Banana Pancakes
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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
You May Also Like
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
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Very nice
This has been our fave go-to pancake recipe for a long time. I let bananas over-ripen in anticipation for this, and it never disappoints. Jenn’s Blueberry pancake recipe is also amazing. So when I have blueberries, I add a few onto each banana pancake. My own hybrid pancake. I make the full recipe for the two of us, and the extras are saved for the next day. I keep them between a couple layers of paper towels, then they are heated up in the toaster oven covered with parchment paper. This works for me in keeping them moist. Try them with that blueberry maple syrup! Oh – coconut oil to cook them in for extra yum!
Wow Jenn, these were the best pancakes I’ve ever had, let alone made! Fluffy and flavorful. I used 1.5 overripe bananas because that’s what I had on hand. Also had a 1/2 lemon I needed to use, so I squeezed it into the measuring cup before measuring the milk and let the milk plus lemon sit for a few minutes to make homemade buttermilk. Topped with a touch of salted Kerrygold butter and fresh maple syrup. Divine. Thank you for this recipe!
Fabulous pancakes! I used King Arthur’s gluten free blend and they were beautifully fluffy, and crisp. I would describe my banana as large versus small but it didn’t ruin the recipe at all. My 5 year old, who is extremely picky, requested “snow” on top (aka powdered sugar) and proceeded to devour them with a “yummy, mommy!” My 2 year old also loved them. This is a fantastic recipe that I’ll be using again and again as I have many ripe bananas in the freezer, waiting to be baked. I’ve cooked/baked numerous recipes by Jenn, and they simply don’t disappoint. She is my go-to as I have limited time in the kitchen with tiny humans and I don’t like wasting precious ingredients. She makes me a super star in my own kitchen and I’m extremely grateful! ⭐️ ♥️ 😋
Seriously the absolute BEST banana pancakes that I’ve had. If you haven’t made these, you are really missing out!
Jen, I love these as pancakes, but just got a new waffle iron—what adjustments, if any, would I have to make to use this recipe for waffles?
Thanks for such a wonderful recipe 🙂
So glad you like them! Hi, I wouldn’t recommend making waffles out of these as they’re really not intended to be converted. Although they don’t have banana mixed in, you could try these waffles. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
It came out wonderfully well the 3-4 times we have used this recipe.
We used two bananas of approximately 5inches, and like the ratio and taste of the pancakes.
Easy to whip up and just as delightful to have as a treat for breakfast or teatime. Absolutely approve.
Not sure what went wrong but my batter turned out quite runny, maybe as I had extra large eggs vs large ones, thought it should not have made a big difference. I had to almost add half of more flour
Hi Anushree the difference in the size of the eggs should not made a difference because I used 2 extra large eggs and it came out great for me. Maybe your measurements for the milk and melted butter was off. I hope you try it again because they are delicious.
I’ve made these weekly and they are delicious! Perfect use for (over) ripe bananas and I’ve been playing around with the different flours on my shelf. All have done very well – next I’m going to try separating the egg, and folding in the peaky whites at the very end to make them even more fluffy – well maybe – but honestly just follow the recipe!
Very good pancakes! My girls scarfed them down. A good way to sneak in bananas for my 3 year old who doesn’t like eating plain bananas.
The best!!! Absolutely amazing!!!