Banana Nut Pancakes

from 29 votes

Kick up your stack of flapjacks with this family favorite recipe for light and fluffy Banana Nut Pancakes.

A tall stack of banana pancakes topped with bananas and maple syrup

You show me a banana and I’ll show you my favorite pie, my favorite muffins, my favorite pudding, and now, my favorite pancakes.

A few weeks ago I was chatting with my mom, Noni, and she mentioned she’d been buying bananas every week, letting them get to the speckled stage, and then mashing and mixing them with pancake batter. It took me all of 14 seconds to get to my nearest grocery store and test out the technique this past weekend.

Forget adding slices of banana to your ‘cakes as they cook, because once you try mashed, you’ll never go back. The banana flavor is just intense enough to be enjoyed in every bite, while the crunch of chopped pecans adds a welcome textural contrast. Just like the cake-freezing technique, the taco chips in the chili bowl tip and the espresso in chocolate cake trick, my mom never ceases to amaze me with her culinary ingenuity!

A white plate containing banana nut pancakes topped with syrup

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Breakfast

Banana Nut Pancakes

Kick up your stack of flapjacks with this family favorite recipe for light and fluffy Banana Nut Pancakes.
Author: Kelly Senyei
4.97 from 29 votes
Stack of Banana Nut Pancakes topped with fresh banana slices, pecans and maple syrup; bananas and small bowl with pecans in background
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon white sugar
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • Vegetable oil, for pan-frying
  • Maple syrup, for serving

Instructions 

  • Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl then set it aside.
  • In a separate bowl, mash together the bananas with the milk, egg and melted butter.
  • Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet, stirring to combine, then stir in the nuts. Allow the batter to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • Heat a large sauté pan over medium-low heat and add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, allowing it to heat for 2 to 3 minutes. (See Kelly's Notes.)
  • In batches, scoop 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter into the pan to form pancakes. Cook the pancakes on one side until bubbles appear in the center, then flip them once and continue cooking them until they're no longer doughy in the center. Serve the pancakes with your choice of toppings, including maple syrup, fresh fruit or whipped cream.

Kelly's Notes:

  • The true indication for when to flip a pancake is when tiny bubbles appear in the center. Flip it any sooner and you'll be left with a runny mess!
  • A fish spatula is my go-to gadget for flipping pancakes since it is small and flexible enough to easily maneuver in a pan.
  • There's no need to waste an entire pancake's worth of batter to determine if you oil is hot enough. Instead, simply add a tiny drop of batter to the pre-heated pan. It should sizzle immediately, otherwise your pan is not hot enough and the pancakes will become sponges soaking up any and all oil.
  • ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

Nutrition

Calories: 479kcal, Carbohydrates: 59g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 718mg, Potassium: 771mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 510IU, Vitamin C: 5.1mg, Calcium: 261mg, Iron: 3mg

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Pancake batter recipe adapted from Good Old Fashioned Pancakes.


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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Your banana nut pancakes were delicious and a hit this morning. My husband rated th e m 10. Will definitely be making them again.

  2. 5 stars
    Made pancake recipe this morning. Delicious. Added 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon. Will be making again. Husband enjoyed it.

  3. 5 stars
    I never write reviews, but just made these again and they are too amazing not to review. My kids always get excited when they see ripe bananas, because they know I’ll make these pancakes. These are our FAVORITE pancakes of any recipe tried. I always make a double batch as the recipe is written. Can’t get any better. Thanks for sharing this with the world!!

  4. 5 stars
    Made these this am. It’s a keeper. I halved the recipe because it’s just my wife & I. Also subbed walnuts. Delicious.

  5. These were great! Used extra creamy oat milk (instead of whole milk) and walnuts (instead of pecans), turned out delicious. I enjoyed these with and without syrup!

  6. 5 stars
    These are delicious, so easy and tasty. Ate them as they came off the griddle, no syrup. My 17 yr old enjoyed them and my 6yr old grandson is going to enjoy making these.

  7. 5 stars
    I made these this morning and doubled the recipe for 9 guests. It lived up to its word and I made the fluffiest most delicious pancakes I have ever made. I will use this recipe and change it up from now on. Fantastic recipe!!!!! Thank you so much!

  8. 5 stars
    Delicious, easy to make and I added some cinnamon and a little nutmeg, also used 1/3 white whole wheat instead of all regular flour. They were still light and fluffy!

  9. 5 stars
    These pancakes are awesome!! I followed the recipe exactly it was so easy to do. The only problem was I had left overs can I freeze them? Thank you

    1. Hi Michele – I’ve never tried freezing the pancakes so I’m not certain how the texture/taste would be once thawed. Let me know if you give it a shot!

  10. 5 stars
    I made this for breakfast this AM after craving First Watch pancakes. I never have whole milk here however I had leftover eggnog which I used in place of the whole milk added in a touch of nutmeg cinnamon and vanilla. Yummy. I felt like I was at a restaurant but home safe enjoying amazing pancakes. I will make this again when my grandkids can come around.

  11. 5 stars
    Fantastic!! I’m never going back to sliced. Light, fluffy and added nutmeg and cinnamon to make them festive. Mildly sweet enough, you need no syrup on this stack.

    1. Hi Anita! I wouldn’t recommend storing the batter in the fridge as the leavening agents won’t retain as much ability to cause the pancakes to puff (and hence, be fluffy instead of dense!).

    2. Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the wet, except for the banana, and store in the refrigerator. In the morning mash the bananas and mix everything together. I do this for pancakes, waffles, and muffins.

  12. 5 stars
    Excellent recipe! They tasted just like banana nut muffins but in pancake form. I didn’t have time to let the batter sit for 30 minutes, but they turned out amazing anyways! Will definitely make again!

  13. 5 stars
    Made these today – they were wonderful! Didn’t have pecans so I threw walnuts into half the batter and chocolate chips into the other half. I skipped the salt (I find a lot of pancake recipes can do without it because of the baking powder). These were delicious and I will be making them again!

  14. 5 stars
    This is a FABULOUS recipe. I’ve been slicing bananas into pancakes for more years than I want to say and MASHING them is a stroke of genius!! Change nothing. I cut the recipe in 1/2 and it made eleven 2 1/2” pancakes.

    1. Hi Lisa – It depends on how big you make your pancakes, but if they end up around 4 inches in diameter, you should have about 16 pancakes, so 4 per person.

  15. 5 stars
    I usually don’t leave reviews on recipes, but after running into some rather poor ones lately, this recipe has really wowed me. The pancakes came out beautiful, moist, and yummy. And the steps were concise and helpful. This will definitely become a breakfast staple this fall!

    1. Love hearing this, Jasmine! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment!

  16. 5 stars
    I made these last night for my son and I and we loved them! I wanted to ask for help please. Mine turned out so thick that I never even saw the bubbles. Can you help me?

    1. Hi Donna! It’s hard to say what might cause this. Do you think you could have over-mixed the batter? And was your pan at the correct temperature?

  17. 5 stars
    These were easy and delicious. I doubled the recipe for my family and substituted 1 part flour with whole wheat flour. They were still light and fluffy. Thank you!

    1. I wouldn’t recommend that, Kaylee, as the leavening agents start working immediately so you want to use the batter ASAP.

  18. I made the whole recipe and put the extra in the fridge with a paper towel to absorb extra oil….great snacks and instant breakfasts!!!

  19. Hi Kelly,
    Once in a while, Sunday features “breakfast for dinner” at my house–eggs, bacon and pancakes! I used your recipe, integrated with Bisquick’s and it came out beautifully…thank you!!! BTW, my sister in law adds bacon to her banana nut pancakes!
    Kathy

  20. I just made these pancakes. I had ripened bananas so I needed to find a great recipe. These are so flavorful and fluffy. Since I had extra pumpkin seeds, I threw them in too. Thanks for sharing.

  21. Really wanna try them right away,,seems and sounds sooo super yummy,,but I am single & this will make too many of them tried but could not figure how to make it half,,please HELP

  22. These look amazing. I’m not that big of a fan of eating raw banana, but if I like banana bread, I’ll definitely like these. Great recipe, Kelly!

  23. These pancakes look and sound so delicious I am going to make them tomorrow for breakfast. Because we LOVE coconut, I think I am going to add 1 or 2 teaspoons of coconut extract to them for a tropical flair, as well as topping them with some of the chopped pecans and a little toasted flaked coconut.

  24. Ohmygosh. I LOVE anything with bananas, and these look delicious! Thanks so much for sharing- I’m making these tomorrow morning!

    -Halle
    classicglamblog.blogspot.com

  25. We ust made these for dinner and they are stupendous! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! So light and fluffy! Topped ours with a few milk chocolate chips and toasted hazelnuts. W-O-W! : )

    1. I love having breakfast for dinner, and you can’t beat these pancakes :) Chocolate chips are the perfect topper. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!

  26. Such a gorgeous shot!

    I might give these a try, even though I’m no banana fan. I mean, I eat them. But banana-flavored things give me the heebie jeebies for some reason.

    I know, I’m weird.

  27. I love the little-drop-of-pancake drip to see if the pan is ready–I’ve been doing that for years and it has saved me countless pancakes that used to be thrown in the traffic.

    Love these flavor combinations! Some of the best, definitely. One of my favorite pancake recipes I’ve made is for quinoa pancakes–so delicious and different!

    1. Quinoa pancakes?! You must point us in the direction of that recipe! I love anything and everything quinoa, and if pancake batter is involved, then sign me up.

  28. I love using bananas when they start getting all those spots! Recently, because I’ve been making a lot of homemade sausage, I’ve been trying out different types of mustard.

    If you take these bananas and roast them in the oven (like 375) until they are completely black, scoop out the flesh, and mix it with whole grain mustard and a touch of honey, you get this really great flavored banana mustard, which is just as good on sausages as it is on a sandwich!

  29. I could smell the aroma of the banana nut pancakes from your picture!
    On top of stealing this recipe away from you, I am going to have to copy your google spread sheet on restaurants idea.
    BRILLIANT.

    1. Thanks Joanne! I am slightly obsessed with what’s come to be known as “The List” among friends. It’s so practical!

  30. Is that honey flowing down the pancake? no wonder banana pancake is your favorite, looks and sounds delicious. The photo is mouth watering, wish you could see how am salivating here :)

  31. These look amazing! Will have to try! My favorite banana recipe is probably banana bread with chocolate chips or banana cupcakes [muffins] with cream cheese frosting…or my grandma’s banana cake with cream cheese frosting! I love it all!

    1. Thanks so much for sharing, Amy! I cannot tell you how tempted I was to add chocolate chips to these bad boys (I figured the maple syrup would be enough of a sweet edge). And I’m glad to see we share an affinity for anything/everything involving cream cheese frosting… it’s one of my food groups :)