Banana Walnut Pancakes

Fluffy and light golden vegan pancakes filled with morsels of banana and walnuts. 

These banana walnut pancakes are simply delicious. They have an incredible banana flavor without any weird aftertaste. They might taste even better than pancakes you’d order in a restaurant. Yet, they don’t contain any added sugar, salt, dairy, eggs, or oil. Well, except for the delicious golden maple syrup you’re going to want to pour on top of them….

Is that even possible? YES!

And since we’re doing the near impossible with these darlings, I promise you won’t even miss the sugar, oil, or eggs that typically comprise a pancake recipe. You’ve got to take a leap of faith with me.

These banana walnut pancakes are so fluffy and light. And they bake up perfectly on the griddle, to a nice golden brown hue. Honestly, there’s no limit to their awesomeness. I love the fact that they aren’t complicated. All of the ingredients are pantry staples, well except for the fresh bananas.

And to raise that bar even higher, these banana walnut pancakes are perfect for camping or busy weekday mornings. Simply measure the dry ingredients and keep them separate from the wet ingredients. I put the dry ingredients in a sandwich bag and label the contents on the outside with a permanent marker. Then, when I want to make these pancakes, I simply mash up the banana, add the wet, and then the dry. Ready to go without any fuss.

Ingredients

• 2 bananas
• 1 ¾ cup almond milk
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond extract
• ½ cup apple sauce
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• Spray oil or vegan butter for griddle (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat electric griddle to 325° F.
2. Mash bananas in a large bowl.
3. Add the almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, almond extract, and apple sauce and stir to combine.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture.
6. Stir just until combined.
7. Allow the batter to rest 5 minutes.

• Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop batter and pour onto the hot griddle.  
• Allow to cook until the edges are dry and bubbles form on the center, about 3-4 minutes.
• Flip over and wait another 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
• Remove from the griddle.
• Serve with pure maple syrup.

I know you already know this; when pancakes come off the griddle, they’re hot. So, as they cool on a plate, condensation pools underneath the pancakes and makes them soggy. Generally speaking, soggy is an unflattering feature on food. So I’m going to show you something super simple that solves this issue altogether. Place paper towels across a clean plate. It absorbs all of that excess moisture and mitigates the sogginess. It may be a simple trick; but it works great!

Notes

You may substitute any non-dairy milk for the almond milk.

If you don’t like the flavor of almond extract (or you don’t have any), simply use vanilla instead. But this adds a very subtle flavor component that pairs very nicely with the bananas. You’ve got to try it. If you’re skeptical, make half without it and then add in 1/2 tsp almond extract to the remaining half of the batter and combine slightly. Then cook up your pancakes and do a taste test. Just a little harmless competition that proves I’m right. Why? Because you know I’m right. But taste them for yourself and please let me know what you decide. Keeping my fingers crossed….

Mini chocolate chips would be delightful in these. Simply add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips when you add the dry ingredients to the bananas and liquids mixture.

If you can’t have nuts, please omit the walnuts altogether. These pancakes are still delicious even without them. Don’t believe me? You gotta check out this photo.

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