Banana bread pancakes are so much better than traditional pancakes. Ripe bananas are incorporated into a buttermilk pancake batter with some cinnamon and brown sugar to give them a banana bread taste. A great twist on traditional pancakes.

We are having an “official” snow day in North Carolina so time to make some banana bread pancakes. It doesn’t take much to shut things down around here, but this time things are really shut down. My firm “officially” closed all of our offices, which is a first. I am a snow wimp and work from home with even the tiniest bit of snow but normally I can get to my office, not today!
People from the North always want to know why Southerners run to the store in droves to get milk and bread when they are calling for snow. It’s pretty obvious to me, you need bread for grilled cheese and milk for tomato soup, the “official” snow day lunch.
You need to make this your “snow day” breakfast. My bananas were starting to get too ripe to eat and we’re kind of on a banana kick around here where we have been enjoying banana bread and banana muffins. Most banana pancakes you get are just pancakes with bananas sliced on top, these are so much better because the bananas are in the batter. They taste like banana bread, but not quite as sweet. I barely mash the bananas so that there are small chunks when you bite into the pancake itself.
What do you do if your bananas aren’t ripe
Green bananas will not taste good in banana bread pancakes. However, you don’t have to give up on making the best banana pancakes. Just place the unpeeled green bananas on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 250º until the peeling is black. The banana will be perfect to use banana pancakes.
They are so good by themselves that you don’t need to add syrup. I sprinkled milk chocolate chips inside the girls’ and walnuts in ours. I of course added butter and sprinkled a little powdered sugar on top.
I’m normally a waffle person, which you can probably tell from my photos, I’m just not patient enough to make them pretty.
How to cook perfect buttermilk pancakes:
Even though I’m a waffle person, I have some tips on how to make pancakes regardless of which recipe you’re using. As your parents probably told you, you’re going to need to put on your “patience hat”. You can’t rush pancakes. Make sure your skillet or griddle is on medium low. This can vary a lot depending on your stove. So heat your oil and test it with a small amount of batter. It should sizzle but not too much.
Add your batter and then wait until the bubbles have popped, peaking underneath to make sure they’re not getting too brown. You need to be prepared for throwing out the first pancake unless you just happen to get the temperature perfect on the first one. That never happens to me. If the first one is too brown, then turn down your heat. When you finally get your perfect pancake put it in a warm oven until you’re finished so that everyone can enjoy them at the same time. This way you won’t feel rushed and ruin your pancakes.
How do you make the best banana bread pancakes
Step 1: Bring the buttermilk and eggs to room temperature.
Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and add eggs, melted butter, buttermilk and vanilla, whisking just until the lumps are gone. Fold in the mashed bananas.
Step 3: Pour the batter onto a griddle or skillet and then sprinkle the chocolate chips or walnuts. Wait for the bubbles to pop and then flip and cook the other side.
How to MAKE buttermilk
You probably have all the ingredients on hand except maybe buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk, and are snow bound and can’t go out for it, you can make it by doing the following: Put 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar in a one cup measuring cup and fill it with milk. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until slightly thick.
More breakfast ideas if you’re snowed in
- Pineapple cinnamon rolls
- Blueberry scones
- Buttermilk biscuits
- Sheet cake pancakes
- Coffee cake
- Pumpkin muffins
- Sausage balls
- Egg salad melts
- Apple Dutch baby
Banana Bread Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 ½ cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup mashed bananas 2-3 bananas
- chocolate chips optional
- walnuts optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add eggs , buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Whisk together but do not over mix. Gently fold in mashed bananas.
- Heat large skillet or griddle at medium low and add coconut or vegetable oil. Heat until a small bit of batter sizzles when added. Add a ⅓ cup of batter to the pan . If you are adding chocolate chips or nuts, sprinkle them on top. Cook slowly until the bubbles pop and bottom is slightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Place cooked pancakes on a wire rack in a 325º oven to stay warm until serving.
Nutrition
If you make Banana Bread Pancakes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! I would love to see your creation.
Leave a Reply