Banana Pancakes are the breakfast that Lucia started making every Saturday morning the summer she discovered that the overripe bananas turning brown on her kitchen counter were not a problem to solve but an opportunity to seize. She mashes them into the wet ingredients, whisks them through with the egg and milk and butter and vanilla, and pours the batter onto the buttered griddle where something extraordinary happens. The kitchen fills with the most warm and fragrant banana-sweet smell and the pancakes puff up golden and fluffy and studded throughout with natural sweetness that means they need very little syrup at all. Fresh banana slices fanned across the top are the most beautiful finishing touch.
Banana Pancakes are the easy twenty-minute breakfast that uses the ripest bananas on the counter, produces the most light and fluffy stacks imaginable, and tastes like banana bread in the most perfectly portable and stackable breakfast format. Ripe mashed bananas folded into a simple pancake batter with cinnamon and vanilla for warmth and depth, cooked in butter on a medium-low griddle until golden and beautifully fluffy, and served with maple syrup and fresh banana slices on top. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful breakfast recipes and easy morning favorites from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Banana Pancakes Recipe
This Banana Pancakes recipe is the twenty-minute breakfast that solves the perennial problem of what to do with overripe bananas beyond banana bread and transforms them into something genuinely and completely extraordinary on the breakfast table. Ripe bananas, the ones that are deeply yellow and speckled with brown spots, are the correct choice for this recipe because their starches have converted to sugars and their flavor is at its most concentrated and intensely banana-forward.
The cinnamon in this recipe is the warming spice that ties all the banana flavor together in the most beautifully complementary way. Cinnamon and ripe banana is one of the most natural and completely harmonious flavor pairings in all of breakfast cooking and a half teaspoon in the batter gives every bite a warm and cozy depth that makes these pancakes taste significantly more complex and developed than the short ingredient list would suggest. Our Sausage and Egg Casserole makes a wonderfully hearty and satisfying companion for a complete and deeply comforting weekend breakfast spread alongside these banana pancakes.
Ingredients Needed for This Banana Pancakes Recipe
- 1½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 2 ripe Bananas, mashed
- 1 large Egg, room temperature
- ¾ cup Whole Milk
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- Additional Butter for greasing the pan
- Maple Syrup and Fresh Banana Slices for serving
How to Make This Banana Pancakes Recipe
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together until fully combined with no pockets of any single ingredient remaining. Set aside.
In a separate medium bowl, mash the two ripe bananas with a fork until as smooth as possible with only small lumps remaining. A truly ripe banana will mash very easily and completely. An underripe banana will leave large chunks that create uneven texture in the finished pancake. Once mashed, add the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract to the mashed banana and whisk together until combined.
Pour the wet banana mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir together gently with a wide spatula or wooden spoon until just combined, cara mia. As with all pancake batters, the most critical instruction here is to stop mixing the moment the flour is just incorporated. Overmixing develops gluten and produces a tough and chewy pancake rather than the light and fluffy result this recipe is designed to deliver. A lumpy batter is a good batter.
Heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add approximately half a tablespoon of butter and allow it to melt and coat the cooking surface. Ladle the batter into the pan in approximately quarter-cup portions to make 3 to 4 pancakes per batch. Cook until bubbles form across the surface of each pancake and the edges look set and slightly dry. Flip and cook the second side until golden brown. Wipe the pan with a paper towel between batches and add fresh butter before each new batch.
Serve hot with butter, maple syrup, and fresh banana slices fanned across the top.
How to Serve This Banana Pancakes Recipe
Serve these pancakes stacked on warm plates with a generous slice of cold butter on the top, a drizzle of good maple syrup that runs down through each layer, and fresh banana slices arranged across the top for the most beautiful and visually complete presentation. A tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter spread between the pancake layers before the maple syrup adds a wonderful nutty depth that pairs extraordinarily well with the banana flavor.
For a complete and satisfying weekend breakfast, serve alongside scrambled eggs and crispy bacon or alongside our Sausage and Egg Casserole for a truly hearty and celebratory morning table. Our Fluffy Strawberry Shortcake Puppy Chow makes a sweet and playful companion snack to keep the children occupied while the pancakes cook for the most joyful and complete family breakfast imaginable.
How to Store This Banana Pancakes Recipe
Store leftover cooled banana pancakes in an airtight container or zip-lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. Because the bananas provide natural moisture, these pancakes actually stay quite soft and pleasant in the refrigerator and reheat well the next day.
To freeze, stack the cooled pancakes with small squares of parchment paper between each one to prevent sticking and place in a freezer-safe zip-lock bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and heat in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes. The oven method produces a significantly better reheated texture than the microwave which can make the pancakes slightly soggy.
Tips to Make This Banana Pancakes Recipe
Use the ripest bananas you can find. This is the most important ingredient decision in this recipe and it makes a meaningful difference to both the flavor and the texture of the finished pancakes. Deeply ripe bananas that are yellow with significant brown spotting throughout are at their sweetest and most fragrant and contribute the most pronounced banana flavor. Bright yellow bananas with no spotting will produce a much milder and less distinctively banana-flavored pancake.
Cook on medium-low rather than medium or high heat. Banana pancakes are slightly more prone to burning than plain pancakes because the natural sugars in the mashed banana caramelize quickly against a hot surface. Medium-low heat allows the pancakes to cook through completely to the center before the exterior darkens too much.
Helpful Notes for This Banana Pancakes Recipe
If your banana pancakes are coming out mushy in the center despite appearing golden on the outside, the cooking temperature is the issue. A pan that is too hot cooks the exterior of the pancake very quickly before the interior has had time to cook through, producing a golden outside with a raw and mushy inside. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow more time for each pancake to cook through before flipping.
The batter for these banana pancakes is naturally thicker than a plain flour pancake batter because of the mashed banana. If the batter seems very thick and does not pour easily from the ladle, add one to two tablespoons of additional milk and stir gently to thin to a more fluid and scoopable consistency.
Variation of This Banana Pancakes Recipe
Maria made a version adding a quarter cup of chocolate chips to the batter alongside the banana for a banana chocolate chip pancake that was deeply indulgent and utterly irresistible on the breakfast table. Teresa tried adding two tablespoons of smooth peanut butter whisked into the wet ingredients before combining with the dry for a banana peanut butter pancake that tasted like the most extraordinary breakfast sandwich filling and was completely extraordinary.
For a tropical version, add a tablespoon of unsweetened shredded coconut to the dry ingredients and replace one tablespoon of milk with a tablespoon of coconut milk for a pancake with a gentle coconut note alongside the banana that tastes like a warm tropical morning in the most completely wonderful way. Our Dole Whip Cupcakes with Pineapple Filling make a wonderfully tropical and playful companion treat for a complete and joyful tropical-themed breakfast spread alongside these banana pancakes.
FAQs About This Banana Pancakes Recipe
Can I use frozen bananas for this recipe?
Yes. Thaw the frozen bananas completely and drain off any excess liquid before mashing. Frozen and thawed bananas are often even softer and more easily mashed than fresh ripe bananas and produce an equally flavorful batter. The extra moisture from thawing should be drained to prevent the batter from becoming too thin.
Can I make a large batch and freeze these for the week?
Absolutely and it is one of the most practical meal prep breakfasts imaginable. Make a double batch on Sunday, cool the pancakes completely, separate with parchment squares, and freeze in a zip-lock bag. Each morning, pull out however many pancakes you need and heat in the toaster or oven for a hot breakfast in under five minutes with virtually no morning effort.
Why are my banana pancakes not fluffy?
The two most common causes are overmixed batter and expired baking powder. Mix only until the flour is just incorporated with lumps remaining and check that your baking powder is still active by dropping a teaspoon into hot water. If it bubbles vigorously it is fresh. If nothing happens, it has lost its leavening power and needs to be replaced.
Conclusion
These Banana Pancakes are the breakfast that makes every overripe banana on the counter feel like a gift rather than a problem and every Saturday morning feel like something genuinely worth celebrating. Light, fluffy, warmly spiced, and completely wonderful in every single golden bite. We hope they bring the same banana-sweet fragrance and the same joyful morning energy to your kitchen that they have always brought to ours. Make them, share them, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa.
Print
Banana Pancakes The Most Light and Fluffy Breakfast You Will Ever Make in 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 pancakes 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most light and fluffy Banana Pancakes made with ripe mashed bananas cinnamon vanilla egg and milk in a simple batter cooked in butter until golden and beautiful. An easy 20-minute breakfast recipe perfect for using overripe bananas and producing the most flavorful and satisfying morning stack imaginable.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
3/4 tsp Salt
2 ripe Bananas mashed
1 large Egg room temperature
3/4 cup Whole Milk
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter melted
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Additional Butter for greasing
Maple Syrup and Fresh Banana Slices for serving
Instructions
1. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Mash ripe bananas in a separate bowl until smooth with small lumps only.
3. Add egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla to mashed banana. Whisk to combine.
4. Pour wet into dry ingredients. Stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Heat griddle or non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1/2 tbsp butter and melt.
6. Ladle approximately 1/4 cup batter per pancake into the pan.
7. Cook until bubbles form on surface and edges look set.
8. Flip and cook second side until golden brown.
9. Wipe pan with paper towel between batches and add fresh butter.
10. Serve hot with maple syrup, fresh banana slices, and butter.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pancake
- Calories: 108
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 169mg
- Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 6mg
Keywords: banana pancakes, fluffy banana pancakes recipe, easy banana pancakes, ripe banana breakfast recipe
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