Best Banana Oat Pancakes (Vegan)
These vegan banana oat pancakes are a delicious choice because they blend ripe bananas and hearty oats to create a naturally sweet and satisfying breakfast option. Packed with fiber, nutrients, and a comforting texture, they make for a wholesome and tasty start to your day. They are light and fluffy, vegan, sugar-free, and gluten-free!
Pancakes are my husband’s favorite, and Saturday mornings are a great time to make them for us. Sometimes I make this recipe, and other times I make these vegan pumpkin pancakes. Many times, I will cook a double batch and freeze the leftovers. They go perfectly with my smoked tempeh bacon and sometimes even this tofu breakfast scramble or vegan roadhouse breakfast hash.
Reasons you will love these pancakes
- Nutrient-Rich Ingredients: Vegan banana oat pancakes are made with wholesome ingredients like oats and bananas, providing a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals to fuel your morning.
- Low in Added Sugar: Using ripe bananas as a natural sweetener reduces the need for additional sugars, making these pancakes a healthier choice for a vegan breakfast option.
- Easy to Customize: You can easily customize these pancakes with add-ins like berries or nuts, offering variety and additional nutrients to suit your taste preferences and dietary needs. I cook my pancakes with walnuts in the batter and then top them with strawberries and blueberries.
- Freeze Well: We make pancakes on Saturdays, and I love to make extra batches to eat during the week for fast-paced mornings. They also freeze very well.
Ingredients you’ll need
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
- Oat flour- can be purchased in health food stores, but why do that when all you need is oats and a blender to make your own oat flour at home for a fraction of the cost?
- Ripe banana- It’s important to use a ripe or even overly ripe banana because this is going to sweeten the batter for these pancakes.
- Applesauce- To help sweeten and keep these pancakes. You can purchase this or make homemade applesauce.
- Maple syrup– This is for added sweetener to make a lovely batter.
- Walnuts- Nuts are optional, but I love the added nutty flavor and crunch they add to the batter. Pecans could be used as well.
- Vanilla– To add more warm flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar- Vinegar helps the batter rise, and you won’t taste it.
- Plant milk- My favorite choice is almond milk, but you could use any plant milk such as soy, cashew, or others.
- Baking Soda & Salt- These help make the pancakes fluffy.
Tips & Suggestions
- Ingredients– Thoroughly whisk together the dry ingredients before pouring in the well-mixed wet ingredients. This allows for a much smoother transition of ingredients.
- Batter- If the batter is allowed to sit for a few minutes, it will continue to thicken. So, the batter for the last few pancakes will likely need to be thinned out just a little by adding an additional 2-3 tablespoons of almond milk.
- Faster cooking- I put the pan lid on my pancakes immediately after they are poured to help them cook faster and thoroughly even in the middle. Once I flip them to cook on the other side, I leave the lid off because the middle of the cakes should be done by then.
- Storage- Before freezing, allow the pancakes to cool completely uncovered so they won’t develop condensation on the inside of your airtight container.
- More pancake recipes- For a different variation, try these Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes by PlantPure Chef, Kim Campbell.
How to make banana oat pancakes
Making these healthy banana and oat pancakes begins with blending up your oat flour in less than 5 minutes, or you can purchase it already blended. Making it yourself saves money and keeps you from needing to store a large bag of it.
STEP #1: Simply add old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats to your blender, food processor, or even coffee grinder. I use a 5200 series Vitamix for all of my blending and highly recommend it.
STEP #2: Blend or pulse oats until they are ground into powdery flour, approximately 1 minute or less. Time will depend on the power of your appliance. If needed, stop and stir oats then pulse again to make sure they are completely blended.
One cup of oats makes just under 1 cup of flour. There is about 1 tablespoon difference, with the finished flour product being the lesser measurement.
For more information on cooking with oat flour check out How to Make Oat Flour & 10 Recipes that includes Zucchini Fudgy Brownies, Healthy Vegan Oat Bar, Zucchini Fritters, Vegan & Gluten-Free Waffles, Blueberry Oat Muffins, Dairy-Free Tootsie Rolls, and more.
STEP #3: Add all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, walnuts) to a large bowl, and whisk together. I use a big bowl for this because, in a couple of steps, we’ll combine wet and dry ingredients in this bowl, and I like to have plenty of room for stirring.
STEP #4: In a small bowl, mash the banana well with a fork. Add all other ingredients (vanilla, maple syrup (or unrefined sugar), apple cider vinegar, and almond milk). Whisk together thoroughly.
STEP #5: This is where the large dry ingredient bowl comes in handy. Combine both bowls–dry ingredients and wet ingredients, toss in the walnuts, and stir well. Allow the batter to sit for about 5 minutes to thicken up. If it gets too thick, add a splash of plant milk.
STEP #6: Heat a large nonstick skillet. I use an Ozeri nonstick pan and can cook these with absolutely no oil. Pour small amounts of batter onto the heated skillet and cook until the tops bubble. I like to use a trigger ice cream scoop to scoop out the batter because it’s the perfect amount for each pancake and less messy. Put the lid on the pan to help them cook in the middle.
STEP #7: Turn each of the pancakes over and cook the other side for about 1 minute, until golden brown. There is no need to put the lid back on at this point.
Serve immediately with maple syrup drizzled over the top. We also love to add berries like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries. To really hit it out of the park, add a dollop of my Homemade Vegan Whipped Cream, drizzle this vegan caramel sauce over the top, or smear them with this delicious creamy vanilla vegan cashew cream.
*Originally published February 28, 2015.
Recipe adapted from The Cancer Survivor’s Guide by Dr. Neal Barnard
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! These vegan banana pancakes are gluten-free. Oats are naturally gluten-free. The main problem with oats in gluten-free eating is contamination. Most commercial oats are processed in facilities that also process wheat, barley, and rye. The gluten in these ingredients can contaminate oats. For those who need to be particularly careful, these certified gluten-free oats are a good option.
You’ll need a nonstick pan, and I highly recommend this Ozeri pan. It keeps the pancakes from sticking to the bottom and makes them easy to flip.
Absolutely! I freeze them all the time. When you’re ready, just defrost them. Reheat them in your microwave, oven, or toaster.
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Banana-Oat Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour easily made by blending old-fashioned oats in blender, dry
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 ripe banana mashed
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup plant milk (almond, cashew, oat, etc)
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Making oat flour is simple. Just put whole oats into a blender or food processor. Blend oats until soft and powdery. This will take less than 1 minute.
- Add all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) to a large bowl, and mix well.
- In another bowl, mash banana well with fork or potato masher. Add all other ingredients (vanilla, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and plant milk). Whisk together thoroughly. You may need to add an additional splash (approximately 1 tablespoon) plant milk.
- Combine both bowls–dry ingredients and wet ingredients, toss in the walnuts, and stir well. Allow the batter to sit for about 5 minutes to thicken up. If it gets too thick, add a splash of plant milk.
- Heat large nonstick skillet. Pour small amounts of batter onto the heated skillet and cook until the tops bubble. I like to use a trigger ice cream scoop to scoop out the batter because it's the perfect amount for each pancake and less messy. Put the lid on the pan to help them cook in the middle.
- Turn pancakes over and cook the other side for about 1 minute, until golden brown.
- Serve immediately with maple syrup drizzled over the top.
Video
Notes
- Mixing the batter- Thoroughly whisk together the dry ingredients before pouring the well-mixed wet ingredients. This allows for a much smoother transition of ingredients.
- Flour substitution- If you want to make this recipe with whole wheat flour instead of oat flour, you'll need to add approximately 1/2 a cup more plant milk.
- Batter- If the batter is allowed to sit for about 5 minutes, it will continue to thicken. So, the batter for the last few pancakes will likely need to be thinned out just a little by adding 2-3 tablespoons of almond milk.
- Faster cooking- I put the pan lid on my pancakes immediately after they are poured to help them cook faster and thoroughly even in the middle. Once I flip them to cook on the other side, I leave the lid off because the middle of the cakes should be done by then.
- Storage- Before freezing, allow the pancakes to cool completely uncovered so they won’t develop condensation on the inside of your airtight container.
- More pancake recipes- For a different variation, try these Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes by PlantPure Chef, Kim Campbell.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
I made these for the first time as pancakes, they were great. On the second time making this recipe, I made waffles… OMG .. I will never make pancakes again.. Seriously.
Thank you so much for helping make this transition fun and easy.
You are so welcome! Since you’re a waffle fan, maybe give my Waffle Recipe a try as well. Here’s the link https://eatplant-based.com/gluten-free-vegan-waffles/. Thanks so much for the great feedback!
Can you please tell me what kind of pan you are using. When I click on the picture to go to Amazon my computer won’t open it. I’d google it but I don’t know the name of the pan. Is it a Scan Pan?
Sure! It’s a 12″ Stone Earth Ozeri pan, and I love it.
This has become our goto pancake recipe!
These are delicious! I top mine with chia jam, homemade applesauce or pureed frozen (thawed) mangos.
Yum! Love your topping suggestions. Thanks so much for the great feedback!
My ninja blender is not powdering the past very well, they are still rather chunky. Any advice, do more or less at a time maybe? Or do you have a vitamix that you are using to create the flour?
Lynsie, I do use a Vitamix, but I’ve also used a lower powered blender for this with success as well. Perhaps, try stopping the blender after a short bit and using a spoon or spatula to scrape the flour from the sides, then blend again to ensure all of the oats have time to go through the blades.
I made waffles from the batter tonight and they turned out great! I did let it set for a little over 5 minutes. I peaked a little on the first batch but I cooked the second batch for six minutes and they were great! Love this recipe!
Wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for letting us know that the batter works well for waffles too.
I made these yesterday and my husband and son loved them, so definitely a hit at our house! Do you have any suggestions for tweaking the recipe for making waffles?
That’s terrific to hear! I haven’t made waffles out of this batter yet but think it would do just fine as is. Maybe, after mixing the batter up, let it sit for just a few minutes. It tends to thicken up a bit within 5 minutes or so, which should make great waffles. Would love to hear how it goes if you try the waffles!
Taste like they’re bad for you!!! This is our ONLY pancake recipe now!!! ??
Suggestion for Edith: we used parchment paper and baked int he oven, they turn easily and are good. As another experiment, we used parchment paper in the skillet, that worked, too. Thirly, we tried “seasoning” our all clad pan, that worked, too, and added negligible oil to the pancakes.
Please, does that pan really work w/o oil?
My new All Clad skillet doesn’t and i don’t want to invest in another pan, but I really want pancakes.
Edith, I didn’t believe it was possible to make pancakes without oil either. This pan was the first one I tried it with, and it definitely works. I use it all the time with zero oil. It won’t be a waste of money, I assure you. I love mine!
I love your recipes; thank you for sharing them! I noticed that when I use the print option on your website, it prints the whole page with all the photos & ads & their photos. It uses a lot of ink & printer paper. On other recipe blogs the print option only prints the recipe itself without photos & ads.
Hi Karen, this particular recipe is an older one, posted before I installed a recipe plug-in on my blog, so it will print everything. Below, I’ve included the recipe so you can just cut and paste it into a document to print. Hope this helps! 🙂
Banana-Oat Pancakes:
1 cup oat flour (easily made by blending old-fashioned oats in blender, dry)
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (replace with oat flour for Gluten-Free)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (or, I used 1 tbsp. unrefined sucanat sugar)
1-1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 cup vanilla almond milk (plain will work fine too)
Add all dry ingredients (flours, baking soda, salt, walnuts) to large bowl, and mix together. Make sure to only use oat flour if gluten intolerant. In another bowl, mash banana well with fork or potato masher. Add all other ingredients (vanilla, maple syrup (or unrefined sugar), apple cider vinegar, and almond milk). Whisk together thoroughly. Combine both bowls–dry ingredients and wet ingredients, and stir well. Heat large nonstick skillet. I use an Ozeri pan and am able to cook these with absolutely no oil. Pour small amounts of batter onto the heated skillet and cook until the tops bubble and edges are dry. Turn pancakes over and cook the other side for about 1 minute, until golden brown. Serve immediately with maple syrup drizzled over the top.
Delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
I made these again tonight, and measured after grinding. Each cup did lose 1/4 cup measured post grinding so I added extra flour. But, after added the extra flour the mix was so thick it did not pour or cook like a pancake (it did not bubble) , so in the end they were defiantly better the first time. Next time I will just measure the oats, grind and make exactly as the recipe is written. Thanks again for a great pancake!
Denise, thank you so much for sharing this! I know it will be helpful to others as they are experimenting with the recipe. 🙂
I saw this on McDougall Friends today. Had a banana that needed to be used so made it, oh my, very good. Did not dry up when cooked so I was wondering if the measure of oat flour was after grinding the oat meal? I measured the oatmeal then ground it but did not remeasure. Maybe I needed more oat flour.
Denise, if it wasn’t quite dry enough, I think I would add a little more oat flour. I usually measure mine before grinding too, but definitely adjust it to what works to get the best texture. I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Looks great and I assume the measure for whole wheat flour is half a cup, but the measure is missing from the recipe. Can you please clear that up? Thanks!
Yes, it is 1/2 cup, and I’ve fixed it on the recipe now. Thanks so much for the heads-up! I noticed that the Banana-Oat Pancakes recipe is getting a lot of views today. Just curious where all the traffic is coming from. Did you see it on a forum? Thanks!
I was emailed due to my subscription to “VeggieBoards.com” , they featured your recipe!!! 🙂
Wow! That’s awesome! I had no idea, so thanks for letting me know. 🙂
@Terri, whole wheat flour?
Hi Laura- This recipe has been updated a number of times and, now I only use 1.5 cups of oat flour and eliminate the whole wheat flour altogether. Hope this helps.