If you even remotely like banana bread then you will absolutely love these whole wheat 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.
Tips and tricks for making fluffy, delicious whole wheat banana pancakes
If you haven’t made homemade banana pancakes before, you’re in for a treat! They’re the perfect amount of sweetness for a delicious Sunday brunch or, especially when frozen, an easy, healthy meal for busy mornings.
Are these banana pancakes healthy?
These banana pancakes are definitely a healthier option compared to regular pancake recipes. I make all my recipes with real food ingredients, including using whole wheat flour and adding no refined sugar (with a few “treat” recipe exceptions).
When I serve pancakes to my family I also add other healthy options, such as fresh fruit on the side, to make it a complete meal.
What is the best kind of whole grain flour to use in pancakes?
I don’t use anything special in this pancake recipe, just the regular King Arthur’s brand organic whole wheat flour that goes into most of my baking. We always use whole grain flour in our house, and we prefer its unique taste and texture.
However, if you aren’t a fan of regular whole wheat flour you can try using whole wheat pastry flour instead. Whole wheat pastry flour is milled from softer wheat and has a similar taste and texture to all-purpose flour, but without being highly processed.
Can these whole wheat pancakes be made with overripe bananas?
Besides banana bread, banana pancakes are one of my favorite ways to use up overripe bananas. You can use fresh bananas that are too ripe to eat or thaw a couple of overripe bananas that have been previously frozen.
Really ripe bananas have a stronger flavor, so keep that in mind depending on your preferences.
Can I substitute something for the banana in this recipe?
If you have a banana allergy, no bananas on hand, or just don’t like bananas, you can swap them out for some pureed fruit or veggies. Applesauce or jam will both work, or you could also use pureed sweet potatoes or pumpkins, too. (Seriously!)
Anytime you add a fruit or vegetable puree to a recipe it does affect the flavor, so make sure you like the taste of whatever you’re substituting with. Some purees will alter the pancake color too.
Bananas in this recipe can be substituted with 1 cup of your choice of mashed or pureed fruit/veggies.
How to tell if whole wheat banana pancakes are ready to flip
You can flip your pancakes when the edges start to brown and the middle firms up enough to hold the shape when flipped. Cooking time varies depending on pancake size and cooking surface, but it’s usually between 2 and 4 minutes per side.
Variation ideas for whole wheat banana pancakes
I think these banana pancakes are great as-is, but if you’re feeling adventurous there’s a few variations you can try to change things up.
Add vanilla or cinnamon
Both vanilla and cinnamon are great at enhancing the other flavors, especially the sweet ones. If you feel like your banana pancakes could use a little something extra, experiment with 1 tsp of vanilla, cinnamon, or both.
Banana and blueberry (or any berry) pancakes
I love topping banana pancakes with berries, but you can also add some inside your pancake batter. Blueberries, strawberries (cut in small pieces), raspberries, and blackberries all taste great in pancake batter!
How to freeze leftover pancakes
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 in the microwave, 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.
Check out some of my other favorite breakfast and brunch recipes:
- Whole Wheat French Toast
- Whole Wheat Pecan Maple Cinnamon Rolls (no refined sugar)
- Whole Wheat Cereal Bars
- Breakfast Casserole Bites
- Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes
- Whole Wheat Oven Pancake
- Whole Wheat Waffles
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!
Awesome pancakes!! I’ve done them four times now, last time I substituted one cup of whole-wheat flour with oat flour and they still taste wonderful, I could eat them everyday!
I love these pancakes! Tomorrow I am going to make them with maple syrup instead of honey since it’s all I have and coconut oil in place of the butter and I’m wondering if that will work out okay?!
Hi. Yes, the subs should work fine.
Best I have ever had. Swapped out milk with unsweetened almond milk.
Love this pancakes, they’re so fluffy! Only downside is they tasted like the baking powder or soda too much. Any advice? We had about 2 pancakes per person. We are a family of 6! I used coconut oil instead of butter n I used almond milk and they where still so good and fluffy!
Hi Elena. Well,if you use less leavening, the fluffy factor might decrease. You might try reducing it and using 3 egg whites vs the 2 whole eggs…but it would be an experiment.
I will try that. I still love these over any other pancake recipe. My 3 year old twins love them to. They eat them as a snack. :)
Does it have serving sizes anywhere? Or about how many pancakes this makes?
Hi Sharie. No, sorry. That is not information that we provide. This post helps explain why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/.
Can I make the batter tonight and cook these up in the morning?
Hi Shayla. They are best if you make the batter and cook immediately. Leaving the batter overnight will result in flat (not fluffy) pancakes.
honestly, I love these just plain. The sweetness of the banana and the bit o’ honey is just perfect. No extra calories or fat needed :)
These banana pancakes are fantastic! They are just as good re-heated the next day. They are great with butter and syrup or just by themselves!
was pretty dry..strange consistency. eh. Added some more butter and milk and that helped a bit.
I made it without the honey. so wonderful and tastes so good. Thank you.
Then first time I made these, I made them with bananas and thought they were delish. Today, instead of bananas, I used 1 cup of homemade applesauce. Omg! So good. I liked it better than bananas. Thanks again, Lisa, for all your wonderful recipes.
This was our first meal of our 10 day challenge! My seven year old ate three of them, topped with the maple syrup we made last March. Yum!
Has anyone tried coconut oil instead of the melted butter? I make these all the time & LOVE them!! But I was just curious if the coconut oil would work?
Hi Kelly. It will work: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/.
Awesome fluffy pancakes, definitely a repeat
How do you recommend freezing the pancakes? Wax paper between each pancake and then in a Ziploc?
Hi Maria. That’s what I do. ;)
Make that a 1/2 cup of applesauce.
I used 1/4 cup of applesauce in lieu of the bananas. Used 1tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp water to sub for one egg. Also only used 1 1/2 cups of milk. Worked great. This has become my new pancake recipe. Thanks.
what a great recipe it has become a Saturday morning tradition! We do half whole wheat flour and half oatmeal now. strawberries and blueberries are a nice addition too.
Sorry I hit send too soon, and how many pancakes constitutes a serving? Thank you very much!
Hi Amy. It yields about a dozen medium size pancakes. My kids usually eat one or two. :)
I loved this recipe! It is easy to adapt as well. I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour, and 1 cup of buckwheat flour. I also used 1 cup milk and 3/4 cup chocolate almond milk. Everything else stayed the same. They were FABULOUS!
Thanks for helping me feed my family REAL food!
I’m sorry if this question has already been asked, but can you add sweet potatoes to this recipe? If so, how much would you add? Would you sub it instead of the bananas or add it in addition to? Thanks for the help!
Hi Brenda. I would sub 2/3 cup pureed sweet potato for the banana. I’ve done the same with pumpkin and added a tad more honey for a bit of added sweetness.
My kids love these pancakes. Would the recipe work with coconut flour as well? Thanks.
Hi. We’ve not tried. If you experiment, let us know. :)
I used vanilla agave (that is what I had on hand) instead of honey and added protein powder….. Oh geez they are good. And I made extra large pancakes and waffles!!! My 4 year old are his up with some frozen fruit added in the batter too!! Mom scores, thank you!!
I made these just this morning. I normally use the “Just add water!” box mix and put a 1/2 cup or more syrup on my 3 large pancakes while my 2 year old will eat 5-6 small/medium and continue asking for more. This morning I made each of us the same size pancakes (about DVD size) and my children loved them! My 2 year old couldn’t quite finish one and I had a hard time finishing 2. My 8 month old ate about 1/2 one. The first meal of our 10 day real food challenge was a success!
These are amazing! My kids loved them!! I was hoping they’d be good because they, of course, love pancakes, but I’ve been avoiding making them since we went sugar free, and non processed! Can’t wait to get your cook book! THanks!!!
When you mention to freeze the leftovers, do you mean the batter?
Hello Emily. No, freeze the cooked pancakes.
These turned out to be amazing! I added some unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon for a little more flavor- so yummy. My family is starting to come on board with eating whole wheat!
We absolutely loved these pancakes! I actually only had one egg left in the fridge and they still came out great :) I added some chopped pecans to the mix too and it was seriously delicious- We ate them as soon as they came off of the skillet without adding any syrup or anything. Perfect recipe to do up on a weekend morning, thank you!
What is the best way to defrost?
Hi Cassi. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
I made this recipe for waffles this morning. They were delicious! I didn’t have whole wheat flour on hand so I used 1&1/2 cups of spelt flour and a 1/2 cup of 7 grain flour instead. Still turned our great!! My hubby didn’t even notice they were whole grain waffles! Yum!
Love! Love! Love these pancakes! I make them all the time & my VERY picky husband absolutely loves these pancakes. Haven’t told him yet that they are good for him! These freeze very well!
My daughter is allergic to fructose so she cannot have honey, do you think I could use the maple syrup inside the pancakes as a substitute? She cannot have apple sauce either, so that is not an option.
Hi Ann. Yes, you can sub maple syrup for honey. :)
Can these be made without the banana? I love this recipe but my husband doesn’t like having fruit added to the mix (actually he just said he doesn’t like it – he never actually tried it – :rolleyes:). Are the bananas necessary for texture and/or sweetness or are they just for added banana flavor?
Hi Beverly. I would say it is for all of the above reasons. You can use this waffle recipe as pancakes: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/07/23/recipe-whole-wheat-waffles/. I do it all the time. ~Amy
These are awesome! I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and added blueberries. Leftovers are in the fridge for breakfast tomorrow. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi I was going to make these up this weekend and was wondering if you had the nutritional info on them? I have to calculate how many carbs I am eating bc I am diabetic. Thanks for your time!
Hi Whitney. Sorry, we do not provide nutritional information. This post helps explain why: https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/how-much-do-we-need-each-day/serve-sizes. You can use an online tool like My Fitness Pal to calculate those kind of details. ;)
This is a awesome recipe! I have made as is in the past & this weekend I made a couple changes to suit my family’s tastes & needs- I used Vanilla Almond Milk instead of cows milk- Added a tablespoon of cinnamon & also used coconut oil for the pan instead of butter. Excellent! I love this website & cookbook- it has changed my life!!
I also left out the bananas this time.
For the vegan’s out there I switched out the egg with a flax seed replacer and used almond milk. Still great – in fact better in my opinion. This will be a regular with our family.
I love this recipe! Could I switch out 1 cup of the whole wheat flour for quinoa flour to add some protein?
Hi Christal. We’ve not tried subbing with quinoa. Here is an example of a quinoa pancake recipe: http://www.deliciousasitlooks.com/2013/06/quinoa-flake-or-oatmeal-pancakes.html. ~Amy
Hi Lisa,
I’ve been steadily transitioning to “real” food ever since my discovery of your blog. My last holdout was breakfast, because I love, love, love Kashi frozen blueberry waffles. This week, I finally bought a waffle maker and made a batch of these instead (love your cookbook, by the way! especially all the slow cooker recipes!). I love that the outsides of the waffles come out crunchy, with the inside soft and banana-flavored. Now if only I could stop drinking Diet soda.
I made these this morning. I didn’t have bananas so I used a jar of my homemade cinnamon applesauce. My kids loved them! Going to have to make another batch to freeze. They didn’t leave any leftovers!