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!
These pancakes really are amazing! Best homemade pancakes I’ve ever made in fact. I love the flavor so much we didn’t even serve them with maple syrup– just a little fresh fruit on top! Thank you so much for all you do. Your recipes are always perfect for my family!
Hi, do you think it would work if I halved the whole recipe to get 3 pancakes rather than 6?
Thanks.
In her notes above the recipe, it says it can be halved to 3 pancakes for 1 person. 🙂
Made these oatmeal pancakes this morning and they are so good!!
This recipe looked so delicious I had to try it right away!!! They were amazingly delicious and have a great texture. Think next time I make them I will try adding a little cinnamon. Thank you Megan for another delicious breakfast option!
Made it this morning and this is definitely my favorite pancake recipe! Most of the pancakes made with eggs taste like eggs and after going mostly plan based, I don’t enjoy the taste of eggs. These were perfect even with using regular eggs! I didn’t have baking powder but substituted with baking soda/vinegar and it worked really well! Thank you for another great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you so much for letting me know.
I love making pancakes… Always looking out for different recipes. I’m not really sure which maple syrup to get. Can I substitute honey for the maple syrup?
Tried these this morning with my daughter. They were good but definitely need to get use to the difference in texture. A bit on the dry side but we didn’t serve with fresh cut fruit. That might help liven things up. Also didn’t look like the picture either. The ones in the picture look like a recipe that uses flour.
When you grind oatmeal in a blender, it does become flour! Maybe if your banana was on the smaller side that could account for a dryer texture. Did the batter look like mine shown in the video? I make it on camera so you can see it step by step. Glad the flavor was good, though!
This is the best GF pancake recipe I have ever had! They really come out fluffy, and so good.
I just made it this morning. The taste was good but mine didn’t rise like yours in the video. Mine were pretty dense. Do you have any suggestion to make it fluffy?
Did you definitely use baking powder and not baking soda? I accidentally made these without baking powder once and my pancakes were flat and dense. You might want to make sure it’s fresh baking powder, too, as I think it can eventually get old and stop working.
I just made these awesome delicious pancakes! My husband enjoyed eating them with natural Maple syrup and I ate mine “plane”. To my taste they were already sweet enough 😊
Delicious! Excited to add this to my recipe collection!
Hi there! So happy to have come across your Instagram through Gurlgonegreen! Could I use oat flour to make these, as opposed to grinding the oats? What would the amount be of it would work? Thank you!
This recipe is a hit! I have made it twice, and the second time I customized it a little by adding an extra egg, decreasing the maple syrup a bit, and adding walnuts and raisins. Yes, that probably moves them into the dessert category, but they were delicious!
Great recipe! Love how it was so easy to throw together in one “bowl” and it incorporated oats. I threw in chocolate chips, obviously.
Can the maple syrup be substituted for dates?
I made these at 6 am this morning andate them at work and they are very very good!! and by lunch time I was not hungry at all. its now 230 and stomach is growling lol..
I haven’t tried them yet but do you think I can swap the banana for apple sauce and they would come out as good? They look delicious miam!!
My kids and husband loves these! Thank you!!
I’m so glad they are enjoying them! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
I just made these, but used 1/3 cup pumpkin instead of banana. I also doubled the recipe; the batter was a little thick, so I added water to thin it out. I made silver dollar sized pancakes which was perfect for my daughter. I’d totally make these again. Had lots of leftovers, will probably freeze and pull out when needed.
It was aweome, super spongy. the only thing it taste a bit too much to olive oil with the 2tablespoons, I wonder if with only one TBS of olive oil will be enough. Instead of the syrup I used coconut milk and use a bit of stevia and work perfectly. I recommend this recipe at 100% thank you
I made these pancakes for my husband and myself. They were DELICIOUS! The only thing I added was a few mini chocolate chips and sliced almonds. I would definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe.
I made these for the first time and my kids loved them!!!
These were yummy, except for the fact that I added baking soda instead of baking powder… oops!
If you add baking soda instead of baking powder just add some vinegar and it will rise that way. Gonna try this as a waffle.
Just made these into waffles. Changed recipe as per another user. I used coconut milk and 2 pkgs of stevia in place of the maple syrup and used applesauce instead of banana. Then added mini chocolate chips. On my waffle maker I cooked for 5 min. Came out perfect and delish. Thanks for a great recipe.
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you enjoyed it!!
My kids and I loved these. When my husband gets back home, we are going to make them again for him too! My son hates banana but even he loved them! In fact, we have loved all the healthy, but yummy, recipes on your website so far! Thanks!
Omg 😱 DELICIOUS
I used honey instead of maple syrup ! Oh my ! Loved it ! Thanks for sharing !!
Absolutely stunning!! 100/10😍 I made them with flax eggs and almond milk to make it vegan and it worked like a charm🤩😍
Wow these are delicious! Slow cooking is the trick to getting them to cook through, otherwise they have gooey centers. This is definitely a new staple for our weekend!
a gorgeous gluten-free pancake right here. made for a houseful of wheat-eaters. everyone loved them.
Love this recipe! Made it for our breakfast. My Honey said he could easy this everyday! Amazing for someone who doesn’t like to change/experiment with his favs! Very moist pancakes! Looks like we have a new favorite pancake!
Thank -you for this DELICIOUS pancake recipe !
Just made these. Used applesauce because my bananas are not ripe. They are amazing! Fluffy, tasty and satisfying.I knew when I went searching for a new pancake recipe I could count on Detoxonista. Thank you♡ I am adding yet another one of your recipes to my favorites list
I didn’t have a ripe banana so I used 3/4 cup applesauce. Inspired by your green muffins, I also added spinach. They were delicious, fun, and a great way to add a veggie to breakfast.
As a nursing mother to a newborn, I always have a huge hunger problem even if I just ate 30 minutes ago!!! I was searching for a quick and healthy breakfast oatmeal pancake recipe so I don’t feel guilty for overeating lol!!! And I found this recipe. I LOVE it!!! The pancakes are so SOFT and FLUFFY! They are so perfect in taste! You can taste the delicious flavor of the maple syrup and banana! I can’t believe I didn’t have to use any flour! I will definitely keep this recipe for the rest of my life!!! 🙂 Especially because they were soooooo easy to make!
Loved the texture and flavor of this recipe. And my husband couldn’t even tell it was flour-less! I added 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg for a little zest.
loved this recipe! so good:)
Can this recipe be used in a waffle iron?
If you are not supposed to have fruit with any other food, then why do you have a picture with pancakes and strawberries?
I don’t practice food combining all the time, and the rest of my family doesn’t practice it at all, so sometimes we serve fruit on our pancakes. Food combining is just a “tool” that I use when I want to feel my best, but with my history of disordered eating, I don’t follow any strict guidelines.
Delicious! We use 2 apples instead of the banana, and we omit the maple syrup.
My one and two year olds literally won’t stop yelling at me for more of these. They’re amazing. I used pumpkin and agave in place of banana and maple syrup. I need these in my diet EVERY DAY. Thank you so much for putting these bad boys in your email!!
Do u think the batter could be frozen? I am going camping and would like to freeze smaller portions for myself. Everyone else prefers the boxed pancakes. Cooking them and bringing them would take up too much room in my freezer.
I’ve always had good luck with freezing pancakes! I pop them in the toaster for my kids for an easy morning. Hope they work well with camping!
Oh, but I always cook the pancakes before freezing them. I’ve never tried freezing the batter and then thawing it to cook. Let me know if you end up trying that!
Thank you, Megan, for this wonderful recipe! It was a hit with my family. Quick question: can these pancakes be made via baking, instead?
can this item be frozen if you make a large batch or how long will they last if they were made and put in the fridge?
I think they would last up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container, or you could probably freeze them for at least 3 months as long as you keep them tightly sealed.
For those who are doing work-outs, I guarantee oatmeal pancakes is a must in weekly meal <3 Lovely recipe!
amazingly delicious pancakes👌👍🙏
This looks so good! What an easy and tasty one to make for kids too!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Delicious! And love the simple ingredients! Thank you for a great recipe that I can feel great about feeding my kids (and myself)!
These tastes so good! Made them exactly as listed with the exception of the maple syrup. I used honey instead. Recipe is a keeper 👍
So fast and easy and my kids devoured them in minutes. I will definitely make these on busy school mornings. I combine all of the wet ingredients in the blender the night before so in the morning, all I need to do is add the oats and baking powder and the batter is ready.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing the make-ahead tip!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! The pancakes are picture perfect after they cook. Second, they are delicious! It’s like you made it for me in my.kitchen!