These vegan banana pancakes are light and fluffy with just a touch of sweetness and a hint of cinnamon! Easy to whip up and perfect for weekend breakfasts.
Vegan pancakes are my go-to treat breakfast for weekends. They're easy, delicious, and you can't go wrong with anything that gets drizzled in loads of maple syrup.
But you know what I love even more than regular old vegan pancakes? These vegan banana pancakes. They're glorious, pack just the right of banana flavor, and are perfect for using leftover bananas.
Bananas actually perform double duty here! As you may or may not be aware, bananas make great egg substitutes. Since these pancakes are vegan, they're obviously egg-free. But the bananas supply moisture and act as a binder (the same things that eggs do), so you wouldn't know it. These features are bonuses, in addition to that delicious banana flavor that goes so well with maple syrup and melty vegan butter.
So basically what I'm saying is, these vegan banana pancakes have a lot going for them.
Ready to whip up a batch for breakfast? Let's go!
Jump to:
Choosing Bananas
Generally, anytime you're baking with bananas or making any kind of cakey bready thing (like pancakes), your bananas must be overripe. This means lots of brown spots! The banana might even have more brown than yellow on the outside.
Using overripe bananas is important not just for the flavor of the recipe, but also for the texture. Bananas that aren't overripe will be too starchy, leading to dry, chewy pancakes. This holds true for all kinds of banana recipes, like vegan banana bread and vegan banana muffins.
Tip: To speed up the ripening process of your banana, store it in a paper bag (preferably with some other bananas) at room temperature.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Banana. You just need one, and make sure it's overripe!
- Non-dairy milk. You can use just about any variety, as long as it's unsweetened and unflavored. Soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, and cashew milk would all work well.
- Oil. I used canola oil, but any oil that's suitable for baking can be substituted, such as corn, vegetable, or coconut oil.
- Vanilla extract.
- Flour. I've tested this recipe with all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour. You can try another variety, but do so at your own risk.
- Brown sugar. Make sure it's organic to keep the recipe vegan.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Cinnamon. You can leave this out if you'd like, but it adds a wonderful flavor to the recipe.
- Salt.
How They're Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Make the Batter
- Place your banana into a large mixing bowl and mash it up well with a fork or potato masher.
- Now add your liquid ingredients: milk, oil, and vanilla.
- Whisk everything together until the batter is relatively smooth. You'll still have a few banana bits in there — don't worry about them.
- Add your dry ingredients: first the flour, then sprinkle the brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt on top. Stir everything together just until mixed. The batter will be pretty thick!
Cook the Pancakes
- Heat up an oiled nonstick skillet or griddle. Give the oil a minute to heat up — this step is important to prevent your pancakes from sticking to the skillet. Now drop about ⅓ cup of batter into the middle.
- Let the batter cook for a few minutes, until it starts to darken and firm up around the edges, and some bubbles form in the center.
- Carefully flip your pancake with a spatula.
- Let it cook for a few minutes on the other side, until fluffy and golden brown on both sides.
Top your vegan banana pancakes with some vegan butter and maple syrup.
Leftovers & Storage
Store leftover vegan banana pancakes in a sealed bag or container in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like to stack them in a large freezer bag, separated by sheets of parchment paper.
To reheat, thaw them if frozen, then place them on a baking sheet in an 400°F preheated oven until hot. You could also warm them up in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm not sure! My best advice would be to try using an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, but I haven't tested the recipe this way, so no promises!
You can, but I'd recommend either using whole wheat pastry flour, or a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flours.
This usually means that your baking powder or baking soda is old. Test baking powder by sprinkling some in a glass of water, and test soda by sprinkling it in vinegar. Both should fizz. If either one doesn't, it's time to replace it.
Make sure you're using a good nonstick surface. This is essential. I personally like well-seasoned cast iron. Also make sure you're using enough oil and adding it to the cooking surface between pancakes. Finally, the skillet needs to be hot enough! Take the time to preheat it before adding any batter.
Try chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand are vegan), blueberries, raspberries, or walnuts! If you use chocolate chips or nuts, I recommend stirring them right into the batter. For berries, instead try placing them on the circle of pancake batter right after you've poured it onto the cooking surface.
More Vegan Pancake Recipes
- Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes
- Vegan Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
- Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
- Vegan Blueberry Cornbread Pancakes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 medium overripe banana
- ¾ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for the skillet
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the banana into a large mixing bowl and mash it well with a fork or potato masher.
- Add the milk, oil, and vanilla. Whisk everything together until well blended.
- Add the flour to the bowl, then sprinkle the brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt on top.
- Stir everything together until the ingredients are fully mixed. Don't overmix the batter.
- Lightly oil a nonstick skillet and place it over medium heat.
- Give the skillet a few minutes to heat up, then drop the batter, about ⅓ cup at a time, on the hot surface in rounds. Form as many rounds as you can without overcrowding the skillet.
- Cook the pancakes for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, flipping them when they start to solidify and darken around the edges and show small bubbles towards the center.
- Transfer the pancakes to a plate as they finish cooking, then begin another batch, adding oil to the skillet between each batch. Continue until all of the batter is used.
- Serve the pancakes with vegan butter and maple syrup.
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I cannot find out when to add the brown sugar?
Thank you for catching that! It gets added in step 3 - I just corrected the recipe.
Can anything be substituted for the oil? I don’t use oil of any kind.
Since it's such a small amount, I think you could replace it with some extra almond milk. Enjoy!
These were amazing! I was able to use a mix of 1/2 cup AP flour and 1 cup wheat flour. I also found that my second and third batches came out fluffier because the baking powder had more time to activate. Definitely will make these again!!
I'm so glad to hear it!!
I just made these. I used an equal mix of AP flour, Spelt flour and 1/4 cup vegan protein powder.
The pancakes came out very thick but cooked through and tasty. I live in a dry climate, and it's the middle of the winter, so I might tweak the recipe to make it a bit more liquidy. Any suggestions? Less flour, more milk?
Glad you enjoyed them! I'd try adding a some additional milk - maybe just a tablespoon or two per batch until you're happy with the results!
any ideas for substitutes on the ap flour?
Whole wheat pastry and spelt usually work as substitutes for me. If you're looking for a gluten-free option, I like Bob's Red Mill one-to-one blend.
Perfect recipe! Thanks! Made them quite a few times now and have experimented with different flavours and add ins, all worked well. I do half all purpose and half whole wheat flour.
Thanks Jana! I'm so glad you're enjoying them!
I can not emphasize enough how much I LOVE chai anything. I must make this!
Me too!! I hope you enjoy them!
Now you have me craving fluffy pancakes! Is it Saturday morning yet?