and refrigerate the wet ingredients) and combine them in the morning. Hope you enjoy!
I never had banana pancakes till now.i absolutely loved this recipe so much.Its easy to follow and my whole family loved it.
Made them for the first time today with my 5 year old grandson and I will definitely have them again. So easy to make and light in texture. Lucky enough to have maple syrup in my cupboard but now waiting for more bananas 👍
how many calories are in these?
Hi Daria, Each serving (1 pancake) is 121 calories. You can find all the nutritional info for the pancakes immediately under the recipe. Hope that helps!
I had bananas to use up. First I made your banana muffins with the nut topping which were superb. Then I moved on to the banana pancake recipe. So tender and even though the banana flavour is subtle these pancakes have so much more taste to them then basic pancakes. My new favourite pancake recipe.
I didn’t expect the banana pancakes to be so light and fluffy. Super yummy and kid approved! Every recipe I make from your blog turns out great (and I’ve made lots). Thanks for making my mealtimes so delicious, I love your blog 😋
💗