Banana Pancakes

Banana Pancakes
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(1,864)
Notes
Read community notes

For the fluffiest results, be sure to mix this banana-and-buttermilk pancake batter as minimally as possible. Fold it just until streaks of flour have disappeared but not enough to smooth out the lumps. As they sizzle in plenty of melted butter, they will puff up and develop crisp edges and fluffy, tender interiors. Keep the cooked pancakes warm on a rack in a 200-degree oven while cooking off the rest of the batter and they will all stay hot and ready for serving.

Learn: How to Make Pancakes

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2cups/256 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2tablespoons (light or dark) brown sugar
  • 2teaspoons baking powder
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • cups/300 milliliters buttermilk
  • 1cup/230 grams mashed banana (from 2 to 3 very ripe bananas)
  • 2large eggs
  • 3tablespoons/43 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus more as needed
  • Maple syrup (optional), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

500 calories; 13 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 85 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 28 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 612 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, banana, eggs and melted butter until smooth.

  2. Step 2

    Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Use the whisk to fold the batter together, but stop before the mixture is smooth and fully combined. The batter should be lumpy. Set the batter aside to rest.

  3. Step 3

    Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium. Add about 1 tablespoon of butter and let it melt and start to bubble. Working in batches, drop about a scant ¼ cup per pancake in the heated pan. Let cook until the edges are set and bubbles start to appear in the center, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the pancakes are set throughout, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Wipe out the pan if the butter starts to burn, then repeat, cooking off the remaining batter and adding butter between batches as needed.

  4. Step 4

    Serve pancakes warm, with butter and maple syrup, if desired.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,864 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

These look great, but I'm here to share a shockingly simple & satisfying alternative: mash one banana, mix in one egg, and pour into a pan and proceed as you would a regular pancake. Which it surprisingly resembles.

Very tasty pancake. Years ago I discovered powdered buttermilk in the baking aisle and now there is always a container in the fridge for occasions like this.

For an extra banana kick, slice a banana and lay the slices on top of the batter after you've poured it in the pan, but before you've flipped them. They'll caramelize a bit as the top fries after you flip them.

Also works with waffles and takes care of a lot of black bananas. The recipe also halves nicely. If you don't have buttermilk, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in a cup of milk does the trick. Use within 10 minutes.

Happened to have everything needed for this recipe so I made for Sunday morning breakfast when i saw it pop up in the app! Delicious and fluffy with crispy edges. I like the mashed banana rather than slicing and adding into the pancakes. Definitely recommend.

This is almost identical to many old fashioned buttermilk pancake recipes from the 1950s. You can actually swap out the bananas for many other fruits like blueberries, etc. The key to the lightness is the reaction between the acidic buttermilk and baking soda base, combined with the baking powder. That creates the bubbly airy batter. It’s a great classic recipe for light pancakes.

I make a similar pancake with good old Aunt Jemima mix (the one where you add an egg and oil.) I add mashed banana, wheat germ, and as much milk as it takes to achieve the desired consistency. They're always a hit in my family.

These turned out great! If I made them again, I’d add cinnamon and vanilla to the batter.

Made the recipe as written and this is definitely a keeper! I used two medium very ripe bananas. The batter is on the thick side so I had to use lower heat and cook longer than I do for my usual, less thick pancake recipe. I added fresh blueberries to half the batter and that was a hit. Melt the butter first so it has a bit of time to cool while you measure the other ingredients.

Great and easy recipe. These pancakes are light, fluffy and delicious. I’ll never go back to mixes. I made my own buttermilk with lemon juice, which gave the pancakes a subtle citrusy taste. I added a little vanilla and garnished with creamy Irish butter and real maple syrup. Nice weekend breakfast for the family.

I started making pancake batter using very very ripe bananas, several decades ago, when a family member was no longer able to eat any oils. I always keep a few in the freezer. I've found them to be so sweet, that I never add any sweetener. And... I've also found that I don't need to add any salt. I do often add fruit - - apples, strawberries, or my favorite: cranberries. Enjoy!

Pancakes were delicious--not at all cakey or tough. I subbed 1/4 cup 2% greek yogurt combined with whole milk for the buttermilk. Definitely would do that again.

Add cardamom…my experience - no need brown sugar - sweetened by banana…

Nice flavor, but I guess we are not a thick cakey pancake family—that’s what these are. Too much baking powder, too much flour. Made these to the recipe this morning and they were pretty okay right off the griddle, but wait a minute and they get heavy and dry. Easily overcooked. We prefer a little more tender, springy, thinner pancake—which could probably be achieved by reducing baking powder, reducing flour a little and separately whipping the egg whites and folding those in.

Prefer adding sliced bananas to batter just before flipping, when batter is a little drier. Then banana slices caramelize, adding more flavor.

Wonderful recipe! Worked perfectly with gluten-free flour and oat milk lemon juice to equate the buttermilk. Thank you Justine J. For the sliced bananas idea, to add them before flipping the pancake. They caramelized and were lovely. I also put broken pecans in the skillet with the butter to brown a bit before putting in the pancake batter. Add warm maple syrup, and it was fabulous! This is my new recipe for pancakes always!

I added a little bit of ground cinnamon and topped with bacon. If you're into cackey thick pancakes, this is your recipe!

These are fantastic pancakes! Keep them very small, cook in butter, and use kosher salt (you’ll want the pop of those nice salt crystals). Perfect recipe.

Add more liquid. Added 1/4 c toasted chopped walnuts.

Do separate the eggs, whip the whites stiff and fold into batter. Do not mash bananas but put slices on the top of the uncooked patties in the pan.

Great with half whole wheat flour too

This is my go-to “I have overripe bananas” recipe. I nearly always have buttermilk in the fridge (best poultry marinade ever) and so these are a cinch. They come together in a snap, and perfect on a lazy weekend morning. 10/10, would recommend.

Added vanilla, used 1/4 Greek yogurt and 1 1/4 cups milk. Needed more milk/liquid

These were delicious! I added chocolate chips to some of them while in the pan. Crispy edges and perfectly cooked inside. 5 stars!

Made this with kefir since I didn’t have buttermilk. The batter was extremely thick and goopy. I added more to thin but that seemed like a losing game. Pancakes turned out aesthetically magnificent. Super fluffy and beautifully browned. Texture was a bit too light and bready though, and flavor was nothing to write home about.

Fabulous! Especially with a few banana slices and walnuts thrown in, as others recommended. Leftover batter freezes well, I discovered - and the pancakes were just as fluffy and even quicker the second time

I don’t know how this only gets 4 stars. These are the best pancakes I’ve ever made! They fluffed up perfectly and are full of flavor. Making a bunch of these for work tomorrow!

Excellent! Added 1/2 c. pecans and 1 t. cinnamon.

I used greek yogurt mixed with a splash of water instead of buttermilk and halved the recipe because I only had one banana. Cooked in pam spray instead of butter and they are super delicious and buttery from the butter in the batter. We will be making these regularly!

Tasty! Rose really nicely and even better with chocolate, surprisingly. My husband asked for more sugar, but could've been that our bananas were not ripe enough. Used milk with lemon juice in place of buttermilk.

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