Banana Oatmeal Pancakes are some of the best pancakes you’ll ever make. All you need is a few simple ingredients to make them, along with a blender!
Why You’ll Love Them
This recipe is quick and easy, and naturally gluten-free. All you have to do is blend the ingredients together, and then you can use the blender’s spout to pour the batter directly into a hot skillet.
The bananas add natural sweetness and oats are higher in protein than many other cereal grains, so these pancakes are a great source of fiber and should help keep you feeling full. Plus, the prep work is done in less than 5 minutes!
These pancakes are:
- Gluten-free & dairy-free
- Naturally sweetened
- Unbelievably fluffy
- Easy to bake all at once (see tips below!)
- Kid-friendly
- And totally delicious!
Seriously, once you taste this pancake recipe, it will become your go-to. I make a batch almost weekly as part of our meal prep routine, because they are easy to bake all at once and then freeze.
When you want to heat one up, just pop it into the toaster, or toaster oven, like you would a frozen waffle! This is my kids’ favorite breakfast before school for an easy morning.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in banana oatmeal pancakes?
- Ripe bananas
- Eggs
- Rolled oats (or quick cooking)
- Vanilla
- Maple syrup
- Olive oil (or any other variety you prefer)
- Baking powder
- Salt
When you blend these simple ingredients together with a splash of water and baking powder, to help them rise, the pancake batter is ready to use in just minutes. The banana acts as a binder and adds sweetness, but the banana flavor isn’t overwhelming.
Feel free to add a dash of cinnamon or a teaspoon of vanilla extract, if you’d like, or a handful of chocolate chips or blueberries as these cook, for a fun variation!
Need an egg-free recipe? Try my vegan pancakes instead, which are made with oat flour.
How to Make Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
1. Blend. Add the banana, egg, oats, oil, maple syrup, water, vanilla, and salt to a blender and blend until totally smooth.
It’s okay if you see a little texture from the ground oats, but you shouldn’t see any large flakes.
2. Cook. Heat a skillet over medium heat, or use a griddle. You’ll know it’s ready to cook when a splash of water instantly sizzles when you splash it on the pan.
Spray the pan with cooking spray, and pour the batter into the center, using about a 1/4 cup portion at a time. You don’t want the pancakes to be too large, or they will be trickier to flip.
When bubbles start to form on the top of the pancakes and a spatula easily slides under the pancake, it’s ready to flip. Cook the other side until it’s golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Repeat with the remaining batter, and keep in mind that the heat may need to be lowered as you go. I usually need to turn the heat down to medium-low as I cook the pancakes. If the surface of your pan starts smoking, you’ll know it’s getting too hot.
Note: The oats will continue to absorb the moisture in the pancake batter, so it will thicken up as you work. You may need to use the back of a spoon to help spread out the pancake batter as you work.
Adding water to the batter will make the recipe more gummy in texture, but you can add a tablespoon of water or almond milk, if you think the batter needs to be thinned-out slightly.
3. Enjoy! Once all of the pancakes have been cooked, serve them warm with fresh berries, peanut butter, or maple syrup on top. My kids are a big fan of peanut butter and sliced bananas on top.
Leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat the pancakes by popping them in the toaster, just like a frozen waffle. (You may need to push it down twice to get the center heated through.)
How to Bake Pancakes on a Sheet Pan
If you’ve never tried baked pancakes, let me tell you, they are a GAME CHANGER.
Instead of cooking these pancakes individually in a skillet, you can bake them on a sheet pan all at the same time. No more standing by the stove waiting to flip each one!
Here’s how to bake pancakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Pour the batter, roughly a 1/4 cup at a time, into small puddles on the baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to spread them out into a pancake shape, and keep about 1 to 2 inches of space between each pancake to allow for spreading. I usually can fit about 6 pancakes on a half-sheet pan, and this recipe makes approximately 10 pancakes.
- Bake at 350ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pancakes feel firm to the touch in the center. There’s no need to flip these! They won’t look like a pan-fried pancake, as they don’t brown on either side, really, but they taste just as delicious. (My kids love them this way!)
You can serve banana oat pancakes warm right away, or store them as part of your meal prep routine. They will reheat easily in the toaster for a fast morning.
Frequently Asked Questions & Tips
Which oats work best? I typically use old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe, but quick cooking oats should work, as well. If you need to use oat flour instead of rolled oats, I’d probably use 1 cup to 1 1/4 cups of oat flour as a swap for the rolled oats.
Can I use a flax egg? Flax eggs work best with gluten-containing grains (like whole wheat flour) so I don’t recommend using them here without expecting a very gummy, not fluffy result. Try my Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes as another gluten-free option.
Can I swap the banana for something else? You could try using applesauce or pumpkin puree as an alternative, but the pumpkin won’t be as sweet. You may add up to 2 more tablespoons of maple syrup and some pumpkin pie spice, for a pumpkin pie flavor.
Looking for more healthy pancake recipes? Try Banana Egg Pancakes, Chickpea Flour Pancakes, and Paleo Pancakes to change things up.
Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 banana (ripe with spots on the skin)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (certified gluten-free, if needed)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the eggs, banana, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, water, oats, baking powder, and salt. (It's easiest to blend when you add the liquid ingredients first.) Blend until the batter is smooth, and stop and scrape down the sides, if needed.
- Preheat a skillet over medium-low heat, and grease it with olive oil to prevent sticking. You'll know it's ready to cook when a splash of water instantly sizzles on the pan.
- Pour roughly a 1/4 cup of batter into the pan, and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the center starts to bubble. Be sure to keep the heat on the low-side, so that your pancake doesn't start to burn before the center gets cooked through.
- Flip the pancake and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until both sides are golden. Repeat this process with the remaining batter, until all of the pancakes are cooked. (You can cook several at once if you use a griddle on your stove top.) The batter may thicken as it sits in the blender, so use the back of a spoon to spread out the batter on the pan, if you need to. If you add extra liquid to the pancake batter, the center may turn gummy in texture.
- Serve these pancakes warm, with fresh fruit and maple syrup, if desired. Leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat the pancakes in the toaster for an easy morning!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Update Note: This pancake recipe has been updated in February 2022 to use slightly less added sweetener. The original recipe called for a 1/4 cup maple syrup and 2 tablespoons of water, so I swapped that ratio for this new & improved recipe. Feel free to go back to the original ratio if you prefer sweeter pancakes.
If you try these banana oatmeal pancakes, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them!
Perfect! We’ve tried lots of healthy pancake recipes and this is my favorite by far. Super quick and easy, and everyone loves them. Thank you!
Love these, consistency is good but I cooked mine 3-4 minutes more and they had more of the crisp pancake consistency. Like it and love it’s healthy!
Can I leave out the oil and syrup? Or use half the amount?
I recently made these with an extra banana, so in that case I only used 1 T of maple syrup. If you leave out the oil the texture will change, but it will probably still taste good. I’m just not sure how they will look.
Definitely trying this recipe, looks great! My kids don’t like banana flavor in pancakes. Can I substitute something else, maybe applesause?
That will probably work! I think applesauce is more wet than mashed banana, so you might leave out the water in that case.
Just made this and it’s amazing!! I cut the recipe in 1/2 & made 2 pancakes for myself. I didnt add the maple syrup in the batter and saved it for drizzling instead. I also used milk instead of water. Thanks for the recipe
These were the best GF pancakes I’ve tasted yet! Light and fluffy, rose like “regular” pancakes. Will make again and try some of the substitutions plus nuts. Have been searching for a GF pancake to serve when family visits. This is it! Thank you!
Oops! Meant to give it 5 stars!
Can these be made into waffles? They were awesome as pancakes. Thanks 🙂
Best oatmeal pancake recipe I’ve tried! So yummy and super easy, I didn’t even measure out the wet ingredients I just poured until it seemed right, lol…. still came out great!!
Made these this morning because Mom wanted oatmeal pancakes. I didn’t have maple syrup so substituted blueberry and fresh blueberries. Came out very dark blue and delicious. Will make again and try peach oh and maple syrup.
I think you should change the recipe to instruct cooks to put the oatmeal in the food processor before mixing it with everything else. Newer blenders might be able to hack through that, but mine could not. I also added significantly more water/milk to get a normal pancake consistency, although I was also using pumpkin purée instead of banana.
They were a good consistency/texture once cooked.
These came out great! We left out the maple syrup and opted for a drizzle on top instead. Next time I’ll add a pinch of salt and sprinkle of cinnamon. I LOOOOOVE pancakes, and we often make some on the weekend to reheat for quick breakfasts during the week.
This is my favorite. I grind the oats first. Don’t know if that’s necessary or not.
I make pancakes almost every Sunday, and this is our favorite recipe. The recipe is wonderful as it is; however, since I like my pancakes a little less sweet, I use water instead of maple syrup and let my husband add maple syrup to his once it’s on the plate (he has a sweeter tooth than I do). The one other thing I do differently is double the amount of vanilla because we like a stronger vanilla flavor. Today, for the first time, I tried substituting one of the eggs with applesauce, and it worked great too. And, of course, we always serve our pancakes with your yummy mushroom bacon recipe. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
These are so good! I baked them at 350•for 12 minutes. So easy to cook the batch at once.
These were the absolute best!
Mine had a good flavor but were so dense- the batter was like cookie dough and they were really dense. I followed the recipe and definitely used baking powder. Maybe the type of oats? I have a similar recipe from Bob’s Red Mill that has you whip the egg whites separately then fold them in- that helped the density some.
Yummy pancakes! I baked them instead of the usual frying at 350 degrees for 12 mins and they are so fluffy!
We love this recipe!! It is our go to weekend breakfast. So easy and delicious, we just through all the ingredients in the vitamix.
Absolutely delicious!! A five star rating is not enough!! Ten stars is more accurate. Will never make any other pancakes. Here is what I substitute/add to the ingredients:
For one batch:
* I substitute 1 tablespoon of local honey for the maple syrup
* I add 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
* I add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
* I add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon chia seeds
* After blending, I stir in 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
We are addicted to these pancakes!! Enjoy them at least once or twice a week. I often double the recipe!!
Thank you for the deliciousness!!!!
Made these delicious pancakes this morning….OMG definitely a keeper.
I didn’t use the olive oil
I did add cinnamon, oat milk & cinnamon swirl sugar free syrup.
My batter was little thick, but add additional water and oatmilk.
Definitely will keep making
Thank you
Can the batter be made and refrigerated the night before?
This recipe is so so good and so easy to make. I love how everything comes together in a blender jar and I don’t
Feel guilty eating these pancakes. I just finished eating these to help overcome my major Monday blues!!
I am blown away by this recipe! If my eyes were shut and tasted these I could sworn I was eating abanana bread loaf from Starbucks! Annnd I looove those. I am so happy I found this recipe😍
Delicious and they really are fluffy!! I reduced maple syrup by half and replaced with water, and added a pinch of salt. Will definitely make again!
I made the oatmeal banana pancakes. I substituted molasses and I used whole milk for the water. Wonderful flavor and I enjoyed them with fruit and yogurt for lunch. Will be freezing the remaining to enjoy for another day. I will reheat in my toaster! Comfort food at its finest!
Kids loved loved these. Thank you!
So fast, easy and fluffy! I baked mine after seeing it in a story you posted. However, I forgot to write down the temp! Was it 350 or 425? Thank you!! Love your detox cookbooks!
I bake them at 350ºF for 10 to 12 minutes. Glad you enjoyed them!
These pancakes are delicious and very filling. We have just started non inflammatory diet and I’m trying to slowly get my family to try different things. These pancakes were a hit for dinner with real Vermont maple syrup. Made exactly as the recipe.
These are the best pancakes! We make them often and absolutely love them! Thank you for the recipe!
My husband and I eat GF. I have tried MANY other GF pancakes and we keep coming back to these!!! OUR FAVORITE!!! These are some changes and additions I make to your already fabulous recipe:
* Instead of maple syrup, I use 2 tablespoons of honey.
* I also add 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa, and 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds.
* Once everything is blended, I stir in 1/4 cup nuts, such as walnuts or pecans.
* I cook them for the recommended time on an electric griddle set at 325°.
Thanks for the recipe!!
What if I wanted to add protein powder to this recipe??
Absolutely delicious and so easy! My picky daughter who typically loves syrup on hints devoured these pancakes and raves about how good they were on their own! I doubled the recipe to have extras for the school week!
These were really yummy! Question- should salt be listed in the ingredients? I noticed salt was mentioned in the narrative but wasn’t in the actual recipe. I put some in, but guessed on amount. Came out great. Thank you! I have loved all of your recipes! I’m a big fan from North Dakota!
Do you have a way of making these egg free?
My son who is a fussy eater commented these pancakes were good and ate 3 medium pancakes. Translated : delicious! Thanks for this recipe, it’s a keeper!
Has anyone tried with flax egg or other substitute to make vegan friendly?
I love these and so do my husband and father. My dad lives with us. Dad is in his 70’s and we are in our 50’s and always looking for heart health recipes. Thank you, Megan. Your recipes make our lives better (healthier and more fulfilling!)!!
I added a little cinnamon because I love cinnamon and made a double batch so we had some in the fridge for the week. The dough starts to thicken towards the bottom so I would use 2 skillets if you are doubling the recipe.
These were amaaaaazing! First time I made pancakes in a cast iron skillet in forever. Followed your instructions and everything worked perfectly. Definitely will be a repeat item in my house from now on!
How can I make this without eggs? Should I add an additional banana or add flaxseed? I don’t eat eggs but this seems yummy and I really miss pancakes. Thank you
These were great. Really nice texture and flavor, easy to make and so easy to flip – maybe even moreso than our old AP-flour recipe. The banana did not come through much, so would add more in chunks if I wanted BANANA pancakes, but just as happy for the neutral flavor. Thank you so much.
I tried this recipe today, not a big fan of pancakes but this recipe I used for my two year old
Granddaughter she loved them especial with peanut butter and more banana, I must admit I loved too.
Delicious and easy. I used the oven to bake the pancakes and they turned out beautifully light and fluffy. Not too sweet and plenty sweet enough. Thank you Megan for another terrific recipe!
Great recipe! Easy and quick and comes out delish!!! Thank you!
I am excited to try these! Am I able to substitute Honey for the maple?
My whole family loves these pancakes.They are a fantastic go for before school especially love baking them in the oven. I add blueberries to some. So delicious and couldn’t be easier and
My kids LOVE these pancakes, so do I.
They take only a few minutes to make and come out light and fluffy.
These are a staple in our house! So easy and delicious. I love making extra to throw in the toaster and snack on all week! My toddler loves them too!
These were so easy to make and turned out so good! Just the right amount of sweetness! Will definitely make these again.
Delicious and well described on how to make. I altered the ingredients and replaced the eggs with 1/2 cup of applesauce. The inside was a little gooey so maybe less next time or I’ll try flax egg. I also added a splash of cinnamon. But next time I want to add frozen wild blueberries. These pancakes are sweet enough with the fruit and syrup that no additional syrup is needed for drizzling. Highly recommend trying. Takes some practice getting the browning just right. Check out my Instagram page melissakaycohen. I posted a photo.
The BEST Banana Oat pancakes! I remember trying a different recipe a few years ago, but gross. This one is Delicious and smooth! Doing it in the blender with a few more ingredients is perfect. I love how you spend your time perfecting a recipe.