These Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes are naturally gluten and dairy free. Made right in the blender with no flour or refined sugar!
What if I told you that you can have sweet, fluffy, delicious pancakes without using flour, sugar or dairy? It’s true! There’s no flour, no butter, no sugar (just a touch of honey if you want), which means these pancakes are perfect for anyone, kids especially!
Instead of making yet another loaf of banana bread, grab those sad, sweet over ripe bananas on your counter and make these delicious, healthy pancakes for the ultimate breakfast treat.
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What Ingredients do I need to make Banana Oatmeal Pancakes?
Bananas – the riper the bananas, the sweeter the pancakes will be. The best bananas for this recipe are the ones with brown spots.
Oatmeal – Rolled oats is what you want to use here. Not instant oatmeal or steel cut. I always have a sack of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Oats in my pantry for pancakes, granola, cookies and of course, oatmeal!
Eggs – necessary
Plant based or regular milk – I always have unsweetened almond milk on hand so that is what I use. Any kind of non-dairy or dairy milk will work!
Baking Powder – this is what makes the pancakes puff up and get fluffy. It must be baking powder, baking soda will not work.
Vanilla, Cinnamon, Salt – for flavor!
Honey or Maple Syrup (Optional) – these pancakes are naturally sweet from ripe bananas. If you’re like me and you like your pancakes extra sweet, add a bit of honey or maple syrup to the batter.
Oil – for cooking the pancakes. I always use this avocado oil. Coconut oil or any other kind of neutral oil will work.
Toppings – Fresh fruit, greek yogurt, walnuts or pecans, drizzle of honey or maple syrup or good old butter. Do it up!
Tips for making the best banana oatmeal pancakes
- Making the batter is really simple. Add everything to a blender and whir it up until smooth. I recommend letting the batter rest for about five minutes before you begin cooking.
- Add a tiny bit of oil to a nonstick skillet or griddle and heat on medium low. Wait until the oil is hot to add your batter.
- Add pancake batter ¼ cup at a time. Keeping them on the smaller side makes them easier to flip! Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side until the edges look a little set and there are little air bubbles. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes on the other side until golden brown. If your pancakes are getting too dark, turn the heat down.
- Wipe the skillet or griddle between batches and add a bit more oil.
- For some reason whenever I make pancakes, the first one never works out. Does this happen to anyone else?
How to keep pancakes warm
The tricky part about making pancakes is serving everyone at the same time. Before you make your batter, turn the oven on to 200 degrees and place a baking sheet in there to get warm. As you make the pancakes, transfer them to the baking sheet in the oven to stay warm until you’re ready to serve.
How to store leftover pancakes
I could eat this whole recipe myself but if you have leftovers, you can easily store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. To reheat, pop them in the toaster oven for a few minutes. You can also freeze these pancakes to enjoy as part of your meal prep routine during the week. Simply freeze individual cooked pancakes spread out on a baking sheet so they don’t stick together. Once their frozen, transfer to a freezer safe container and keep for 2-3 months. To unthaw, pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds and then run them in the toaster oven.
Do I have to use a blender?
Yes. A blender is required for this recipe to pulverize the whole oats and make a smooth, airy batter for fluffy pancakes. They will come out gloopy if you don’t make them in a blender. I have this Ninja Kitchen System and it’s perfect for smoothies, batters, dressings, dips, I love it!
If you love healthy pancake recipes, you should also check out my Sweet Potato Oatmeal Pancakes!
Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas brown spots are good!
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats gluten free
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup plant based or regular milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup optional
- Avocado coconut or other neutral oil for cooking
- Fresh fruit greek yogurt, walnuts or pecans and honey or maple syrup for serving!
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except oil and pancake toppings to a blender and blend for about a minute or until smooth. Let batter rest for about 5 minutes.
- Heat a large, nonstick skillet or griddle over medium low heat and add a little bit of oil. When the oil is hot, add pancake batter ¼ cup at a time.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side or until golden brown and set around the edges and you see tiny air bubbles.
- Flip pancakes and cook for another 1-2 minutes until done.
- Wipe skillet or griddle clean between batches.
- Serve immediately with your favorite toppings!
Glen Jenkins
Jessica,
I just made these oatmeal pancakes this morning. I did not have the ingredients for our ‘normal’ oatmeal pancakes the require cottage cheese, so asked ALEXA for an oatmeal pancake recipe. Your’s popped up and I had all of the required ingredients. So I made these for my wife. We both loved them, this is now our BEST-GO-TO oatmeal pancake recipe.
Thank you for sharing this.
Glen in Austin, Texas
Jessica
Hi Glen! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. This is one of my favorites! – Jessica
Jazz
I had everything on hand to make these and gave them a whirl even though I’m not a big banana fan. Loved loved loved the pancakes, banana and all!
Kaluhi
Oh lord! These were so indulgent and beautifully fluffy! I used regular milk and happy the recipe really delivered in terms of flavor!
Calysta Watson
These are delicious! I made them once as directed and once with a scoop of whey protein powder and both were such a treat., No I have a healthy excuse to eat pancakes several times a week!
Chenée Lewis
These pancakes were such a treat this morning! I love that I could whip them up so easily in the blender! And such a bonus that they’re gluten free!
Crystal DaCruz
I am on a mission to cut down on food waste and these banana pancakes were perfect for using my leftover bananas! Putting them in the blender is a genius idea! My kids and I loved these pancakes!
Robin Sparks
Pancakes are my breakfast time weakness, so I enjoy finding new ways to make them. These did not disappoint.
Marta
Mixing these pancakes in the blender gave them a lightness that I would never expect from pancakes containing oatmeal. These were a hit for our brinner (breakfast for dinner) tonight!
Tamara
I’m so happy I tried these pancakes! They were super simple to make, and SOOOO delicious to eat! My kids loved them, and we were all full for hours!
Capri
This has quickly become my go-to breakfast! These blender pancakes literally are the easiest thing to make and taste so good. Lately, I’ve been making a large batch and eating over the course of two days or so, then making them again! Needless to say, I am a huge fan of this recipe!
Kimberly T
These pancakes were really easy to make in the blender without multiple steps and they grilled up on my cast iron pancake skillet exactly like pancakes do! Texture was light and fluffy and flavor was like a little oatmeal circle! Great energy food for busy days!
Jennifer Driscoll
My kids and I LOVED this recipe! It was super simple and I love how it’s a healthy alternative to regular pancakes. My kids didn’t even request maple syrup on top because the bananas made them sweet enough, and I had used the 1 (maybe 2) tbsp of maple syrup in the batter. I also used 3 bananas because they were all too ripe and i needed to use them up, and used 1/2 the suggested amounts of cinnamon and baking powder.