Last weekend, I purchased a last-minute plane ticket to Arizona to visit my grandparents. That afternoon, I met up with my aunt, my brother, and his best friend during their layovers at the San Diego airport, and we all boarded the same flight to Tucson. Once we arrived, we picked up a rental car and drove to my grandparents’ small town, and after visiting with them for a while, we all collapsed into bed.
But the next morning, we realized that the house lacked just about any kind of food. Nobody expected our spur-of-the-moment appearance, so I headed to the store with my mom to grab some groceries, including bananas. They’re perfectly portioned and don’t require washing, like most of the other fresh fruit options, so I could eat one in the car!
When I walked over to the produce section, I stopped and stared. There was a gigantic pile of bananas, more than I usually find in the large grocery stores in California, yet…
All of the bananas were green. Absolutely, positively, Kermit-the-frog green.
Even so, I gently dug through them and eventually found a small bunch of light yellow ones buried underneath the rest. I tucked those under my arm and headed straight for the register, but when I broke one open a little later and took a bite…
I felt like I was eating a potato. Despite their golden color, those bananas were incredibly unripe and totally starchy. Yuck.
After a quick internet search, I found one website that proclaimed microwaving the peeled banana would make it deliciously sweet, just like a regular ripe banana, so I gave that a try… Yet when I took my first bite, it just tasted sort of like a warm baked potato. Not quite as starchy, but definitely not sweet, and it has a funky gooey texture in the center too.
I ate as much of that weird, warm, still unripe banana as I could, but the whole time I chewed, I thought of the beautifully yellow, slightly speckled, perfectly ripe bunch of bananas on my counter in California that I had bought a few days before… If only I had thrown a couple of those into my purse before boarding the plane!
When I returned home, they had turned a little too ripe but were perfect for making these Healthy Banana Pancakes! These pancakes are moist and fluffy with naturally sweet fruit flavor, and I even topped them with a super easy homemade dark chocolate drizzle. Even better, these pancakes contain no refined flour or sugar and just 135 calories in each serving!
So let’s go over how to make these healthy banana pancakes!
You’ll start with the dry ingredients first! White whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Yes, you do need both baking soda and baking powder. I’ll share a little bit more on why in a minute, but that combination creates extremely fluffy healthy banana pancakes!
Although white whole wheat flour may sound like an oxymoron, it actually exists! And it’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and regular whole wheat flour. Instead, it’s made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They both have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture… And that lets the fluffy texture of your healthy banana pancakes really shine!
Unlike many traditional pancake recipes that call for a lot of oil or melted butter to make them moist and tender, you just need 1 teaspoon. That’s it! That small amount really helps keep your healthy banana pancakes low fat and low calorie.
Then the rest of their supremely moist texture comes from… Mashed bananas! That’s right; the bananas aren’t just in there for flavor. They also add the same moisture to these healthy banana pancakes as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories!
But your bananas play yet another role… Flavor, texture, and…
Natural sweetness! For this reason, I highly recommend using the ripest, spottiest bananas you have. The ones that are almost pure brown are ideal! Even though they may look a little too gross for eating, those brown bananas contain a lot more natural sweetness than pure yellow ones, and they also provide more moisture to your pancake batter.
Then to boost the natural sweetness just a bit, you’ll mix in a teensy bit of pure maple syrup. You want the kind that comes directly from maple trees! The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).
Tip: Because I know my family loves to drizzle lots of maple syrup all over their cooked pancakes, I only add a teensy tiny bit to my pancake batter. You can easily add more, if you prefer!
Remember how I mentioned you needed both baking soda and baking powder? Well, that’s because there’s a secret ingredient in these healthy banana pancakes…
Plain white vinegar! I promise you can’t taste it in your cooked pancakes! The vinegar (an acid) reacts with the baking soda (a base) to create air bubbles. And those air bubbles are what make your healthy banana pancakes really light and fluffy!
Time to cook your pancakes! I typically use two large pans so I can make six silver dollar sized pancakes at a time. It means I get breakfast on the table twice as fast!
To cook these healthy banana pancakes, I add 2 tablespoons of batter to the pan for each one. (I use a handy 2 tablespoon measuring spoon like this!) Once the batter is in the pan, quickly spread it out into a circular shape using a spatula. This is the mini spatula I use! Isn’t it cute??
Remember… Thick batter = thick pancakes. Thin batter = thin pancakes. So if you want thicker and fluffier pancakes, the batter probably won’t spread too much on its own… And therefore, you’ll need to help it out a bit with your spatula. But that’s not too hard to do!
Hint: I share lots more tips on how to cook the perfect pancakes here!
With how addictive these pancakes were… Maybe I should buy bananas and “forget” about them on the counter while I’m gone right before every trip I take! ?
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your healthy banana pancakes!
| Healthy Banana Pancakes | | Print |
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (135g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (130g) mashed banana (about 1 medium—and see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) white vinegar
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- ¼ cup (60mL) water
- optional: chocolate drizzle, for serving (see Notes)
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the vinegar and maple syrup. Stir in the milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the water, beginning and ending with the flour, stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Lightly coat a large nonstick pan or griddle with nonstick cooking spray, and briefly preheat over low heat.
- Using a scant 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake, dollop the batter onto the hot pan, and spread into a circular shape using a spatula or back of a spoon (if desired). Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes, or until a slight skin starts to form around the edges and the top turns a deeper shade of brown. Slide a spatula underneath, and flip. Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes or until cooked through. Re-coat the pan with nonstick cooking spray, and repeat with the remaining batter.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour.
Remember to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your pancake batter.
For best results, use the ripest, darkest, most spotty bananas you can find! The ones that look almost entirely black or brown are perfect. They have a stronger and sweeter banana flavor than pure yellow bananas. Measure the bananas by cups or grams. Not all “medium” bananas are the same size!
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
These pancakes aren’t overly sweet—and that’s intentional! Because my family usually covers their pancakes in lots of maple syrup, I found that adding more to the batter was completely unnecessary. However, if you prefer sweeter pancakes, increase the maple syrup by 2-3 tablespoons, and reduce the water by the same amount.
Remember… Thick batter = thick pancakes. Thin batter = thin pancakes. However, when you add thick batter to your pan, it doesn’t spread, so you’ll need to spread it a bit yourself using a spatula, the back of a spoon, or the bottom of a measuring cup to get that nice, circular pancake shape.
For thicker pancakes, decrease the water by 2 tablespoons, or omit it altogether.
For thinner pancake batter, add more water or milk until you achieve your desired pancake batter consistency.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
For more cooking tips, see the blog post above, as well as the text and pictures in this blog post of mine.
This recipe is easily doubled to make more. If you have any leftovers, they freeze really well too!
Optional Drizzle: Stir together 2 tablespoons (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, and 2 ¾ teaspoons of milk (any kind!) in a small bowl. Transfer to a zip-topped bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle over the pancakes.
{gluten-free, dairy-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Buttermilk Pancakes
♡ Healthy Dark Chocolate Pancakes
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Pancakes
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Apple Pancakes
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
♡ Healthy Peach Pie Pancakes
♡ Healthy Red Velvet Pancakes
Dear Amy! These are wonderful. I am frying my 2nd pancake now! Very wholesome flavour, very comforting. I put butter and a little honey on top. Used a very ripe banana. The analogies are perfect. I couldn’t imagine it any different. You are a star! Now I can’t wait till the weekend when I go see my mum, and I will make these lovely pancakes for her❤❤❤
Your sweet comments are always the highlight of my day, Marcia!! I’m so happy you loved these pancakes too, and it means the world that you’d want to make them for your mum this weekend. She’s so lucky to have you as her daughter! ♡ I really hope she enjoys these pancakes as much as you are!!