If you even remotely like banana bread then you will absolutely love these banana pancakes. And if you don’t like bananas then you can substitute another fruit (like blueberries or raspberries), but I think the banana is the secret ingredient that adds the right amount of sweetness to balance out the whole-wheat flavor (be sure to use ripe bananas!). If you really want some berries in there consider adding them in addition to the bananas.
The other great thing about this banana pancake recipe is that the leftover pancakes freeze beautifully (and we usually do have some leftovers). Just layer them in-between pieces of wax paper inside a freezer-safe zip lock bag.
Then one morning when you are racing around trying to get the kids out the door for school just pull a couple of pancakes out of the freezer, heat for a minute or two and voila! I am all about convenience, plus it doesn’t hurt that these are pretty healthy pancakes compared to some other options out there!
Whole-Wheat Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour I use King Arthur’s organic white whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 ¾ cups milk you could use white, buttermilk, or almond milk
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted, melted, + butter for frying (alternatively you could use coconut oil)
- 2 bananas mashed
- pure maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the honey, eggs, milk, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Whisk together thoroughly, but do not overmix.
- Gently fold the mashed bananas into the batter with a spatula.
- Heat a griddle or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Swirl enough butter around the pan until it is well coated. Add pancake batter using a soup ladle.
- When the pancakes have begun to turn golden brown on the bottom, flip them over to cook the other side.
- Serve with warm maple syrup and a side of fruit (like an apple, fresh blueberries, or a sliced banana if you just can’t get enough). And don’t forget to freeze the leftovers for another day!
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Check out some of my other favorite breakfast and brunch recipes:
I make these vegan by omitting the eggs, replacing the butter with coconut oil and the milk with almond milk. They always turn the perfect brown color and taste delicious! Love them!
This is a delicious breakfast and a really easy one to prep for the week. I added a dash of cinnamon to the batter. My kids loved them and said these pancakes tasted just like banana bread!
Just made these because I had two overripe bananas and KAF whole wheat flour. I was dubious about the fluffy factor. These are fluffy, soft and very yummy. The banana flavor is not that strong with is perfect. I added chocolate chips to send them over the top. These are seriously good. Thank you!
My family absolutely loves these! I always make a double batch to freeze. Today in my rush, I accidentally left the baggie of pancakes on the counter all day. Think they are still good or require refrigeration? Thanks!
They should still be fine as long as you got them in the fridge when you got home. – Nicole
I’ve made these pancakes several times and they never turn out “fluffy” but pretty flat. Could this be because I live at a higher altitude than that of the Charlotte, NC area? Any recipe adjustments you could suggest for making pancakes at altitudes over 4,500 feet?
Best pancakes ever! I made them for breakfast and struggled with stopping at having just one pancake. Thank you for sharing this fab recipe!
The recipe is amazing! I’ve been using it for a few years. Unless I make a double batch, there are never leftovers (and sometimes not even then).
To make it even more decadent, I’ll toast some chopped pecans in a frying pan and then slightly candy the toasted pecans in the same pan with a bit of maple syrup and good butter. We then top the pancakes with the pecans and a bit more maple syrup.
Thanks for sharing! This is one of my favorite pancake recipes too! – Nicole
I make this all the time. My kids love them. I “veganized” the reciepe by using plant based milk and switch eggs for a flax seed “egg”. And replaced honey with agave. I was perfect!
Thanks for the tips! – Nicole
Fed this to my family after a morning hike. It was a hit with everyone! No leftovers because it was gobbled up. Thank you for making a healthy recipe with low sugar. I didn’t even need any syrup. I want to try nuts with it next time.
Nice Recipe! Though I have never tried it. But, would love to make someday.
I love these pancakes and have been telling friends to try it out! I actually made them at the same time I was making the lemon raspberry muffins so I did the same. Added lemon zest and frozen raspberries….so so good! If I have the berries on hand, I can’t help but add them every time!
What leftovers?? :)
I figured it was about time for me to comment… I’ve been using this recipe for years and it is my absolute favorite! I usually throw in an extra banana, a couple generous teaspoons of cinnamon, and some more honey for good measure. We rarely use syrup – even though that’s yummy too. They are delicious with just butter, or even peanut butter, sliced bananas and a little drizzle of extra honey. We have even been known to use them in place of bread for PB&Js.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
I use 2 tablespoons ground flax seed meal with 6 tablespoons water to replace the eggs, vegan butter and Almond milk to make it Vegan. It’s not allergy friendly but it’s vegan and my kids can’t tell the difference! This recipe is a regular in our house!
Just made these for our family of 4 and it was plenty. We loved it! Thick and fluffy. Didn’t add in any cinnamon or vanilla and they still had a lot of flavor. We will definitely make again.
Delicious! It really does taste like banana bread! I added cinnamon and vanilla, plus blueberries and a few dark chocolate chips. Yum!
These were amazing! So yummy, my entire family (including my pickiest eater) gobbled them up!
Tasty & Healthy! I made a half-batch. Used 3/4 cup White Whole Wheat flour plus 1/4 cup Quinoa Flour. Halved the leavenings & salt. Wet ingredients; 1.5 tsp Honey, 1 egg, 3/4 cup + 2TBSP whole Buttermilk, 1 TBSP Virgin Coconut Oil, 1 large Banana. To cover the taste of Quinoa Flour I used 1 Tsp pure Vanilla extract & 1 TBSP Orange Juice. OJ is a trick that will neutralize taste of WW flour so folks who think they don’t like WW flour won’t notice it. Usually don’t need it with white whole wheat, but quinoa flour has a strong taste. Also the vanilla helped with that – would’ve only needed 1/2 tsp for half batch if all WW flour. Made 12 small, 4-inch pancakes that were very good. I’m sure the original recipe is Fantastic!. Take care when cooking – they burn easily. Thanks for the recipe. I’m sure I’ll use your original recipe too:)
Tasty & Healthy! I made a half-batch. Used 3/4 cup White Whole Wheat flour plus 1/4 cup Quinoa Flour. Halved the leavenings & salt. Wet ingredients; 1.5 tsp Honey, 1 egg, 3/4 cup + 2TBSP whole Buttermilk, 1 TBSP Virgin Coconut Oil, 1 large Banana. To cover the taste of Quinoa Flour I used 1 Tsp pure Vanilla extract & 1 TBSP Orange Juice. OJ is a trick that will neutralize taste of WW flour so folks who think they don’t like WW flour won’t notice it. Usually don’t need it with white whole wheat, but quinoa flour has a strong taste. Also the vanilla helped with that – would’ve only needed 1/2 tsp if all WW flour. Made 12 small, 4-inch pancakes that were very good. I’m sure the original recipe is Fantastic!. Take care when cooking – they burn easily. Thanks for the recipe. I’m sure I’ll use your original recipe too:)
Very good,
nutrition would be very helpful.
I’ll be honest I found these to be a little bland. It’s a good starting recipebut next time I might add some nuts or cinnamon.
Thank you! Your recipe was fun, easy, quick and Delish♡
Excellent!!
i added raspberry and it was delicious. but why do you make a hole?
Hi there. This should help: http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t–38829/well-method.asp.
Great recipe! I have a banana intolerance so I used applesauce instead, and it turned out great! We also added blueberries for extra sweetness.
How much applesauce did you use? I have a kiddo with a banana intolerance, too. Thanks!
I made these for the first time at a remote island cottage without electricity and they were a huge hit. I didn’t have honey so I used 2 tablespoons of brown sugar instead and I also used regular whole wheat flour. I would definitely use much less sugar next time although they were really good, even cold the next day. But being Canadian, we don’t skimp on the pure maple syrup, so they don’t need to be that sweet. We served them with fresh Ontario strawberries. Wonderful recipe.
These are SO GOOD! But I’m wondering, what does the well/hole do?
: ) This is probably more info than you need: http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t–38829/well-method.asp.
Outstanding! I added some blueberries and banana flavored protein powder as well and oh my goodness……excellent! Thanks for the recipe
So delicious
These are very yummy pancakes. Thanks for sharing the recipe. would This recipe work well as a bulk dry pancake mix and I take 1 cup of it and mix half the amount of the wet ingredients?
I don’t see why that would not work. :)
These pancakes make a great breakfast. Just add a little low sugar jam or butter on the top as I’m not a big fan of syrup. Very filling.
I was disappointed with these after following the recipe. There was no flavor at all, and I even added vanilla extract and cinnamon. I’ll give it another try though because it’s also my first time cooking with whole wheat flour so its possible that I have to acquire the taste. Next time I’ll try to increase the vanilla extract and honey and maybe add berries or slices of bananas as the first side cooks.
These are my favorite pancakes! They are super filling… I tend to add a bit of water to thin out the batter. It has become tradition in my household to make these. So yummy. Thanks for a great recipe!
As a PP said, these were the best banana pancakes I’ve ever made. I did add a bit of almond extract just to add a little nuttiness without adding nuts (my husband doesn’t like them). And being able to freeze them for a quick breakfast is awesome with a toddler in the house. Any time real food tastes this good, it’s a double win! Thanks for the recipe!
Could I make the batter ahead of time and freeze it?
You will lose the “lift” in the batter . It is better to cook them and freeze them.
I wanted to make these for my 11 month old but he hasn’t had honey yet, could I omit it completely? I am trying to keep them as “healthy” as possible and thought substituting syrup might be too sugary.
You can. You could also sub with maple syrup.
These were hands down the best banana pancakes I’d ever eaten. I used almond milk and buttermilk. I sprinkled cinnamon on to top them off. They were great! The wheat flour worked so very well.
Thanks. CJW
Love these pancakes! Having a friend over with lots of allergies (dairy, nuts). What can I substitute for the milk (no nut milks, please!)?
Soy or coconut?
Soy worked well. Thanks!
Wow, these were good! Made only half a batch and was able to freeze a bunch! My toddler gobbled them up! Thanks!
Great recipe. Thank you.
What could I substitute for egg? We have an egg allergy in our family.
Hi there. I’ve used “flax eggs” in pancakes successfully: Soak 1 tsp of flax seed in 4 tsp of water for 3 to 6min.
I found a recipe for flax eggs. I haven’t tried it yet, but it calls for 1 tbsp ground flax seed and 2 1/2 tbsp water. Mix and let sit for 5 minutes.
Wanted a healthy pancake recipe for my 2 year old and these were perfect!! I recently ran out of honey so I substituted 1 tbs of maple syrup. They were more delicious than regular pancakes in my opinion! Also so happy they made so many extra to freeze because now it’ll be a quick healthy breakfast for weekdays!
I made these this morning and they turned out perfectly!! I had some blueberries that were on their way out so I threw them on top. Delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Does anyone know how many servings there are? Or what the amount of pancakes per serving?
Hi. I usually get 10-12 pancakes out of this recipe. It serves 4-5.
I made these but for us the banana flavor was much too strong. My 10 year did not like them. I will stick with Gina’s recipe on Skinnytaste.
These are great and come out of the freezer so well
Can almond milk be substituted for the whole milk?
Yes, I use vanilla almond milk and they turned out great!
Thank you.
Can I make these into waffles instead?
Yes, I’ve made them as both. They do make a heavier waffle but they are delish.
Really fluffy pancakes. For added flavor, I add a teaspoon of vanilla and cinnamon. Alternatively, chocolate chips.
Love these! I add nuts to make them even more hearty! Can’t wait to try them with other ingredients
I have been making this pancakes since 2012. I make a bunch and freeze it. With blueberries or chocolate chips. It is my breakfast for the weekends. I love it!
I really wanted sugar free blueberry muffins and thought maybe this recipe would work as muffins since the pancakes always puff up so much. I omitted the honey and added a bunch of frozen blueberries to the mixture and omg these are the best muffins ever. Pancakes are yum too.
Do you have any nutritional information for these? Love this recipe!
Hi there. We do not provide nutrition information. This post helps explain why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/.
I just made these. I halved the recipe because it was only for me, used 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour and 1/3 cup almond meal, added 1/4 tsp cinnamon and used coconut milk. Yum! This one’s a keeper :-)
As suggested I doubled the butter added vanilla but instead of honey I have used molasses and added dark chocolate chips and walnuts, and sprinkle grated sugar and cinnamon on top before serving, my hubsy love it. Thanks for the recipe.
I just made this recipe and got 15 pancakes out of it. Love it. Have some frozen for quick breakfasts once school starts
Hello! I am very excited to say that i’m working on making mine and my families lives healthier. So far everything on your blog looks and sounds fantastic. I do have a question about this recipe. Do we know about how many pancakes it makes? I am aware you are feeding a family of 4 and have leftovers so I assume a pretty decent amount.
Hi there. I usually get about 10 out of this recipe.
Great pancakes, if you double the butter.
Delicious! When I first started trying Lisa’s recipes, I thought I was probably going to have to sacrifice a bit on the “taste” scale, but that was not the case, and definitely not with this recipe! My favorite pancakes, to date.
Just made these this morning, and they are fabulous! This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing.
I’m kind of disappointed because you talk about cutting out processed foods, but a lot of your meal plans require extremely processed foods.
Thanks for all the great recipes. My husband was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Since using your recipes and some from a few other “healthy eating ” sites, he now has normal sugar levels and his doctor said ” whatever your doing is working”! My whole family is benefiting from it. Thanks for helping us learn how to cook right and eat better. :)
Hi! Thanks for the great pancake recipe! I made a few small changes, and they really turned out delicious. Here is a blog post I made for this recipe if you want to see it: http://busymomrecipes.com/breakfast/whole-wheat-banana-pancakes/
It’s awesome to have such healthy ingredients taste so good :)
I love this recipe! I like to add just a teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of vanilla.
I just subscribed to this site and was quite excited to get “real food” recipes. However, just in the week 1 recipes I see several things that call for “whole wheat”. This is not real food. Research will tell you that wheat is so foreign to our bodies, our body doesn’t know what to do with it. It has been so modified over time, that it is NOT real food. It should be eliminated from everyone’s diet.
…
Can you site your “research”?
Our son cannot have bananas. Would this work with avocados, or is there another (still healthy) replacement we can try?
I’ve used pumpkin and I’ve used applesauce.
We weren’t necessarily in need if a new pancake recipe but we loved this! I’ve been hesitant to use whole wheat but I bought exactly what you said and were sold! Love that this recipe carries nutrition benefits and allows me to not feel guilty feeding my family
My first 100 Days of Real Food recipe! Its a win!
We have always made pancakes from scratch (but this was my first time using all whole wheat). We also freeze our leftovers pancakes and french toast because doesn’t love a quick and delicious breakast!! Our trick is the toaster. We heat them for about 6 minutes and try to initially cook them the perfect size for the toaster. They’re delicious reheated and almost a little cripsy!
How do you package them for freezing?
Cool completely and I ziplock back them in the gallon size bags. I find they don’t stick too badly and we usually eat them within a month anyway :) as much as I love to make things from scratch I find that I can only make so many things per day/week. Freezing and reheating is the final test of a great recipe! :)
I place wax paper between pancakes and put them in freezer zip lock bags.
I just made these pancakes for dinner. They came out supper yummy,
Since there are only two of us, I could the ingredient measurements in half.
I also used almond milk instead of milk, cacao butter instead of butter, and cage free eggs.
Hi! I’ve been following you on Facebook for years. I found you when I was reading “Skinny Chics Eat Real Food.” Love your blog!
Any way, I apologize if you answered this already, but there are a ton of responses and couldn’t go through all of them. I am lactose intolerant, so could I successfully replace the milk with almond or cashew milk?
Thanks!!!
Hi. Yes, you can.
Excellent!!!! I’ll make these often. The entire family loved them.
How would you adjust the liquid to make these as waffles? Is that possible?
Hi. This thread will help: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/5948/pancakes-and-waffles-what039s-difference.
YUMMMM. Stealing this idea!
Finally….my quest for the perfect (and healthy) pancake is over! Every Sunday is pancake day in our house, and every week I try a new recipe. All have fallen short of expectation….until this one! They came out so fluffy and moist with the perfect level of sweetness from the honey and bananas (the kids ate them with almost no syrup). Like a lot of other reviews, I did add a teaspoon of vanilla. I just tossed all the other pancake recipes….thanks Lisa!
Delicious! They do taste just like banana bread! Like someone else mentioned, I also add vanilla extract to the batter. And they do freeze well–I have some in my freezer right now!
Hi. My son is gluten sensitive. I’m wondering if he could eat this kind of wheat. What are your thoughts? He’s ADHD & gluten free seems to help, but at the same time it seems like gluten free junk.
Thank you!
Hi there. No, not if you are trying to avoid gluten. You can find whole grain gluten free blends that might be a better alternative.
These are my favorite recipe. LOVE them! I’ve made them numerous times and they always turn out great! I like to add vanilla to the batter. And I cook them in coconut oil if I’m low on butter. Today we made Mickey Mouse shapes per my little guy’s request. Thanks for a real food, real GOOD recipe!
I know Lisa doesn’t provide it on her recipes but does anyone happen to know the nutritional information on these? Or how to figure it out? We love them in our house, by the way!!
Hi Lindsay. Here is a useful tool: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator.
Yummmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would love to make these, but my son is allergic to eggs. Do you think we can just omit the eggs completely since the recipe calls for bananas? I know sometimes bananas can replace eggs. Thanks!
Never mind; I tried it, and it works just fine without eggs. Basically tastes like banana bread — yummy!
Most of the breakfasts aren’t gluten free. I react to all oats gluten free or not. Any alternatives or tips for using your meal plans if your gluten and dairy free?
Hi Dianna. I often substitute Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free (whole grain) flour blend, use almond milk, coconut oil, and, non-dairy yogurts, and bean pastas. These post might help, too: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/08/31/food-allergies-dairy/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/06/28/food-allergies/.
This just became my favorite pancake recipe! Absolutely delish!!!!
I have made these before and they are great! I was wondering if anyone has made them using ripe banana that they had previously frozen?
Thanks
Erin
Yep. I use thawed bananas often.
These are delicious! I LOVE pancakes, and I’m super picky about them. I have two from-scratch buttermilk pancake recipes that are awesome, but sometimes I try new ones that look good to see if I can top them. I tried these because I’m trying to eat healthier and incorporate more ‘real foods’ into our diet. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d like them because I thought the whole wheat flour would give them a dense, grainy texture. I was wrong! You can definitely tell they’re made with whole wheat flour because the texture is slightly different, and they aren’t as ‘airy’ as white flour pancakes. But I couldn’t believe how fluffy they came out! And – best of all – they taste great. They are better than restaurant-quality (and if I got these at a restaurant, I’d go back and order them again). Even my picky kids liked them. I can’t wait to try the batter in my waffle iron! p.s. It might be that I didn’t mix the batter well enough, but it was a bit salty (but once I loaded on the maple syrup, I didn’t notice it :) . This is a definite make-again (and again), but I will decrease the amount of salt next time to just ‘a pinch’. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
What is a serving size. Someone commented this makes 8 pancakes.
Hi Angie. I usually get 10-12 medium pancakes. I’d say that 2 are a good serving size.
Usually you can tell when a pancake needs to be turned because of all the bubbles. I found there were hardly any bubbles and the pancake was getting quite dark brown…any tips? :)
Hi. Yes, you might find these thicker and a little less likely to bubble. Just watch them closely and you can tell when they brown and firm up.
Made these yesterday as my first recipe from the book. I halved the recipe which made 8 pancakes. Since I’d already eaten breakfast, I packed one for lunch on the go, along with a tangerine. I enjoyed it cold sitting at a table outside a local “good food” store I was investigating for the first time.
I omit banana and replace with half can pumpkin purée and add a tsp or so of pumpkin pie seasoning. Makes amazing pumpkin pancakes!
Did they cook the same way and freeze as well? My husband loves pumpkin pancakes and I’d like to try this!
These were amazing. I subbed coconut oil instead of butter in batter and to cook them with. DELISH!!!