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.
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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. Try this Homemade Banana Bread for another way to use up overripe bananas!
Really ripe bananas have a stronger flavor, so keep that in mind depending on your preferences. You will love these Banana Pancakes with Protein and these Almond Milk Pancakes!
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
- Almond Flour Pancakes
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!
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!!!