Banana Oat Pancakes
This fluffy banana oat pancake recipe uses 100% oat flour, so it's gluten-free. These pancakes are a delicious and healthy breakfast!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on May 7, 2026
These golden pancakes taste like fluffy banana oatmeal on the inside! This recipe is made with wholesome ingredients, but tastes like a treat. Serve them on a regular weekend or add them to your brunch menu.
These pancakes are made with one simple flour—oat flour, which you can easily make yourself with oats in a food processor or blender. The pancakes inherit oatmeal’s creamy texture, and that the bananas contribute such a lovely, natural sweetness that they hardly needed any extra syrup on top. They’re gently spiced with comforting cinnamon and nutmeg.
I found the backbone of this recipe in a King Arthur Cookbook way back in 2012, and I’m sharing it again today with a couple of tweaks and tips that make even better pancakes. Enjoy!
“The absolute best! We make these almost every weekend in our house – delicious every single time. Thank you!”
Why This Recipe Works
You’ll find the full recipe at the bottom of the post, and an instructional video below. Here are the factors that make this recipe turn out so well.
Lemon juice reacts with baking soda. Fresh lemon brightens the flavor a bit, but mainly provides necessary acidity to counteract the bitterness of the baking soda. The combination of the two makes plenty of little bubbles that yield nicely fluffy, tender pancakes.
Maple syrup sweetens the batter. This recipe calls for maple syrup instead of sugar for an extra boost of flavor. The liquid sweetener also thins the batter a bit.
The batter needs a 10-minute rest before cooking. Oat flour needs some extra time to soak up moisture. Look at the photos below to the see the difference between just-mixed batter on the left and rested batter on the right.
Watch How to Make Banana Oat Pancakes
Pancake Tips
Start by making just one pancake to test the temperature of your pan, then you can make more at once. You’ll need to dial down the heat as time goes on. If your butter is browning upon impact, your temperature is too high.
Serving Suggestions
For these photos, I topped my banana pancakes with sliced banana and a drizzle of maple syrup. Peanut butter or your nut butter of choice would be fantastic as well. Make it decadent by adding a dollop of whipped cream or a pat of salted butter!
For some extra protein, serve these pancakes with some Greek yogurt or scrambled eggs.
Please let me know how your pancakes turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Banana Oat Pancakes
These fluffy banana oat pancakes are a deliciously healthy, naturally sweetened breakfast for lazy mornings. The gluten-free recipe uses 100% oat flour instead of wheat flour, and it’s easily made dairy-free. Recipe yields about 8 pancakes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour*
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Scant 1 ¼ cup mashed bananas (about 3 small bananas, mashed, or 9.5 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter or coconut oil, plus more for cooking
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, melted butter, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Add the eggs and whisk until blended. (If your butter or oil goes back to its solid state like mine did at this point, just warm the mixture for short 15-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until it is melted again.)
- Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. With a big spoon, stir just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Do not overmix!
- Let the batter rest for 10 minutes to give it time to thicken. If you’re using an electric griddle, heat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit now. Otherwise, you can wait a few minutes before heating your skillet.
- Warm a large skillet (stainless steel or nonstick) over medium-low heat. You’re ready to start cooking pancakes once a drop of water sizzles on contact with the hot surface. If necessary, lightly oil the cooking surface with oil or butter, carefully wiping up excess with a paper towel (nonstick surfaces likely won’t require any oil).
- Scoop ¼ cup batter onto the hot skillet, leaving a couple of inches around the pancake for expansion (if the batter is too thick to spread on its own, gently stir in a tablespoon or 2 of milk or water). Cook until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancake and the underside is golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Flip the pancake, then cook until lightly golden on both sides, 1 to 2 more minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more butter and dialing down the heat if the pancakes turn dark on the outside before they’re cooked through on the inside.
- Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven. Leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, stack leftover pancakes and wrap them in a paper towel before gently reheating in the microwave.
Notes
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking.
Make it gluten free: These pancakes are gluten-free, so long as you used certified gluten-free oat flour or certified gluten-free old-fashioned oats.
*How to make your own oat flour: To make oat flour out of old-fashioned oats, simply pour one cup of oats into a food processor and process until it looks like fine sand. See pictures here.
Preparation tips: This whole grain batter is thicker than most, so it’s more difficult to gauge when the pancakes are ready to flip. I learned that it’s easier to go by the timer: set it for 2 minutes for the first side, then gently check underneath to see if it’s golden (if not, wait up to 1 more minute). Flip and wait another 90 seconds for the other side to finish. The time will vary depending on your temperature setting and subsequent pancakes will cook more quickly, but that’s about the time it should take.
Make it dairy free: Use coconut oil instead of butter.
Make it egg free: Replace the eggs with flax eggs (I’ve heard this works well from other commenters, but haven’t had a chance to try myself).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I made your Banana Oat Pancakes today and they were AWESOME! I used the maple syrup option in the recipe (as opposed to the honey). Best pancakes I have ever had! I’m new to working with oat flour and this recipe rocked! I had a friend over for brunch and she asked me to email her your site and recipe right away. Truly fabulous! Thank you so much! Do you by any chance had the nutrition information for this recipe? I would love it if you would share it if you do. Thanks again,
Jeanne
Hi Jeanne. I’m so glad you and your friend enjoyed the pancakes! I don’t usually provide nutrition information, but King Arthur provided the following details (my adapted version shouldn’t be far off from these numbers):
2 pancakes:
203 calories
8 grams fat
6 grams protein
26 grams complex carbohydrates
2 grams sugar
3 grams dietary fiber
98 mg cholesterol
386 mg sodium
These are nothing short of amazing! I was skeptical at first but decided to give them a try and man am I happy!! thanks!!
My boyfriend and I made these pancakes for brunch.. We came across your recipe since I’m very sensitive to gluten and lactose. These are by far the most exquisite pancakes I’ve had in a while. This recipe was perfect for two people and the very filling with lots of protein as well. Thank you so much for your recipe, we will be having these more often and hope to try out some more of your delicious recipes soon. :)
Thank you for commenting, Daianna! I wish I had more gluten and lactose-free recipes for you. You might enjoy my chocolate chip cookies, which are made with almond and coconut flours!
I know you’ve had tons of response already for this recipe, but I had to say thank you anyway. Just awesome. :)
Thank you, Sarah!
came across ur blog by complete chance and love it… tried those pancakes on Sunday morning and though being bit sceptical at first (my gluten free attempts of pancaces were very often a bit of a failure, even though my lactosa-gluten free Chocolate Cappuccino cheesecake is quite famouse) they turned out great! Thanks! :-) Even my “normal” eating rest of our family gobbled it all up. Looking forward trying other recipes.
Thank you, Veronika! Glad you and yours enjoyed the pancakes. I want a slice of that cheesecake!
Just made these this morning, they were absolutely delicious and even easy to make after being out last night! Only slight drawback was that I burned a hole in my favourite jumper on the griddle, oops.
I just made these for my family and we LOVED them!! My 5 year old son gobbled them right up and told us several times how fantastic they were! The only problem is, I am going to have to double the recipe next time :) I used coconut oil (instead of butter), almond flour (instead of oat), honey (instead of maple syrup), a meyer lemon for the juice. They are delicious! GREAT recipe! :)
Hooray, glad to hear it, Andrea! Thanks for commenting. I can see why you would want to double the recipe next time. Enjoy!
Came across these while looking for a good recipe. SOooooo GOOOD! I will always make these from now on. My husband was even liking them. Which is a plus!!! I only had one banana though so I used homemade sugar free applesauce to fill in the rest. Very yummy. Thanks!
Thanks, Heidi! I’m glad you two enjoyed the pancakes, and great idea with the applesauce.
I just made these. They were so delicious! I added blueberries to the batter and they turned out perfectly, such a great base for any type of pancake. My boyfriend (who’s fairly picky) gobbled them up too!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks, Jenn! Glad you two enjoyed the pancakes!
Hi, I didn’t read all of the posts, but I thought you should be made aware that **Oats are not Gluten Free** They contain a much lower amount of gluten than wheat, but like rye and barley, oats still have gluten in them, which is enough to cause concern for people with gluten intolerances and allergies (eg. Coeliac Disease). I’m sure people who have severe allergies are aware of this, but please be sure to check your ingredients before claiming a recipe is gluten free, just in case! Thanks :)
These look yummy. I wondered if you are anyone have tried them with a chia egg instead of eggs?
some things work well replacing eggs and some things don’t.
I’m sorry, I haven’t tried replacing the eggs with chia or flax eggs. If you try it, please let us know how the pancakes turn out!
Delicious! next time i’ll use some roughly chopped blanched almonds to make it more chunky (without honey/maple syrup still so sweet and tasty )
Hey I just tried these this morning because I enjoy eating oatmeal but was getting bored of the same bowl-of-oatmeal. I cut the recipe in half (since it’s just me) and it worked out so incredibly well. They are amazing and I’ve already told everyone about them. Thank you so much :)
I’m so glad! Thanks, Mara.
THESE ARE SO FRICKING GOOD OMG I NEVER HAD SUCH YUMMY HEALTHY GLUTEN FREE BANANA PANCAKES BEFORE! THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!
:) Thanks, Sarah!
These look amazing!! I was looking for yummy clean pancakes this morning and I think these are going to win! :)
Kate, this is hands-down my favorite pancake recipe ever!!!! My health-conscious son turned me on to these one morning and now I make them but add chopped pecans just because I’m a fan of pecan pancakes from Cracker Barrel (I know, it’s terrible that I go there, but it’s my favorite item on their menu!) Anyway, now I can have my favorite breakfast without the guilt!!! These are soooooo much better in flavor as well. Thank you for this wonderful, wholesome and absolutely delectable recipe!
YES! Delicious! My parent have been ever so skeptical/concerned about my being a vegetarian, worried about my growth being stunted and that I wouldn’t being getting proper nutrients, so food was a big concern, until I whipped up a batch of these bad boys (and couple of your other recipes)! Parental units pleased and nothing better starts a morning before school! Thanks so much Kate!
Thanks for commenting, Lauren! Glad you’re convincing your parents that a vegetarian diet can be plenty nutritious. These are a great start to the day, that’s for sure.
I’ve been using this recipe for some months now and thought I should just comment to say that I LOVE these pancakes! This is my go-to recipe when I’m craving pancakes, they’re totally guilt-free. I sometimes sub a bit of the oat flour with flaxseed meal just to get some of their benefits in there. I really enjoy these with some peanut butter on top, yum! Thanks for this recipe :)
Thank you, Valerie! So glad you’ve been enjoying the pancakes.
Love love love pancakes! Thans a lot for a more wholesome recipe than the traditional with white wheat flour. Great taste and texture on these ones. I normally only put a tiny bit of sugar in my pancakes at this makes theme easier to fry (don’t burn so easily) so I had to ajust the cooking temperature a bit on these beacause of the banana… Oh well, I gues I just have to make them again VERY soon ;)
Glad you enjoyed the pancakes, Maria! I didn’t realize that sugar can help prevent pancakes from burning. That’s great to know!
Hi Kate! Thanks for this wonderful recipe. As with many others, your recipe was one of the top results that came up when I searched for “oatmeal banana pancakes” and I’m so glad I found it! I loved the notes you had at the end – the recipe was foolproof and very easy to follow. I made the batter last night and kept it covered in the refrigerator. This morning, I thinned out the batter with a splash of milk and proceeded with the recipe. So yes, making the batter the night before works out pretty well! My boyfriend loved them and said he could eat triple the amount of what the recipe yielded. I will be making these again :) Thanks again!
Hey Megan, thank you so much for your feedback! I really try hard to write recipes that are easy to follow, so I appreciate you saying that. Glad to know that refrigerating the batter overnight works well! I added that detail to my notes.
Some of the best pancakes I’ve ever made. THANKS for posting this recipe!
You’re welcome! Thanks for commenting, Juliana! :)
Oh wow, these were AWESOME! I made them for myself today as a real luxurious Sunday breakfast, paired with some leftover home-made mascarpone ice cream. The combination was simply divine, and I was smiling through breakfast, totally ignorant of the grey and gloomy September morning outside my kitchen window. I have a food blog (in Finnish, though) and I can’t wait to blog about these. :) Also, this is what I’ll be serving to all my house guests from now on! Thank you so much!
Thank you, Karoliina! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes. Thank you for sharing them with your Finnish followers.
I make a couple of changes and they tasted incredible! I ground 1/2 a cup of toasted walnuts together with the oats and added it to the batter along with even more chopped toasted walnuts, sliced 1 of the bananas and placed it on top of the pancakes in the skillet, and added chocolate chips. Best pancakes I’ve ever had thus far.
I love your adaptations, Tova! I want to try your version next. Thanks for commenting! Not sure if you saw it, but I just posted a pumpkin version of these pancakes yesterday.
Wow these pancakes looks tasty. I am trying to cut out processed foods from supermarkets and really started cooking at home so this looks like a great recipe to make. I will probably use whole wheat flour it is full of fiber which supports a healthier diet.
Thanks, Missy! I haven’t tried making the pancakes with whole wheat flour so I’m not sure how they will turn out that way. Oat flour is full of fiber as well and lends a lovely creamy texture… I love it!
Hello! I used your recipe when i was in America, but when i was in Korea i was craving pancakes so i went to an american supermarket to buy some oats and made these for breakfast and they were an instant hit! (: My relatives who always eat korean traditional food loved it and said how creative it was to make healthy pancakes. Some of my neighbors even got inspired to start cooking different recipes thanks to this! They were delicious and my cravings for pancakes were satisfied. Thank you so much for this lovely recipe i constantly make this for breakfast^^ I feel energized and very healthy! thank you ~!
Thank you, Da-Yeon! Your comment made me smile. Thank you for sharing this recipe with your family!
I make these all the time–I just throw everything (rolled oats, not flour) in my blender and turn it on high. Easy and delish. thank you!
Wow, that’s a great idea, Vicky! Can’t wait to try your method!
Oh my word!!! These are fantastic! I didn’t think they took that much longer to mix and make than typical scratch pancakes. I have to admit that mine weren’t completely gluten free since decided half way through that I wanted to double the batch and was too lazy to grind another cup of oatmeal so I just used cup of regular flour. You can just smell the banana-y goodness from the batter. Mine were a bit bigger because I couldn’t find my 1/4 c measuring cup so I used a 1/3 c. So I only got 2 extra out of the doubled batter. These are truly fantastic (I think I said that already, lol). Definitely being used again :)
Trying to rate 5 stars but my phone’s being a pain!
Shelia, I’m so glad you’re loving the pancakes! Thanks for commenting!
Not only are these the best pancakes, but they’ve become my post work-out staple at least 2 days a week. Instead of syrup, I use some almond butter with warmed blueberries. Nothing beats it!
Thanks, Nick! I’m really glad to hear that you enjoy the pancakes so much. Almond butter and blueberries sounds like a stellar topping combo!
amazing!! :>
Cookie sounds a lot like our puggle, Ripley! She turns circles at our feet and only circles left! Funny little creatures. Can’t wait to try the pancakes this weekend! Thanks for sharing!
Oh, how funny that Ripley only turns to the left! Hope you love the pancakes, Jen!
I love this recipe! Had been trying to make oat flour in my Nutribullet for a while now, so I’m glad I was able to with this recipe!
Now, I love the flavor of these pancakes, but I think I did something wrong. Are they supposed to be a little mushy on the inside? I feel like they didn’t cook all the way through, but I made about 5 pancakes, and they all turned out the same way- crunchy on the outside, a little mushy on the inside. Could it be that the batter is just supposed to be like this since oatmeal and bananas are pretty mushy naturally?
Hey Alaina, I’m sorry your pancakes aren’t turning out just right. Sounds like your cooking temperature is too high. Cook the pancakes on a lower temperature, for longer, and they will be golden on the outside and fluffier on the inside. They’ll always have a creamy texture due to the oats (which is lovely), but they don’t have to be mushy. Hope this helps!
These are honestly the best pancakes ever. I’m a 10 month clean eater, so to find yummalicious recipes like this is so awesome! Every time I am away from home for awhile unable to cook, I crave these and make them as soon as I get home, no matter what the time of day. I love to add blueberries, pecans, and even coconut sometimes! Thanks Kate! :)
Yes! I’m really happy to hear that, Emilie. Thank you for commenting. :)
This is the best pancake I’ve ever had – period! Forget gluten free, the best pancake EVER. So fluffy, so rich, and so quick & easy. I even added some poppyseed and lemon zest to the last few pancakes and that was a hit! Poppyseed or no poppyseed, these pancakes are worth your time and morning feast. :)
Hooray! That’s so great to hear, Renee. thank you.
Just made these for my girlfriend. We used gluten free cake mix instead and didn’t have any lemon juice, but omg, how delicious they were. Looking forward to using your recipe next weekend. Thanx!
Just tried making these and they are great!
Thanks for the awesome recipe :)
That’s great! Thanks, Marissa!
Fabulous. These tasted delicious every time I made them. Everyone who ate them agreed!
A friend of mine made these for me last summer. At first I was like, gluten free, not for me! But then I ate them. And I fell in love. I have made these about 10 times, frozen them, sent the recipe to countless friends. They are amazing! Thank you!!
Hooray, so glad you fell in love with the pancakes, KJ! I’m not a gluten-free eater, either, but oat flour is just really good. Thank you for sharing my blog with your friends!
I made these yesterday morning and they were SO delicious and creamy and fluffy…. it was my first time using oat flour, but based on the results it certainly won’t be my last. Do you think oat flour would work in breads and muffins?
Thank you for such an amazing recipe and I can’t wait for fall to come around to try out the pumpkin version!!
Hey Emily! I’m glad you loved the pancakes. Oat flour doesn’t contain gluten, so it can be a little tricky in baking, but you could definitely try subbing some oat flour for the regular flour in your favorite quick breads.
I just came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. WOW! These are definitely the best pancakes I’ve ever made and probably the best I’ve ever eaten. I will definitely be making them again. Everyone should try this!! Thanks for the recipe!
Hooray! Thanks, Hilary! Happy to hear that you have fallen in love with these pancakes. :)
I just made these this morning, after searching for an easy, gluten-free pancake recipe. These are the best I’ve ever made and eaten!! Definitely a keeper! Thank you, Kate!
Woohoo! Thank you, Jeanne!
Just made these! I thought for sure they would be all doughy in the middle, but these are wonderful. They are lightweight, and a bit eggy, but so good! I used organic butter, and some chocolate chips and it made all the difference in flavour, in my opinion. :) Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Thanks, Grace! Yep, as long as your temperature is low, they cook through the middle.
It’s about time I comment because I have made this recipe at LEAST a dozen times… they are so delicious!! I keep a constant supply in the freezer and when I need a breakfast to go, I slather some nut butter between two for a “pancake sandwich” :) Thank you so much for creating such a keeper!
Hooray! Your pancake sandwich sounds amazing.
I recently discovered this recipe and I have to say–these are the BEST pancakes I have made! I love healthy pancakes and these are perfect. My family loves them too. Thank you for the recipe!
Hooray! Thanks, Rachel!
I’ve made these a few times now. So quick and easy with great results every time! I love that they’re healthy but taste just as good as regular pancakes. The texture is so fluffy and moist too. Thank you for the recipe and I look forward to trying other recipes from your site too.
Yay! Thanks, Asao!
I just made these and they are awesome! Love that they’re gluten-free too. I didn’t have any lemons or lemon juice, but they turned out just fine (to me anyway) without it. I will make sure to add it next time though, to see the difference. I really enjoy your blog Kate!
Yay! Thank you, Alyssa!
These are the best gluten free banana pancakes I’ve ever made. Thank you very much. My children love them too!! I’ve tried making banana pancakes before, but they didn’t ever seem to cook all the way through. These are a keeper! Thanks again for sharing!!
Wonderful! Thank you, Vanessa!
The pancakes look really good and the recipe is easy to make, but you say they are dairy free, how is that? Once you use eggs and butter then they are not dairy free. I am going to try it using only egg whites and a butter that is cholesterol and trans fat free, as my husband is a heart patient and he will not use whole eggs or oil.
Much thanks, Patricia
Hi Patricia, I’m sorry for the confusion. There was an error in the recipe notes about making the recipe vegan, which I’ve removed. The recipe is dairy free as long as you use coconut oil (or another oil) instead of butter. Eggs are not technically considered dairy, which is confusing. The recipe is dairy free but not egg free or vegan. Hope that clears things up!
These are super yummy! They’ve become my go-to pancake recipe, and they’re simple & healthy enough for even weekday breakfasts! For the vegans, a couple of flax eggs (2 T ground flax + 6 T water) work beautifully for the eggs.
I was wondering if i just wanted to make a plain pancake using this recipe should i omit the banana or does the recipe really need it?
And can i omit the lemon too?
Hey Des, here’s my plain version. Just skip the peaches: https://slim-formula.today/2014/gluten-free-peach-pancakes/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Just finished making these for my family, and I’m enjoying my pancakes right now. Absolutely delicious, but next time we’re making a double recipe. My daughter and I enjoyed making these together.
Thank you, Liz! I’m so glad you all enjoyed the pancakes. They go quickly!