Vegan Banana Pancakes
These vegan banana pancakes come together in one blender and are ready in under 30 minutes. Ripe bananas do the sweetening and binding, chia seeds hold everything together in place of eggs, and a spoonful of cocoa gives them a soft chocolate flavor. It is the easy, go-to recipe I reach for whenever a pancake craving hits and I do not want to bother with a mix or a long list of ingredients.
I’ve used bananas before in these gluten-free vegan pancakes, but this time I decided to try a slightly different recipe with fewer ingredients and a strong, chocolate flavor. If you tend to let bananas sit on the counter until they go spotty, this is exactly the recipe those bananas were waiting for.
Never waste an overripe banana again
The browner and softer the banana, the better it works here. As bananas ripen, their starches turn to sugar, so an overripe banana is sweeter, mashes into the batter more smoothly, and lets you skip added sugar entirely. Those sad, spotty bananas nobody wants to eat plain are the ones you actually want for baking. If yours are not quite there yet, they will still work, but the pancakes will taste a little less sweet.
When I have a bunch that has gone too far to snack on, I like to bake with them instead of tossing them. Bananas are the base of my vegan chocolate banana bread and my banana nice cream too, so there is almost always a use for them.
What goes into the batter
- Ripe bananas:the sweetener and the binder. Two ripe bananas are enough to hold the batter together and sweeten it without any sugar.
- Non-dairy milk:I use soy milk, but any plant milk you like will work. It loosens the batter to a pourable consistency.
- Flour:any kind works here. I used a gluten-free flour, so these pancakes are easy to keep gluten-free if you need them to be.
- Chia seeds:these are the egg replacement. As they sit in the batter they soak up liquid and gel, which is what holds each pancake together while it cooks.
- Baking soda:the lift. It reacts in the pan and helps the pancakes rise instead of staying flat and dense.
- Cocoa powder:just a tablespoon gives the batter its soft chocolate flavor and color.
- Oil:for greasing the pan so nothing sticks.
How to get them fluffy every time
The two things that make or break these pancakes are the batter rest and the heat. After you blend everything and stir in the chia seeds, give the batter a few minutes to sit before you start cooking. That short rest lets the chia gel and the baking soda begin working, so the batter thickens slightly and the pancakes come out tender instead of runny.
Cook them on medium-low heat, not high. Because there is no egg and the batter is banana-heavy, a hot pan will brown the outside before the middle sets. Keep the heat gentle and wait for the classic cue: pour in a small ladle of batter and let it cook until the top surface starts to bubble. Those bubbles mean the underside is set and ready. Flip once with a spatula and give it about another minute on the second side. Flipping too early is the most common reason a pancake tears, so let those bubbles show up first.
Toppings and what to serve them with
This is where you can have fun. I used my favorite coconut syrup and some homemade raspberry jam, plus a few fresh banana slices on top to echo the flavor in the batter. Maple syrup, a spoon of nut butter, a handful of berries, or a dusting of extra cocoa all work beautifully. For a bigger weekend brunch, I like serving them alongside a banana breakfast smoothie to keep the whole spread banana-forward.
Making them ahead and storing leftovers
These are best fresh off the pan, but they keep well too. Let any leftovers cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan or a toaster to bring back some of the edges rather than the microwave, which tends to make them soft. You can also stack them with a small piece of parchment between each pancake and freeze for up to a month, then reheat straight from frozen. If you love easy vegan breakfasts and bakes, you might also enjoy browsing my vegan sugar-free desserts and these vegan whole grain cookies for more no-fuss ideas.
If you make these vegan banana pancakes, I would love to know how they turned out. Give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment below telling me which toppings you piled on top, or how you tweaked the batter to make it yours.
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Vegan Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 bananas ripe
- 1 ½ cup soy milk or your favorite non-dairy milk
- ½ cup flour any kind; I used GF flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
- oil for cooking
Instructions
- Add the bananas, milk, flour, baking soda and cocoa powder to a blender. Blend well until smooth.
- Stir in the chia seeds and let the batter rest a few minutes to thicken.
- Grease a non-stick pan with a little oil.
- Using a ladle, pour in a small amount of batter (about half a ladle) for each pancake.
- Cook over medium-low heat until the surface starts to bubble. That’s the sign it’s time to flip.
- Flip the pancake with a spatula and cook for one more minute.
- Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve these vegan banana pancakes with syrup and your favorite toppings. I used coconut syrup, homemade raspberry jam and banana slices.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Every ingredient is plant-based: ripe bananas, non-dairy milk, flour, baking soda, chia seeds, cocoa powder, and oil for the pan. There are no eggs or dairy, so the chia seeds and mashed banana do the job of binding the batter instead.
In this recipe the chia seeds are the egg replacement. Once stirred into the batter they soak up liquid and form a gel that holds each pancake together as it cooks. The ripe banana also adds binding and moisture, so no flax egg or commercial replacer is needed.
Yes. The recipe works with any flour, and I used a gluten-free flour blend to make mine gluten-free. Use a one-to-one gluten-free flour if you want to keep the texture close to the original.
Two things usually cause flat pancakes. First, let the batter rest a few minutes after adding the chia seeds so it can thicken and the baking soda can start working. Second, cook on medium-low heat rather than high, so the inside sets before the outside browns.
The riper and spottier, the better. As bananas ripen their starch turns to sugar, so overripe bananas are sweeter and mash more smoothly into the batter, which lets you skip added sugar. Firm yellow bananas still work, but the pancakes will be a little less sweet.
Cool them completely, then keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days, or freeze with parchment between each pancake for up to a month. Reheat in a dry pan or toaster rather than the microwave to keep the edges from going soft.
My mom couldn’t even tell these were vegan! Thank you for the recipe!
Glad you liked it! You’re welcome!