Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I always look forward to it, even if it’s just a bowl of cereal or a slice of peanut butter toast. But the best breakfast? Pancakes. Obviously.
When I was little my Dad used to make me his famous pancakes; they were the size of a skillet pan, thin, and yet incredibly fluffy. I remember drenching them with rich maple syrup and devouring it in pure bliss. Every single bite would melt in my mouth. I loved waking up to those.
These days I eat breakfast for dinner about twice a week because really, who wouldn’t want to end their day with pancakes? Plus, I love to having fun with flavor combinations! Whole Wheat Banana Quinoa. Lemon Blueberry. Blueberry Chocolate Chip. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip. And now these.
Yeahhh pancakes… I’m just a teeny bit obsessed.
Since I’m trying to eat healthy while still enjoying my favorite breakfast, I’d thought that I would create a pancake recipe that’s tastes just like banana bread… because in case you hadn’t noticed, smashing bananas in baked goods is kinda my jam.
And besides putting hearty amounts of love into this recipe, I wanted these to be good for you, without sacrificing that amazing pancake taste.
These oatmeal chocolate chip banana pancakes are naturally sweetened with the sugars from the ripe banana, which also helps bind the pancake together since they are vegan. The oats provide a fluffy texture with that delicious oatmeal flavor. I also only added a few chocolate chips to each pancake to give them a bit of an indulgent taste.
I think Dad would be proud. Although I don’t think he would know what a vegan or gluten-free diet consists of.
Even if you’re not gluten-free or vegan, I think you’ll find these healthy pancakes incredible. Plus the batter can be made in a blender. Seriously, how quick and easy is that?! I whipped mine up in less than 10 minutes and barely had any mess to clean up when I was finished.
It’s basically like having a bowl of oatmeal in the morning. And I am not one to refuse oatmeal in pancake form. You shouldn’t fight it either.
Just devour!
Also, if you’ve been affected by Hurricane Sandy, know that my thoughts and prayers are with you. xoxo
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes {healthy, vegan + gluten-free}
Ingredients
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats (gluten-free)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe medium bananas, cut into chunks
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, vegan if you prefer
Instructions
- In a blender, add chunks of banana and almond milk. Puree for 30 seconds or until thoroughly blended and smooth.
- Next add oats, baking powder, and salt into the blender; blend again until batter is well-combined about 1 minute. Set aside to thicken up.
- After a few minutes check the consistency of the pancake batter it should be somewhat thick. If they appear to too thick, add a tablespoon or two of almond milk and blend again.
- Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with vegan cooking spray or olive oil and heat over medium. Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto skillet and gently spread out a bit with a spoon. Place 5-6 chocolate chips on top of each pancake and cook until bubbles appear on top, about 2 minutes.
- Gently flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more oil or cooking spray. Top with peanut butter, maple syrup, fruit, or chocolate chips.
I love pancakes. These look sooo good. I die!
Looks like a perfect lunch to me. Thanks!
Chocolate Chip banana pancakes are my favorite! I made your peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with sea salt last night for dinner with friends and they were a huge hit! Thanks!
Oh, pancakes would be lovely to eat for breakfast! Sad, I don`t have the time.
I made these for Sunday morning breakfast and the whole family loved them!
Awesome!
I just made these (with skim milk instead of almond milk and cinnamon instead of chocolate chips) for breakfast (at 2 pm, yay vacation) and they’re amazing!! I loved them and i’m definitely making them again!
Love oat pancakes – must try these! Thank you for sharing!
I love the idea of these, but they never really thickened up and were a bit frail in the end. I’ll definitely try them again, maybe with an additional half cup of oats. Thanks for the recipe, and I have 2 more on my ” to make” list from your site!
Bummer, were your bananas very large? That could have been the problem. Next time, try reducing the amount of almond milk or adding more oats in. And if you aren’t vegan, feel free to add in an egg for extra binding!
Would it be crazy to add quinoa to this? I love the quinoa banana pancakes, but love oat pancakes too! What would Monique do?
Of course you could add quinoa, also if you aren’t vegan, I recommend adding in an egg! xo
or a flax egg! (1 tbsp ground flax + 2 1/2 tbsp of water)
Second the egg!
This sounds incredible!
I love your blog! And the recipes are just yummy! I have a question for these pancakes : are they supposed to still be kind of “wet” in the middle? They were still delicious 😉
Do you think you could use Greek yogurt instead of milk for some added protein?
These didn't work for me. They were all soggy inside. I ate half of one and tossed the rest. I think there is too much banana. Will try these again with one banana.
Same here ,, is like uncooked :$ don’t knw y :/ probly too much wet ingredients
I made these pancakes this morning, using skim milk instead of almond milk and a grain medley instead of old-fashioned oats (but very similar to them). My pancakes didn’t really set up and were impossible to flip. Where did I go wrong?
Not enough oat flour or too much liquid!
Thank you for posting this recipe. They are so simple, and super yummy. My girls devoured these panckes. Usually gluten free pancakes are either too stiff or too gummy. These were perfect. Thanks again…
You are so welcome! 🙂
I've made these twice now and they are absolutely delicious. I usually don't eat pancakes for breakfast because they are two sweet, and usually they aren't very good for you, but there are perfect because they are composed of things I normally eat for breakfast. Great job with this recipe!
Vegan because animals are mom's too! 🙂
SARAH…….PLEASE FRIEND REQUEST ME.
Greetings from Finland! Absolutely loved these! Loving your site and going to spread the word about it. Keep up the good work girl 🙂
These are exactly what I have been looking for! I used only one banana because the comment about them being soggy and they were perfect! I really like the instruction to use the back of the spoon to flatten them a little. I think that helped them cook the centers really well. One other thing, I don’t have vanilla almond milk, so I used milk with a teaspoon of vanilla. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
a big gloppy mess…but they tasted good 🙂 Maybe bananas were too ripe?
Most likely. Or you didn’t have enough oats in the recipe.
Becca approved. 🙂 I ran out of coconut milk and subbed in 1/2 cup water. Added 1/2 tsp vanilla to make up for no vanilla flavor. Fried in coconut oil on cast iron and she LOVES them. She has already eaten almost the entire batch. 🙂
This sounds and looks great! I will be making this recipe this week! 🙂
I don’t even understand how these taste so delicious, will repeat. Thanks!
They were amazing! And super filling! I had to use more oats but they looked perfect!
I just made these! Couple questions. They came out battery in the inside and not sturdy on the outside. Luke when I flip them the spatula gets caught on them and they mush, so they came out strange. Any idea what’s happening? I tried adding almond milk I thought maybe they were too thick, didn’t work
How many milligrams of sodium is in this recipe, please?
Because of my new health-related, crazy diet restrictions I’ve found myself limited to only oatmeal for breakfast (which is delicious but getting repetitive). Made these today and freezing the leftovers for later. Simple and great recipe, thank you! Used unsweetened coconut/almond milk and added vanilla, cinnamon and a vegan egg replacer.
These are insanley delicious!! I make them weekly!!! Thinking about experimenting and adding some pumpkin puree!!
Oh Monique you never disappoint! These were INCREDIBLE! Literally best pancakes I’d ever made! I decided to make them for Christmas morning breakfast, and it was exactly the comforting indulgent meal I wanted while still being healthy! Thank you and Merry Christmas!!!
To thicken them (as a few people complained they were too wet), I added a couple T of flax meal. Works well as a binder to bring this recipe together. Thanks for laying the groundwork!
Absolutely delicious and the perfect amount for breakfast for 2. You’ve done it yet again Monique, I’ve really come to rely on your wonderful recipes!
These are the fluffiest and most delicious banana oat pancakes I’ve had! And I’ve tried a LOT but they either are more like flat banana cakes or are not vegan. Way to go!
I made these for my 3 kids for a quick, healthy after school snack today. They loved them! I will try adding an egg next time to help bind them together. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad they enjoyed!
Yummy, but how do you keep it from sticking to the pan (even with plenty of oil?
I haven’t had an issue with a well-oiled pan – sorry about that!
These were awesome! We went vegan about a year ago and these are by far my fave pancake recipe!
Amazing! Happy to hear that 🙂
Made these this morning, only half because I only had one banana and I was on my own. I used blueberries because I had no choc chips and made one big pancake. It was delicious, in fact it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. I had it with extra blueberries and walnuts drizzled with date syrup.
Perfect!! Sounds delicious 🙂
Could you use this batter in a waffle maker?
I’ve never tried it, and since these ones don’t have an egg I’m not sure. Let me know if you give it a try!
Made these for a late night desert! I didnt use chocolate chips but I added a teaspon of maca powder, they are absolutely amazing ! I Plan on making a big batch to freeze and to take to work . Thank you for the recipe !
Delicious! Perfect easy breakfast/snack (or late night dessert!)
This recipe is yummmyy, i tried it today
I’m glad you liked it!
The first time i made these they came out PERFECT. Now every time i make them they stick to the pan. Any suggestions? These are my favorite go to recipe but i am starting to get discouraged
Strange! I’m not sure other than to spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray and use a nonstick pan.
BEST pancakes EVER. My husband and I have started making brunch every Sunday with our three young kids and these pancakes check all the boxes – simple ingredients, vegan, soft, and delicious. They taste like banana bread and my favorite part is you just have to throw it all in the blender and then pour batter into pan. So SIMPLE. Oh, and my little kiddos LOVE them! We will be making these every Sunday.
Amazing!! So happy to hear that Jackie 🙂 Perfect Sunday brunch.
I’ve juste made your recipe but with only one banana. Pancakes are delicious! Thank you for the sharing. I will try with two bananas the next times.
Great! Glad you enjoyed.
These were awesome! Simple to prep and hit the spot. Thanks for sharing!!
Glad you enjoyed! Perfect breakfast.
These are delicious. I added cinnamon, protein powder, and blueberries. A little maple syrup and WOW! I had trouble with them sticking to my nonstick pan so be generous with the oil and don’t make them too big. YUM
The perfect breakfast! 🙂
I made these for a quick, late breakfast this morning and they turned out great! My bananas were on the smaller side and one had a mushy, black end so I ended up using 1 3/4. I also added a scoop of protein powder and about 1 tablespoon of flax seed meal and used mini chocolate chips. My boyfriend thought they were really good too even though he doesn’t understand why I wanted to make a vegan recipe when there are eggs and milk in the house. Definitely saving this recipe to make again!
Love this recipe! So simple and not too sweet. You can add a little pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger to make it into fall pancakes!!
Love that idea! Try out these pumpkin pancakes, too 🙂
Super easy to make and delicious as always!
I love these. Made them again today and they came out even better than before. I added some maple extract and butter flavoring to the batter. Now I don’t need syrup or additional butter. Excellent! Thanks for this one it’s a keeper.
Amazing! SO glad you found this recipe and are loving these pancakes, Donna ❤️
Worst recipe ever. Medium heat and pancakes were still soup while being burnt on the outside.