Healthy Banana Pancakes
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Yields: 20 silver dollar pancakes
 
These pancakes are moist and fluffy with lots of sweet banana flavor, and the optional (but strongly encouraged!) dark chocolate drizzle makes them even more irresistible! They’re perfect for lazy weekend breakfasts—and even meal prepping! They reheat beautifully, and they also freeze well. Leftovers will keep for at least four days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • 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)
  1. 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.)
  2. Lightly coat a large nonstick pan or griddle with nonstick cooking spray, and briefly preheat over low heat.
  3. 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.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, 2 tbsp (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.

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}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2019/01/20/healthy-banana-pancakes/