These banana pancakes are one of my favorite easy breakfast recipes. I love how simple they are, how good they taste, and that there really are not a ton of ingredients. They come together quickly and always turn out soft, fluffy, and full of banana flavor.

I make mine with gluten free flour, but you can absolutely use regular flour too. This is also one of those recipes where you really do not have to be too exact with the banana. About ¾ cup mashed banana is perfect, which is usually around 1½ bananas, but I have also just thrown in 2 whole ripe bananas to make things easier and they tasted just as good.

Ingredients

1 cup flour, regular or gluten free

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup mashed ripe banana, about 1½ bananas

1 large egg

¾ cup milk

Banana tip: If you do not feel like measuring, you can use 2 whole ripe bananas. I have done this plenty of times and the pancakes still turn out just as good.

Instructions

1. Start by mashing your ripe banana in a mixing bowl.
2. Add 1 large egg and mix it together with the banana until combined.
3. Add your flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until everything is just combined.
4. Add the milk as your last step and stir until you have a smooth pancake batter.
5. Heat your pan or griddle and cook the pancakes until golden brown on each side.
6. Serve them warm with butter and maple syrup.

My Maple Syrup Pick

I love using a good Grade A maple syrup with these pancakes. It has such a rich maple flavor and is so good soaked into the warm banana pancakes. Add a little butter on top and you really do not need much else.

Make Them Your Own

One of my favorite things about pancakes is how easy they are to dress up or keep completely simple. This recipe is really good on its own, but sometimes I like to have a little more fun with it.

Add mini chocolate chips. And yes, they have to be mini. I think they are so much better in pancakes because you get little bits of chocolate throughout instead of biting into one huge chunk of chocolate.

Make them festive. This is probably one of my favorite ways to make pancakes more fun. I have added black and orange sprinkles for Halloween, made pink pancakes for Valentine’s Day by adding a little red food coloring to the batter, and even made red and blue pancakes for the Fourth of July. You can get so creative with pancakes and switch them up for just about any holiday or occasion.

This is also such an easy recipe to have your toddler help with. They can mash the banana, help pour in the ingredients, stir the batter, and of course add the sprinkles. It makes something as simple as pancakes feel like a fun little activity you can do together in the kitchen.

Add a shot of espresso. I have added a shot of espresso right into the batter and it was so good, especially paired with the mini chocolate chips. Chocolate, coffee, and banana together is definitely worth trying.

Whip your butter. If you want to make them feel a little more special, let some butter come to room temperature and whip it until it is light and fluffy. It is such a simple little thing, but it gives you that soft whipped butter you get with pancakes at a restaurant.

That is what I love about a pancake. You can really play it up or down. Keep them simple with butter and maple syrup or add chocolate, sprinkles, espresso, whipped butter, or whatever sounds good that morning.