These healthy banana pancakes (one-bowl!) are naturally sweet and do not contain added sugar, honey, or maple syrup. They are fluffy, airy and delicious! You’ll only need a bowl and a fork.
And while there is no sugar in the batter, a drizzle of maple syrup on top is recommended :) Get ready for your new favorite breakfast!
Quick and fuss-free pancake recipe
First of all: This is a one-bowl recipe. Yay! You don’t need to fuss around with separate bowls to mix dry and wet ingredients.
Everything – even mashing the bananas – will be done in one bowl. No blender, no beating egg whites, no electric mixer, not even a hand whisk is needed. You’ll only need a bowl and a fork. Easy clean-up!
These pancakes are easy to prepare and will be ready in 20 minutes from start to finish. I usually have all the ingredients on hand. Make sure you have plain yogurt and ripe or overripe bananas at home. The rest of the ingredients are pretty much staples.
Sugar-free pancakes
There is no sugar or any kind of sweetener added to the pancake batter. They are very fluffy and naturally sweet thanks to the ripe bananas. This recipe is a great way to use up overripe bananas!
I do have to admit: I often drizzle some maple syrup on top. I just can’t help it. But they will taste delicious without too. I promise.
How ripe should the bananas be?
The riper the bananas are – brown spots are highly recommended – the sweeter the pancakes will be. Brown spots do not only show how ripe bananas are, but they also indicate how much starch has been converted to sugar.
To sum it up: The greater the number of brown spots a banana has, the more sugar it contains. I usually reach for very ripe to overripe bananas (see this picture for reference).
How to make fluffy pancakes?
Mash banana using a fork in a large bowl. Add yogurt and melted butter to the bowl, then stir.
Add egg, vanilla, and salt. Stir until mixed well.
Add flour to the bowl and evenly sprinkle baking powder on top. Stir until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix. Little lumps are ok. The batter should be rather thick.
Heat a large frying pan or griddle on medium heat and lightly coat it with oil. Add approximately 3 tablespoons of the batter for each pancake to the pan. Spread the thick batter with a spoon into rounds – they will not spread any further.
Allow pancakes to cook until they slightly puff up and you see a few bubbles on the surface. Using a spatula, check from time to time to make sure the pancakes do not brown too much.
Flip pancakes and cook until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining batter, adding little oil to the pan in-between batches.
Serve immediately (recommended) or keep them warm in the oven (they will deflate a little). Enjoy them with your favorite toppings. I love to add seasonal fruits and a drizzle of maple syrup.
More delicious pancake recipes
Looking for different pancake recipes? Then you might like these:
Oh, and if you want to try something new, how about Austrian Kaiserschmarrn – a giant, fluffy shredded pancake.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know in the comments how it turned out and also leave me a star rating if you want :)
Fluffy Banana Pancakes (sugar-free)
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe bananas (3/4 cup mashed or 180 g)
- 3/4 cup (180 g) plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Oil for cooking
- For serving (optional): Fresh seasonal fruit, maple syrup
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mash peeled bananas with a fork. You should get around 3/4 cup of mashed bananas (180 g). A little more or less is fine.
- Add yogurt and melted butter to the bowl, then stir.
- Add egg, vanilla, and salt. Stir until mixed well.
- Add flour to the bowl and evenly sprinkle baking powder on top. Stir until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix. Little lumps are ok. The batter should be rather thick.
- Heat a large frying pan or griddle on medium heat and lightly coat it with oil. Add approximately 3 tablespoons of the batter for each pancake to the pan. Spread the thick batter with a spoon into rounds – they will not spread any further.
- Allow pancakes to cook until they slightly puff up and you see a few bubbles on the surface. Using a spatula, check from time to time to make sure the pancakes do not brown too much. Flip pancakes and cook until golden brown on both sides.
- Repeat with remaining batter, adding little oil to the pan in-between batches.
- Serve immediately (recommended) or keep them warm in the oven (they will deflate a little). Enjoy them with your favorite toppings. I love to add seasonal fruits and a drizzle of maple syrup.
I just made these sugar-free banana pancakes for my kids. They are incredible. Served them with fresh strawberries. 😊
This was EXTREMELY GOOD!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing it!
Hi Gabriel,
So happy to hear that you like the banana pancakes. They are a regular at our table :)
How many calories are in each pancake? These look so good!!!
Hi Kayla,
I love them and make them pretty often. Honestly, I don’t know how many calories … But there are many websites out there that do the calculation for free if you add the ingredients. I live more relaxed without counting ;-))
Hope that you’ll give them a try!
I almost never send comments or ratings but I had to make an exception here.
Theses were the best banana pancakes I’ve ever had, everyone loved them. What a perfect way to use up a couple of extra over ripe bananas. I happened to have 4 so I doubled the batch, also I didn’t have any yogurt on hand but I thinned some sour cream to the consistency of yogurt and it worked great. Thank you for all your great recipes
Hi Sandi,
So happy to hear that you enjoyed the pancakes. Sour cream is a great substitute (buttermilk too) – I use whatever I have on hand, which is usually yogurt. And a double batch is always preferred :))) Thanks so much for your comment and I hope that you’ll make them again some time. Happy new year!
Ursula
I agree to this. This by far the best banana pancakes I have made for my daughter. The banana made it sweet and the yogurt and butter made it taste milky. It is really yummy! I’m keeping this recipe. Thank you for this! ❤️
So happy to hear this :))) I make them very often.
can i use ammond flour instead of regular
Hi Mike,
Oh, so sorry for my late reply. I only noticed your comment now. I‘ve never tried to make them with almond flour. I guess the baking powder needs regular flour to react, so the pancakes might come out less airy and fluffy. But I bet they are delicious too!
Can I use plain Greek yogurt?
Hi Jami,
Yes, I would say this works. The batter might be a little less liquid though. It should only spread a tiny bit in the pan. If it doesn’t, spread the pancakes with a spoon in the pan to get a nice round shape, or add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the batter. Hope that you’ll try the recipe. Ursula
The pancakes just fall apart, and the bottom cakes onto the pan. Other pancake recipes don’t have this problem.
Hi Samantha,
so sorry to hear that. I have made them several dozen times and the pancakes never failed but always turned out great. They never stuck to the pan either. I use a non-stick pan and lightly oil it. So far, I had only positive feedback regarding these banana pancakes. I am really puzzled of what could have happened that they turned out that way.
these are so yummy! most recipes just flop for me but these were amazing.
Hi Garoid,
So happy that this recipe turned out well for you :) For me, they are fool-proof too – they never fail me. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Ursula
Can you substitute the yoghurt with plain soya yoghurt and the butter to dairy free unsalted one for dairy allergies
Hi Nicole,
I haven’t tried it myself but I would say yes! A 1:1 swap should be fine. I hope that you’ll make them some day :)
Urusla
great texture and flavor! I used 80% whole spelt flour instead, and added raisins.
Hi li,
So happy that you like the banana pancakes. Whole spelt flour sounds delicious. I should try it asap :) Thanks for the tip!
Ursula
Can you freeze these? What is the shelf life fridge and frozen and countertop?
Hi Lisa,
Yes, you can freeze them. Once cooled, put them in a freezer bag with little sheets of parchment paper in-between to avoid them sticking together. This way, it’s really handy to take out just 2,3 or 4 pancakes :)
@Shelf life: I’d eat probably them on the same day when stored tightly wrapped (container) at room temperature. They will last about 2 days in the fridge (tight container) and a few months in the freezer. They might turn out a bit less fluffy once reheated after refrigeration or freezing.
Hope that you’ll try them.
Ursula