Banana pancakes that look more like biscuits than pancakes, and are about the same size. Whatever they look like, they taste delicious and have a soft, spongy texture. The batter is mashed banana, eggs, oats and flour, seasoned with cardamom and salt, and the recipe makes 12 small pancakes in about 25 minutes.
Last updated
Recipe
Banana pancakes
Ingredients
Method
- Mash the bananas with a fork.
- Place the banana mash, eggs, oatmeal, flour, cardamom and salt together into a thick, liquid dough in a bowl.
- Melt approx. 50 g butter / margarine in a frying pan and pour into a small jug.
- Put three to four parts of pancake dough on a heated pan with a big spoon – and cook them until they are golden and so firm that they can be turned.
- Turn them over and fry them on the other side until they are golden and finished.
- Take them off the pan. Keep them if possible warm – otherwise they can be heated in the oven if they are to be served later.
- Pour a little butter / margarine on the pan, put on the dough and continue until all banana pancakes are fried.
Step by step, in pictures
The six moves of the method, from mashing the bananas to lifting the last pancake out of the pan.
Mash the bananas- Mix in eggs, oats and flour
- Melt the butter, pour into a jug
- Spoon 3-4 pancakes into the pan
- Turn when golden and firm
- Lift onto a plate, keep warm
How are these different from fluffy banana pancakes?
They are smaller and denser. The recipe has no baking powder and no milk, so the batter does not rise into tall, airy pancakes: the eggs hold it together and the oats give it body. Oats and flour go in at equal weight, and the only sweetness comes from the bananas, because the recipe uses no sugar.
If you want the tall, fluffy kind, use the American pancakes recipe instead. For pancakes without banana, see plain pancakes.
How to fry them without burning the butter
Melt all the butter or margarine at once and pour it into a small jug, as step 3 says. Then pour a little into the pan before each batch instead of cutting a fresh knob every time. It saves time and keeps the pan evenly greased.
Keep the heat moderate. Butter and margarine burn easily if the pan gets too hot, and each pancake has to turn golden and firm underneath before it can be turned.
If the first one goes wrong, carry on. Pancakes are a bit like children: you make all your mistakes with the first one, and number 2 is usually better.
What to serve with banana pancakes
Eat them for breakfast, as a dessert, or as a snack with coffee, tea or cocoa. We usually serve them with fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries and banana, as in the photo, but blackberries, raspberries, apple or pear work just as well.
Honey, nuts, almonds, chopped chocolate, ice cream or jam are other options. Choose whatever you and your family like.
Banana pancake questions
When do you add the banana to the batter?
First. Mash the bananas with a fork, then mix the eggs, oats, flour, cardamom and salt into the mash to make a thick batter. In this recipe the banana is the base of the batter rather than sliced in or added on top.
Are these banana pancakes healthy?
The recipe has no added sugar, the bananas provide the sweetness, and oats and flour go in at equal weight. Nutrition figures have not been calculated for this recipe, so no calorie or nutrient numbers are given.
When are they ready to turn?
When the underside is golden and the pancake is firm enough to lift with a spatula without breaking. Turn it and fry the other side until it is golden too.
Can you make them ahead?
Yes. Keep the finished pancakes warm while you fry the rest, or reheat them in the oven if you are serving them later. The recipe does not give an oven temperature or a storage time.
More ways to use ripe bananas
If you have more bananas to use up, try banana bread, banana cake or banana muffins.
