These fluffy banana pancakes in a word (or three): “Airy.” “Fluffy.” “Perfect.” Oh, and “easy.”
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 banana 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.
More banana-riffic breakfasts
- These Banana Almond Butter Waffles are so hearty and full of flavor. Vegan, too!
- No bowl necessary! Whip up these Banana Oat Blender Pancakes entirely in the blender. Easy, healthy, and vegan/gluten-free.
- Super Moist Vegan Banana Bread Muffins are one of our favorite muffin recipes, vegan or not.
If you try this recipe, please leave a rating! And, if you find it share-worthy – which I hope you do – please share. Tag #kitchentreaty on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, and don’t forget to check out my other recipes!

Fluffy Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups buttermilk (or 2 tablespoons vinegar + enough milk to equal 2 cups)(can substitute almond milk + vinegar)
- 1 large or 2 small ripe bananas (or about 1 cup mashed) (plus extra for slicing on adding to top of pancakes)
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly) (can substitute melted coconut oil)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (can substitute pure maple syrup)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Topping ideas:
- Sliced bananas
- Butter
- Peanut butter
- Pure maple syrup
- Powdered sugar
- Strawberries
- Chocolate chips
- Blueberries
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.
This recipe is really good. Flavor and fluffiness is perfect. The only moderation I used is self rising flour instead of the baking powder because that was what I had on hand. Thanks for sharing with us.
I’m glad it was a hit! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a comment. 🙂
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!
I used apple cider vinegar and it worked fine for me. I didn’t see a difference in the taste at all. They were still very fluffy and delicious. I hope this helps.
This recipe was truly awesome. The pancakes came out just as the aptly named fluffy, light and most of all delicious. I topped them off with a little butter, and garnished it with fresh bananas, blueberries and strawberries. I just love them. !!!❤️😊
Hi Michelle, I’m so glad you liked this recipe! Those toppings sound amazing. Thanks so much for coming back and leaving a review. ❤️
I wanted to follow-up on my earlier review and add that I halved the ingredients and it yielded 12 (1/4 cup) sized pancakes. Additionally, I popped them in the refrigerator after they cooled. To reheat I took them out of the refrigerator about half an hour before I popped them in the microwave (40/50 seconds )and they were still fluffy and light. 🙂
I like your recipes
Can they be made vegan?
I’ve not tested this one without eggs, sorry! When I want a vegan banana pancake I go for this recipe: https://www.kitchentreaty.com/gluten-free-vegan-banana-oat-blender-pancakes/
is it fattening
I just made these pancakes for our brunch. Thank you for the clear instructions, particularly the buttermilk instructions as I did not have any and can never remember the measurements to make it. The pancakes turned out beautifully and were delicious. I would say the best banana pancake recipe I have seen so far. Thanks again. Lynne Mullaney
Wonderful! I’m so glad they were a hit. Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a review!
I’m so glad these were a winner for you! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a review.
These were so wonderful! My family loved them. I will be saving the recipe! They also weren’t too sweet, just perfect!
So glad these were a winner for your family! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a review. 🙂
These sound delicious! I’m planning on making these for some friends and family, so I was wondering: about how many pancakes does this recipe yield?
About 12. 🙂
My batch made over 30 using a 1/4 cup. Used 6 small bananas. Very tasty.
Second time making these, first time in the oven! Okay so I baked these in a 12×16 in baking pan (lined with parchment) at 425 for 20 min and it was great! Also I topped with frozen blueberries:)
These banana pancakes were absolutely delicious and easy to make. I used three overripe bananas , mixed 1.5 in the batter and the rest was folded along with beaten egg whites right before cooking, They were moist, fluffy, and yummy… to die for. My kids devoured them and ask for seconds and thirds. Luv it!
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