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. 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!
Meagan G says
These are delicious! I made a berry syrup to put on them, mmmm!
Anna says
This is the third weekend in a row I have made these! They are perfect to freeze and have during the week for breakfast. I reheat them in my toaster oven while I'm getting ready for work and I get to enjoy a hot, homemade, DELICIOUS meal before running out the door. I love the banana flavor! Not that it needs anything more, but one day I might add a 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts to the batter...
Sandra says
Made these for dinner last night. AWESOME! I may never make banana bread again, using all the bananas for these. My teenager said they are "different" at first (think it was the no sugar aspect), but decided they are good. My eight year old helped make them and loved them.
Christi says
I just finished making and eating these and they are WONDERFUL! My kids gobbled them up and asked for more!
alexia says
I make these every weekend, they are the best pancakes and are so easy! We serve them with maple syrup flavored whipped cream.
Sharon says
These have been a standard of ours for a few months -- since I decided to get away from mixes. Not only do I use bananas, but I also put in applesauce and pumpkin for my picky eaters. Sometimes I use regular milk, today I used almond milk since that's what I had on hand. My kids like sweet and "dry" pancakes, so I put a little extra maple syrup into the batter. I also add about 3/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, and then a few chocolate chips as a "decoy" for those picky eaters. My kids at 7 (small) pancakes each for breakfast.
Julie Fraser says
How do you figure out the calories in these? Trying to watch my weight :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Julie. We don't track the nutritional content of our recipes. You can read more about it here, specifically #9...#9 https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/. Jill
Shauna H says
Made these today and they were delicious! We are no strangers to whole wheat, we actually prefer it. But I have not made much of my own baked goods with it. These pancakes were perfect and even my picky stepson ate four of them! And they do taste just like fresh banana bread. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes!
Tanya says
I made these today because my daughter wanted pancakes so badly (usually a treat on the weekends). They were good and we enjoyed them but I feel like something was missing. Are they supposed to be thick, I tried to thin them out a bit, so I could spread them out a bit more, but didn't work too well and they came out pretty thick, and my husband thought they were a bit dry and he had to use extra syrup. I told him that's not a bad thing :-) but I think if they were thinner they wouldn't taste so dry. Any recommendations for thinning them out a bit more? Thanks!!!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Tanya. Yes, you can add more milk to the recipe. I usually add 2 cups and then adjust as needed. Jill
Kristie M says
Day 2 of my 100 day challenge and these are amazing!! I didn't even need the maple syrup, they are sweet and moist just the way they are. Added half a grapefruit for a yummy and filling breakfast. Plus, it's just me, so lots left over to freeze!!
Kristie M says
OH....and you would never know they are whole wheat!!
Laura K says
These sounds fabulous! However is baking power something to be alarmed about? I was reading the ingredients and it has cornstarch, sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum, monocalucium, phosphate. All okay right?
Sarah C says
The sodium bicarbonate and monocalcium phosphate are what makes it baking powder. Argo makes an aluminum free baking powder and there are other brands as well.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Laura. You can get an aluminum free baking powder...I know Rumford makes one as does Whole Foods. Jill
Laura K says
thank you so much ladies! I truly love this website and it is saving our lives!!!! literally :) Do you prefer aluminum free?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Yes, we use aluminum free and non-GMO baking powder. Jill
Colleen says
You should really update any recipes calling for baking powder. Users are not going to automatically know that they should be on the lookout. Also, an easy way to sub baking powder is to mix cream of tartar and baking soda.
Alie H says
Not sure why but medium - high heat was too much when I made these today - burnt almost immediately. Once I lowered it to medium low all went great - easy!
Vanessa says
Thanks for posting! We enjoy these almost on a weekly basis. Our 18 month old loves them and so do mom and dad:) love all of your posts...very informative.
kris says
Love these. Made them for the 4th or 5th time and love having them to freeze! I add a little extra honey and my girls eat them without syrup! Thanks for a great recipe!
Lindsay says
Great recipe! My pickiest eater (3 years old) who hardly eats anything LOVED them!
Irene says
I made them according to the directions (substituting maple syrup for the honey), I like a thicker pancake so our family enjoyed these on Christmas Eve
Haley S says
These were SO SO good! Making them for Christmas Breakfast in the morning!
Kristi says
My son was jonesing for pancakes and that is usually my husbands specialty but its made with a mix. So I remembered this recipe, looked it up, pulled the ingredients, defrosted some frozen nanners and VOILA! My 11 year old son loves them and so do I!!
Maliha says
Really good! Made these with one banana (the other got eaten in the process) and honey. Delicious!
Sarah says
I make these almost every weekend. We love them! We almost double the milk because they are so thick, but I love how crispy they get. We love them with blueberries. This morning I was out of bananas, so I substituted peanut butter and chocolate chips. It's like having a cookie for breakfast! They came out a bit dry, so next time I'll use a banana or some applesauce. Its great to have some pancake variety!
Stephanie says
I have to be honest - I wanted to love these pancakes since bananas are pretty much my favorite food. And the base flavor was good. But they just seemed so... dry! I had to add a little extra soy milk (no dairy here, thank you) just so it was thin enough to plop onto the pan, but even then it was still quite thick. Is that normal for these, or do you have a suggestion to make them not as dry? More milk is all I can come up with...
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Stephanie. My family likes thinner pancakes, so I actually add quite a bit more milk to these. I think that helps with them being a little more moist as well. Jill
Elizabeth says
Made these this morning for my son and I. They were delicious!
sam says
These pancakes are so so so good! Thanks you soo much for the recipe! seriously. delicious.
Erin says
I just made the pumpkin version with bobs gluten free baking mix. Kids loved them and I have finally finished using up the whole pumpkin we roasted!
joann says
Can you substitute whole splet four?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Joann. You could certainly give it a try...I think it would work. Jill
Lisa says
Yummmmm! Just made these for the first time with a few modifications: used 1/4 cup of wheat bran & 1-3/4 cups of multi-grain whole flour, agave instead of honey, soy & rice milk, sunflower oil, 3 bananas, chopped walnuts... very light & delicious! will try this base for blueberry next time. Just 2 of us, so I have 12 nice size pancakes going into the freezer.... Thanks!
Alyson says
My kids LOVE these...so this weekend I switched it up a bit and substituted 2/3 cup of pureed pumpkin for the bananas and added 1 tsp Cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp each of ginger and cloves. YUMMY. Perfect for fall :) Thanks for the inspiration.
Paula Perez says
Made these as directed except used rice milk because I had no cow milk on hand. They were fabulous! Made a yummy dinner after a hard day!
Danielle says
Hi, I'm severely allergic to bananas. Do you have any other friut suggestions?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Danielle. You can pretty much substitute whatever you like, or you can just leave them out all together. Jill
Maria says
Best pancakes ever. WE left out the bananas because my kids ate them before I could get them in the batter. I also used honey like stated.
Amanda says
I was wondering if I could substitute maple syrup for the honey in the batter? Could I omit the honey all together? I'd like to make these pancakes for my 9 month old son, but I'm avoiding giving him honey (especially since I get the raw unfiltered honey). Thanks
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Amanda. I think either omitting it or substituting the maple syrup like you suggest would be just fine. Jill
Sile says
I added a sprinkling of cinnamon to the batter. Totally put it over the top for me! This is definitely going into my breakfast rotation! Yum!
April says
I tried these pancakes this morning, a bit nervous because the last time I gave my husband wheat pancakes he turned his nose up at them. He loved these! Said they were more cake-like & tasted like banana bread! We are already thinking of alternative flavors (pumpkin, apple cinnamon, berry).
A question I had- do you know how they compare with regular pancakes? There are a few ladies at the church I have mentioned this 'real food' to and they seem pretty interested. However, I know at least one of them that won't bother with the 'extra work' without knowing how much if a difference it makes nutritionally. I figure I will start with the pancakes with her because they are super tasty and something she makes regularly (they even have pancakes for dinner sometimes)! Thanks for any help you can give!
Sile says
If you're worried about the easy factor, they are just as easy as regular pancakes! I've made my usual pancakes from scratch for years. While they were better than from a mix, they weren't as good for you as these.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi April. I'm not sure if you are referring to nutritional content, like calories, fat, etc.? We don't track that sort of information. If you are asking about whole wheat vs. white flour, I would direct you to share this information with her....https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/07/22/understanding-grains/. Glad you guys enjoyed the pancakes. Jill
Michelle says
It's 12 midnight and I decided that I wanted to try making these pancakes!! Wow wow wow!! They are soooo delish! My dd is going to Love love love them! Thank you for posing such a great recipe!
Morgan says
Made these this morning for Sunday brunch (my first time EVER making pancakes from scratch) and cannot get over how delicious they are. My partner is a (banana) pancake fiend, usually with instant pancake mix, and he raved about how good they tasted. So glad we have found a clean, healthy middle-ground to enjoy pancakes together! I topped mine with agave, cinnamon, and a little natural PB. Love your blog!!
Carrie says
I made these pancakes and added a little cinnamon and vanilla extract. I then topped them with sautéed finely chopped apples mixed with cinnamon and a little maple syrup. My husband actually hugged and congratulated me after we ate :0).....They were awesome. Good thing because I ended up with 17 pancakes and there is only two of us......we will be eating them a few more times this week.
Alice Fusco says
Yum! And instead of maple syrup, we top with Benecol light (the plant stanols are known to improve cholesterol profiles) do a very light dusting of powdered sugar and LOTS of berries and banana slices on the side. The powdered sugar takes very little to add sweetness; we find we take in a lot fewer calories with that than with the syrup. Of course, the syrup is delicious!
If you serve with an equal volume of berries and bananas, you'll be getting lots of nutrients in there and the meal won't be quite so carby. Yum!!
Alisa says
But wheat is bad for you.
Timanda says
Awesome recipe. I've made them twice now--once with bananas and once without. In lieu of maple syrup, I tried topping them with a bit of natural peanut butter and a little all-fruit (no added sugar) preserves. That was pretty amazing.
I'm looking forward to trying the pumpkin idea that another commenter suggested.
Heather says
Really Yum just as written, another A+!