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When whole wheat banana pancakes are this easy to make and good for you, there's no reason not to make them for breakfast!
Whole Wheat Pancakes with Banana
These whole wheat pancakes with bananas are as good as they look. My kids, my toughest critics when it comes to all my pancake recipes, have given these a thumbs-up time after time.
At first, they were not huge fans of my recipes using whole wheat flour -lord knows, it took me a while to get them to eat my whole wheat bread. I began by making banana oatmeal pancakes to get them used to heartier texture, then this recipe with bananas, and eventually, they even enjoyed traditional whole wheat pancakes and goodness knows my blueberry whole wheat pancakes are always a winner. Baby steps. Now, they even enjoy my fluffy buckwheat pancakes!
Ingredients
Before you scroll down to the recipe card for the measurements or make any swaps, check why each ingredient goes into these banana whole wheat pancakes:
- Whole-wheat flour: 100% whole wheat or white whole wheat will work for this recipe. It also works with flour milled at home as long as you mill it very fine. If your kids aren’t sold on whole wheat yet, you can make these fluffy banana pancakes with all-purpose flour for a more classic taste.
- Baking powder: gives pancakes a fluffy texture and helps them rise when exposed to heat. It's a must-have ingredient.
- Salt: just a little to enhance the flavor of these pancakes, which can be omitted if you’re using salted butter.
- Sugar: a little and totally optional.
- Banana: use a fresh banana or a frozen one you meant to use in a smoothie recipe. The riper the sweeter the batter.
- Milk: the liquid needed to make the batter. You can use regular dairy milk or non-dairy milk.
- Butter: a little, melted, for both flavor and moisture in the batter.
- Eggs: are necessary in this recipe to bind the batter ingredients, provide structure to the pancakes, and prevent them from being too dense. I don't recommend omitting them or using a substitute.
Best Bananas for Pancakes
For pancakes, avoid green or neon yellow bananas. You want to use ripe bananas that are deep yellow (like the traffic light) and have brown spots throughout. Fully browned bananas will also work!
How to Make Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
Making these pancakes is simple, although there is one trick that ensures you get the best banana flavor throughout. Here are some tips in each of the steps:
- Sift the whole wheat flour
Whole-wheat flour is denser and often tends to pack so I like to sift it into the dry ingredients bowl. - Make the batter
Measure and mix the dry ingredients into a medium bowl and use a fork to mash the banana in a separate large bowl. Once the banana is paste-like, add the egg, milk, and melted butter to the bowl. After that, it’s a matter of gradually adding the dry ingredients into that big bowl and avoiding overmixing to get a great pancake batter. - Cook on the pancakes
Heat the pan first over medium-high heat. Once hot, grease it with oil or butter. Then, immediately pour about ¼ cup of batter for each pancake and cook them long enough on the first side to see the edges defined and bubbles forming throughout. Flip them, and cook the second side for an additional minute. - Serve
Stack them high and enjoy warm with your favorite toppings.
When to Flip Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
Whole-wheat pancake batter is naturally browner in color, so a good guide for flipping pancakes is to wait until the edges are defined and bubbles form throughout.
Healthy Toppings for Banana Pancakes
Wow. The sky is the limit when it comes to loading up your stack of pancakes! For some delicious healthy toppings, slice more bananas on top, some vanilla yogurt with a dusting of cinnamon, or one of these incredible pancake syrups drizzled over the top!
Storing Leftovers
Whether you made extra or doubled the batch, you can store leftover pancakes in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to 3 months! Just reheat them in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds or in the toaster oven.
Fluffy Whole-Wheat Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour, sifted
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or white, optional
- Pinch salt, omit if butter is salted
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana, about 2 medium bananas
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cups milk, any
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
Make the pancake batter:
- Designate a medium bowl for the dry ingredients and sift the whole wheat flour into it. Add the baking powder, brown sugar, and salt (if using).
- In a large bowl, place the ripe bananas and use a fork to mash them up really well, almost to a puree-like texture. Add the egg, milk, and butter with the mashed bananas and use the fork to whisk the eggs well and mix the wet mixture.
- Add half of the dry ingredients into the large batter bowl and use a spatula to fold them into the batter. Add the other half of the flour mixture and mix until there are no visible flour lumps. Use a fork to press any banana lumps into the side of the bowl instead of continuing to mix.
Cook the pancakes:
- Heat a large non-stick pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Once hot, spray or grease with butter or oil and immediately pour about ¼ cup of batter per pancake.
- Cook the first side for about 2 minutes until the edges are defined and bubbles form in the middle. Flip and continue cooking on the other side for another minute. Don’t press the pancakes down after flipping. Remove from the griddle or pan onto a plate and repeat the process with the remaining pancake batter.
Serve:
- Top your pancakes with additional sliced bananas, pancake syrup, or your favorite pancake toppings.
Notes
- Enhance the batter flavor by adding 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and/or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Add up to ½ cup of chocolate chips to the batter.
- Use the right baking powder: Since pancake batter naturally has a mild, neutral flavor, it’s important to use aluminum-free baking powder. The metallic flavor will ruin the taste, especially in fluffy pancake recipes that call for 2 or more teaspoons. Trust me on this one.
Lisa says
These were awesome!
Shannon says
These are delicious and I did add the vanilla extract and cinnamon to the batter. My roommate couldn’t get enough of them! I will definitely make them again, thanks for sharing your recipe with us.
Hannah says
Incredible whole wheat banana pancakes!
Heather says
Great pancake recipe!
martha says
These were so tasty!