Banana Pancakes

On Saturday mornings, I try to make my kids a special breakfast like breakfast tacos or baked blueberry donuts. And these pancakes happen to be highly requested, so if we have a ripe, spotty banana leftover from the week, banana pancakes are on the menu! These pancakes cook up light and fluffy with the most perfect banana bread flavor.

I could eat a big pile of these every morning… and I would, if there were any leftover! My family gobbled these up the day we made them.

There were just a few leftover that we tossed into a baggie for the next morning. And you know what? They tasted just as good! We tried leftovers in the toaster and in the air fryer. Both ways resulted in warm, slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside pancakes. Yum!

Warm, fluffy banana bread pancakes will have everyone racing to the breakfast table in a hurry!

Ingredients in Banana Pancakes

You’ll find you probably have most (if not all) of these ingredients right now in your pantry/fridge! Nothing too crazy ingredient wise. 🙂

• Flour. Regular all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour work great for this recipe. For gluten-free banana pancakes, try a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.
• Baking powder + baking soda. A bit of baking powder and baking soda will help these banana pancakes get nice and fluffy.
• Salt. Really brings out the banana flavor!
• Sugar. Just a tiny bit of sugar to help sweeten the pancakes! You can omit this if your banana is extra ripe. The riper the banana, the sweeter the pancakes will taste.
• Milk. You can use any preferred milk. Even almond, oat or cashew milk will work just fine.
• Egg. One egg will add fluffiness to this banana pancake recipe. If you’re looking for a vegan option, you can try using 1 flax egg instead.
• Butter. A little bit of melted butter gives these pancakes the perfect texture. To keep these pancakes vegan, use oil instead.
• Banana. The more brown spots, the better to perfectly sweeten these pancakes.
• Nutmeg. My secret ingredient! Adds such a great flavor!
• Toppings. I’ve been obsessed with adding fruit syrup as a topping to my pancakes and waffles! It’s so good! These pancakes are great with just a little maple syrup too. See even more pancake topping ideas below.

How to make banana pancakes

Sure, you could make pancakes from a box mix, but pancakes from scratch are just as easy and taste so much better. Trust me. Homemade pancake batter is quite simple and easy to make, in just minutes.

1. Heat a large skillet or griddle that has been sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray or greased with oil or butter over medium heat.
2. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high about 10 seconds and until well combined. You may have to blend, then scrape the sides, and blend again.
3. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto the pan or griddle; cook for 2-3 minutes and until bubbles are popping over the top of the pancakes. Flip and cook for about 1-2 minutes more and until golden-brown. Continue with remaining batter.
4. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Tips for Homemade Banana Pancakes

This recipe is simple and straight forward, but I do have a few pancake-making tips to give you the most perfect banana pancakes.

• Make sure your baking powder is fresh. If it’s old or expired you’ll get flat pancakes.
• A large nonstick skillet totally works for cooking these pancakes, but I really like to use a griddle. It’s much more efficient and an easier way to feed a crowd.
• Flip the pancakes when the edges are set and you see little bubbles on the surface of the pancakes.
• Only flip once. Flipping the pancakes back and forth causes them to deflate and become dense, so when it’s time to check if they’re done on bottom, just barely lift them to take a peek.
• Don’t press down on the pancake with the back of your spatula. This will cause the pancake to flatten and it won’t help them cook any faster.
• To keep cooked pancakes warm while you finish cooking the batter, place the cooked pancakes in a 200ºF oven.

Toppings for Banana Pancakes

These Homemade Banana Pancakes are absolutely delicious with nothing on them, but they are even better with a few toppings added to the top. Here’s some fun ideas:

• Maple syrup or honey
• Chocolate syrup
• Fruit syrup
• Peanut butter, almond butter or Nutella
• Chocolate chips
• Fresh fruit – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, banana slices
• Shredded coconut
• Nuts – walnuts, pecans, almonds
• Cool Whip or whipped cream
• Cinnamon

WHAT TO SERVE WITH banana PANCAKES

These easy banana pancakes pair well with a variety of breakfast sides. Below are some of my favorite sides to serve with a pancake breakfast.

• Hash browns or breakfast potatoes. Yes, please!
• Fresh fruit or fruit salad. To keep this breakfast on the lighter side, fruit is such a great option.
• Yogurt. Serve on the side or add a spoonful on top of your pancakes.
• Bacon, sausage, or ham. Anyone else love the bacon/maple syrup combo?
• Eggs. Scrambled on the side, or perhaps over easy and served on top.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS

Banana pancake batter can be made in advance. You can refrigerate the batter for up to 4 hours before you plan to use it.

STORING, FREEZING AND REHEATING

How to store leftover banana pancakes?

The great thing about homemade pancakes is that they keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. For the fridge, let pancakes cool completely and then put them in a zip-top baggie. You can reheat in a toaster or microwave when you’re ready to eat.

Freezing. Once pancakes have cooled to room temperature, freeze them first on a large pan or plate. When the pancakes are slightly hard, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. Pancakes will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Freezing them first, separately, keeps the pancakes from sticking together.

Reheating. To reheat frozen pancakes, you can either heat them in a toaster oven, air fryer, microwave, or a warm oven. You can also reheat without thawing them first.

These banana pancakes are a family favorite breakfast! I know there are quite a few banana pancake recipes out there, but after testing and tweaking this recipe multiple times, I can honestly say these are the BEST banana pancakes! They’re so easy too, I make them on repeat. I highly recommend making a double batch because they disappear so quickly!

If you’re looking for a slightly healthier recipe that cuts out the added sugar and butter, check out these Banana Oatmeal Pancakes. My classic buttermilk pancakes recipe is a great option if you’re looking for simple traditional pancakes.