Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Growing up, my idea of the ultimate Mother’s Day gift was to make my mom breakfast in bed. If you’re looking for a way to show someone a little extra love, be it your mom, your kids, your significant other, or yourself (I’m all about some healthy oat pancakes self-care!) today’s Banana Oatmeal Pancakes are a tasty option that will please all parties, including the ones in charge of washing dishes. They’re soft and tender, the lightning-fast pancake batter is made entirely in the blender, and the wholesome ingredient list makes these pancakes fit for busy weekday mornings and lazy weekends alike.
In retrospect, my Mother’s Day pancakes-in-bed approach probably needed a bit of retooling.
Dirtying our entire kitchen, waking my mom up early on a Sunday, then getting pancake crumbs, butter smears, and syrup all over her comforter was probably not her ideal way for me to express my affection.
Memo to self: next Mother’s Day, keep the banana pancakes in the kitchen.
Even if you don’t serve these banana oatmeal beauties in bed, they are still a sweet, easy way to show someone you care.
I say “I love you” often. I grew up in a family that used the “L-word” comfortably, and we still end just about every phone call that way. It’s a habit to the point that I once said the three little words to a customer service rep on the phone just before hanging up (oy vey).
I could have at least made him a batch of Banana Oatmeal Pancakes first.
Banana Oatmeal Pancakes—The Big “L” in Breakfast Form
Whether it’s an impromptu phone call to catch up with a friend I haven’t spoken to in a while, mailing an actual birthday card (or even sending a birthday text) to someone instead of just writing on her Facebook wall, or taking out the trash once in a while for Ben, I’m working on showing my affection as much as I say it.
Small actions done with love for others are simple but significant.
In the case of these Banana Oatmeal Pancakes, they are delicious too!
This easy oatmeal pancake recipe is a tasty reminder that showing someone you care doesn’t need to be complicated or fancy…or make a big, giant mess that someone (hi, moms and dads!) will have to clean up afterwards.
Waking up to a fresh batch of these banana beauties would make anyone feel appreciated, and you’ll love only having the blender to wash afterwards too!
I adapted this easy banana oatmeal pancakes recipe from my blender Banana Oatmeal Muffins. Like the muffins, these Banana Oatmeal Pancakes are perfect for enjoying right away, and you can easily refrigerate or freeze the leftovers for healthy breakfasts on demand.
Like the banana muffins, these Banana Oatmeal Pancakes also contain no flour, no butter, and no sugar but still taste light and sweet. Greek yogurt and mashed banana replace the butter and sugar, and the Banana Oatmeal Pancakes are made entirely with oatmeal instead of flour.
These ingredient swaps make the Banana Pancakes 100% whole grain and gluten free, and they have a decent amount of protein too (at least for pancakes).
The texture of these Banana Oatmeal Pancakes isn’t as thick and “bready” as traditional pancakes, but I still find them absolutely scrumptious.
This recipe for Banana Oatmeal Pancakes is fast, easy, and healthy enough that you can enjoy them anytime. For low-maintenance or busy mornings, I usually make them the traditional round or “roundish” pancake shape, which you can see demoed in the recipe video I’m adding to the post today (be sure to watch!).
If you’d like to make the Banana Oatmeal Pancakes extra special for Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or for a fun extra “just because I love you,” you can also use the batter to make heart-shaped pancakes, which is how I took the photos.
If you would like to make heart-shaped pancakes, it’s simple: spray the inside of metal cookie cutters like these generously with nonstick spray, place them on a warm griddle, and then portion and spread the batter inside. It takes a little extra effort, but the rewards are sweet.
In the topping department, on best-behavior weekdays, I usually opt for Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. Weekends call for syrup. Weekends AND weekdays demand Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Pancakes. It’s the right thing to do.
Recommended Tools to Make Heart-Shaped Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
- Nonstick skillet
- Fish spatula—I use this to flip pancakes, fry eggs, stir roasted veggies…everything!
- Heart-shaped cookie cutters
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats or quick oats gluten free if needed; do not use steel-cut oats or instant oats
- 1 1/4 cups mashed banana about 2 very large bananas
- 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt plus 2 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup nonfat milk plus 2 tablespoons, or substitute milk of choice
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder I recommend aluminum free
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Optional for serving: maple syrup butter, honey, Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, peanut butter, or any other pancake topping you love
-
If you'd like to keep the pancakes warm between batches, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
-
Place the oats in the bottom of a blender. Process a few times to grind, then add the mashed banana, Greek yogurt, milk, eggs, honey, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. (See notes to make this recipe in a food processor instead.) Blend on high speed, stopping to stir a few times as needed, until the batter is very smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes.
-
Heat a griddle or skillet over medium low. Brush lightly with olive oil or melt a little butter in the pan. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot griddle into the shape of a heart and cook 3 minutes, until the edges look dry (bubbles may not form on top). Flip and continue to cook for 1 to 2 additional minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding a little more oil to the pan between batches as needed. For perfectly shaped heart pancakes, coat the bottom edges and the insides of a heart-shaped cookie cutter with oil or cooking spray. Lay it on the griddle and pour the batter inside. Cook until the edges are dry, then remove the cookie cutters, flip, and continue cooking as directed. Keep the pancakes warm between batches in a 200 degree F oven, if desired. Serve warm with desired toppings.
- To make this recipe in a food processor, grind the oats until they become a flour. In one bowl, combine the oat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together the banana, yogurt, milk, eggs, and honey. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry, then cook as directed.
- To freeze, lay the pancakes in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then place in the freezer. Once the pancakes are frozen, transfer them to a ziptop bag and store for up to 2 months. (Do not put unfrozen pancakes in a ziptop bag without first freezing them flat or they will turn into a big, hard pancake blob.) Reheat in the toaster, directly from frozen.
- Leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, then reheated in the toaster as mentioned above.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
About Erin Clarke
I’m fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food taste incredible. Wearer of plaid, travel enthusiast, and firmly convinced that sweets and veggies both deserve a place at the table. MORE ABOUT ERIN…
Mediterranean Quinoa Burger with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta Next Post »
Baked Bacon | How to Make PERFECT Bacon in the Oven
I’m all about the “L” word, although sometimes I use it too much, especially when talking about food!! ;) Like these pancakes! I LOVE this recipe and I’m definitely going to make these for my boyfriend and I for Valentine’s Day Breakfast. <3
I’m guilty of the exact same thing. ? Thanks Marina! I hope you and your boyfriend enjoy them.
This is my first ever food review post – I just have to share that we love this recipe. My 6 year old son asks for these often. In fact, it’s become an almost weekly staple in our home. Sometimes, I add a few dark chocolate chip morsels for him, but the pancake recipe is great as written. Thanks for the amazing recipe!!
Nina, thank YOU for this wonderful review. I am so happy to hear these are a hit in your home!
This is a great way to use oatmeal (which I don’t much care for as cereal) other than cookies (which I LOVE).
I will make these I think this Sunday for breakfast. We all LOVE your blog as you can tell. Have a great weekend with this arctic weather – at least the sun is out.
Thank you so much, Chris! I hope the pancakes are a hit!
Your Blender Banana Muffins are awesome, so I canny wait to try these pancakes! Your recipes are ?? We enjoyed your Roasted Carrot Soup + ham & cornbread for lunch today. ?
I saw the pic on Insta Kori! I am so happy to know you loved the soup, and since you are fans of the muffins, I know you’ll love these pancakes too.
I made these this morning for the kids. Delicious.
I am so happy that you all loved them Heather! Thank you so much for letting me know.
I love you how you made a pancake out of those healthy breakfast ingredients. Great way to get kids eating more healthy without them knowing it ;)
Doesn’t apply certainly to this recipe but I forgot to tell you that with the butternut squash soup recipe I use, I also add some lightly salted pepitas as garnish – really tasty! And maybe sort of healthy also – not sure.
That sounds DELICIOUS Chris. I’m going to try pepitas on this myself next time!
hey girl- These pancakes look so yummy! Love ya- have a great weekend!
Thanks so much Shawnna! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
This recipe sounds like a real winner. My pancakes would be whatever strange shape they might turn out to be after pouring the batter onto my griddle (my last batch turned out to be sort of triangular because they landed in the corners of the griddle). I really like the idea of doing a simple batter in the blender, so on my next time cooking, I’ll have to try these (I cook for two weeks, then my husband cooks for one week, and my two weeks are about up for this cycle).
I hope you and your husband enjoy the pancakes Susan, whatever shape you choose!
Tried these this morning and they came out great. I didn’t believe you about two very large bananas, so I came up a little short in that department, but they turned out well despite that. My husband approved of them, and I also liked pouring them onto the griddle from the blender pitcher. This recipe is a definite keeper – easy and tasty.
I’m glad it’s a keeper, Susan! Thank you so much for trying them out and letting me know how it went. :)
I made these this morning and am so glad I did. They were quick, easy and fit perfectly into my weight loss diet. Next time I’m going to add flaxseed meal as well. Thanks for a great recipe!
Kerry, I am so happy to hear you loved these! Thanks so much for taking time to leave this positive review, and I love your idea of adding flaxseed also!
Made these this morning for a late breakfast – very good. They were totally nothing like regular pancakes but that was a good thing. We liked them alot. Was surprised how easy it was to make oat flour in the food processor – I’m thinking that it could be a little more costly if you were to buy ready made. Thanks for another good one!
Chris, I am so happy to hear that these were a hit! And oat flour is so easy to make at home. I just have to convince myself to wash the food processor ;-) Thanks for trying the recipe and leaving this lovely review!
That’s definitely my kind of breakfast! I love to start my day with something sweet. And then, I see fruits on top of that… Mmmmm…
Fruit is just the perfect finishing touch! Thanks, Gustavo!
Made these this morning for breakfast and they were wonderful. They tasted very much like pancakes and cooked exactly like them as well. I used some coconut oil to make them not stick! After finished cooking put a small amount of butter and dipped in a small amount of syrup and paired with fresh raspberries and blueberries! LOVE
That sounds delicious, Madelyn! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes. :) Thanks for taking the time to report back!
I made these on Sunday morning for me and my boyfriend. I’m not a huge fan of bananas, but I will eat them if they’re baked or cooked. These were delicious! I added some chopped walnuts for texture. Definitely going to make these again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Lauren! Chopped walnuts sound lovely. Thank you so much for leaving this review!
Made the pancakes for lunch. We really liked the texture. Have you tried the recipe for waffles?
Hi Rose! I haven’t tried this as waffles, and I probably wouldn’t recommend this as I suspect the waffles would turn out somewhat soggy…they need some fat to crisp up. If you’re looking for a blender waffle recipe, my Blender Whole Wheat Waffles would be a great option!
Hi I love this recipe! I was wondering if I added a few scoops of whey protein to this would I need to change any other part of the recipe? The batter gets really thick!
Hi Melissa, I’ve never tried the recipe that way myself, so I can’t say for certain. I think you could experiment by adding just a few tablespoons of powder, then adding in milk if the batter seems too thick. If you decide to play around with it, I’d love to hear how it turns out.
These are great! I’ve made them twice. The first time they were too liquidy so I ended up having to add some regular pancake mix to get a batter. The second time I just omitted the milk and added a little ground flax and they were absolutely perfect! I’ll definitely keep making them :)
Caitlin, I’m so glad to hear you enjoy the recipe, and I really appreciate your taking the time to share your tweaks! Thanks for this lovely review!
This recipe is perfect! The pancakes were fluffy and delicious! My whole family enjoyed them. The only change I made is using 2 eggs and 2 tbsp of flour instead of 3 eggs. Thank you so much for your wonderful blog and recipes!
Forgot to rate it :)) highly recommend!
YAY! Thank you so much Anna. I am so happy to hear the pancakes were a hit!
Hi,
I made these pancakes but they were kind of gooey from the inside. I tried pouring a thinner batter on the skillet and still found them way too soft (like melt in mouth soft). I have never made pancakes without flour so dont know how these ones are supposed to be in terms of texture and taste. I didnt get them fluffy at all :( Would love to know where I went wrong.
Hi Sabby, these pancakes are definitely very soft, which is a result of them being both low in fat and made without butter. They definitely shouldn’t be raw/gooey on the inside at all though, so if that was the case, I’d recommend cooking them for longer.
I made these for my husband and me this morning, and they were DELICIOUS! I cut the recipe in half, because I only had one banana. It was the perfect amount for the two of us. I also used maple syrup instead of honey, and it worked out very well. These are easy, healthy and yummy. Thank you! My husband asked that I save this recipe. I will definitely make them again. :)
YAY Sara, I’m happy to hear the pancakes were a hit! Thanks so much for giving them a try and reporting back. :)
Nice presentation , I will surely try this, thanks for recipe :)
Thank you, Komal! I hope you enjoy.
Simply delish (and healthy). Had company over for the weekend and thought I’d give these a try. Everyone loved them and wanted the recipe ; ) My new fave forever pancakes!
I am so happy to hear that Robin! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and taking time to leave this wonderful review!
Hi Erin, could I use regular flour instead of quick oats? And will using frozen banana work?
Hi Cynthia, I’m honestly not sure, as I developed the recipe with oatmeal. I’d recommend sticking with oats since that is how the recipe was tested. You can also purchase oat flour if you prefer not to grind your own oatmeal. If you’re interested, here’s my pancake recipe that’s made with regular flour: https://www.wellplated.com/fluffy-pancakes-for-dad-with-love/
Thanks Erin! Would that be the same measurement if I use oat flour?
Hi Cynthia, yes, 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats will yield approximately the same amount of oat flour. I hope you enjoy!
We thought these were delicious (me and my 13 month old)! extra yummy topped with Greek yogurt or almond butter, No syrup necessary. My only variation was that I used full fat Greek yogurt and it worked great. They were a bit of a challenge not to burn, I think due to the sugar from the banana and honey… even after just 2-3 min on low they were a little black on my stove’s main burner. I switched to the smaller burner and things worked themselves out.
Erin, I’m so glad to hear these pancakes were a hit! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your notes! :)
I just made your recipe. The batter tasted a bit sweet, so I added about 1/4 cup of peanut butter and about another 1/4 Cup liquid. I omitted the spices.They were still a bit sweet, for ME, so I think I will omit the honey in the next batch.BUT, I loved the texture and the overall flavor. I just top with more peanut butter! I needed up with 15 X 4” pancakes. Overall, this is a great recipe and I will be making them every weekend to freeze and eat on busy mornings. And they’re great as little “coffee cakes”!
Deb, thanks so much for giving the pancakes a try and taking the time to share your notes! I’m glad to hear they’ll become a new busy morning tradition for you!
That should have been that I ENDED up with 15 pancakes.
This recipe was great! I am breastfeeding and need to up my intake of oats for milk production and I was getting tired of oatmeal every day! :) These are also great from cutting sugar and carbs. Is there something I could use besides mashed bananas? I love them in pancakes but my husband does not.
Hi Julie, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! I haven’t experimented with taking the banana out of this recipe since it makes up a very large proportion of the ingredients. I’d suggest searching for a more traditional oatmeal pancake recipe if you’d like to go banana-less. (And in case you’re interested, I have a lot of other recipes using oats that you can check out here!)
These look so yummy (and cute)!!!
I always have fresh honey that would be delicious on these pancakes. What a great recipe. It’s too bad my mom lives far away and my boyfriend hates pancakes LOL! But I’m no stranger to making a batch of pancakes for just me :-) I like your post – it reminds me that I need to be better at showing affection! One of my weak areas for sure.
Dear Erin, I made them for breakfast today – so delicious!!!! And they are so healthy I ate several without feeling guilty. This is the kind of breakfast that I love and is so simple to make. My kids loved them too. Thanks!
Caroline, I’m happy to hear the recipe is a winner for the whole family! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try and taking the time to leave this wonderful review. :)
Girl, you helped a sister out this morning! I am currently serving on the mission field in India, and I needed something that tasted like it came from my mama’s kitchen this morning. This recipe impressed my new (picky) husband so much that he insisted I make more for him to take his dad! We didn’t have Greek yogurt, but fresh yogurt is in abundant supply, and it worked out just fine! I topped ours with a homemade simple syrup I make from fresh Indian jaggery and Chai spices!
YAY Tiffany, I’m so glad this recipe hit the spot for all of you! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this wonderful review too.
Thanks for the recipe :) :)
Thank YOU! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I just made my first batch of these and LOVED them! My kids did also which is the biggest test, I love the healthy ingredients without compromising on hearty, delicious flavor. A new weekend favorite at our house, thank you!
YAY April! So happy to hear it!
Tried this recipe using already ground oat flour. Used buttermilk to help with ‘fluff.’ Grandson said these were the best pancakes I’ve ever made!
Shawntel, I am so happy to hear the pancakes were a hit! Thank you for taking time to leave this lovely review too. It is so helpful and means a lot!
I made these pancakes today and we’re absolutely amazing! I used coconut milk and Siggi’s vanilla yogurt. They will become a regular breakfast dish in our home. Thanks for posting this!
Diana, I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes! Thanks for taking the time to leave this review!
Can this recipe be used in a waffle iron?
Hi Michelle! I haven’t tried this as waffles, and I probably wouldn’t recommend this as I suspect the waffles would turn out somewhat soggy…they need some fat to crisp up. If you’re looking for a blender waffle recipe, my Blender Whole Wheat Waffles would be a great option!
Can you refrigerate the left over batter or will it go bad??
Hi Shal, I usually refrigerate or freeze leftover cooked pancakes instead of the batter itself. The batter may be okay in the fridge for a day, but I haven’t tried it myself. I hope you enjoy!