These healthy banana pancakes are perfectly thick and fluffy and come together in minutes! Made with oats and naturally sweetened, these are naturally vegan and gluten free.
Pancakes have always been my favorite thing to eat for breakfast. Contrary to popular belief, they can make a healthy and satisfying breakfast.
We typically make our healthy oatmeal pancakes but when we want a fruity twist, banana pancakes are always the answer.
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Healthy banana pancakes recipe
I have already shared some delicious healthy pancake recipes, including cinnamon roll and zucchini pancakes. This time around, I got inspired by my favorite banana smoothie and came up with these flourless banana pancakes that don’t contain flour, dairy, eggs, or added sugar.
- No flour and eggs. This recipe uses oats as a flour substitute and bananas as a binding agent. Made with dairy-free milk and no flour, these pancakes are great for vegan and gluten-free diets.
- Perfectly fluffy. Despite being made with no eggs, these banana pancakes turn out thick and fluffy. The secret is using a combination of apple cider vinegar and baking powder.
- Freezer-friendly. If you enjoy having pancakes for breakfast, double or triple this recipe and freeze part of the pancakes for later.
You don’t need any special ingredients to make these flourless pancakes. You most likely already have all ingredients at home.
- Bananas. For this recipe, I recommend you avoid using overripe bananas. Overripe bananas result in a thinner batter which is not what we are aiming for in this recipe.
- Rolled oats. Thanks to their coarser texture, rolled oats work better for this pancake batter. Check the packaging to make sure the oats are gluten-free.
- Milk. Use any milk you like. To keep these pancakes vegan, I opted for almond milk.
- Baking powder. It helps the pancakes rise.
- Apple cider vinegar. Baking powder reacts with the vinegar and provides a better rise for the pancakes.
- Sweetener. Use a tablespoon of your favorite sticky sweetener. We only use a small amount as the pancakes are sweetened with bananas. Maple syrup, honey agave, or even honey are all fantastic options.
- Vanilla extract. To deepen the flavor of the pancakes.
How to make healthy banana pancakes
Just like any other pancake recipe, these flourless pancakes are very easy to make. Here’s how you make them in just two simple steps.
Step 1 – Combine all ingredients
Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend until a smooth mixture remains. Allow the batter to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. In the meantime, preheat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
Step 2 – Cook the pancakes
Once the pan is hot and the batter has thickened, pour ¼ cup of batter into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes per side. Repeat until all batter is used up.
Serve these healthy pancakes with the toppings of your choice.
Flavor variations
You can change up the flavor of these pancakes while keeping them healthy and sugar-free. Here are a few flavor variations ideas.
- Fold dark chocolate chips into the pancake batter once you have blended it.
- Add cinnamon to these banana pancakes to highlight the winning combination of this warm spice and bananas.
- Add a few tablespoons of cocoa powder to make chocolate banana pancakes (a cross between chocolate and chocolate chip pancakes!). As the cocoa powder has thickening properties, you’ll need to use less oats.
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar at hand, substitute it with lemon juice. While vinegar provides better results, lemon juice is better than nothing.
- Let the batter sit for around 10 minutes before you start cooking the pancakes. The batter will thicken as the oats soak up more liquid.
- Don’t be afraid of the thickness of the batter. A thick batter doesn’t spread too much in the pan, resulting in fluffier pancakes.
- If overripe bananas were all you had and you have ended up with a thinner batter, just add more oats until you reach the desired thickness.
- Make sure the pan is properly heated. This is another key step that prevents the pancakes from spreading too much.
To store. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze. Freeze these pancakes for up to 6 months. Store the pancakes in an airtight container or bag to prevent them from freezer burn. Put layers of parchment paper in between the pancakes so that they don’t stick to each other.
To reheat. Warm up these pancakes in the microwave or on the stove over medium heat.
More pancakes you’ll enjoy
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Almond Milk Pancakes
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Coconut Flour Pancakes
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Almond Flour Pancakes
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Oat Flour Pancakes
Banana pancakes shouldn’t be mushy inside. Cooking the pancakes on high heat is the main reason why they remain undercooked and mushy in the middle.
Banana pancakes tend to fall apart when there are large chunks of banana in the batter. Use a blender or a food processor to achieve a smooth batter.
It is recommended to make this pancake batter right before making the pancakes. The baking powder will become less effective as the batter sits in the fridge. Additionally, the oats may absorb too much liquid.
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Healthy Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats gluten free, if needed
- 1/4 cup milk I used almond milk
- 1 large banana
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Allow the batter to rest for five minutes, giving the oats time to absorb liquid and thicken.
- Preheat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, pour in about ¼ cup of batter.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes or until you can easily slide a spatula underneath. Flip. Cook for another 1-2 minutes on the second side.
- Repeat until all the batter is used up.
Notes
Nutrition
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Fat, yes. Fluffy, no way. They are incredibly dense and heavy – which I LOVE since pancakes usually don’t fill me up. Also, I had to ad more almond milk since the batter wouldn’t even move in my blender. Yummy though!
Ahhh thanks for the feedback, Shelly! If your banana isn’t overripe and a little too small, this can happen! Glad you were able to add more milk to it in the end 🙂
Made these this morning and I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty they were. They’re definitely heartier and not nearly as light as a regular pancake, but still yummy in their own right. I added both the vanilla and the cinnamon, which got me to thinking they’d be lovely with some apple pie filling in the fall. I was thinking they’d be tasty with caramel extract, too. Next time! Thanks for the great healthy recipe. 🙂
You are so welcome, Aimee! Stay tuned for more options on it 🙂
This recipe was perfect! My pancakes turned out fluffy and delish. You inspired me to try more of your recipes and making a healthier way of eating. Thank you.
🙂 That means the world, Patty 🙂
I’ve tried to make this recipe twice with quinoa flakes, as I cannot eat oats, and it just hasn’t been working for me! But thismorning I chucked an egg into the mixture and they came out perfect! Thankyou 🙂
That’s great to hear- Thanks, Bec- I hope this is helpful for others who cannot enjoy oats 🙂
thank you for being here to help the people that need these excellent recipes…
You are so welcome, Sara!
these tasted amazing apart from next time im going to half the baking powder as the after taste was too much for me
Glad you enjoyed them, Chloe!
Is the amount of milk ok? I had to add more to my mixture because it was not runny enough to make the pancakes…
Hi Laura! It is- Although you may need less/more depending on how ripe and large your banana is!
I tried this today and the flavor was fantastic! Really loved these! I had one problem. I mixed all the ingredients in my Magic Bullet. When I was unscrewing the lid the contents exploded out all over the place. I realized the apple cider vinegar and baking powder caused this reaction. Next time I will use my blender with ventilation. Thanks again for the great recipe!
Ahh sorry for the kitchen mess- Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Soundsummy and worth a try – but a full tablespoon of baking powder? Is this correct? It sounds like an awful lot.
Hi Greg! It is, but readers have said it has worked with 1-2 teaspoons instead. I personally prefer the full one for ultimate fluffiness.
Hi! I was wondering if you can substitute millet or quinoa for the oats? Would this provide the same consistency?
Thanks! So excited to try.
Hi Cass! Ground quinoa flakes work beautifully, along with buckwheat flour 🙂
I completely forgot the baking powder, and used 7T of aquafaba plus 1/4 cup more soy milk and they were delicious! I will see what baking powder does next time.
Fantastic- Glad it worked out 🙂
this might be a really stupid question – but did you use oil in the pan for these? just tried them (in a non-stick pan) and they kept sticking to the pan, whenever i thought i’d be able to flip them one side would be burnt while the pancake just wouldn’t flip, all of them kept falling apart…
Hi Masha! I didn’t, but I do use a good quality non-stick pan. 🙂 If it doesn’t stick, add some oil 🙂
Hi! So today I made these today and even thought they tourned out delicious, they were not even near as pretty as the your ones in the pictures. But still it’s my first attempt so I’ll keep trying and I believe I’ll suceed soon! However, do you think that substituting maple syrup for date syrup would make a big difference?
Hmmm it shouldn’t- You can try it out and see 🙂