Healthy Banana Oat Pancakes

Healthy banana oat flour pancakes that are vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and very easy to make! They are perfect for breakfast or as a healthy dessert and all you need basic 3 ingredients !

There’s a time for traditional buttery pancakes and there’s a time vegan banana oatmeal pancakes. The batter is something that I can feel good about having more often so I’m sharing with you today how to make them very easily. You don’t need any fancy ingredients; just a banana, staple pantry items, a blender and pan to cook them in!

If you like pancake recipes, then you should checkout my Best Vegan Fluffy Pancakes, and my Chickpea Flour Pancakes

These pancakes are dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free and oil-free! What’s left? Well it’s hard to believe, but the batter makes a thick and fluffy pancake recipe that’s healthy and so satisfying!

It’s fun to switch up the pancake game in case you’re having company with any type of allergies, or if you’re looking for a lighter fare for yourself. These are sugar-free, dairy-free, oil-free and gluten-free. And it’s hard to believe that they still come out so fluffy and delicious. But they sure do!

Jump to:

• WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED FOR BANANA OAT PANCAKES?
• HOW TO MAKE BANANA OAT PANCAKES
• Blueberry Chia Jam
• How to make the Chia Jam
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• MORE PANCAKE RECIPES:
• Healthy Banana Oat Pancakes
• Food safety

WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED FOR BANANA OAT PANCAKES?

Rolled Oats: This is the trick to these flourless pancakes. We use rolled oats and grind them in a blender until you reach a fine consistency like flour. You can also buy oat flour if you prefer. This creates a gluten-free flour that you can throw into many baking recipes and these strawberry pancakes.

Baking Powder: What creates fluffy pancakes? It’s the reaction of chemical leaveners like baking powder with the gluten. Since we’re using gluten-free oat flour, we need extra help from the baking powder to make these pancakes rise and become fluffy. So the recipe calls for a whole tablespoon of baking powder. or instead you can use Lemon juice.

Lemon juice or Apple Cider Vinegar: Since the recipe is vegan and egg-free, we rely on lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to create a thick and fluffy texture. You won’t taste the vinegar at all in the recipe. But if you prefer, you can replace the vinegar with other citrus juice like lemon juice or lime juice.

Almond Milk: This helps to dissolve the oat flour and baking powder so it’s not just a big goop. If you find that the batter is too thick, add more almond milk. But start with ¼ cup.

Fruit Puree: The banana add moisture and sweetness to the batter. So there’s no need for oil or sugar. You can add maple syrup if you want.

Cinnamon: I love the warm earthy flavor of cinnamon to add sweetness without any sugar.

Salt.

See recipe card for quantities.

HOW TO MAKE BANANA OAT PANCAKES

These banana oat pancakes only require one bowl or one blender to whip up. So they’re super simple.

Start by making the oat flour using rolled oats. Just one minute in the blender takes you from rolled oats to oat flour.

Mash the banana with a fork till it is smooth.

Mash the banana then add all the rest of the ingredients. If you are using a blender I recommend just light pulsing in the blender to combine without over blending.

And then cook as you normally would other pancakes on a griddle or pan. And serve with lots of the chia blueberry jam, maple syrup and any other toppings you’d like. Their shape is not as light and fluffy as regular pancakes. But they are fool-proof, healthy and super delicious!

I like to use this pancake pan , it is really important to choose the right pan to get the best fluffy pancakes .

Blueberry Chia Jam

Frozen Blueberries + Chia Seeds

How to make the Chia Jam

Microwave for about 1.5 minutes (1200w), mash slightly and use as a topping.

Substitutions

• Gluten Free - swap regular rolled oats with gluten-free rolled oats and grind them in a blender until you reach a fine consistency like flour. You can also buy oat flour if you prefer. This creates a gluten-free flour that you can throw into many baking recipes and these strawberry pancakes.
• Buckwheat Flour- you can use it, you might need to adjust the quantity of the almond milk though.
• Chickpea Flour- you can use it, you might need to adjust the quantity of the almond milk though.
• Sugar Free - Don't add the maple syrup and keep it naturally sweetened using the banana.
• Banana allergy - swap with apple puree or apple sauce.
• Lemon juice- Replace apple cider vinegar with lemon juice, if desired.
• Instead of almond milk, you can use any other plant-based milk or regular milk.
• I tested this recipe with oat flour only. But it will also work with all-purpose gluten-free flour mix.

Variations

• Chocolaty - add 2 tablespoon cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of vegan chocolate spread to the batter.
• Fresh strawberries- add to the blender or mash and add to the batter in the bowl, the strawberries specifically lend a light pink color to the batter, which is what makes them special.

Equipment

I use my Vitamix. to grind the rolled oats into flour, and then to mix the pancake batter. It has 10 varying speeds so it works great for making pancake batter when you want a high speed for the wet ingredients but a lower speed for folding in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  

Pancakes are not difficult to get right. You simply need a great recipe and a good quality pan. If you are looking for super fluffy pancakes , you should know that heat distribution will help you to a perfect fluffy tower, or wafer thin crepes. This is why pancake pans are thinner than regular pans: they heat quick and have fewer 'hot spots', allowing you to cook your cakes quickly and evenly.

I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams on a kitchen scale or using these measuring cups.

Storage

Pancakes are fridge and freezer friendly , they can stay in fridge up to three days in airtight container, preheat before serving or in freezer up to 3 months.

Top tip

Add more milk if the batter is too thick. Start with ¼ cup of almond milk, but you may find that the batter is too thick. If that happens, add a couple tablespoons of milk to make the batter thinner.

Use a measuring cup for evenly round pancakes. The batter will be thicker than traditional pancake batter so it’s harder to form a perfect circle if you’re pouring the batter from the blender. Instead use a measuring cup which will help you control the pouring situation and get pretty (ish) pancakes!

Be patient when cooking the pancakes. I recommend low to medium heat for these gluten-free pancakes. You want to watch for the edges starting to brown lightly and then you can flip the pancakes. Another test is to see if you can easily slide a spatula under the pancakes, they’re ready for flipping.

MORE PANCAKE RECIPES:

• Chickpea Pancakes
• Best Vegan Fluffy Pancakes

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature .
• Use a rubberised handle pancake pan where possible – not a cast iron one to avoid burning.

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.