Single Serving Banana Pancakes are so perfect for the times you’re craving some homemade pancakes, but don’t want to make a whole family sized batch. This easy recipe yields three deliciously soft, fluffy, and sweet banana pancakes. The best part is that it’ll only take about 10 minutes out of your morning to whip them up!
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Pancakes are a wonderful, comforting, and soul-warming breakfast. There aren’t a lot of people out there who don’t love pancakes. But most people thing of pancakes as a weekend breakfast for the whole family. That is partially true, it does make great weekend breakfast.
It also can be a great breakfast for one or two people if you have 10-15 minutes in the morning! No need to make a whole big batch and freeze or refrigerate the rest. Pancakes are never as good reheated as when they are freshly made
I have a family favorite recipe for single serving banana pancakes for you right here. My single serving blueberry pancakes are very popular with one half of my family and banana pancakes are popular with the other half. Some of them love bananas and others prefer blueberries. So for my banana loving family, I have my trustee banana pancakes!
Next time you get a craving for banana pancakes, whether it’s Saturday morning or late at night on a Tuesday (no judgement here!), this is the recipe for you. The list of ingredients is short and simple – you likely already have the majority of them in your kitchen. It’s a quick, easy, and delicious way to treat yourself to the pancakes you deserve, without making way too many!
Ingredient Notes
Banana – You’ll need a single ripe banana for this recipe. This is a great recipe to use over-ripe bananas as well!
Low Fat Buttermilk – it’s best to use low fat buttermilk! The low fat buttermilk lends the best soft and fluffy pancake texture.
Olive Oil – use olive oil, avocado oil, or another neutral oil as the fat in this batter.
Brown Sugar – light or dark will work well.
Flour – you need a simple all-purpose flour.
Baking Powder – Check the expiration date on your baking powder! Believe it or not, it does expire and loose it’s effectiveness after 6 months.
Baking Soda – This is a key ingredient, because baking soda helps the buttermilk make light and fluffy pancakes. No, it is not the same as baking powder!
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Additional Flavors for Banana Pancakes
There’s definitely room for creativity with this simple recipe! Here are a few ingredients you can toss into the batter to make it your own:
- Nuts, like walnuts or pecans
- Chocolate chips
- Cinnamon (1/4-1//2 tsp should be enough)
- Citrus like lemon or orange zest
- Pineapple chunks and coconut flakes for a tropical twist
How to Make Single Serving Banana Pancakes
Make the batter.
Start by mashing up your banana with a fork. Then, whisk in the first few ingredients – the egg, buttermilk, and sugar.
Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until smooth. Mix until just combined, don’t over-mix!
Prepare your pan.
Before you start cooking, you’ll need to prepare your griddle or pan! Preheat it over medium heat, then lower it a little bit before adding the pancake batter.
Once it’s warm, grease the pan or griddle a little bit.
Cook the pancakes!
Use a 1/3 measuring cup to measure out the three pancakes. You can make them any size you want, but a 1/3 measuring cup will yield three nicely portioned pancakes.
Pour the batter onto the heated pan (or griddle) and let it cook without touching it.
Once you see bubbles rising to the top of the batter, that’s the visual indicator you need to know that the pancake is ready to flip. Slide your trusty spatula under the pancake, lift it from the pan, and use your wrist to quickly flip it.
PRO TIP: Keep in mind that on average, pancakes this size take approximately 4-6 minutes to cook. This time varies depending on the size of the pancake and how hot your pan/griddle is. If you make silver dollar pancakes, they’ll cook much faster, so be sure to keep a close eye on them.
Recipe FAQs
In my opinion, it’s a crime to serve banana pancakes without some good maple syrup! With that being said, you could dress them up even further with a dollop of whipped cream, some soft butter, or a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
If you love the flavor combination of bananas and strawberries, feel free to drizzle some Homemade Strawberry Sauce on top of your three pancakes. If you prefer blueberry and banana or coconut and banana flavors, try my Blueberry Syrup and Coconut Syrup.
Here’s the deal – when you make just three pancakes for a single serving, the point is to eat them while they’re fresh! However, you can always store these pancakes in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to enjoy them, reheat the pancakes in a warm skillet over medium-low heat (make sure to preheat the pan first).
Heat them up just until they’re warmed through. I do NOT usually recommend microwaving pancakes, the texture can get completely wonky if they’re overheated.
Yes, you can use all purpose gluten free flour instead of regular flour. (Personally, I prefer the 1:1 baking all purpose gluten free flour either from Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur.) Please do remember that the texture will be very different. It will me more grainy and crumble, as many gluten free baked good tent to be. It will still be delicious, you will just notice the slight textural difference.
Some More Pancake Recipes To Try
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Single Serving Banana Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp low fat buttermilk
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/3 cup +2 tbsp. all purpose flour*
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mash a ripe banana with a fork until nicely mashed.
- Whisk in egg, buttermilk, oil, and sugar.
- Whisk in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until smooth.
- It’s important to preheat the pan or the griddle first, before cooking the pancakes. Preheat it over medium heat and then lower it a little bit before adding pancake batter.
- Grease the pan or the griddle a little bit.
- Use 1/3 cup measuring cup to make thee pancakes. (Or, you can make any size pancakes if you wish, even silver dollar pancakes will be great.)
- Add the batter to the heated pan and let it cook without touching it.
- Wait for the bubbles to appear all over the top, that is your indication that pancakes are ready to flip. Use a spatula to slide all the way under the pancake, lift it off, and use your wrist to quickly flip. (It will take about 4-6 minutes for each pancake to cook. Time will slightly vary for different sized pancakes and how hot your pan it. Silver dollar pancakes cook even faster.)
Video
Notes
- Gluten Free Opti0n: you can use all purpose gluten free flour instead of regular flour. (Personally, I prefer the 1:1 baking all purpose gluten free flour either from Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur.) Please do remember that the texture will be different.
- Additional Flavors: There’s definitely room for creativity with this simple recipe! Here are a few ingredients you can toss into the batter to make it your own: Nuts, like walnuts or pecans, Chocolate chips, Cinnamon (1/4-1//2 tsp should be enough), Citrus like lemon or orange zest, Pineapple chunks and coconut flakes for a tropical twist.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in January 2022.
Amanda says
Fool proof and delicious! A recipe worth saving
LyubaB says
Thanks, Amanda! I am so glad you liked the recipe!
Cora says
These are my kid’s favorite pancakes!