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.
This banana pancake recipe is good year round, but if you’re up for trying seasonal variations, I’ve got you covered. 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!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Pancakes
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure and base for the pancake batter.
- Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to the pancakes.
- Baking powder: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the pancakes rise and become fluffy.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor of the pancakes and balances the sweetness.
- Banana: Adds natural sweetness and moisture to the pancakes, as well as a subtle banana flavor. Use a very ripe banana for best results.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and add richness to the batter.
- Milk: Adds moisture and helps create a smooth batter.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a hint of vanilla flavor to the pancakes.
- Melted unsalted butter: Adds richness and moisture to the pancakes; also used for cooking.
- Vegetable oil: Used for cooking the pancakes, helps achieve a golden-brown exterior.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
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. Chopped nuts and a dash of cinnamon would be delicious, too.
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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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 😋
💗