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.
Want to Save this Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get great new recipes from us every week!
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. Check out these Healthy Blueberry Pancakes too!
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 teaspoon 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!
Melissa Leech says
I am new to your blog, and love your recipes and ideas. I was wondering if your recipe for pancakes and tortillas would work the same if using a spelt or kamut flour?
To better health,
Melissa
100 Days of Real Food says
I have not tried that yet myself, but you could certainly experiment!
Heather says
The best pancakes I have ever made! Thank you!
Jennifer says
Ooh, and my daughter also asked if I could make more to keep in the fridge for snack time, because "you don't even NEED syrup on them Mom". lol!.
Jennifer says
I made these for my kids tonight, thinking that at least one of them would not be impressed, lol! Amazingly, they all LOVED them, asked for seconds, and we upset that there weren't thirds :o) They can't wait for me to make them again for breakfast on Sunday so that Daddy can have some too :o)
When they were cooking, my 9 year old daughter came out of her bedroom and asked "MOM, WHAT is that AWESOME smell!"
So great to have SUPER GOOD and HEALTHY all in the same recipe :o)
Thanks!
Jennifer says
I just made these (for the 100th time) but added 1 tsp of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla and they were outstanding!
BobbieKG says
How long can you store these in the freezer before they need to be eaten?
Thanks!
100 Days of Real Food says
They will stay good for several months in a freezer safe container/bag.
Tina says
I made these for my kids this morning. As my 8 year old son was headed out to the bus, he turned around and asked me, "So how was that breakfast healthy?" I love it! Thank you so much for the recipe. They reminded me of a delicious banana bread.
Jennie says
My son (who was not a fan of the whole-wheat biscuits, but I'm going to try them again) LOVED these. I made them on my plattar pan, so mine were uniformly 3", and it made 35.
We defrosted some for this morning in the microwave. This one's a win!
(Oh btw, I made them with old bananas I'd thrown in the freezer. Easy peasy!)
melissa says
these were great! i love pancakes so i'm happy to have a healthy version. usually i feel like i ate a a ton of bricks after eating pancakes, but not these.
Vicki says
I also used olive oil in place of butter (dairy allergy)
Vicki says
I made these this morning, doubled the recipe (for a family of 8), used flax seed meal as an egg replacer (egg allergies), coconut milk instead of milk (milk allergy) and they were excellent! Im going to try some alternative flours next time. Thanks for the great recipe!
Aurora says
These were super-dooper yummy. Thanks so much!
Verity says
Just made these pancakes this morning. Were awesome! Such a nice change.
Karen says
Made these this morning for my pre-made pancake batter loving husband and 2 kids, including one super picky daughter and everyone loved them. I keep ripe bananas in the freezer so it was super easy. I'm freezing the leftovers for breakfast during the week, something I've always done but I'll feel better about these on a school morning than the white flour/sugar-filled kind. Thank you for the great recipes!
Jennifer says
I'm going to make a batch this weekend! I'm going to experiment with adding a little granola to the pancake when it's cooking (but before flipping) to recreate a dish from my fav brunch spot!
Jennifer says
I couldn't wait for the weekend! Made a batch tonight (no granola) - oh. my. yumminess! It's amazing how FULL I get on real food! I've struggled with overeating for a long time and this switch has helped me reduce my portion sizes to a more appropriate size. And, Lisa, THANK YOU for using butter to cook the pancakes! Made a yummy and healthy pancake even better :) Mmmm, butter :)
Kendra says
Made these this morning. Used 1 banana and added some frozen blueberries and they were delicious! By boys (age 5 and 1) loved them.
Nicole says
Best whole wheat pancake recipe we've tried! New favorite for our family. Thanks for sharing!
Missy Ann says
Such a great recipe, scaled it down to half for just me and my son this morning he loved it! The bananas in my freezer were getting out of hand and this will be a perfect thing to do with them! I just freeze any banana that gets too ripe for our tastes, throw it in the freezer and thaw it for about 20 minutes and use them in all my recipes! Just snip off the top and squeeze them into any recipe that requires a ripe banana. Yum.
Jennifer says
Glad I'm not the only one with a surplus of bananas in the freezer! I've been plugging through them by using 2 in my breakfast smoothies :)
Christine says
Missy Ann, I have a crazy question...when you freeze the bananas do you remove the peel first? I too find I have extras and never thought about freezing them. Thanks for the idea!
100 Days of Real Food says
Definitely remove the peels first :)
Helen says
Best Pancake Recipe I've ever made in 41 years of marriage. I loved them, grandkids loved them (all 3). I also used Coconut Oil for the last few to see which I liked best.
Liz says
Super light and fluffy - LOVE them!! By far the best pancake recipe I've come across. This is my second time making them and I substituted coconut oil for the butter and added a pinch of cinnamon and vanilla this time...so good.
Chris says
Terrific recipe! The bananas make them sweet enough that anything more than just a light drizzle of syrup would be overkill.
Christin says
I made these this morning and they were great. I had no maple syrup so I drizzled just a little honey on top - my 2 year old licked her plate clean and my 8 year old went back for seconds! Thanks for the great recipe.
ann-marie says
I just made these this morning and the whole family loved them!That's a hard thing to accomplish with six at the table. Thank you =)
Tracey says
Another hit! Thanks so much for all the great recipes!
Lindsey says
Tried these this morning- yum! Thanks so much!
beth G says
These were great. I now know what to do with my bananas when they are getting ripe.
Megan says
If all I have is salted butter would you just cut the salt in the recipe?
100 Days of Real Food says
Yes...that should work!
Kim B says
Making these for the second time right now!! Sooooo delicious! These have replaced our old recipe that called for white sugar. We make a whole bunch and keep them in the fridge for the whole week. Love love love your blog!
Stacie P says
Is there a special way you freeze these? Love your blog & meal plan.
100 Days of Real Food says
I freeze them between sheets of waxed paper in freezer-safe bags/containers.
Dana says
My families first day of whole, natural foods and I just made these pancakes! So glad I did! My boys (husband and two sons) LOVE pancakes. I am not a pancake fan typically, but these are incredible! I am so thankful for your recipes and I love the fact that I KNOW what is in these and feel wonderful about feeding them to my family! Please keep the recipes coming and thank you for starting your journey and being an inspiration for others!
JenS says
Just made these for breakfast this morning! Yummg...definately a keeper!
Laurie says
Super yummy!! Do you happen to know how many this recipe serves? Thanks!!
100 Days of Real Food says
It's about 5 - 6 servings.
Laurie says
Thank you!! How many servings do you think are in the whole wheat sandwich bread? p.s. I love your recipes!!
100 Days of Real Food says
Depending on how you cut it you should get at least a dozen slices.
Lynn says
These were great but really thick and dense. How can I thin out the batter? Just add more milk?
100 Days of Real Food says
You could try that or add a little less flour next time if you prefer a soupier batter.
Christy says
These turned out wonderful!! Much better than a mix, by far. We didn't have bananas, and coming off the holidays I had extra pureed pumpkin so used that instead. Added a tad more honey to replace the sweetness from the bananas, and used coconut oil instead of butter. Wow! LIght, fluffy, and Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Heather says
We had breakfast for dinner last night. My kids LOVED these. So delicious. Even my pickiest eater asked for seconds! THANK YOU!
Starr says
My family loved these! Replaced the banana with 1/2 cup of applesauce. Yum!
Michelle says
I made these this morning for my 2 and 4 year old and when I asked how they liked them the 2 year old said "they make me happy"! Love it. Thanks!
Alejandra says
OMG!!! Lisa thank you SO MUCH for sharing the recipe. The pancakes are not only delicious but very moist :) It has become my kid's favorite pancake recipe. I am not the type to write reviews but I just couldn't resist with this recipe. I have add your website to my favorites, thanks again!
Jen says
We had breakfast for dinner tonight and I made these. My husband, who isn't generally a fan of my "healthy" food, said these were 100% better than he expected and he'd eat them again. Success! Bwahahaha! My master plan for keeping him alive as long as possible is working!
{leah} says
These were so good!! Thank you! And probably the easiest pancakes that I had ever made. I'm excited to try all the variations that were mentioned!!