The Ultimate Healthy Banana Pancakes Recipe! Learn how to make banana pancakes that are fluffy, sweet and delicious! The best breakfast!
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These perfectly soft and fluffy Banana Oat Pancakes are the ideal healthy breakfast that your whole family will enjoy!
With sweet bananas and nutty oat flour, these pancakes taste indulgent without compromising on nutrition or your health goals.
This recipe is perfect for those special weekend breakfasts or even meal prep for busy school mornings.
Why You’ll love this Healthy Banana Pancakes Recipe
These banana oat pancakes are going to be your new go-to breakfast. Here’s why we love them:
- 30 Minute Meal – This recipe is super simple to execute and can be done start to finish in under 30 minutes!
- Whole Grains & Fiber– This recipe focuses on minimally processed, wholesome ingredients that you can feel good about. Because it is made with oat flour, it is 100% whole grain and contains 3 grams of fiber per pancake.
- Family Friendly – These healthy banana pancakes are something the whole family will love!
What you’ll need for Banana Healthy Pancake
For these healthy banana pancakes you’ll need:
- oat flour
- coconut sugar
- baking soda
- baking powder
- cinnamon, salt
- bananas
- milk
- eggs
- avocado oil
- vanilla extract
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded box.
It will also be helpful to have a skillet, spatula, or an electric griddle!
Can bananas be too ripe for banana pancakes?
Bananas can never be “too ripe” for banana pancakes. In fact, overripe bananas are ideal for making banana pancakes!
How to Make Banana Pancakes
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk 2/3 cup mashed bananas, milk, eggs, avocado oil, and vanilla together until smooth.
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well incorporated but avoid overmixing. Set aside for about 5 minutes so that the oat flour can absorb some of the moisture and soften.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Lightly oil the pan with cooking spray if needed. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan. Let the pancake become firm around the edges before flipping. Once the pancake is fully cooked on one side, carefully flip with a spatula and cook on the other side. Repeat for the remaining batter.
Should you let pancake batter rest?
For this banana pancake recipe, you will want to let it rest for about 5 minutes to allow the oat flour to absorb moisture and soften.
What is the secret to good pancakes?
There are a few secrets to the perfect pancakes:
- Mix your wet and dry ingredients separately to avoid overmixing, which can lead to tough pancakes.
- Let the batter rest for a few minutes to allow the oat flour to moisten.
- Preheat your cooking surface to medium heat, and grease it evenly with oil or butter.
- Use a measuring cup or ladle for consistent pancake sizes, and flip them when you see small bubbles forming.
- Resist the urge to press down with your spatula, as this can deflate your pancakes.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR BANANA PANCAKES
Oat Flour – Oat flour is made from ground whole oats. You may use store bought or homemade oat flour in this recipe. If using homemade oat flour, be sure to process the oats into a fine powder with no whole oats or chunks. It is also best to measure this ingredient by weight if using homemade oat flour as it tends to pack more tightly than store-bought or try fluffing up the oat flour with a fork before spooning it into a measuring cup and leveling.
Coconut Sugar – This ingredient can be substituted with any other granulated or liquid sweetener and may even be omitted if your bananas are very overripe and sweet.
Sea Salt – If using regular table salt instead of sea salt you may want to reduce the quantity used slightly.
Mashed Banana – Use overripe bananas that are spotty or brown. You will need about 2 medium bananas; however, it is important to measure the banana after it has been mashed. Measure out 2/3 cup or 180 grams of mashed banana. If you have extra, you can discard it or save it to use on top of the pancakes.
Milk – Any type of milk or milk alternative can be used in this recipe. I would avoid full fat canned coconut milk as it tends to be too thick, but any other option should work fine.
Eggs – If you cannot have eggs due to dietary restrictions, 2 “flax eggs” can be used as a substitute. If making this substitution please note that the batter was thicker, the pancakes took longer to cook, and they were a little less fluffy without real eggs.
Avocado Oil – Melted coconut oil, melted butter, or any other neutral flavored cooking oil may be used in this recipe.
Dairy Free – Use dairy free milk.
To Make Vegan – Flax eggs can be used as a substitute in this recipe. Simply combine 2 tbsp of ground flax seed with 5 tbsp of hot water and stir together. Allow the mixture to thicken for about 5 minutes and then pour it into the recipe where the eggs are added. If using this egg substitute, be sure to spread the pancake batter fairly thin when adding it to the skillet to allow the center of the pancake to cook more easily. This batter took longer to cook than when made with eggs, and the pancakes were a little more dense and less fluffy. If you try any other egg substitutes in this recipe, let us know what worked in the comments below!
Gluten free – To ensure this recipe is gluten-free, simply purchase certified gluten-free oat flour to use. All other ingredients do not contain gluten.
Serving Banana Healthy Pancakes
These pancakes are lightly sweet with a touch of cinnamon. You can taste the banana and the nuttiness from the oat flour, but the flavors are subtle enough to pair with all sorts of toppings. Here are some ideas:
- Creamy butter with maple syrup, walnuts, and sliced bananas
- Mashed banana, pecans, and whipped coconut cream
- Honey, coconut oil, and a pinch of sea salt
- Almond butter and your favorite jam
- Or try adding chocolate chips, sliced banana, blueberries, or chopped nuts to the batter when cooking
Tips for the Best Banana Pancakes!
Oat flour does not absorb moisture as quickly as regular flour. Allowing the batter to sit for at least 5 minutes before pouring it into the pan can help the pancakes become fluffy and tender, and they won’t break as easily.
Oat flour pancakes require a little more time to cook fully. Be patient and look for firm edges before the initial flip.
After the first 2 or 3 pancakes, reduce the heat slightly to avoid burning the pancakes.
Oat flour pancakes take a little longer to cook than pancakes made with refined flour. To make the cooking process quicker you can use two skillets or a large electric griddle so that you can cook multiple pancakes at the same time.
Banana Pancakes Healthy FAQs
To prevent your banana pancakes from falling apart, focus on gentle mixing (don’t overmix!), the right consistency of the batter (not too liquidy), proper cooking time, and thorough greasing of the cooking surface.
Banana pancakes can turn out rubbery if the batter is overmixed (leading to excessive gluten development) so be sure to mix the ingredients only until combined to achieve the perfect texture.
Healthy banana pancakes offer benefits like sustained energy, improved digestion, heart health support, versatility with toppings, and an easy, convenient breakfast option!
There are 168 calories per pancake following this recipe.
Banana Pancakes Recipe Healthy storage
Storing: These will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: These banana oat pancakes freeze well! To freeze, allow the pancakes to cool, separate each pancake with a piece of parchment paper for easy removal, and place them in a resealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 1 month. To enjoy simply thaw in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or toaster oven.
If you need more freezer friendly recipes check out our Fill Your Freezer Ebook with 22 easy freezer meals!
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave or toaster oven.
Other healthy breakfast recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Breakfast Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy breakfast cookbook.
How to make Banana Pancakes (Healthy)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup oat flour 140 g
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2/3 cup mashed overripe banana 180 g, about 2 medium bananas
- 1/2 cup milk or non-dairy milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Begin by combining the dry ingredients in a bowl and stirring together. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash 2 overripe bananas using a fork until there are no large chunks. Measure out 2/3 cup of mashed banana and keep this in the bowl and discard any excess.
- Add the milk, eggs, avocado oil and vanilla to the bowl with the banana and whisk together until smooth.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and whisk together. Mix until the dry ingredients have been well incorporated but avoid overmixing. Set batter aside for about 5 minutes so that the oat flour can absorb some of the moisture and soften.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Lightly oil the pan with cooking spray if needed. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan in a circle. Let the pancake become firm around the edges before flipping. Once the pancake is fully cooked on one side, carefully flip with a spatula and cook on the other side. Repeat for the remaining batter.
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