Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Satisfying banana oatmeal pancakes are a healthy breakfast loaded with fruit and fiber. Stack them high and finish them with sliced bananas and a drizzle of maple syrup!
If you’re a fan of bananas—and we definitely are!—you’ll flip for these banana oatmeal pancakes. They’re a spin on our oatmeal pancakes, made even sweeter with the addition of bananas.
And we mean literally sweeter! Use dark, ripe bananas and these pancakes will be extra sweet without having to add lots of sugar. Even sweet enough that you can skip the maple syrup on top. (But who’d want to do that?!)
Why you’ll love this banana oatmeal pancake recipe
- Fiber Packed: While we love banana blueberry baked oatmeal and our easy instant oatmeal packets, oatmeal is also a great way to pack some extra fiber into a pancake breakfast. Not only does this make your pancakes that much healthier, it also makes them much more filling!
- Thick and Fluffy: The oats in this recipe have another benefit, too. They soak up the liquid from the batter, making these pancakes thick and fluffy. And using quick oats means that it works fast, so there’s no need to wait for the oats to soak.
- Easy to customize: These banana oatmeal pancakes are the kind of recipe you can easily dress up with chocolate chips (or chocolate syrup) or candied pecans, or make even healthier by topping with a dollop of vanilla Greek yogurt and fresh berries. However you top them, you’re sure to love them!
What you need
- Wet ingredients – Ripe bananas (the riper they are, the sweeter they will be), quick oats, milk, eggs, unsalted butter or oil, vanilla extract
- Dry ingredients – All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, salt
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas
The best way to ripen bananas overnight is to place them in a paper bag, fold it shut, and leave it on the countertop. If your bananas are close to ripe, they should be ripened overnight; otherwise, it may take a full day or so. If you need them to ripen even more quickly, you can microwave or bake them bananas to ripen them.
How to make them
Mix the wet ingredients and the oats. Whisk together the banana, oats, milk, eggs, oil or butter, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
Add the dry ingredients. On top of the wet ingredients, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gently toss the dry ingredients together.
Next, stir them into wet ingredients for form the batter. Don’t over mix.
Prepare. Heat a griddle over medium-low heat. Add butter or oil if necessary.
Cook the pancakes. Place 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear and the pancakes look dry around the edges, or for about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown.
Finish. Repeat with the remaining batter; plate the pancakes and add your favorite toppings.
Tips for success
- These pancakes brown quickly due to the sugar in the bananas. You can lower the heat on the stove to ensure that the pancakes cook all the way through without over-cooking the exterior.
- If you’re using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet, adding butter or oil is optional.
How to make these banana oatmeal pancakes your own
Here are some simple variations if you want to switch up these banana oatmeal pancakes.
- Add chocolate chips. If you like chocolate chip pancakes, you’ll love these banana oatmeal pancakes with mini chocolate chips stirred into the batter! Try topping with chocolate whipped cream for a chocolate-lover’s breakfast!
- Make them gluten-free. Use gluten-free certified oats and your favorite measure-for-measure all-purpose flour substitute. You might also be interested in our gluten-free pancakes or gluten-free sheet pan pancakes.
- Go to town on the toppings. Try caramel sauce, chocolate whipped cream, or strawberry sauce.
Make Ahead, Storage, & Reheating
- Make Ahead: Banana oatmeal pancakes can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: These pancakes freeze well. They’ll last up to 3 months when frozen. Freeze banana oatmeal pancakes in an airtight storage container or a freezer bag with parchment paper between the layers to keep the pancakes from sticking to each other.
- Reheating: Microwave banana oatmeal pancakes until they’re warmed through, or place them on a sheet pan, cover it with foil, and warm them in a 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes. If you’re reheating these pancakes from frozen, add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
More banana pancake recipes
Get the Recipe: Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium sized bananas)
- 1 cup quick oats (see notes)
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter or oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together banana, oats, milk, eggs, oil or butter, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- On top of wet ingredients, add flour, sugar baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gently toss dry ingredients together before stirring into wet ingredients. Don’t overmix.
- Heat a griddle over medium-low heat. If desired, butter or oil the pan. Scoop batter by about 1/4-cup portions onto heated pan. Cook until bubbles appear and pancakes start to look dry around the edges, 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Makes about 15 pancakes.
- We tested these with rolled (old-fashioned) oats and they didn’t work as well, even when we soaked them in the wet ingredients first.
- These brown quickly due to the sugar in the bananas, lower heat as needed to ensure they cook all the way through without burning.