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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
Video
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.
Love these pancakes, will definitely make them again. I’m not sure about the serving sizes – I thought 8 sounded like a lot
Love this recipe. Want to substitute apple sauce for banana. How much should appls sauce should I use. Plan on trying it tomorrow. Thanks
Usually 1 cup per 1 banana. Add more if the batter is too thick.
Very good, I’ll make them again. I added a scoop of protein powder. I love that they don’t contain flour, thank you
Perfect
I’ve been making these for a year and I love them! Favorite is with blueberries added to the batter. Do you think a fall version could be made by swapping out the banana for pumpkin purée? And how much would you use? Thanks!
Yes! Try 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree then add more if the batter is too thick.
I like this recipe because it is easy and a healthier version. The texture is great, but you really don’t get a lot of banana flavor. The second time I made these, I don’t think I blended it long enough because they had the texture of oatmeal, as if you just turned oatmeal into pancakes and they were a little gummy. So don’t make the same mistake I did and make sure you blend the batter really well. I would also suggest sifting your baking powder so you don’t get bitter pockets of it. But overall great recipe and I will be making again. My kids love them! Thank you!
This was a very deliciouse meal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
This recipe is the bomb but the milk measurement is way off , I am a seasoned home cook so I can judge if a recipe is off while cooking , for someone that is just starting to cook they might not have the confidence to add more milk or anything . I added all the ingredients to my blender and right away I could see the milk ratio was way off 1/4 cup of milk for 1 cup of oats ??? That’s a problem , I added more milk maybe 1/2 cup more I didn’t measure but I had to keep adding milk it was so thick , there is no need to add maple syrup the banana add sweetness and who eats their pancakes without a good maple syrup 😉 once the milk was added it was the bomb , I also added 1/4 tsp salt
Amazing! I ave to admit, I didn’t have faith in these. I’ve tried so many quick GF pancake recipes, and most are “fails”in my kids eyes. But these were gobbled up!
And love the ingredients!
Loveee this pancakes. Best recipe I have had.
This recipe is AMAZING! Was looking for a simple recipe and came across this one. The pancakes are fluffy and healthy. No issues flipping them like other recipes. I microwaved blueberries and strawberries to make a syrup consistency to pour over the pancakes. Yummy.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Looking forward to checking out your website for other recipes to try out. Wishing you all the best in 2024. Cheers! 🙂
I had my doubts, but these are very good! By far my favorite healthy pancake recipe to date!
Can this batter be easily swapped to make waffles?
This is the BEST vegan pancake recipe! I love the banana flavor and how fluffy they turned out! I made mini pancakes out of them and they were so cute!
I just have to ditto all the comments above. Used 1/4 C almond milk, but probably another 1/4 water ( did a guess by golly as I let it sit and the batter got really thick) They came out fluffy like the pic. Also added just a 1/8 tsp cinn. The commentor that said it was like banana bread meets pancake was right!!! These are better than original sugary/oily pancakes!
So good! I had to more than double the quantity of milk for the mix to move in my blender. Turned out lovely! Thank you
These pancakes are delicious! I have made both with both gluten free and non gluten free oats, success both times! I usually find myself having to add a little bit more milk, but other than that I follow the recipe exactly.
Thanks for sharing this easy and fabulous recipe 🙂
Fab! Thanks, Olivia!