Banana Oat Pancakes
- 5 min prep
- 35 min
- Pan-fry
- Serves 3
- 370 kcal
- 12 g protein
Blender pancakes made from rolled oats, ripe bananas and milk. No eggs, no flour, no sugar beyond the fruit, and soft enough to stack.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (180 g) rolled oats
- 2 medium very ripe bananas (240 g peeled)
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk
- 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- 2 tsp (10 ml) oil or ghee, for the pan
Method
- 1Put the oats in a blender and run on high for 30 seconds until they look like coarse flour.
- 2Add the bananas broken into chunks, milk, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Blend until completely smooth, scraping the sides once. The batter should look like a thick milkshake.
- 3Leave the batter in the jar for 10 minutes. It thickens as the oats absorb liquid, which is what makes the pancakes fluffy rather than flat.
- 4Heat a non-stick pan or tawa over medium-low heat and wipe it with a little oil. Pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake and nudge it into a 10 cm round.
- 5Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles open on the surface and the edges look set. Banana browns quickly, so lower the heat if the underside darkens before the bubbles appear.
- 6Flip and cook another 1½ to 2 minutes until the centre springs back when pressed. Keep warm under a cloth while you cook the rest; you should get about 10.
Notes from the Department
- The browner and spottier the banana, the sweeter the pancakes; firm yellow bananas taste of very little.
- If the batter is too thick to pour after resting, blend in 2 tbsp milk.
- Cook on medium-low. Banana sugars burn before the middle sets on high heat.
Nutrition per serving
- Energy
- 370 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbohydrate
- 64 g
- Fat
- 8.7 g
- Fibre
- 8.3 g
- Sugars
- 15 g
Why this works
Ripe banana does the work of both egg and sugar here. Its pectin binds the batter and its natural sugars caramelise in the pan, so the pancakes brown well without any added sweetener. Blended oats replace flour entirely, which keeps them soft and hearty.
The 10-minute rest is the step people skip and regret. Freshly blended, the batter is thin and spreads into crepes. Rested, the oats swell and the baking powder gets going, giving you thick pancakes with an open crumb.
Swaps
For vegan pancakes, use oat milk or almond milk and cook in oil. Quick oats work in place of rolled oats. Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder for chocolate banana, or fold a handful of blueberries or chopped walnuts into the batter after blending. Want them sweeter? Add 1 tbsp jaggery powder or maple syrup to the blender.
For gluten-free pancakes, use certified gluten-free oats and check that your baking powder is gluten-free.
What to serve them with
Sliced banana and a spoon of peanut butter, thick curd with berries, or a handful of chopped walnuts. A stack of three to four is one serving.
Storage
Cooled pancakes keep 3 days in the fridge and 2 months in the freezer, layered with parchment. Reheat in a toaster or on a dry pan. The batter does not keep well overnight; it turns grey and loses lift.
Questions people ask
- Can I make banana oat pancakes without a blender?
- Yes. Use oat flour or quick oats, mash the banana thoroughly with a fork, and whisk everything together. The texture will be slightly more rustic but they cook the same way.
- Why are my banana oat pancakes gummy inside?
- Usually the heat was too high, so the outside browned before the centre cooked, or the pancakes were poured too thick. Cook on medium-low and keep them about 1 cm thick.
- Are banana oat pancakes good for kids?
- They are a simple, mild breakfast with no added sugar. Make them smaller, skip the cinnamon if your child dislikes it, and serve with fruit or curd.
Inspired by Wholesome Crumbs. Method, notes and photograph by the Ministry of Oats.
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