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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.
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Why you’ll love this 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 banana protein pancakes or 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.
- Guilt-free. Like healthy oatmeal pancakes, these make a filling and wholesome breakfast idea.
Ingredients needed
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.
Storage instructions
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.
Recipe tips and tricks
- 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.
More pancake recipes to try
- Almond flour pancakes
- Chocolate chip pancakes
- Coconut flour pancakes
- Oat flour pancakes
- Chocolate pancakes
- Sweet potato pancakes
- Cottage cheese pancakes
Frequently asked questions
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
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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.
With my clean diet and a ton of food allergies (gluten, dairy, almonds, eggs, etc.), I thought I’d never get to eat another fluffy, spongey delicious pancake again! Hands down my favorite recipe! Thank you, Arman!
Hi!!! I love this recipe sooooooo much. Thank you for such an amazing easy flourless pancake recipe! I never thought healthy pancakes could be so good. If I were to double the recipe, are there any modifications I should make? Thank you so much
Thanks Abby- Nope, just double the ingredients 🙂
I mixed in some chocolate chips to the batter and omg these were fantastic! Felt like I was eating banana bread <3
How good 🙂
These pancakes are delicious! This is my new go-to vegan pancake recipe! Thank you so much!
Thank you!
I’ve made a lot of GF pancake recipes and this one has the best fluffy texture. It was a hit 🙂
😀 love it!
Linda wasn’t it 2 teaspoons of baking powder not tablespoons or did I read that wrong
These are amazing. I needed a pancake recipe that was low points for weight watchers, and these are zero points and sooo good! They are both fluffy and substantial. I did add a pinch of salt and a dash of cinnamon and a splash more almond milk. These will definitely be a go to recipe in my house, everyone loved them!
Thanks so much, Charlie! 🙂
Wow, these were delicious! I tried vegan pancakes for the first time last weekend – using a recipe off a different blog and was disappointed with the results as they kept sticking to the pan. However, someone else recommended these and I am so glad I gave them a go! They were absolutely delicious and so easy to cook! I doubled the recipe, but forgot to double the banana, but it worked just fine – I just had to add a few extra dashes of milk. Will definitely be making these again! Thanks!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Lorraine!
Finally a gluten-free pancake recipe that is delicious and doesn’t crumble! And putting all ingredients in the blender is genius. Thanks! I’m definitely sharing this recipe and website with my GF friends.
Thank you- that means so much! 🙂
My husband and I loved these pancakes! I added a little apple and cinnamon as well, which was great. This was the first recipe I’ve tried from Arman and I can’t wait to try more!!
That sounds great Stacie- Great to hear it! 🙂
how would this work with soy milk instead of milk?
That is completely fine 🙂
The recipe should recommend mixing the wet ingredients first, then adding the dry ingredients. Otherwise the oats get clumped up at the bottom and burn out the motor on my $600 Vitamix.
I use it the same way and it’s fine 🙂
Ok Here’s what I did. I used honey for my sticky sweetener. I had to add a little more milk, about 1 or 2 TBS. I used a very ripe, almost completely brown skin banana (more flavor!).
I cooked these on a cast iron circle flat pan, and YES I lightly greased it before cooking the pancakes.
These cooked beautifully, dense but not crepes! The oat flavor definitely comes through, but so does the banana (very strongly).
I am GF, so used GF oats. I am not supposed to have grains though, so I may try these with almond flour. I do not like coconut flour because sometimes it tastes like soap (rancid). These made 6 4-inch pancakes.
hahahaha like soap. Some brands are like that unfortunately! Yes, try almond flour as a potential substitute for it 🙂
Those were fantastic! Just finished making a batch. I’m not vegan or vegetarian but I do eat clean! I just didn’t have an egg and am staying away from gluten products. Stumbled upon your pancake recipe and decided to give them a go! I will try adding cinnamon….maybe chocolate chips for my boys…blueberries would work great….AND I will definitely check out your other recipes! Thanks!
Karen 🇨🇦
😀 LOVE IT!
These turned out perfectly! I made these for my husbands birthday (he was a skeptic at first) and he loved them – his exact words were “I could eat another 5 of those”. Next time I’m making a double batch! I increased the almond milk to 1/4 cup and added 1 tsp cinnamon & nutmeg spice mix.
Topped it with sliced bananas, maple syrup and a small dollop of SunButter. I’m on a new diet of dairy/soy/egg/peanut free because of my daughters intolerances, and I’m so happy to be able to enjoy pancakes again :).
🙂 I love this!!! Thanks for the feedback and the recipe addition suggestions!