Hands down THE best Vegan Banana Pancakes. They are soft, fluffy, super delicious and so simple to make, from scratch, in a blender. This is an essential, keep handy in your back pocket, recipe that everyone needs for an easy, yet decadent breakfast!
Today is dedicated to simple, made from scratch, soft, fluffy and delicious Vegan Banana Pancakes that are just the right amount of sweet, and are hands down, melt in your mouth, YUM.
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As you are probably well aware, the not so perfect vegan pancake situation is all too common, especially when you add extra moistness in the form of banana. They often end up gummy and slightly damp.
My banana pancake game is strong though, and the texture of these and their Chocolate Banana Pancakes spin-off is absolutely spot on.
We really do have breakfast heaven right here, and once you've tasted a plate of this hot, banana-y, syrup soaked fluffy goodness, your ordinary, plain pancakes might well become a thing of the past.
We're talking a maximum fluff situation. Just call me the fluff-master.
Ok, maybe not ...
These Vegan Banana Pancakes are:
- Thick, soft and fluffy
- Full of yummy banana, cinnamon and nutmeg flavour
- Super easy and quick to make
- Hearty
- Satisfying
- And I think the best pancakes I have ever made!
How to make vegan banana pancakes
For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card.
Want to know how easy it is to make my Vegan Banana Pancakes?
Well here's how:
- Step 1 - Dump everything in a blender and blend it all up. If you don't have a blender, I have included instructions in the full recipe below for how to make them by hand.
- Step 2 - Leave the batter to sit for 10 minutes while you preheat the pan/griddle.
- Step 3 - Grease the pan/griddle. See my recipe notes regarding what works best.
- Step 4 - Pour the batter into rounds on the griddle/pan and let cook until bubbles form, then flip and cook a bit more.
Possible variations
Once the batter is fresh on the griddle/pan, if you want to you can add some optional extras. Chocolate chips or blueberries work particularly well. Just poke them into the uncooked batter before flipping.
Success tips
- Don't over blend/mix the batter. Just keep going until no dry flour is visible. A few small lumps are ok.
- Don't thin the batter. If you want thick and fluffy vegan pancakes the trick is to keep the batter thick.
- Cook the pancakes long and slow. Don't rush them. Vegan pancakes take longer to cook through and become fluffy than non-vegan pancakes do.
- Don't use more banana than the recipe calls for as it will affect the texture. The pancakes have been tested carefully and the amounts listed give the best results.
- Don't press the pancakes down with the spatula while they are cooking or you will push out the air and lose some fluff.
- For optimal visual appeal, I have found that vegan butter works much better than oil when cooking pancakes. You can see the difference between the 2 in my video and photos. The video pancakes were cooked using oil, the ones in the photos were cooked using vegan butter.
- These pancakes need the little bit of oil in them to have the perfect texture. If you omit it they won't be nearly as light and fluffy. Adding the nut butter as per my substitution suggestion provides a little bit of fat and helps somewhat for an oil-free version, but for the very best results, the oil is necessary.
- Measure the flour correctly. See below.
Measuring flour correctly
As always with any of my recipes involving flour, I highly recommend that you weigh it. Cup measurements are not accurate enough to get the best results.
If you do need to use cups, spoon the flour into the cup then level off the top with a knife without compacting it or shaking it down. By doing it like this you will get roughly the correct amount. If you scoop the flour up into the cup, you will end up with much more than is needed and it will affect the outcome of the recipe. Digital scales are available at most big superstores now and you can pick one up for around $10. They are a great investment and are so worth having!
How to serve
I usually like all the toppings when I eat pancakes but I like to serve these vegan banana pancakes quite simply. We're talking a generous knob of vegan butter and a heavy-handed drizzle of maple syrup. The banana flavour comes through really well and is enhanced by the cinnamon and hint of nutmeg. It's almost like eating sticky, syrupy, banana bread.
Other toppings that would work:
- vegan butter and maple syrup
- vegan yogurt
- fresh fruit
- date caramel
- chocolate sauce or chocolate chips
- vegan ricotta
- vegan whipped cream
Storage, freezing and reheating tips
Leftover vegan banana pancakes can be refrigerated for a day or two then reheated in a pan over medium heat, in the microwave, or in a toaster.
To freeze banana pancakes, allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack then stack them up with parchment paper between them so they don't stick together. I sometimes don't use the parchment paper and they stick together a little but are easily released. Place in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a toaster from frozen. You might need to put them in for a couple of rounds to make sure they are heated through properly. You can also microwave them on low until they are warmed through.
Hungry for more?
Love pancakes? Then be sure to check out my:
- Vegan Blueberry Pancake
- Vegan Spelt Pancakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
- Vegan English Pancakes
- Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes
Ooops. I think I might have a slight pancake obsession....
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📖 Recipe
The Best Vegan Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 240 ml / 1 cup unsweetened non dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon oil of choice , or cashew butter for oil free but they won't be quite as light and fluffy
- 1 medium banana, peeled , weighing around 170 g in it's skin
- 200 g / 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour , or spelt flour (see the recipe notes re measuring the flour). If you are in the UK use plain flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender . It blends up much easier if you add the liquid ingredients first, followed by the dry ingredients. If you don't have a blender you can make them by hand. I will include instructions at the end.
- Blend the ingredients until smooth. Don't over blend. turn it off as soon as everything is smooth and combined. It should take less than a minute.
- Leave the batter to rest for at least 10 minutes. It will be thick. Don't be tempted to thin it. While it rests, preheat your griddle to medium (about 325 °f) or use a skillet or frying pan .
- Lightly grease (with a little oil or vegan butter) the pan/griddle with a brush, then pour the batter on in rounds, about 1 ladle full per pancake or roughly ⅓ of a cup. Leave to cook until bubbles appear all over the top and begin to pop, then flip very gently.
- Allow to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until golden then remove from the pan and serve immediately.
To make by hand:
- Mash the banana really, really well until it is a puree consistency. Beat it together with the milk and oil until combined well.
- Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl, whisk them together, then gradually pour in the milk, stirring as you go to work out the lumps. Stir until all of the flour is absorbed and the batter is smooth, then leave to rest for 10 minutes before carrying on as above.
NOTES
- Don't over blend/mix the batter. Just keep going until no dry flour is visible. A few small lumps are ok.
- Don't thin the batter. If you want thick and fluffy vegan pancakes the trick is to keep the batter thick.
- Cook the pancakes long and slow. Don't rush them. Vegan pancakes take longer to cook through and become fluffy than non-vegan pancakes do.
- Don't use more banana than the recipe calls for as it will affect the texture. The pancakes have been tested carefully and the amounts listed give the best results.
- Don't press the pancakes down with the spatula while they are cooking or you will push out the air and lose some fluff.
- For optimal visual appeal, I have found that vegan butter works much better than oil when cooking pancakes. You can see the difference between the 2 in my video and photos. The video pancakes were cooked using oil, the ones in the photos were cooked using vegan butter.
- These pancakes need the little bit of oil in them to have the perfect texture. If you omit it they won't be nearly as light and fluffy. Adding the nut butter as per my substitution suggestion provides a little bit of fat and helps somewhat for an oil-free version, but for the very best results, the oil is necessary.
- Measure the flour correctly. Weighing with a digital scale is always best for accurate results.
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
Versella Williams says
I made this recipe today. They were absolutely delicious and fluffy. My daughter commented on how pleasing they were to her palate.
Rita Radmer says
Hi Mel, I have made these pancakes before and they are amazing! My question is that I need to make some for about 30 people and in another comment you said not to refrigerate the batter overnight. What would you suggest? I won’t have time in the morning to make the batter and cook them.
A Virtual Vegan says
They won't fluff up anywhere near as much if you make the batter in advance. You will either need to cook the pancakes in advance and reheat them or cook them fresh. They do reheat really well. They aren't quite as soft as when fresh but they are still really nice.
Your other option is to make sheet pan pancakes. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, grease it with some vegan butter or oil just in case, then blend the batter and pour it on and level it out with a spatula. Then bake it and cut it into squares to serve. I've never tried it with this recipe but I would imagine it would be ok. 375 °F for about 15 to 17 minutes should do it. You could probably even make them the day before (making sure to cook them pretty lightly) then pop them in the oven on low to warm up before serving. Maybe if you have the chance have a practise session to check it works out ok?
Hope that helps!