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!
Carolyn says
I thought these would be just ok pancakes, they are whole wheat after all. But I have to say these are outstanding! Made them exactly as directed and they were light and fluffy and delish. My daughter loved them too. My husband has heartburn issues and won't touch anything with bananas. So next time I will try to make with applesauce. My thanks for a great recipe. I'm sitting here waiting for the leftovers to cool so I can pack them up for the freezer. I just couldn't wait to say how good they are.
Lindsay says
Made these tonight and the family gobbled them up! Tons leftover to freeze too. Thank you for your blog and inspiring my family that good food can be good for you too! Our girls are now food detectives...asking if there are any "red light ingredients" in their food before they eat. :-)
Christina says
I love this recipe and so does my son. I have been reheating the frozen pancakes in the toaster and it works ok, but interested in other ways that work well- suggestions?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Christina. If you defrost them overnight in the fridge, you can easily reheat them in the oven or on a griddle or pan. ~Amy
Emily says
Wow! All 5 of us love these. Made a batch on the weekend and a double batch today to freeze. I'm so happy that I don't have to use the old boxed mixes again. I didn't make any changes. I could even eat without syrup.
Do you think melted coconut oil would work instead if butter?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Yes, Emily. That will work. ~Amy
Renee V. says
WOW! Just made these, exactly as the recipe said and I have NEVER had better pancakes in my life! My 6 year old couldn't stop telling me how delicious they were! THANK YOU!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Bobbi. Over mixing pancake batter can make them rubbery and, because the bubbles go away, the batter more dense. ~Amy
Bobbi Schmidt says
Hi! I just attempted to make these, but with pumpkin instead of banana. I was just curious why you say not to over stir? What will happen? My batter came out pretty thick so I needed to add more milk to make it pancake consistency, so I ended up stirring quite a bit.
Stephanie says
These were awesome and easy! My 7 year old son made a double batch...with a little mommy help. We split it into 2 before adding bananas. To the 2nd batch we added organic pumpkin purée. After tasting a pumpkin pancake we decided to add a little more honey...just a tad, some cinnamon, and a little vanilla. ( These changes were only added to the pumpkin batch.) Both batches of pancakes....YUMMY!!! Now we have a freezer full for a quick, healthy breakfast!!
Kiel says
Lisa, I just wanted to let you know I've posted a gluten free version of your recipe on my blog, along with an added dairy free option. My son has wheat and peanut allergies, so I am always tweaking great recipes to make them allergy friendly for him. Hope you don't mind! I have linked back to this post so people can find the original recipe as well. :)
Kiel
http://lemonlaneblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/gluten-free-buckwheat-banana-pancakes-with-dairy-free-option/
Crissy says
My son is allergic to bananas. Is there anything i can substitute for bananas?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Chissy. You might try a mashed apple or a veggie puree like pumpkin. ~Amy
Kay says
Would anyone happen to know the estimated calorie count per pancake?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kay. We don't provide calorie/nutrition information. We really want readers focusing on eating real food. We share Michael Pollan's simple philosophy of "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.". Here are some posts which help explain: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/, https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/29/mini-pledge-week-8-stop-eating-when-you-feel-full/. There are many tools available online which can help calculate nutrition detail for recipes. ~Amy
Lauren says
These are excellent! I changed up the recipe a little, using soy milk and agave nectar instead of honey. Pancakes for everyone to enjoy: 10 month old, 2.5 year old, and mom& dad :)
adrian says
Boo. Agave nectar is highly processed and does not belong in this forum.
http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/
Hannah Sommers says
All I can say is WOW! I soaked the wheat, overnight, in 1 cup Kefir and 3/4 cup milk. I didn't have banana's on hand so I used 3/4th cup unsweetened apple sauce.I added the wet ingredients to the soaked flour and I forgot the butter. I whipped the egg whites to stiff peaks after adding the soda and baking powder and folded them in. These were the fluffiest, sweetest (not bitter AT ALL), most filling pancakes I have ever eaten! My kids, who won't touch whole wheat stuff, ate them and loved them! My son will normally eat 3 to 4 pancakes in a sitting. He came to me after 1 and 1/2 and said he was to full for more! :) Thanks a million! Oh, and I tried to subscribe but got no confirmation email, not even in my spam. Should I try again?
Kay says
So basically you made your own recipe...I hate reviews like yours, it tells me nothing about the actual recipe! It's all well and good that you created a new recipe that you found both tasty and healthy, but it has nothing to do with whole-wheat-banana pancakes!
Hannah Sommers says
Well, ouch, Kay! :( I was writing to Lisa, not you! Try them out and do your research. I did... They are good exactly like the recipe, too, if you like bananas and use the exact wheat that I used...
JP says
I absolutely agree with Kay and she's been polite in the reply stating that's fine about Hannah completely changing the recipes, but we didn't need (I'm saying that) to know as it does not give a fruitful reply regarding the recipe.
I'm here as a result of a specific search, I do not need nor want to know of another recipe at this moment. The "i was talking with Lisa" it's not appropriate. Unfortunately there is an abundance of these sidetracked mini blogs within blogs replies.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Hannah. Yes, try again. :) ~Amy
Ann says
Thanks Hannah, I actually cam to the blog posts looking for alternatives. We have have several different allergies we are dealing with in our home so I read posts looking for ideas when I can not make the recipe as written. Thank you for your suggestions.
Nicole says
Thanks Hannah, I LOVE reviews like that. That's actually half of the reason I look at the reviews. I love the recipes as they are, but I'm not a very creative cook, so I love seeing what some people do to tweek the recipes a little. So I have some ideas to try it a little different sometimes.
Ashley says
These have become a favorite of my family! I make them and freeze them for quick and easy breakfasts!
Jessica says
I was wondering if you have the nutritional values for all your recipes somewhere. I'm on a diet and would love to see how many calories each pancake has as this sounds like a great recipe. Please let me know, thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessica. We do not provide nutrition information on our recipes. We want people focusing on eating real foods/more whole foods and less on numbers. Here are some posts which help explain our philosophy: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/, https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/29/mini-pledge-week-8-stop-eating-when-you-feel-full/. There are many tools available online which can help calculate nutrition detail for recipes. ~Amy
Mari says
Would love to try these but my daughter has an egg allergy. Is there a substitute for eggs for this recipe?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Mari. Many readers substitute flax or chia for egg. Here is more information: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/flaxseed-egg-substitute.html. ~Amy
Rose Blahosky says
How many people do these recipes serve? I am trying to plan my meals next week using a free meal plan (thanks!), but I am concerned I have enough since the recipes don't state how many they serve?!?! We have a family of 4
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Rose. Typically Lisa's recipes are plenty for a family of four with some leftovers. ~Amy
Stacey says
These were (in the words of my 4-year-old), "AWESOME!!" :) Thank you for sharing this recipe! We also tried them with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top and they were great!
Lindy says
Fantastic! I added an extra banana, a little vanilla and 1 cup of summer squash since I had some from the garden. Outstanding!
Becky says
I made these last week and they were delicious! I made some substitutions to add protein and one of my kids is dairy free. I did 1c whole wheat flour and 1c almond flour and I substituted coconut milk and coconut oil for milk and butter. They turned out great. Definitely a grainy texture, but we like that.
Stephanie says
Made these this morning with 100% whole wheat flour. My husband said they were they best pancakes he's ever had!!! Thank you for the recipe!
Sarah says
Do you have a gluten-free flour alternative that you recommend?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Sarah. We don't have one in particular that we recommend. Look for whole grain flours such as brown rice, buckwheat, millet, and gf oats. Avoid the refined flours made with white rice, potato and tapioca starch among others. This post might help:https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/06/28/food-allergies/. Best of luck.
Donna says
I just made these for my kids (minus the bananas, we ate the last one yesterday). Yummy! My 2 year old and 3 year old just ate two each with a little maple syrup and strawberries on top. Thanks for this recipe and this website!
Jessica says
I was wondering about how much batter you use per pancake? & about how many pancakes the mixture typically makes you? Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessica. I would say each pancake uses about a quarter cup of batter. I usually get about a dozen from each batch. ~Amy
Gabby says
Would whole wheat party flour work?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Gabby. I've not used pastry flour for pancakes. The texture/density will be different. Let us know how they turn out. ~Amy
Emily says
I always use whole wheat pastry flour, for all of the 100 days recipes, including this one, and I feel like it comes out great. I think ww pastry is a great option for baking, seems to be less heavy than regular ww flour.
Erica says
OH MY GRACIOUS, did you say leftovers? I made recipe exactly as is, then after making half, I added pecans to the rest of the batter. They were wolfed down. Now I can family to eat something besides Aunt Jemima pancake mix. Thanks.
Kinsie says
These are the BEST pancakes! I make these all the time for my family and there are rarely leftovers to freeze. We went to a cabin with our extended family (6 adults and 10 kids) and everyone loved them. So many people asked for the recipe. I make these whenever we have company over for breakfast. Always a hit. :) Thanks for sharing!!
Emily says
This recipe is amazing! I've been searching for a fast, healthy, filling breakfast option and pulling a few of these out of the freezer is going to work great!
I only modified one thing: I ran out of milk today, so I used almond milk instead. I imagine it changed the consistency a bit, but you know what, they came out quite delicious!
Since this was a late night experiment and I of course had to try them, I actually had a "midnight snack" version and ate them with some one-ingredient peanut butter rather than syrup. Delicious!
Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Alison says
Tried these for "breakfast for dinner" last night and loved them. So did my husband and 1/3 kids. I did half whole wheat and half white. We will definitely make them again and maybe add some blueberries. Hoping the other 2 kiddos come around. :) Thank you for your recipes!
Jo says
I'm very interested in hearing the answer to Traci's question. Is it the white whole wheat that is the key to their texture? I don't have access to white whole wheat flour here.
I made pancakes this morning with 1c whole grain wheat flour and 3/4 cup cake and pastry flour and my husband said they tasted odd to him. Personally I liked them and the kids ate them but they tasted a little grainy and weren't as firm as normal pancakes. Any advice?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jo. The white whole wheat flour offers a finer texture while whole wheat can be more grainy. It can take time to adjust to the texture. If you prefer the finer/lighter texture but can't find it in a grocery store, you can order it online. Lisa usually purchases King Arthur's brand: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king -arthur-white-whole-wheat-flour-5-lb. ~Amy
Traci says
Does the texture turn out okay if you use regular whole wheat flour? Or is the "white whole wheat flour" a key to their texture?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Traci. The texture is lighter with the white whole wheat flour. ~Amy
Annmarie says
Finally got around to trying this recipe and it is yummy! The pancakes are fluffy and really good tasting! My son and I ate 2 each and then I froze the rest for healthy breakfasts on the run!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Sarah. I separate mine with parchment and put them in a ziplock. I do defrost them in the fridge over night. They will keep in the freezer up to 6 months, I'd say. ~Amy
Sarah says
Hi! How should the pancakes be frozen? Wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in a zip lock bag? Are they defrosted in the fridge or how should they be reheated? Finally, how long do they last in the freezer?
Thank you!
Katie says
I substituted half sprouted whole wheat and half oat flour as well as coconut milk and they were delicious! Thank you!! My family loves this recipe!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Mary. I usually thaw them overnight. A toaster oven works best but I've also heated them in the oven. ~Amy
Mary says
I was wondering what the best way to reheat the frozen pancakes is? I tried in the toaster and in the microwave and couldn't get them just right. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Also, I used gluten-free flour and they were still delicious!
Mariah says
I made these tonight for myself. I'm almost certain my husband would have protested the whole wheat. I don't have much pancake making experience so they are all a little burnt on one side (not so much that they can't be eaten). I had the heat on 4...I'm not exactly sure what number medium-high is. I like the subtle banana flavor and the moisture it added. I'll be eating the leftovers throughout the week. Then I will really know if I will make them again.
Wendy says
I made these tonight for dinner. They were very popular with my kids (Ages 4 and 2). My 4yo said they were the best pancakes ever! We had a ton of leftovers so meeting the pancake requests in the coming days will be a breeze! Thanks for this one!
Camisha says
Love Love Love this recipe. With the exception of my picky four year old my family really enjoy these pancakes. I made it for a Mother's Day breakfast and everyone wanted the recipe. I also feed it to my 11 month old without syrup and she gobbles it up. They freeze well.