America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Banana-Oat Pancakes

By Afton Cyrus

Published on January 4, 2023

Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes 15 pancakes)

What Kids Are Saying:

“It was fun to make and eat. I did it all by myself!” —Logan, recipe tester, age 5

Banana-Oat Pancakes

Ingredients

1¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour 2½ teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon table salt 2 ripe bananas 1½ cups (12 ounces) milk 1 cup (3 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats 2 large eggs 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 tablespoons sugar Vegetable oil spray

Before You Begin

To cook more pancakes at a time, you can use an electric griddle set at 350 degrees instead of the skillet. To keep the pancakes warm and serve them all at once, transfer them to a cooling rack set in a rimmed baking sheet in a 200-degree oven as you make them. Top the pancakes with your favorite toppings, such as sliced bananas, maple syrup, or chopped nuts.

Instructions

  1. In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  2. Peel bananas and place in medium bowl. Mash bananas well with large fork or potato masher.
  3. Add milk and oats to bananas and whisk until combined. Let sit until oats are softened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add eggs, oil, and sugar to bowl with banana mixture and whisk until well combined.
  5. Add banana mixture to flour mixture. Whisk until just combined.
  6. Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with vegetable oil spray. Heat over medium heat until hot, about 1 minute. Use ¼-cup dry measuring cup to scoop 3 portions of batter into skillet, leaving space between mounds of batter (you want 3 pancakes to cook up separate from one another).
  7. Cook pancakes until first side is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Use spatula to flip pancakes. Cook until second side is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer pancakes to plates. Repeat cooking with remaining batter in 4 more batches. Turn off heat. Serve.
Banana-Oat Pancakes
Photography by Daniel J. van Ackere. Styling by Ashley Moore.

Banana-Oat Pancakes

Save

Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes 15 pancakes)

What Kids Are Saying:

“It was fun to make and eat. I did it all by myself!” —Logan, recipe tester, age 5

Ingredients

1¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 ripe bananas
1½ cups (12 ounces) milk
1 cup (3 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sugar
Vegetable oil spray

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 ripe bananas
1½ cups (12 ounces) milk
1 cup (3 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sugar
Vegetable oil spray

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 ripe bananas
1½ cups (12 ounces) milk
1 cup (3 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sugar
Vegetable oil spray

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Switch up your pancake breakfast! Oats make these pancakes hearty, and as the bananas cook they caramelize and become even sweeter. While you and your young chef gather your ingredients, ask them to sort them into two groups: solids and liquids. (You might need to remind them that solids hold their own shape, no matter what container they're in, while liquids always take on the shape of their container.) The milk and vegetable oil are liquids—the rest of the ingredients are solids.

Before You Begin

To cook more pancakes at a time, you can use an electric griddle set at 350 degrees instead of the skillet. To keep the pancakes warm and serve them all at once, transfer them to a cooling rack set in a rimmed baking sheet in a 200-degree oven as you make them. Top the pancakes with your favorite toppings, such as sliced bananas, maple syrup, or chopped nuts.

Instructions

  1. In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  2. Peel bananas and place in medium bowl. Mash bananas well with large fork or potato masher.
  3. Add milk and oats to bananas and whisk until combined. Let sit until oats are softened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add eggs, oil, and sugar to bowl with banana mixture and whisk until well combined.
  5. Add banana mixture to flour mixture. Whisk until just combined.
  6. Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with vegetable oil spray. Heat over medium heat until hot, about 1 minute. Use ¼-cup dry measuring cup to scoop 3 portions of batter into skillet, leaving space between mounds of batter (you want 3 pancakes to cook up separate from one another).
  7. Cook pancakes until first side is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Use spatula to flip pancakes. Cook until second side is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer pancakes to plates. Repeat cooking with remaining batter in 4 more batches. Turn off heat. Serve.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

Keep Exploring

This is a members' feature.