Fluffy Banana Pancakes

These Fluffy Banana Pancakes taste like banana bread! You'll love this cinnamon-banana pancake recipe!

Let me introduce you to my weekend date. These fluffy banana pancakes and I have been going steady for a month.

It started when I was wondering what to do with my ripe bananas. Since I make banana smoothies 5-6 days a week for breakfast, I typically buy 10-12 bananas at a time, in case someone else in my household wants some, too.

We usually end up with 3-4 overripe bananas each week. I always freeze some for my smoothies, but kept craving banana pancakes.

So, I began experimenting with my banana pancake recipe every weekend. I'd eat some pancakes, share a little with my hubby and son and take notes about what I should try differently next time.

Each week, my pancake breakfast got better and better. Then, one recent Saturday, I hit the jackpot. 

I knew -- and my guys agreed -- these are the best banana pancakes! They're basically like banana bread, in pancake form.

'Banana bread' pancakes

If you want to take banana pancakes from bland to brilliant, you need a little salt, sugar, flavoring and spice. I went with vanilla extract and cinnamon...yum!

Combining them with the other banana pancake ingredients -- mashed bananas, flour, eggs, almond milk, baking powder and baking soda -- produces a banana bread taste and aroma that'll summon anyone in your household to the kitchen.

Hey, Good Lookin'!

How to make banana pancakes

The process is very similar to most of my pancake recipes, but you'll have to mash a couple of bananas to include in the batter. Once you've done that and beaten your eggs with a fork or whisk, you'll combine the wet ingredients, then the dry ingredients. Then, you'll whisk everything together.

You'll heat a greased pan or griddle (affiliate link) over medium heat, spoon in your batter and cook it for three minutes per side.

When it's time to flip a pancake, it helps to use your spatula to lift up all the edges first, then slide your spatula underneath, until it's in the center. Then, you'll carefully flip!

How to make pancakes fluffy

Here are the secrets to fluffy banana pancakes:

• Use baking powder and baking soda, which each leaven the batter and cause the dough to expand. 
• Beat the eggs with a fork for a minute before adding them to the batter. This adds volume.
• Use almond milk instead of regular milk, which produces fluffier results.
• Cook the banana pancakes over medium heat (instead of medium high), for three minutes per side, to allow time for the insides to cook without burning the outsides.

Can you store the batter?

Normally, pancake batter can be refrigerated for two days, but I don't recommend it for banana pancake batter. The mashed bananas will continue to ripen and result in soggy, rather than fluffy, pancakes.

It's better to cook all the banana batter the day you make it. This recipe yields four large pancakes, so it's not a huge amount.

How to store leftover pancakes

You can store leftover pancakes covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Let them cool off first.

To freeze pancakes, stack them with a layer of wax paper or parchment in between them. Place the pancakes in a freezer bag and freeze them for up to two months.

More recipes to enjoy

If you love bananas, don't miss this Sweet Banana Pizza with White Chocolate. If flapjacks are your jam, be sure to check out my other pancake recipes, starting with The Best Pancakes, featuring delicious almond flavor. And, you have to try these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes!

Wait...there's more...

• Easy Lemon-Blueberry Pancakes
• Orange Pancakes with Chocolate Chips
• Cinnamon Almond Multigrain Pancakes

Enjoy!

(Recipe Source: Cooking with Mamma C)