Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes

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5 from 741 votes
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These healthy oatmeal pancakes are light, fluffy, and made using only 3 ingredients. Ready in minutes, I love that there are no eggs OR flour needed!

Hungry for more healthy pancake recipes? Try my coconut flour pancakes, eggless pancakes, and cottage cheese pancakes.

healthy oatmeal pancakes.

When I can’t decide between overnight oats and pancakes, I make my oatmeal pancakes. 

They have all the fiber and protein of a warm bowl of oats but the sweet, fluffy decadence of a massive stack of pancakes. Plus, you really can’t beat a pancake recipe that only needs three ingredients (unless we’re talking about my 2-ingredient banana pancakes!). 

Table of Contents
  1. Why I love this recipe
  2. Ingredients needed
  3. How to make healthy oatmeal pancakes
  4. Arman’s recipe tips
  5. Storage instructions
  6. Frequently Asked Questions
  7. More healthy breakfasts to try
  8. Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes (Recipe Card)

Why I love this recipe

  • Made with 3 ingredients. All you need are rolled oats, bananas, and milk. 
  • Diet-friendly. With no effort at all, these pancakes are gluten-free, sugar-free, egg-free, and easy to make vegan if you use dairy-free milk. 
  • Thick and fluffy. Like with my oat flour pancakes, the soft and pillowy texture of these pancakes will convince you to swear off flour for good. 
  • Easy to customize. Just like all good pancake recipes should.

★★★★★ REVIEW

“Easy and simple recipe to make a quick healthy breakfast! Definitely will make it again!”Cindy

Ingredients needed

  • Rolled oats. Also known as old-fashioned oats. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats, if needed. 
  • Banana. The riper the bananas, the sweeter your pancakes will be. Avoid using frozen bananas, as they can break down in the blender and add extra liquid. 
  • Milk of choice. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk works. 
  • Baking powder. Optional, but a pinch of this will make the pancakes even fluffier!

How to make healthy oatmeal pancakes

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Make the pancake batter. In a high-speed blender, add all of the ingredients. Blend until a smooth batter remains. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes to thicken.

Step 2- Cook. Grease a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, pour ¼ cup portions of batter and cover the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and repeat. 

Step 3- Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.

healthy oat pancakes.

Arman’s recipe tips

  • Cover the pan! This is my #1 hack for making light and fluffy pancakes. Covering the pan traps heat, helping the pancakes puff up and maintain their height. 
  • Add one teaspoon of baking powder. While optional, I find adding a little baking powder helps the pancakes fluff up even more. 
  • Add a pinch of salt to really take the flavor up a notch. 
  • Look for bubbles. When you see bubbles on the surface of the pancake batter, that’s when it’s time to flip. 

Flavor variations

I’m a purist and prefer plain pancakes with a little maple syrup, but of course, you can (and should) customize these to your liking. Here are some ideas:

  • Chocolate chip. Add 1/4 cup of chocolate chips into the batter. 
  • Blueberry. Fold through 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter.
  • Apple cinnamon. Add 1/4 cup chopped apple, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. 
  • Peanut butter. Fold through two tablespoons of peanut butter and drizzle extra on top. 
  • Double chocolate. Add two tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Storage instructions

To store: Leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. 

To freeze: Place pancakes in ziplock bags and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

Reheating pancakes: Microwave cold pancakes for 30 seconds or in a non-stick pan. 

oatmeal pancakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I omit the banana?

If you don’t want to use banana, you can use equal amounts of unsweetened applesauce.

More healthy breakfasts to try

healthy pancakes recipe.

Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes

5 from 741 votes
These healthy oatmeal pancakes are thick, fluffy, and made with 3 ingredients! No eggs and no flour needed, they take minutes to make!
Servings: 4 servings
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 7 minutes

Ingredients  

  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats gluten free, if needed
  • 1 large banana overripe
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk I used unsweetened almond milk

Instructions 

  • In a high speed blender, add all your ingredients and blend very well, until a smooth batter remains. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes, to thicken.
  • Grease a non-stick pan and heat on medium. Once hot, add scant 1/4 cup portions of pancake batter and cover the pan. Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes, before flipping and cooking for a further 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Repeat the process until all the pancake batter is used up.
  • Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.

Notes

For even fluffier pancakes, add one teaspoon of baking powder.
TO STORE: Leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. 
TO FREEZE: Place pancakes in ziplock bags and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. 
TO REHEAT: Microwave cold pancakes for 30 seconds, or reheat on a non-stick pan. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 155kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 5gFat: 3gSodium: 89mgPotassium: 232mgFiber: 4gVitamin A: 22IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 1mgNET CARBS: 25g
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Author: Arman Liew
Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!

Originally published August 2022, updated and republished May 2024

Arman Liew

I’m a two time cookbook author, photographer, and writer, and passionate about creating easy and healthier recipes. I believe you don’t need to be experienced in the kitchen to make good food using simple ingredients that most importantly, taste delicious.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    So good . I put cinnamon with mine . Next time I’ll put cacao powder and sugar free chocolate chips . Mmmmm. Satisfied my sugar cravings X10 . Happy lady 😊

  2. 5 stars
    These pancakes are the bomb!
    Simple and so delicious. I add protein powder to get a boost there, and they are still perfect.
    I eat them with berries and maple syrup. Tooo gooood!

  3. 5 stars
    These pancakes are the bomb!
    Simple and so delicious. I add protein powder to get a boost there, and they are still perfect.
    Thank you X

  4. 5 stars
    This is a perfect healthy pancake. I realized too late that our bananas were gone, so I used canned pumpkin instead. This worked really well stoo! Thanks for this recipe

  5. Hello Arman,
    I have been using gluten free pancake recipes for years but not one has been as easy, with such few ingredients, and so awesome as yours.
    Thank you for posting this recipe, after all these years I finally have a winner!
    Cheers,
    Sandy

  6. 5 stars
    Really enjoy how quick and easy and very simple this stuff is to make and I really love this site thank you very much for having it

  7. 5 stars
    These pancakes sound amazing. And you don’t need multiple bowls to make them, which is great. And you only need three ingredients to make them? Even better!

  8. 5 stars
    My 8 year old said, “Ooh, these are yummy!” Ultimate thumbs up because she usually doesn’t like any new recipes.

  9. These look delicious.
    Would oat flour work instead of rolled oats? I don’t have a high speed blender.
    Thanks
    K Meyer

  10. 5 stars
    These pancakes were very delicious. Mine were not as yellow as the picture (mine were more gray) or as fluffy. I doubled the recipe do there was leftovers.

  11. This recipe was easy and simple to make. Used powdered milk and carnation milk. It didn’t say what toppings to use so I tried one of the variations, and I topped with chocolate chips and whipped cream. Came out pretty good.