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. Like in protein pancakes, 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
Pancakes and Waffles
Almond Milk Pancakes
Pancakes and Waffles
Coconut Flour Pancakes
Pancakes and Waffles
Almond Flour Pancakes
Pancakes and Waffles
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.
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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So yummy. The trick is to let the batter sit for 15 to 20 mins. If you think it’s too thick, just pat them down with the spatula while they are cooking. I like them better than regular pancakes.
YES! It makes them even more fluffy! 🙂
Hey! We love these pancakes. I was wondering if you’ve ever made these or the blueberry version as a bake. Your healthy flourless blueberry breakfast cake is in the oven right now, but I’d like to try this as a bake since it doesn’t have any nut butter in it. Thanks!
Hi Hanna! I’ve never tried it that way but I don’t see why not- Feel free to experiment!
Hi. Would this work with quick oats?
Sure, as long as you blend it 🙂
I take my hat off to all you wonderful women who take the time out to create these AWESOME recipes. The pancakes did not come out fluffy but taste was really good. I will try again. Keep doing wonderful work your doing. I appreciate it very much!! You rock 🙂
Thanks, Janet!
This pancakes are delicious I put cinnamon on mines and I felt in love with them I made them today plus everybody wanted more so next time I’mma have to double the receipt thanks for this amazing receipt love it so much….
LOVE IT! 🙂 Cheers, Yndira!
They were amazingly fluffy but tasted too much of baking powder. Is it really table spoon of baking powdred and not tea spoon here??
Hi Kristina! The full tablespoon is correct, some brands are bitter compared to others: )
Holy fluffiness, these are are good!
🙂 Great to hear it, Christine!
These are sooooo amazing!!!! How have I been living without them????
Hahaha thank you!!!
This is the most ‘pancakey’ vegan pancake I’ve ever had! And to top that, it’s flourless! Of course I had to add a 1/4 cup more of almond milk, maybe due to the size of the banana or so. But overall, amazing! And being so quick to make, this will be my go-to any day of the week! Thanks a ton…
😀 LOVE IT!
These were great! I added just a little more almond milk and the taste is wonderful! I wonder if anyone has made these using pumpkin?
Hi!! 🙂 There is a pumpkin version- https://thebigmansworld.com/2017/09/04/fluffy-flourless-pumpkin-pancakes-vegan-gluten-free-sugar-free/
So so yummy! I Haven’t been able to eat pancake so long! I just had to add a little more milk because my blender isn’t that powerful. Thanks so much for the recipe!
You are so welcome, Lauren!
I’ve been Vegetarian all my life, & have recently decided to go total vegan – I literally made this recipe 20 minutes ago & these came out PERFECTLY! I added half a teaspoon of cinnamon to the blender & love, love, love the result!!
😀 Thank you SO much for the feedback!