When my friend Caryn sent me this recipe for 3-Ingredient Healthy Banana Pancakes, I knew that I just had to include them on the blog. They are genius!
With only 3 simple ingredients (banana, eggs, and cinnamon), these healthy banana pancakes are the perfect finger food for your little ones.
Caryn’s son Reid loves them so much that one batch is never enough! She waits until she has a few overripe bananas and then makes a plateful for her little man.
Served with a side of syrup for dipping, I can’t think of a better way to get some fruit and protein into our kiddos’ bodies.
But you know what? These Healthy Banana Pancakes are sweet enough that they don't even really need any maple syrup. I love to spread some peanut butter on top for a flavorful and satisfying breakfast.
And by the way, I can vouch for the fact that they’re pretty delicious, too. Reid has good taste! These mini pancakes are a great breakfast or snack for adults as well. Plus, you can prep them in advance and keep a stash in the refrigerator for a few days. Just microwave to reheat and breakfast is served.
VARIATIONS -- HEALTHY BANANA PANCAKES:
- Omit the cinnamon and season with other spices. Pumpkin Pie seasoning, Apple Pie seasoning, or just a dash of nutmeg are all delicious!
- Use the batter to make one giant pancake in a small skillet. It's MUCH faster than flipping individual pancakes, so that's how I tend to prepare them for myself.
- Add toppings! While butter and syrup are traditional, other good options include peanut butter, almond butter, Greek yogurt, and fresh berries.
Thanks for the fun recipe, Caryn!
3-Ingredient Healthy Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 very ripe banana, mashed
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Optional, but highly recommended: ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mash banana in a medium bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the two eggs.
- Add eggs to banana and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Whisk in salt and cinnamon.
- Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Spray griddle with cooking spray and use a tablespoon to drop batter onto griddle. Let set for a few minutes, and then flip with spatula. Cook for an additional minute or two on remaining side and remove to plate.
Made it myself on WordPress!
Do I add banana into the pancake batter or just banana?
Hi, Tamara! The "batter" just consists of the eggs, mashed banana, cinnamon and salt -- nothing else. So everything gets combined and cooked on the griddle. Hope that helps! 🙂
The recipe was too wet. Nothing to bind it I could not even flip the pancake as it was all mush. Very disappointed. Mixture tastes nice though.
Do these freeze and reheat well?
Hi, Meg! I honestly don't know! I've never had any last that long in my house...they're always consumed instantly. 🙂 If you try freezing a few, come back and let me know how they turn out!
Blair, thank you for posting real food that little (and big) boys like. I like that your recipes are high in protein and low in gluten or grains. Banana pancakes with eggs and no flour....brilliant! I'll have to experiment with apples, pears and other high Vit C fruits. Will let you know how they turned out : )
Thanks so much, Alicia!!! 🙂
A winner with my little ones. Thanks for posting!
Excellent! Thanks so much for letting me know, Keyla!
Hi, love ur blog and the recipes. Just one question though, the recipe calls for eggs but i have a 9 mns old and should not give egg white, will this work with yolks only? If yes should i add more eggs? Thx a lot
Hi, Sally! I honestly have no idea! I've never tried the recipe with only yolks, but I'm worried that the consistency would be different without the whites. If you're curious, you can certainly give it a try and let me know! 🙂
My almost 3 year old devoured these. So easy to make too! Thank you!
That's great, Stephanie! Finding a healthy breakfast for the little ones can be tough, so I'm glad that these were a success! 🙂
Lovely! Doubled the recipe and topped with banana and a little maple syrup
Thanks, Summer!
I was really excited to try these since they didn't have flour and my family and I are trying to cut gluten from our diet and eat healthier. I was a little dissapointed when they were too thin and didn't turn out. I read all the reviews and everybody's turned out and people seemed really happy. Any advice on what I could do to improve this? I did exactly what the recipe said...
Hi, Emily! I don't think that you did anything wrong, although the texture of your pancakes can vary slightly depending on the size of the bananas that you're using. The fact is, these are not fluffy flour-based buttermilk pancakes in the traditional sense. There's no gluten, there's no leavening agent, so the end result can't be expected to turn out exactly like a standard pancake. I like to think of these more like the texture of crepes (i.e., thinner) and form a big stack of the pancakes on my plate and eat them together that way. Long story short, I don't think you did anything "wrong," it's just that this type of pancakes has a different texture than a fluffy traditional pancake. 🙂
Mine turned out the same way. Way runny and didn’t turn out. I was so bummed. Very disappointed with the recipe.
Hello, wondering how many ingredients more I need to add in order to feed 14 people?
Hi, Desirae! It depends on everyone's appetites, but I generally consider this recipe a single serving. Since it's made with 2 eggs and 1 banana, that's about the right amount for an adult's meal. If you're feeding toddlers, they might only eat half of the recipe.
Assuming you're feeding 14 adults, I would multiply the ingredients by 14. So you'd want 14 bananas, 28 eggs, 3.5 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 1.75 teaspoons of salt. 🙂
I made these for my 14 month old and he absolutely loves them! He likes them with maple syrup or peanut butter. Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe!
Awesome, Kelly! Thanks for letting me know -- I love them too, and I make them for myself all the time! 🙂 For a shortcut, when I'm doing them for myself, I just use the batter to cook one big pancake in a small skillet!
I added 1/2cup of oats and my 1 year old daughter loved them! I love finding simple healthy foods for her!
Great! Thanks for letting me know, and I'm so glad that your daughter enjoyed them!
Would it work if i used a regular Banana not ripe?
Hi, Mabel:
The ripe banana is sweeter (so that's just a taste preference), and it's also easier to mash into a smooth consistency. If you're using an unripe banana and you don't mind the taste, it would be fine as long as you can mash it into a smooth, lump-free texture. Enjoy!
I made these pancakes for myself and they are sooo good
Thanks, Marie! I make them for myself all the time, too. Love them for a healthy breakfast or snack!
Yes I know, I just made these and I thought they were gross. No offense.
Hi, My son 16 months has allergies to milk, fish and egg. I dont have a problem subsisting the milk, but what can i use instead of the eggs?
Hi, Anna! I honestly don't know. With just 3 ingredients, the eggs are obviously a very large component of this recipe. I'm not sure that any substitute would work quite the same. I'm also not familiar with cooking for allergies, so it's not a regular accommodation that I experiment with. That said, I know that a lot of vegans use "flax eggs" as an egg substitute in many recipes, so that's what I would suggest trying. The flax eggs act as a binder in a similar way, but might not puff up as much as an egg. If you want more information on how to make a flax egg, here's a good post: https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/
Hope that helps! 🙂
Try mixing Chia seeds with your child's favorite juice, (maybe add small amount homemade preserves). I heat the juice just a little, then soak chia seeds until they form a thick gel. You can then use in place of eggs for binding, though not for leavening!!
FYI: I use this as a low calorie, excellent, chilled desert. You may add fruit, jams, preserves to the soaking chia seeds, place in individual cups or in bowl and chill. Wonderful!!!.
Thanks for that tip, Jenny!
Try banana oat pancakes. https://eatrealshit.com/3-ingredient-pancakes/. You need a blender but no eggs!
Just found this recipe today and very hopeful my picky 16 month old eater will enjoy! I taste tested it and thought it was delish!! Thanks very much for posting this.
Wonderful! So glad that you like them! 🙂
To cut calories could you substitute egg beaters for whole eggs?
Hi, Fran! I'm honestly not sure. I've never tried it that way.
I've never made pancakes before, but I wanted to make a breakfast my boyfriend would like that is different from cereal and milk. This recipe was easy, required few ingredients and is very healthy. Being gluten free and with no added sugar, I decided to give it a go. Even without cinnamon, it was delicious! My boyfriend is a bit picky but he said it smelled amazing and tasted even better! Thanks so much 🙂
That's great, Cynthia! So glad that the boyfriend approved as well! 🙂
Wanted to cook something different for breakfast for my hubby this morning and gave your recipe a try.
Great flavor but they flattened after cooking :(. How much do you mush up the banana?
Other than that we loved them! Tasted like a healthy version of banana bread.
l’m going to crush up some pecans and add sprinkle them on top before serving next time for the full Banana Nut bread flavor ????
Hey, Sarah! These pancakes are definitely flat, since they don't have any leavener like baking soda or baking powder. I mash up the banana pretty smooth, but there are always still a few chunks. Since they're thin, they're more like crepes than a traditional fluffy flour-based pancake, so I like to stack them in one big pile and eat them that way. 🙂
Thanks for letting me know.
Think I might try cooking your receipt as a Crepe’ and stuff it with strawberries for brunch!
I have made this recipe quite a bit and I love it. Someone had asked if they freeze well, yes they do. I have only myself to cook for so I usually try to find easy recipes that I can freeze and take out when I am ready. I love that these use no flour of any kind. This is the only recipe I use when I want pancakes now. Thank you!
Thank you, Julie! That makes me so happy to hear!
What? No way! No flour? I am amazed. These banana pancakes look amazing. Pinning now. I can't wait to try them!
Thank you so much! My one year old rarely eats eggs or meat so I struggle to get protein into him. I found this recipe through a random online search. I made these today without much hope. I ended up with 7 small pancakes - he ate 5. He actually put his milk down to eat these first! Very easy and fast to make. Thank you!
That's awesome, Tania! I'm so glad that your little one approves! 🙂
Love these! They are just like warm banana bread!
Thank you! 🙂
I just tried making these pancakes twice this morning. I followed the directions and used all the same ingredients yet I never got any pancakes as a final product. Just burnt blobs of banana egg slop. The recipe is described as simple and easy but not functionable.
it would be a disgrace to call theses pancakes, they are utterly disgusting. save yourself the time and energy to make normal pancakes or, alternatively, just eat the bananas raw is you are looking for a healthy snack! consider a nice, warm bowl of oatmeal with sliced bananas instead.
*if
For what it is (a healthy substitute for regular pancakes), this recipe is delicious! I added some oatmeal and peanut butter and really enjoyed it. Not as flat as I thought it would be. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds perfect! Thanks, Ive!
These pancakes are so delicious best pancake I’ve tried. I made a big one for myself and topped it with frozen berries, passion fruit, Greek yogurt and maple syrup, new regular for me. Can’t wait for my little girl to try them when she can eat . They also cook to just the right thickness. Quick and easy too. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Thanks, Kerri! I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a note, and I'm so glad that you enjoyed them! 🙂
These pancakes were not good. They have an unpleasant spongey texture and are extremely thin, like crepes. My family took one bite and wouldn't touch them.
I just love banana flavour in everything
It si amazing recipe for breakfast. I also added a teaspoon of honey. Thank for recipe.
I wasnt a fan of these. Just tasted like a banana omelette and it wasnt pleasant 🙁
Didn't work for us. I was picturing a more pancake-y texture, but it was more like banana eggs. My kid, 17 months, didn't like them beyry much, unfortunately.
I made these because I found out last minute I was out of oats. I was actually really happy with how they turned out. The batter is going to be runny since it’s just egg and banana but it wasn’t hard to get a passable pancake shape and nice, thin crepe-like texture in the end. I struggled to get all the banana lumps out of the batter but I was rushing. Either way, I will probably make these again, they are simple, convenient, and tasty. A nice way to eat more whole eggs too!
Thank you, Regan!
Taste wise, these are great! But very tricky to make since they don’t hold any sort of form and they turn into a mess when you try to flip them.
Simple and delicious! A great alternative to regular pancakes.
Thanks, Laura! So glad that you enjoyed them. 🙂