Mmmm banana pancakes. With quinoa.
Oh yes I did.
Quinoa is one of my favorite grains. I mean what’s not to love? It’s versatile, gluten-free, protein packed, and the nutty flavor delivers every single time. Remember my lemon blueberry quinoa pancakes?  They’re my absolute favorite. I devour them in 5.6 seconds everytime I make them. Can you tell I’m a fan? I could be the quinoa spokeswoman.
Quinoa queen?
Nevermind.
I wish I would have had these pancakes today before I did three hours worth of yoga this morning. I was aching for these through every downward dog and warrior two.
Then guess what happened? I got pulled over (for the first time ever) after leaving class. Apparently I went through a red light. Seems I was distracted with the thought of delicious quinoa pancakes in my belly. Thankfully the police officer didn’t give me a ticket. He was surprisingly nice – I’m guessing because I looked like a hot sweaty mess who was about to eat her own arm.
Once I got home and I devored these like I was a contestant on the biggest loser who hadn’t eaten in weeks. A little absurd. I even paired each pancake with different flavor toppings because who doesn’t love a little variety? One had maple syrup and bananas (classic), another had raspberry jam and toasted coconut (so so so goooood), and finally my favorite: mini chocolate chips with peanut butter (love the banana, chocolate, and peanut butter combo). I recommend trying out some different toppings.
But SERIOUSLY, these pancakes are actually good for you. If you’re trying to eat more whole grains, or if you are looking for a healthier breakfast, then I think you should give these a try. I love making pancakes and then throwing them in the freezer. They’re incredibly easy to heat up in the microwave and take to go. Just spread with a little healthy topping and devour!
Okay… one last bit of news! I’ve decided to restructure my blog a little bit. I will now be focusing on healthy, creative recipes. Of course you’ll see the occasional cupcake and brownie, but generally less sweets and more good eats. In my own life, I try to eat healthy and balanced and love sharing my passion for health with others.
Now let’s eat!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Whole Wheat Banana Quinoa Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 large egg whites or 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons milk of your choice (skim, soy, almond, coconut)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (you could also use honey or maple syrup)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large very ripe bananas, pureed
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, yogurt, milk, vanilla, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.
- Add pureed bananas and mix until just combined.
- Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter or cooking spray and heat over medium. Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, about 2 minutes.
- Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter.
- Makes about 10 pancakes. Top with peanut butter, maple syrup, fruit, or chocolate chips.
These pancakes are absolutely delicious! Thank you for a recipe that uses quinoa. I’ve made these many times over the past few years and they always turn out perfect. Since I try to cut down on gluten I substitute the 3/4 cup whole wheat flour with a combination of flours (1/4 c almond flour, 1/2 cup oat meal flour, and 1/4 cup Caputo brand gluten free flour). I also add 1 cup chopped walnuts to increase the protein, but I cook them over slight lower heat to make sure they cook through. The outcome is a slightly more dense pancake because of the nuts but still light and delicious. Your recipe is versatile enough to make additions/substitutions and still get a great pancake.
Thank you!
I’m glad those swaps work out well! Perfect breakfast 🙂
These are delicious! I was lazy and baked them in a sheet pan, then cut them into rectangles. Perfect for warming up in the toaster!
Oh love this idea! Glad they turned out amazing for you, thanks for sharing 🙂
Great way to get protein in your pancakes! So yummy!
hearty, wholesome, nourishing, and lightly sweet pancakes 🙂
So happy you’re loving them, Jen!!
This looks amazing. One question, what would you recommend as an alternative to Greek Yogurt if I wanted to keep this dairy free. I still would like the consistency of the Greek yogurt but dairy free. Would you recommend almond or coconut yogurt or something? 🙂 Can’t wait to make it!!
A dairy free yogurt like a coconut yogurt should work! Let me know if you give it a try 🙂
Hello,
These pancakes look so good! Can i used pumpkin puree instead banana?
Have a nice day :).
I haven’t tried it, but it should work!
Hi Monique!! Do you think I can use quinoa flour instead of cooked quinoa?
hi monique! love this idea for breakfast!!! can you tell us the macros on this recipe??
First I’d like to tell you again how much I LOVE your recipes! I’ve never made something from yours I didn’t enjoy
OMG!! Just made these and they are delicious!!!
Great recipe! I just made these today. I can never get my pancakes to turn out pretty though. Temp too high, maybe?
Amazing recipe – I just tried it out this morning! My mother gasped at me and said these were really great so thanks (it’s pretty rare of her to comment how good my cooking is). I’ve tried to make healthy pancakes using rolled oats, oat bran, whole wheat flour, yoghurt and literally anything healthy. I even thought of the banana + eggs combo but I hate eggs. They have all just failed and instead of being fluffy and wonderful, they turn out to be very dense and also rubbery. But your recipe shined through and it was just simply amazing. Except for the obvious taste of bananas, it tasted like any regular UNHEALTHY pancake. It didn’t look so promising when I looked at the final batter but once they started cooking, man it was just beautiful. Next time I am going to go without any honey and try sub greek yoghurt for normal yoghurt (it’s too expensive…) and see how it goes. Another great tip would be to cook them in coconut oil. It gives such a crispy texture whilst the insides are fluffy. Also gives it a lovely coconut flavour which tastes amazing. Also when cooking them, don’t go any higher than medium even if you’re in a hurry! I cooked them on a low heat so the insides would be cooked well. The nutritional value is amazing as well, I mean seriously 4 grams of protein PER pancake. Definitely a recipe that will be used over and over again in my cook book. Going to try Monique’s other pancake recipes ^_^
Looks awesome and just happened to make some quinoa today. But, I only have regular plain yogurt in the fridge. Do you think I can do a direct substitution? Thanks!
Huge thumbs up on the banana-peanut butter-chocolate combo. I never would’ve thought of putting quinoa in pancakes, but your recipe looks awesome and I’ll have to try it out soon!
I had trouble cooking them, and they tasted very undercooked/doughy on the inside even after spending a long time cooking them. Any tips?
blogged about it here
http://chefuy.blogspot.com/2013/05/banana-quinoa-pancakes.html
My pancakes are coming out really mushy and not cooked all the way through. I don’t know what to do. I have even left them on the griddle for up to 20 minutes, the outside is a nice golden brown, but the insides are mushy and raw.
Are the bananas essential, or can you leave them out/replace them?
You could probably use pumpkin?
Always great every time I make them!
Gotta try them Rachel!
Yay!
Hello! Do you think you could use oat flour instead of the regular flour?
Yes! I’ve actually done it before. However the pancakes will be very moist. So perhaps reduce the yogurt a bit!
Great – thanks so much! They look delicious!
Hi Monique! When I made this, I used brown butter to cook them in… it was awesome! My brother (who is a pancake critic practically! ) loved them! <3 <3 <3 <3
Is there a way to make this without the eggs?
Hi! I think the bananas should bind it pretty well and you could certainly try it without the eggs. Perhaps add a bit of oil; try 2 teaspoons. Let me know how it works out.
Hey so I left out the eggs and they turned out really well! I’ll definitely be making these a lot more. Thanks!
Do you have a line-up at your door at lunch? You probably will now! I can’t wait to try these. Thanks!
Ok, I kinda want to make everything on your blog, so glad to have found you! These look amazing and I love how easy they are!
Do you think it’d be fine to leave out the greek yogurt? Thanks!!
Yes!
These pancakes are the BOMB! I just made a batch and ate a couple with almond butter. These will be a great pre or post workout snack. Thanks so much for posting the photos as well as the recipe!
Thanks Jen! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
I love pancakes. I could eat them all day long. So when I saw this recipe I had to try them….and they are wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing. I can’t decide which version is best…bananas/maple syrup or PB and chocolate chips. I best try another to decide…. 🙂
I am in awe of your photography and recipes! I want to try everything 😮
Can't wait to make this healthy, delicious -sounding breakfast this weekend- YUMM!
Oh My Yummy!!! 🙂 Thanks for the post Sweet Erin! How are you?
Thank you for these! I loooove pancakes, eating them almost every Saturday (whole wheat, mind you) but would love to give these a try! They look amazing!
Yum!! Made these today and they turned out delicious!!
What is the nutritional value for the quinoa banana pancakes?
Wow!
What kind of quinoa do you use and how do you cook it for these?
I used regular organic quinoa, either from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. You can cook it according to package directions.
I love this recipe! A few months ago, I was looking for something like I had eaten at True Food Kitchen, called banana quinoa Johnny cakes. I found your recipe, tried it, and my whole family adores them. My kids like the chocolate (cocoa powder added) variety, my husband and I enjoy them without. I also tried both with and without the brown sugar added and found that they really don’t need any sugar. They are wonderful! My husband asked me to make “about 500” so he can pull some out of the freezer to take with him as energy food on his Long bike rides. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Omg Michelle! I love True Food Kitchen! Which one do you go to?
I just made the pancakes and they were delicious!
Hey there! I’ve been lurking on your blog for a while and just tried these pancakes out last week. Not only are they AMAZING, but for a vegetarian living with a house full of allergy ridden people/gluten free people, these are perfect. A success with everyone!
Not to mention they hold up really well in the freezer and are an awesome breakfast before work any day of the week.
Thank you so much for sharing and I look forward to you new creations. 😀
-Ash
So great to hear. Thanks for reading!
These were absoultely incredible! I have never baked with quinoa before, but I finally figured out how to cook it properly so it’s nice and fluffy and not bitter, and I was looking to try something new. I loved them so much I immediately made a second batch just to throw in the freezer for rushed mornings! Thanks for sharing!
THIS makes me so happy. They are great. I’ll be posting another quinoa pancake recipe soon, so be sure to subscribe to my blog! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I had to modify mine a bit since we were out of bananas, so I tried it with applesauce – so yummy and filling! I put the modified version here and linked back to you.
http://momstartingfromscratch.blogspot.ca/2012/05/whole-wheat-applesauce-cinnamon-quinoa.html
Hi there,
Just wondering if whole eggs are also ok to use as I have a 2 year old that needs the fat in his diet. Thanks!
Rita,
Of course! I just put egg whites in as I like to top my pancakes with LOTS of peanut butter (which has a ton of healthy fats). I recommend using 1 egg + 1 egg white. Thanks!
Wowza, these pancakes look amazingggg! I love that you added quinoa to the pancakes – I bet the texture is fab! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Monique
My Blog is MyLoveForCooking.com 🙂
Monique, you had me at whole wheat banana. Honestly, these look incredible. I’ve never used quinoa in pancakes, but I’m definitely going to give it a shot now! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Kris. LOVE your blog. Congrats on winning best food blog! 🙂
looks delicious. i’ve never cooked with quinoa yet, can you believe it. I have a jar sitting in my kitchen, but I just never go to it. I need to start trying out new dishes. i love how you used quinoa in the batter… super healthy.
Oh you really do have to try it. It makes the pancakes super moist!
I am super excited about this pancake. I was lucky to eye it while I was looking for my submission funnily enough on FoodGawker :). So glad I found it…love to use quinoa! Gorgeous photo by the way.
Thanks Nicole, you’re too sweet! What’s your blog?
Thanks Nicole!
Ambitious Kitchen I literally couldn't wait to and am making them right now and I just taste tested….AMAZING seriously. 🙂
Ambitious Kitchen I literally couldn't wait and am making them right now and I just taste tested….AMAZING seriously. 🙂
LOVE IT. Quinoa is my soulmate.
My kind of pancakes!
Agreed. I love making pancakes healthy, but still delicious!
Yum! These look delicious!
Thanks Emily!
This looks delicious! Any idea on the nutrional values?
I think that you could estimate each pancake to be 90 calories each, if you are making around 10.
I think probably 90 calories a pancake. I'm considering adding nutritional values to my posts. 🙂
Please do… diabetic HAVE to count carbs
Camera is paying off–your cover pancake picture is phenomenal! Can’t wait to try these. Tonight for a quick sweet LF treat after your awesome spicy stuffed peppers we had smores-light & right….1 sheet cinnamon graham cracker, 1 Tbls marshmallow puff, 5 dark choc chips- (I use about 60-70% cocoa chip) micro about 20 seconds–awesome ness in a perfect portion size! Happy Eating.