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These Banana Pancakes are tender, crispy, fluffy, and loaded with banana flavor! They’re perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a quick snack.
My dad’s banana pancake recipe was the first pancake recipe I ever learned. He used to make a large batch for breakfast to wrap them up and save them for later. I never complained about having banana pancakes for breakfast before school. All my other friends were eating oatmeal or donuts, and neither of them had that homemade touch of love.
He’s the reason why I know the perfect banana for pancakes is a black banana. You know, the one you forbid to eat because it’s too ripe? Yes, when they’re that ripe, it’s easier to mash. Plus, all the natural sugars come out, and it’s perfect for pancakes, banana bread, or anything you want to bake with them.
The recipe I will teach you today produces light and fluffy pancakes, sweet with crispy edges. You can also freestyle a little bit by adding chopped walnut or mini chocolate chips to the batter. Regardless of how you choose to make them, you and your entire family will enjoy eating them.
Key Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for making banana pancakes.
Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
I only use unbleached flour for baking and cooking.
Bananas
Since we’re using ripened bananas, the natural sweetness substitutes the need for sugar or brown sugar.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda
To get the perfect crispy edges, I use both.
Buttermilk
I love the slight tang and tenderness it adds. I’m let down whenever I eat homemade pancakes that don’t have buttermilk in them.
Cinnamon
There’s something special about using cinnamon with bananas; the warm spice complements the ripe bananas perfectly.
Oil
Mixing in a bit of oil to the pancake batter prevents them from drying out and keeps them moist.
Egg
I like using brown eggs these days; the yolk has richer color and flavor.
How to Make the best banana pancake recipe?
By frying the banana pancakes in oil instead of butter, you’ll get crispy edges that are still delicious. The key is not to use too much oil so the pancake doesn’t absorb it all and becomes greasy.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and cinnamon. In another medium bowl, add the oil, buttermilk, mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and egg, and mix together. Then add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir until smooth.
Turn heat to medium in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, and pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake; cook pancakes until the top batter has small air bubbles, about 3 minutes. Here’s where you can add your chopped nuts and chocolate chips.
Flip and cook for another 1 minute and 30 seconds until golden brown. Serve warm with grade-A maple syrup and garnish with chopped nuts or banana slices.
Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks
Follow these tips while you make these delicious banana pancakes. Also, remember a slightly lumpy batter is ok and will not ruin your pancakes.
- Place unripened bananas in a brown paper bag for 3-5 days until they’re black and yellow.
- Do not use unripened bananas in this recipe. It will not yield the same mouthwatering results.
- The hotter your skillet gets, the more batches of pancakes you can make. Just be sure to lower the heat as you go so they don’t burn.
- Use a griddle instead of a skillet.
- A cast iron skillet makes the best crispy pancakes.
- Allowing the flour to absorb the liquids creates a lighter pancake. Do NOT skip the step of resting the batter.
- You can use gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- Almond milk or whole milk will work instead of buttermilk.
- I don’t recommend a buttermilk substitute using lemon juice and milk.
- Cook with a high smoke point oil like canola, vegetable, grapeseed, or avocado.
- You can use melted butter instead of oil in your pancakes.
FAQs
Here are the top questions readers have about making banana pancakes.
The acidity in buttermilk helps to create a light and fluffy pancake. It also gives them a slightly tangy flavor that pairs well with sweet toppings like maple syrup or bananas.
You can do a few things to help your banana pancakes stay together. First, make sure that your batter is thick enough. If it’s too thin, your pancakes will likely fall apart, and you can add more flour to help thicken it up.
Second, make sure that your pan is hot enough before you start cooking the pancakes. If the pan is not hot, it will not cook evenly and will likely fall apart.
Finally, be careful when flipping the pancakes. Flip them when they start to form small bubbles on top and are golden brown on the bottom.
If your banana pancakes are mushy, it might be because your measurements are off. If you use enough flour, baking powder, and baking soda, you will have a thick batter.
Also, let the batter rest so the flour can absorb the liquid. Additionally, make sure that you are using very ripe bananas so you can mash the bananas smoothly enough to incorporate them with the other ingredients.
The best flour to use for pancakes is all-purpose flour. However, you can also use whole wheat flour, gluten-free flour, or self-rising flour. If you use self-rising flour, omit using baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the recipe.
The most likely reason your pancakes taste like eggs is that you use too many eggs. You only need one egg for every cup of flour. Reduce the number of eggs you use, and also make sure to beat them before mixing them into the dry ingredients.
Banana pancakes are best eaten immediately, but they will remain fresh in an airtight container for 3 days in the fridge.
Wrap three pancakes 3 per package in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer-safe bag and freeze banana pancakes for 2 months.
Reheat the banana pancakes in the microwave for 15 seconds.
More Pancake Recipes
If you love sweet potatoes as much as I do, then I know you’ll love these recipes too!
- Peach Cobbler Pancakes
- Chocolate Pancakes with Cherry Syrup
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Thin Crispy Pancakes
- Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
Latest Recipe Video:
Before You Begin
Before getting started, here are the steps I use to get organized.
Step 1: Get all ingredients and tools for the best banana pancakes on the counter.
Step 2: Measure everything out into bowls.
Step 3: Get ready to enjoy some incredible banana pancakes.
I hope you’ll give my banana pancakes a try for breakfast soon! If you do, leave a comment and star rating below. I love hearing from readers about their experiences in the kitchen. And who knows? Maybe one of your tips will help me take these pancakes to the next level.
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Banana Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons oil plus more for cooking
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- Grade A maple syrup
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and cinnamon. In another medium bowl, add oil, buttermilk, mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and egg, and mix together. Then add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir until smooth.
- Turn the heat to medium in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, and pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake; cook pancakes until the top batter has small air bubbles, about 3 minutes. Here’s where you can add your chopped nuts and chocolate chips.
- Flip and cook for another 1 minute and 30 seconds until golden brown. Serve warm with grade-A maple syrup and garnish with chopped nuts or banana slices.
Notes
- Place unripened bananas in a brown paper bag for 3-5 days until they’re black and yellow.
- Do not use unripened bananas in this recipe. It will not yield the same mouthwatering results.
- The hotter your skillet gets, the more batches of pancakes you can make. Just be sure to lower the heat as you go so they don’t burn.
- Use a griddle instead of a skillet.
- A cast iron skillet makes the best crispy pancakes.
- Allowing the flour to absorb the liquids creates a lighter pancake. Do NOT skip the step of resting the batter.
- You can use gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- Almond milk or whole milk will work instead of buttermilk.
- I don’t recommend a buttermilk substitute using lemon juice and milk.
- Cook with a high smoke point oil like canola, vegetable, grapeseed, or avocado.
- You can use melted butter instead of oil in your pancakes.
