Serve up a balanced mix of complex carbs and protein with these delicious Banana Oatmeal Pancakes. Bonus: The leftovers reheat so well, and they’re delish with or without maple syrup.
Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
We tend to have very ripe bananas lingering on the shelf come the weekend, so I regularly turn them into these super yummy pancakes. Very ripe bananas are very sweet and add moisture to pancakes—as well as delicious flavor.
These healthy pancakes have a soft texture that’s easy for even little kids to chew, and they’re satisfying for adults, too.
And they’re great with my easy Caramelized Bananas.
Your toddler won’t eat? Help is here!
Sign up for our email updates to get tips and ideas sent to your inbox.
Protein Pancakes
These banana pancakes include whole grains from rolled oats, banana with its potassium and fiber, eggs with protein and fats that kids need for proper development, and whole grain flour. The method for making them is as simple as mashing the bananas and stirring the ingredients together!
While these don’t have protein powder, they do have plenty of protein to help fuel little bodies. The protein from the eggs and milk balances out the complex carbohydrates, and there’s about 10 grams per serving. This ensures that energy from this meal will last straight through the next snack or meal time.
TIP: These freeze really nicely for future meals!
Ingredients You Need
To make these Banana Oatmeal Pancakes, here’s a look at what you’ll need:
- Ripe medium bananas: Some brown spots indicate that the bananas are ripe, sweet, and flavorful.
- Whole wheat flour: This flour has fiber and whole grains and produces fluffy pancakes when combined with the rest of the ingredients.
- Rolled oats: I add oatmeal to the batter for extra fiber and whole grains. It blends right in, no blender needed.
- Baking powder: This helps ensure the pancakes fluff up nicely when cooking.
- Cinnamon
- Eggs: I use large eggs in this recipe. You can also use a store-bought egg replacer as needed for allergies.
- Milk: You can use dairy or nondairy milk.
- Vanilla extract
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a quick look at the process involved in making these pancakes. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Mash the bananas until very smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.
- Stir together gently but thoroughly.
- Drop ¼ cupfuls of batter onto a warm pan and cook until you see bubbles form around the edges.
- Flip and cook for a few additional minutes. Serve warm!
TIP: The oats soften in the batter and are fairly undetectable in the finished pancakes, which is a plus (as you probably know) with many kids.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can totally use buckwheat flour or a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend instead of the whole wheat flour to make these gluten-free.
Absolutely, you can freeze leftovers. Let them cool fully on a wire rack or a plate and store them in a freezer container or a bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Warm in a single layer on a heat-safe plate in the microwave in 15 second increments until heated through.
If you need to make these pancakes egg-free, you can omit the eggs. Then, add 1 tablespoon chia seeds or ground flaxseeds and ¼ cup additional milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes before you start making the pancakes. Spread them very thin to ensure that they cook all the way through.
(You can also try my Vegan Banana Pancakes.)
How to Store
To store leftovers, let pancakes cool and store for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Or freeze up to 3 months in a zip-top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible.
Best Tips for Success
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for optimal sweetness.
- Mash the bananas smooth for a smooth final texture.
- Use rolled oats (rather than steel cut) for the best final texture.
- Be gentle when stirring the batter to avoid overworking the batter.
- Spread the batter out in the pan so the pancakes are fairly thin. This helps them to cook through.
- Let cook until you see bubbles form around the edges and the edges appear set. Then carefully flip over.
- If the pancakes are browning faster than they are setting up, turn the heat down a smidge.
- Serve with Caramelized Bananas, maple syrup, yogurt, nut butter, or any toppings you like.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe if you try it, so please chime in below in the comments!
Favorite Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe medium bananas (about 2 cups sliced)
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk (dairy or nondairy)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Mash the bananas until smooth.
- Add bananas to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients except the butter. Gently stir together.
- Warm a nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add a small bit of the butter, melt, and spread it around the pan.
- Drop ¼ cupfuls of batter onto the pan and spread out thinly to about 1/4-½ inch think. Cook for about 3 minutes or until you see bubbles on the surface on the pancake. Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Continue to cook the rest of the batter.
- Serve warm with Caramelized Bananas, maple syrup, yogurt, nut butter, or any toppings you like.
Video
Notes
- To store leftovers, let pancakes cool and store for up to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Or freeze up to 3 months in a zip-top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible.
- Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free rolled oats and gluten-free cup-for-cup flour blend.
- Dairy-free: Use nondairy milk and oil in the pan instead of butter.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs and add 1 T chia seed to the batter and an additional ¼ cup milk. Spread thinly to ensure they cook through.
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for optimal sweetness.
- Mash the bananas smooth for a smooth final texture.
- Spread the batter out in the pan so the pancakes are fairly thin. This helps them to cook through.
- Let cook on the bottom until you see bubbles form around the edges and the edges appear set. Then carefully flip over.
- If the pancakes are browning faster than they are setting up, turn the heat down a smidge.
Nutrition
This post was originally published April 19, 2019.
My daughter absolutely loves these! Can I freeze the batter? It makes such a huge amount for us, so I end up spending ages in front of the stove finishing the batter – would love to be able to freeze for later.
You can freeze it in an ice cube tray and then cook from frozen over very low heat next time around.
Hi! Can you bake these on a rectangular sheet pan? I really don’t enjoy standing and flipping. I’m just not good at it.
I think so! I usually do 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes on a greased sheet pan
These turned out great! Would this work well for a waffle batter if I just added some melted butter to the mix? Thank you!
Sure!
Could you also add the quantity of each ingredients that are used
The recipe is always at the end of the post.
My 2 year old loved these!! I love that they are full of protein. We also snuck in a few chocolate chips 🙂 They aren’t as fluffy as traditional pancakes and a bit more dense but nonetheless I would make again and have a stack for the freezer! Thank you.
Do you think I can make this with Oat flour ?
I haven’t tried that but possibly!
Hi,
I made these pancakes, but with wholemeal spelt flour as that’s what I had. They turned out very dry and not fluffy at all. Any idea why? I want to try now the sweet potato pancake recipe, do you think I can use spelt flour in there? Should I change proportions of other ingredients?
Many thanks.
Hi- it’s possible that they needed a little more liquid due to the way spelt flour absorbs it. If the batter is very thick, I would add 2-4 more tbsp milk to thin it out. That should help.
I’ve made this recipe countless times and keep coming back. I won’t make a different type of pancake since using this recipe!
Can you make these in the sheet pan?
Is white whole wheat flour the same as whole whole wheat flour when it comes to cooking/baking time? (It’s what I have on hand) Sorry for the silly question. Lol!
Your recipes are fantastic…looking forward to trying this one.
Can I add spinach to these?
Probably! You might want to blend it with the wet ingredients so it’s incorporated smoothly
Super easy to make and my toddler is currently eating them right up!
Delicious!!! My 2 and 4 year olds loved these! My 4 year old only wants cereal for breakfast, I was so excited to try this for her. She took a bite and said “yummy!” I’m always looking for ways to get protein into her. I tasted these too and they are wonderful for the whole family! Thank you for another family recipe!
I wanted to note that since my kids are pretty picky I took all the dry ingredients and blender them in my vita mix to make it really smooth. Wonderful recipe!
I’m so glad to hear it!
These turned out well, but were a little bland for our taste at first. I added some melted butter and a few dashes of salt to the batter for the second batch and then it was just right for us. I think next time we might try the egg-free version to see how we like that. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I use this recipe to make pancakes for my toddler , she loves it , i take everything in quarter to make smaller batch (except egg , which i just take 1 small ) plus i tried adding some cottage cheese and whey instead of milk that made it even better.
And i am really happy that i dont have to add any kind of sweetner. Banana does the perfect job.
Thankyou for the recipe 😍
You forgot to add her Phuppo also loves them just as much as your toddler 😂