Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes

These Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes are a tasty breakfast treat or can be served any time of day. These pancakes are easy to make and absolutely delicious, especially when served with your favorite toppings.

A plate holds several gluten-free banana pancakes with syrup on top. There are sliced bananas on top of the stack. There's another stack of pancakes on a plate next to a banana in the background.

I have never been much of a pancake person. At least not until recently. The thing is, I’m kind of surprised to find myself at this moment in time really liking, no wait, craving the taste of flavored pancakes. You know? As in blueberry pancakes or zucchini pancakes.

It’s like these gluten-free banana pancakes really are my latest food crush. If you love delicious breakfasts, you might also enjoy some of my other Vegan Breakfast Recipes such as this Tofu Scramble, or this Vegan Biscuit Casserole.

Why is This the Best Recipe?

  • Adding vegan butter to the batter creates tender pancakes with a hint of buttery flavor
  • Bananas are pulsed in a food processor, making a smooth banana sauce, and infusing the pancakes with bananas
  • Letting the batter rest before making pancakes encourages it to absorb the moisture and puff up, making the best pancakes ever!

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Bananas — It’s best to use ripe bananas. If your bananas are not ripe, you can peel them and place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave them for up to 1 minute. This should make them more tender. Allow them to cool before proceeding.
  • Plant-based milk — I use either soy milk or almond milk, but oat milk, cashew milk, and any of your favorite plant-based milk should work.
  • Vinegar — I recommend apple cider vinegar, but you can substitute white vinegar.
  • Ground flaxseed — If you don’t have ground flaxseed, you can substitute an equal amount of chia seeds.
  • Vegan butter — You can use dairy-free butter, margarine, or even your own homemade vegan butter.
  • Vanilla extract — A little bit of vanilla adds the perfect amount of flavor.
  • Agave nectar — A little bit of sweetener helps with the flavor and browning of the pancakes. You can substitute maple syrup or granulated sugar.
  • Oat flour — I love the flavor oat flour adds to pancakes. It’s easy to make your own (see the note below).
  • Gluten-free baking flour — Use a high-quality gluten-free baking flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1.
  • Baking powder — We’ll make fluffy pancakes thanks to the addition of baking powder. Make sure yours is fresh by dropping a bit of it into hot water. If it bubbles, it’s good to go.
  • Ground cinnamon — This is an optional ingredient, but I love adding it to bananas and it tastes great in these pancakes.
  • Toppings — Be ready with your favorite pancake toppings, like sliced vegan butter, maple syrup, and/or sliced bananas.

How to Make Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes

  1. Make a banana sauce by pulsing the bananas, soy milk, vinegar, and flax, in a food processor until smooth.
  2. Add the sliced butter, vanilla, and agave nectar and pulse again until combined.
  3. Stir together the oat flour, gluten-free flour, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
  4. Pour the banana sauce into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. 
  5. Place a skillet over medium heat or heat a non-stick griddle to 375°F. Even non-stick surfaces can add flavor to pancakes by adding a little vegan butter to the surface.
  6. Pour batter in the shape of a circle in the prepared skillet or griddle. Repeat with the available space in your skillet, allowing about an inch between each pancake.
  7. Cook pancakes for 3 to 5 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip the pancakes and cook on the other side for 3 to 5 minutes.
  8. Place cooked pancakes a single layer on a pan and place them either in a warmed toaster oven or an oven heated to 200°F to stay warm while you prepare the rest of the pancakes.
  9. Serve warm with vegan butter, peanut butter, maple syrup, and/or sliced bananas.

Storage Tips

Store pancakes in an airtight container. It helps to add a layer of waxed paper or parchment paper between layers of pancakes. They will keep in the fridge for up to 5 to 7 days. See below for freezing pancakes.

A close-up photo of a tall stack of pancakes, showing maple syrup following over the edges.

Making Thick and Fluffy Pancakes

If you prefer thick and fluffy pancakes, keep the batter thicker. For thinner pancakes, add a bit more plant-based milk. Add more or less plant-based milk based on your preferences.

Freezing Pancakes

You can make a big batch of pancakes on the weekend and freeze them for easy breakfasts throughout the week. Here’s how to freeze pancakes so they don’t stick to one another:

  1. Cool pancakes until they come to room temperature
  2. Place them on a tray lined with waxed paper.
  3. Place the tray in the freezer for 30 minutes, or until they’re stiff.
  4. Transfer frozen pancakes to a freezer bag with a label indicating the contents and the date frozen.

Cooking Frozen Pancakes

  • Microwave — place them on a plate and cook for up to 1 minute, until heated through.
  • Conventional or Toaster Oven — place them in a single row on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, until heated through.
  • Toaster — Place one frozen pancake in a toaster slot and cook on medium to medium-low heat until warm and toasted. Watch the edges so they don’t burn.
  • Air Fryer — Place frozen pancakes in a single layer in the air fryer and cook on 350°F for 2 to 3 minutes until heated and crispy on the edges. (This one is my favorite!)

Serving Suggestions

Serve gluten-free banana pancakes with any of these tasty toppings:

Syrup is being poured from a pitcher over a stack of pancakes with sliced bananas on the top. There's another stack of pancakes next to a banana in the background.

I hope you love these gluten-free banana pancakes as much as we do! Here are even more vegan gluten-free recipes you’ll love!

Sliced bananas are on top of a stack of pancakes. There are drizzles of syrup on the pancakes.

Gluten-Free Banana Bread Pancakes

Make these Gluten Free Banana Bread Pancakes over the weekend and enjoy them the rest of the week. These pancakes are easy to make and dairy free too!
5 from 4 votes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 130kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 medium bananas
  • 1 ½ cups plant-based milk soy, almond, etc.
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter sliced
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar
  • 1 cup oat flour (see note)
  • 1 cup gluten-free baking flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Toppings: sliced vegan butter, maple syrup, and/or sliced bananas

Instructions

  • Place the bananas, soy milk, apple cider vinegar, and ground flax, in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Add the sliced butter, vanilla, and agave nectar and pulse again until combined. Set aside.
  • Stir together the oat flour, gluten-free flour, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
  • Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. See note for batter consistency tips. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes.
  • Once the batter is ready, place a skillet over medium heat and give it a light coating of vegetable spray or oil. Or heat a non-stick griddle to 375°F/190°C. Even a non-stick surface can add flavor to cooking pancakes by adding a little vegan butter to the surface.
  • Pour batter in the shape of a circle in the prepared skillet or griddle. Repeat with the available space in your skillet, allowing about an inch between each pancake. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the bottom of the pancakes, are golden brown. Use a spatula to pull up a corner of one of the pancakes to make sure they're cooked to a golden color on the bottom. Flip the pancakes and cook on the other side for an additional 3 to 5 minutes until the pancake is golden-colored on both sides.
  • Place cooked pancakes a single layer on a pan and place them either in a warmed toaster oven or oven set to 200°F/90°C to stay warm while you prepare the rest of the pancakes.
  • Serve with vegan butter, peanut butter, maple syrup, and/or sliced bananas.

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

GLUTEN-FREE: To make these pancakes gluten-free, be sure to use certified gluten-free oat flour or certified gluten-free old-fashioned oats and flour.
MAKE YOUR OWN OAT FLOUR: To make oat flour out of gluten-free old-fashioned or rolled oats, place 1 cup of oats in a blender or food processor. Pulse until it forms a flour consistency.
PANCAKE MAKING TIP: The thinner the batter, the thinner the pancakes. Add more milk or less depending on your preference for thinner or thicker pancakes.
FREEZE IT: Pancakes freeze well, so they’re perfect for meal prepping. I place cooked pancakes on a tray and place the tray in the freezer. Wait about 30 minutes, and the pancakes should be firm. Transfer frozen pancakes to a freezer bag. Doing it this way prevents the pancakes from sticking together.
Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 258mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2014 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

9 Responses to Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyDanielle Reply

    5 stars
    Thanks for the freezer tips. I made these and froze half and it’s been so great!

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJana Mejdell Reply

    These are fabulous! They are my go-to pancakes!

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyTori Reply

    Hello. These look lovely, will definitely be making them! Since I have been unable to eat gluted, wheat, lactose and soy, I want everything containing it, even things I very rarely used to eat!! Including pancakes now haha. Can I ask why you use the pancake mix with the brown rice flour also?
    Many thanks and thanks for recipe, shall be trying it soon.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Tori, so glad you like these pancakes. I used both brown rice flour and the pancake mix because typically a gluten-free recipe requires blending different flours and starches to get loft in the finished product. I wanted to keep this recipe a little more simple than all that. I mean, it is breakfast! 🙂 So I could have gone with just the gluten-free pancake mix, right? Well, that’s true, but I also wanted to add a little “whole grain” feel to the recipe too. Thus, the brown rice flour. I hope that makes sense. xoxo!!

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyGina @ Running to the Kitchen Reply

    banana pancakes are a weekly Sunday thing in our house. Usually accompanied by Jack Johnson on pandora singing about them too. Love this version!

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyTaylor @ Food Faith Fitness Reply

    I am literally OBSESSED with pancakes. I could eat them for every meal! AND you just blew my mind with the freezing trick.
    My hubby is a banana bread fanatic, so I can’t wait dive face first into a stack of this gluten free goodness! Pinned!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Taylor! I guess I’m joining you in this pancake obsession! I have more recipes I’m itching to try…soon!

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyDionne Baldwin Reply

    5 stars
    These pancakes are gorgeous! I’d totally eat them. 🙂 When I hear the word “pancake” I start craving them!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Dionne! One time I had the word “pancake” in a dictionary game. I realized that pancakes are fun to crave…but not so easy to draw! 🙂

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