Recipe · Vegetarian · Eggless
Banana Pancakes
Banana pancake recipe with ripe banana, maida and milk, and no egg. Soft, fluffy pancakes on a tawa in 30 minutes, with a whole wheat (atta) option.
Banana pancakes are the best way to use up the bananas going soft in your fruit basket. One very ripe banana, mashed into the batter, adds natural sweetness and moisture and binds the pancakes together, so this recipe needs no egg at all. You only need maida, milk, baking powder and a non-stick tawa.
Because the banana does the job of the egg, two things matter. Use a banana with plenty of brown spots on the peel (if you have small yelakki bananas, use three), and cook on medium-low heat, since the natural sugar in banana browns faster than plain batter. Done this way, the pancakes are soft and tender inside with an even golden outside, and they taste of banana without being heavy. If you prefer whole wheat, there is an atta version in the variations below.
Banana Pancakes
You'll need
Non-stick tawa or frying pan · 2 mixing bowls · Fork or potato masher · Whisk · Wide flat spatula
Ingredients
For the batter
For cooking and serving
Method
- Mash the banana. Peel the banana and mash it in a large bowl with a fork or potato masher until smooth and almost runny, with only a few small bits left. You should have about 1/2 cup.
- Add the wet ingredients. Whisk the milk, melted butter (warm, not hot) and vanilla into the mashed banana until evenly combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a second bowl, whisk the maida, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt for about 30 seconds so the baking powder is evenly spread.
- Combine gently. Tip the dry mix into the banana mixture and fold for 15 to 20 seconds, just until no dry flour shows. The batter should be thick and slightly lumpy, falling from the spoon in a slow ribbon. If it is too stiff to pour from a ladle, stir in 1 to 2 tbsp more milk.
- Rest the batter and heat the tawa. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick tawa on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then lower it to medium-low. Grease it lightly with butter and wipe off the excess with a tissue.
- Pour the pancakes. Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) of batter per pancake, 2 or 3 at a time. Banana batter spreads less than plain batter, so nudge each one into a round of about 10 cm with the back of the measuring cup.
- Cook the first side. Cook on medium-low for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until a few bubbles appear on top, the edges look dry, and the underside is an even golden brown. Banana batter shows fewer bubbles than plain batter, so lift an edge to check the colour.
- Flip and finish. Flip carefully with a wide spatula and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more, until the second side is golden and the centre springs back when pressed gently.
- Serve warm. Keep cooked pancakes under a clean kitchen towel while you cook the rest, greasing the tawa lightly between batches. Serve warm, stacked, with sliced banana, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, and a few chopped nuts.
Tips for getting it right
- The riper the banana, the better. A banana with a heavily spotted peel mashes smoothly and is sweetest; a firm yellow one gives starchy, bland pancakes.
- Keep the heat at medium-low. Banana sugars brown quickly, and high heat leaves the outside dark while the middle is still gummy.
- Keep the pancakes small. Eggless banana batter is softer than egg batter, and pancakes much wider than 10 cm are hard to flip without tearing.
- Do not add extra banana for more flavour without adding more flour. Too much banana makes the pancakes heavy and wet in the centre.
Variations
- Whole wheat (atta) banana pancakes: replace the maida with 1 cup (120 g) atta, add 2 to 3 tbsp extra milk because atta absorbs more liquid, and rest the batter for 10 minutes. The pancakes will be slightly denser, with a nutty flavour. For a lighter result, use half maida and half atta.
- Oats banana pancakes: replace 1/2 cup of the maida with 1/2 cup (45 g) quick oats ground to a fine powder in a mixer, and rest the batter for 10 minutes before cooking.
- Chocolate banana pancakes: add 2 tbsp (10 g) cocoa powder and 1 extra tbsp (12 g) sugar to the dry ingredients, or scatter a few chocolate chips over each pancake right after pouring.
- With egg: whisk 1 egg into the banana mixture and reduce the milk by 3 tbsp (45 ml) for a slightly lighter, fluffier pancake.
Storing and reheating
These are best eaten fresh. Leftover pancakes keep in an airtight box in the fridge for up to 2 days; reheat them on a tawa over low heat for about 1 minute per side. They also freeze well for up to a month with butter paper between them. Do not keep the batter, as the banana darkens and the baking powder loses its lift.
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