Fluffy Banana Pancakes
Thick, airy, fluffy pancakes are good for the soul just as much as hard, cakey pancakes are bad for the soul. And I fully admit, I’ve made plenty of both. But don’t worry, this banana pancakes recipe is airy, fluffy, and perfect. There are several methods out there for making your pancakes light and fluffy … read more or learn how to make banana pancakes right here!
Fluffy Banana Pancakes
Fluffy yet moist thanks to mashed banana mixed into the batter, these pancakes make for the perfect weekend morning breakfast.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups buttermilk (or 2 tablespoons vinegar + enough milk to equal 2 cups)
- 1 large or 2 small ripe bananas, or about 1 cup mashed, plus extra for slicing on top of the pancakes
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar or pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Add the buttermilk to a large bowl. If you’re using the vinegar plus milk option, let sit for about 10 minutes to allow the milk to turn to buttermilk. Whisk in the mashed banana, eggs, butter, and vanilla into the buttermilk.
- To a medium bowl, add the the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to combine.
- Pour the dry ingredients over the wet and mix just until incorporated. Do not overmix!
- Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes. It should form bubbles and rise just a bit.
- Heat a non-stick griddle to 325 degrees Fahrenheit or place a large frying pan over medium heat. Melt a little butter on the cooking surface, spreading it evenly, if desired (or if the griddle/pan is not non-stick). Using a 1/3 cup measure (or a trigger-handled ice cream scoop works as well), pour the batter onto the griddle or into the frying pan. The pancakes are ready to flip when they look a little dry around the edges and start to form little bubbles (about a minute). Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown and the cooked through.
- Serve topped with sliced bananas, butter, and maple syrup.
Topping ideas:
- Sliced bananas
- Butter
- Peanut butter
- Pure maple syrup
- Powdered sugar
- Strawberries
- Chocolate chips
- Blueberries
Dairy-free option:
Use almond milk instead of cow’s milk and use coconut oil in place of butter.
Refined sugar-free option:
Use pure maple syrup instead of granulated sugar.
Flour option:
Can substitute white whole wheat flour.
Freezer note:
Got leftovers? Freeze these bad boys in an airtight bag then just pop a couple in the toaster for an even easier banana-pancake breakfast.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 12 pancakes, Serving Size: 3 (5-inch) pancakes
- Amount Per Serving:
- Calories: 521 Calories
- Total Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Cholesterol: 131mg
- Sodium: 616mg
- Carbohydrates: 82g
- Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 25g
- Protein: 15g
More about fluffy banana pancakes
I love pancakes. A little too much, probably. They’re easy, my toddler will eat them, they lend themselves to all kinds of delicious fruity mix-ins, and, when you’re really going for it, you can soak them with rich butter and sinfully-sweet pure maple syrup.
Oh, but hey! These have bananas. So these fluffy banana pancakes are totally healthy.
Okay, so, not really. This banana pancakes recipe is a bit of a splurge. Seriously, though? Totally worth it. Every single bite.
Thick, airy, fluffy pancakes are good for the soul just as much as hard, cakey pancakes are bad for the soul. And I fully admit, I’ve made plenty of both.
There are several methods out there for making your pancakes light and fluffy. One of the most popular is to beat only the egg yolks in with the batter, reserving the egg whites and whipping them into a frothy frenzy before folding them into the otherwise-finished batter right before cooking. Effective, sure, but anything involving the word “frenzy” before 10 a.m. is not happening in this house.
Me, I take a lazier approach to making fluffier pancakes. I add a little more baking powder than usual, and I let the batter sit for a few minutes before cooking up the cakes. Baking powder activates twice – first, when it gets wet, and second, when you apply heat. So I take advantage of that first activation and let the batter get bigger and more bubbly. It works – and it doesn’t need any sort of “frenzy” first thing in the morning.
Fluffy yet moist thanks to mashed banana mixed into the batter, these pancakes make for the perfect weekend morning breakfast. But honestly? If you’ve got 15 extra minutes on a weekday morning, give them a go then, too. They’re ridiculously easy and come together in no time.
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I’m wondering about the consistency of the batter. Is it supposed to be very thick? What is the consistency you expect? I added a little more milk, let sit for 5 mins to rise. Still very thick but I went ahead and cooked them. They were delicious 😋
Yep the batter is fairly thick! I’m so glad you liked them. 🙂
Will these keep overnight?
I’ve kept them in the fridge overnight and pop them in the toaster in the morning; not quite as good as fresh but you can’t beat the convenience! I also like to freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, stuff them in a freezer bag, pull out a few to thaw for about 15 minutes at room temp, then pop in the toaster.
Thank you thank you! Delicious for my toddler & solely meat-eating father! Peace in the am kitchen!
Thanks so much, Megann!
Delicious! Can’t wait to make them again….
Thanks, Anita! I’m so glad you like the recipe. 🙂
This recipe is the best I have had so far!! The taste is fantastic even though I messed up and used unsweetened almond milk and forgot to mix with vinegar. It made the pancakes a little runny but the taste was still wonderful.
This has now been added to my favorite breakfast items list!
Hi Ashley! Thanks so much for your awesome comment and review. Good to know the recipe still works with a few tweaks!
This has always been my go-to banana pancakes. Awesome recipe, thank you!!
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks so much for the review. 🙂
I made this! It was really good. And fluffy! I was out of sugar so there’s no sugar added. Besides, the bananas i used were ripe enough and very sweet. Awesome for those who are cutting back on sugar. Promise it was so fluffy and tasty. The sugarless recipe did not negatively affect the pancakeyness. Thank you for this recipe. But the recipe is made for a family, I have the house to myself for the wekend so still have some batter left in the ref. Looks like pancakes for dinner! Awesome!
Hi Mary, thanks for your review and for sharing your experience! 🙂
Just made this recipe using apple cider vinegar and fairlife 1% milk for a buttermilk substitute and 3 frozen bananas. Also made waffles instead of pancakes. They turned out so well, moist and flavorful! I will never make waffles any other way!!
Oooh, delicious! Can’t wait to try this as waffles! Thanks so much for sharing.
Can you use frozen mashed bananas?
I don’t see any reason why that won’t work!
Absolutely perfect! Made them and did the egg white whisking part in addition. The best pancakes ever. My 1 year old is gobbling them down! This is the first time I’ve been able to make perfectly fluffy pancakes. This is now a family favourite and my go-to. Thank you so much!
Perfect recipe! My 16month old daughter gobbled them up and is babbling happily! I did the whisked egg whites in addition. This is my first time making fluffy pancakes and they turned out this well. And it’s the perfect sweetness. This is now my go-to recipe. Thank you so much.
Gonna trawl through your site for more recipes.
I’m so glad you and your daughter liked this one! Thanks Ngee!
I have been cooking 60 years and this is the best pancake ever!
These were to die for! Absolutely delicious!
I cut the recipe in half and and it was more than enough for two. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Probably a silly question but could you use coconut milk instead of almond or regular? I’ll allergic to both dairy and almonds.
Not a silly question at all! Sure, I bet coconut milk would work well. Personally I’d go with lite as it’s more the texture of almond or cows’. You might need a smidge more because it could potentially make a thicker batter. If you try it please report back!
OMG! They came it perfect!! I had the littles helping so i forgot to whisk the egg white and just dropped the whole egg in and was out of vanilla but they are delicious!!
Had some over ripe bananas and wanted to make something other than banana bread, these were perfect! Loved them! They were light and fluffy and oh so yummy!
So glad you liked these, Jennie! Thanks!
Very good! My 13 year old granddaughter made them. Easy. Tasty.
Love it! 🙂
This might be a silly question 🙂 but what vinegar should you use? Can apple cider work or is it just normal white vinegar you’re referring to?
No, it’s a good question – I need to update the ingredients list to clarify! I do mean regular old white vinegar, but apple cider vinegar will also work. Thank you for asking!