Classic Banana Pancakes
Fluffy griddle pancakes with golden, buttery edges, a tender crumb and real banana flavor in every bite, warmed with a little cinnamon. Very ripe bananas do the sweetening, so the batter needs only a spoonful of sugar.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 18 min
- Wait
- 5 min
- Total
- 38 min
- Makes
- 12 pancakes (about 4 inches / 10 cm each)
Steps
Before you start
- Use bananas that are heavily speckled with brown or black spots. They are sweeter and mash more easily than yellow ones.
- Take the eggs and milk out of the fridge 15 minutes ahead so the melted butter doesn't clump when it hits cold liquid.
- Set the oven to 200°F (95°C) and put a baking sheet in it to keep finished pancakes warm while you cook the rest.
- Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off, or weigh it. Scooping packs in too much and makes the pancakes dense.
Heat oven and griddleOven 200°F / 95°C
- Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and slide in a baking sheet.
- Set the griddle or skillet over medium heat (350°F / 175°C on an electric griddle) and let it heat for 5 minutes while you make the batter.
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Ready when: A few drops of water flicked onto the surface sizzle and skitter before evaporating.
Tip: Don't start with a screaming-hot pan. The outside will brown before the center cooks.
Whisk the dry ingredients
- In the large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt for about 20 seconds, until the cinnamon is evenly distributed with no streaks.
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Ready when: The mixture is a uniform pale tan color.
Mash the bananas
- In the medium bowl, mash the 2 bananas with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth, leaving a few pea-sized lumps for texture.
- You should have about ¾ cup (200 g).
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Ready when: The mash looks like a thick, lumpy puree.
Make the wet mixture
- Add the milk, eggs and vanilla to the mashed bananas and whisk until the eggs are fully broken up and the mixture is uniform.
- Pour in the cooled melted butter in a thin stream while whisking.
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Ready when: No streaks of egg white remain and no butter pools on the surface.
Tip: If the butter is hot it will scramble the eggs. It should feel barely warm.
Fold and rest batter
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Fold with a spatula or whisk just until the flour disappears, about 10 strokes.
- Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
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Ready when: The batter is thick and lumpy, falls from a spoon in a heavy ribbon, and has small bubbles on top.
Tip: Don't beat out the lumps. Overmixing develops gluten and makes pancakes tough and rubbery.
Grease the griddle
- Add ½ tablespoon (7 g) of the griddle butter and swirl or brush it over the hot surface.
- Wipe away any excess with a paper towel, leaving only a thin sheen.
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Ready when: The butter foams gently but does not brown.
Tip: Too much butter fries the edges and gives uneven, spotty browning.
Cook first side
- Scoop ¼ cup (60 ml) of batter per pancake onto the griddle, spacing them 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
- Press 3–4 banana slices onto each if using.
- Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles form across the surface and pop, leaving holes that stay open, and the edges look dry and set.
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Ready when: Bubbles pop and stay open, edges look matte, and the underside is golden brown when you peek.
Tip: Banana pieces caramelize and can scorch if the heat is too high, so lower it slightly if they darken fast.
Flip and finish
- Slide a thin spatula under each pancake and flip once.
- Cook the second side for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown and the pancake springs back when pressed gently in the center.
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Ready when: Golden brown on both sides; center springs back when pressed and reads about 160°F (71°C) if checked.
Tip: Flip only once and don't press down on the pancake, which squeezes out the air.
Repeat and keep warmOven 200°F / 95°C
- Move finished pancakes to the baking sheet in the oven, in a single layer.
- Re-grease the griddle with another ½ tablespoon (7 g) of butter before each of the remaining two batches, and cook the rest of the batter the same way to make 12 pancakes in total.
- Adjust the heat down slightly if the first pancakes in a batch brown faster than expected.
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Ready when: All 12 pancakes are evenly golden.
Tip: Don't stack pancakes in the oven, since trapped steam makes them soggy.
Serve
- Stack 3 pancakes per plate and top with a pat of butter if you like, any remaining banana slices and warm maple syrup.
- Serve right away while the edges are still crisp.
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Tip: Warm the syrup for 30 seconds in the microwave so it doesn't cool the pancakes.
Good to know
Tips
- The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more fragrant the pancakes. If yours are yellow, bake them unpeeled on a baking sheet at 300°F (150°C) for 15 to 20 minutes until the skins turn black, then cool before mashing.
- Cook a test pancake first. If it browns in under 2 minutes the heat is too high; if it takes more than 4 minutes, turn it up a little.
- For perfectly round pancakes, use a ¼-cup measure and pour the batter from just above the surface without spreading it.
- Stir in ¼ cup (40 g) of mini chocolate chips or chopped toasted walnuts at the end for variety, but scatter them on the batter after pouring if you want to avoid scorching.
Make ahead
"Whisk the dry ingredients together and store them in a jar for up to 1 week. Mash the bananas and mix the wet ingredients the morning you cook, because the batter thickens and the baking powder loses lift if the combined batter sits for more than 15 minutes. Cooked pancakes can be made ahead and reheated (see storage)."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 1 hour, loosely covered. Refrigerator: cool completely, then store in an airtight container with parchment between layers for up to 3 days. Freezer: freeze in a single layer on a tray until firm, then bag for up to 2 months. Reheat from the fridge in a toaster or a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 to 8 minutes, or from frozen in a toaster or 350°F (175°C) oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until hot throughout and the edges are crisp."
Substitutions
- whole milk → Buttermilk, or unsweetened oat or almond milk. Use the same amount. With buttermilk, the pancakes are slightly tangier and more tender. Plant milks work fine but give a slightly less rich flavor.
- all-purpose flour → Half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. Gives a nuttier flavor and heartier texture. The batter may need 1 to 2 tablespoons more milk.
- unsalted butter → Neutral oil such as canola or avocado oil. Use the same amount (3 tablespoons / 45 ml). The flavor will be less buttery.
- pure maple syrup → Honey, or warm peanut butter thinned with a little syrup. Honey is sweeter and thicker, so use a little less.
