I remember eating a lot of pancakes as a kid. It's not that I was ever so picky that I wouldn't eat other things, but they were always something I asked for. They would get served to me as a stack, arranged from largest to smallest, reminiscent of one of my favourite childhood books, Frank and Ernest. My mum would make the simplest, yet most yummy pancakes, out of oats, eggs, milk, and baking soda. They were hearty, substantial, and great eaten cold with jam and nut butter. Over the years, I have become totally accustomed to these 'healthy' style pancakes and desire them no other way. Whenever I would try to eat pancakes out at restaurants, they would often be of the 'mix' variety - sickly sweet, fluffy white, and they'd leave me feeling sick yet empty. I think I'll stick with the oats please.
While my mum's version contained dairy and eggs, I knew that I wanted to base my pancakes on hers, but alter them to fit my style. With some simple tweaking I was able to come up with a vegan version almost as good as hers, and with a flavour reminiscent of freshly baked banana bread. They are gluten free (made with gluten free oats), vegan, sugar free, and contain no oil. And even better, this recipe can be eaten raw! That may sound a bit silly, but the ingredients that go into the batter would make a very tasty overnight oats/ raw porridge recipe. Simply puree the nuts, banana, and milk, combine them with the oats and top with fresh fruit, sweetener, and more milk, and you have a nice banana bread raw porridge.
Cozy Banana Bread Pancakes
Recipe: (makes 9 -11) Print it Here
1 Cup gluten-free oats
½ Cup hazelnuts or nuts of choice (toasted is nice, but not necessary)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 banana
1 Tbsp. ground flax
1 Cup unsweetened almond milk
A Pinch of sea salt
Splash of vanilla or a pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Procedure:
In a food processor grind the oats into a finely ground flour. Once they are ground, set them aside and grind the hazelnuts into a flour. Add the oat flour back into the food processor along with the salt, banana, flax, milk, hazelnuts, and the optional flavour (cinnamon, vanilla, etc). Puree the mixture until fully incorporated.
Set a pan onto medium heat to warm up. Once the pan is warm, add a tsp.of coconut oil, or oil of choice, to coat the bottom. Spoon pancakes into pan (about 2 Tbsp. of batter per pancake) and cook until bubbles form on the top, flip and cook the other side until brown. Because these pancakes are made with oats, they will take a bit longer to cook then ones made with flour, so sit down, brew something warm, pull out a crossword, and relax. It is the weekend after all.
Kristen Gaertner says
Hi Sophie! I just came across your blog today and I love it all....your pics....your recipes. Great job, keep up the good work! These pancakes sound amazing. I am definitely going to make them 🙂
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Hello Kristen! Thank you for the message and your support, it's really lovely to hear. Let me know what you think about the pancakes.
For now, I'm totally going to have a look around your site, it looks exciting!
Take care, Sophie
demetria says
Mmm! They look so good! One of the photos gave me a brief flashback to the banana hazelnut muffins, ah!
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Ha ha! I hadn't even thought of that, how funny!
chanille says
They look really good! I would like to try them, but I am from Italy and we don't use "cups to measure". Could you perhaps tell me the measures in oz so at leats I can convert them in gram? Thank you
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Hello Chanille. Thank you very much. In Canada we use grams too, so I just converted them for you. I hope this helps.
90 grams oats, 64 grams hazelnuts, 3.5 grams baking powder, 1 banana, 14 grams ground flax, 240 ml of almond milk, a pinch of cinnamon or vanilla.
Niki says
Oh wow, these look to die for! I love the action photo with the maple syrup! I always attempt photos like that, but usually end up spilling the maple syrup or dropping the camera (fortunately it's shock proof!). Do you have any tips on this? Maybe I should invest in a tabletop tripod? Thank you for yet another beautiful recipe, Niki x
Ali Maffucci says
These look absolutely fantastic - I love the textures here! Can't wait to give these a try. Beautiful pictures and blog. Glad I stumbled upon you!
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Thanks Niki! It's funny you asked that. I do have a tripod, but never use it. Like you I do the one handed trick. First I like to get level with my food by sitting on a chair (it also makes you more stable) Then I like to set up my shot (frame it and get the exposure right) before I add the action. For sauce and sprinkles (like cocoa) I like to use little containers or sieves. They provide better control and are easier to hold (I used a 2 oz ramekin for the maple syrup). I also recommend using a site like Photo Monkey for editing. You can easily straiten your photos with it, as sometimes those one handers are a bit angled.
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
That's so nice to hear! I'm glade you like it <3
Sara Jaswal says
Delicious Absolutely amazing
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Thanks Sara!
Katie says
Loved these!
Katie says
Loved these!
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks Katie <3
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks Katie <3
svenja says
Endlich habe ich es auch ausprobieren können und die schmecken so unglaublich lecker. Vielen Dank für das tolle Rezept.
svenja says
Endlich habe ich es auch ausprobieren können und die schmecken so unglaublich lecker. Vielen Dank für das tolle Rezept.
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
You're welcome, Svenja! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Healthy Guy says
These looks soooo good. I wish I were cook material. Maybe my wife will make some for me if I'm nice? May need to get the dry mixer for my Vitamix.
Healthy Guy says
These looks soooo good. I wish I were cook material. Maybe my wife will make some for me if I'm nice? May need to get the dry mixer for my Vitamix.
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Thanks Healthy Guy! You don't need to be cook material to pull these babies off, but I'm sure if you're real nice to your wife she would whip some up. I have never used a Vitamix, but I hear the dry mixer is amazing for making your own flours! Oh, endless possibilities there 🙂
Audrey says
If nuts are an issue, would you suggest more oats or regular flour (gluten isn't an issue)?
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Hello Audrey,
I think either would work out well - the flour would make for a lighter pancake compared to the oats, but both would be nice.
The first option would be to use 1 cup regular flour and 1/2 oats instead of nuts- grind the oats in a food processor and add the banana, ground flax, milk, salt, and cinnamon. Purée until combined then stir into the flour/ baking powder mixture, and mix until just combined.
Option 2 - is just to replace the nuts with more oats, flowing the same directions as the original recipe.
All the best, and let me know how it turns out!
Sophie <3
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Hello Audrey,
I think either would work out well - the flour would make for a lighter pancake compared to the oats, but both would be nice.
The first option would be to use 1 cup regular flour and 1/2 oats instead of nuts- grind the oats in a food processor and add the banana, ground flax, milk, salt, and cinnamon. Purée until combined then stir into the flour/ baking powder mixture, and mix until just combined.
Option 2 - is just to replace the nuts with more oats, flowing the same directions as the original recipe.
All the best, and let me know how it turns out!
Sophie <3
Kaja Kusnirova says
I made them for my son and me today and they are amazing! He kept asking for more;))
Kaja Kusnirova says
I made them for my son and me today and they are amazing! He kept asking for more;))
Anonymous says
Hi Sophie,
These look amazing! I'm just about to try them but I'm wondering when to add the flax, do I just tip it into the processor with the other ingredients or do I need to soak it in liquid first to make a flax egg? I love your blog, so glad I stumbled across it!
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Yay, that's great to hear! So happy you both enjoyed them 🙂
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Yay, that's great to hear! So happy you both enjoyed them 🙂
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Hello!
You can add the dry flax meal along with all the other ingredients in the food processor, no need to make a flax egg. I updated the instructions to include this, thanks for catching it 🙂 I'm delighted you like the blog, that's wonderful to hear. All the best, Sophie
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Hello!
You can add the dry flax meal along with all the other ingredients in the food processor, no need to make a flax egg. I updated the instructions to include this, thanks for catching it 🙂 I'm delighted you like the blog, that's wonderful to hear. All the best, Sophie
jessica camy says
Tried them today, a bit a pain to cook (I probably should get a new pan) but really delicious !! thanks.
jessica camy says
Tried them today, a bit a pain to cook (I probably should get a new pan) but really delicious !! thanks.
Anonymous says
I made these this morning! Soooo delicious and easy to make! Instead of feeling bloated and sluggish (as I would after pancakes with dairy) I feel light and energised and ready to take on the day. Thanks for the recipe I can't wait to try some other recipes on your blog
Anonymous says
I made these this morning! Soooo delicious and easy to make! Instead of feeling bloated and sluggish (as I would after pancakes with dairy) I feel light and energised and ready to take on the day. Thanks for the recipe I can't wait to try some other recipes on your blog
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
That's lovely to hear. So happy they made you feel invigorated and energized! That's truly a great feeling. I hope you find some other recipes you enjoy 🙂
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
That's lovely to hear. So happy they made you feel invigorated and energized! That's truly a great feeling. I hope you find some other recipes you enjoy 🙂
Anonymous says
do the oats need to be raw? i bought rolled!!!
Anonymous says
do the oats need to be raw? i bought rolled!!!
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Rolled oats are perfect! That's what I used 🙂
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Rolled oats are perfect! That's what I used 🙂
Anonymous says
Delicious! Had to make a couple of substitutions because of hubby's nut allergy but turned out really well. Very inspiring x thanks for this recipe x
Naturally says
Cranberry and banana is a nice sweet and sour combination to try in dishes such as pancakes
Naturally says
Cranberry and banana is a nice sweet and sour combination to try in dishes such as pancakes
Avril says
Hi Sophie
I made these today and they smelt delicious but they were gooey in the middle. I thought they might be too thick. So I added more milk and they still seemed to be the same. It's such a shame. Can you tell me if you may have any idea where I went wrong? Avril 🙂
Avril says
Hi Sophie
I made these today and they smelt delicious but they were gooey in the middle. I thought they might be too thick. So I added more milk and they still seemed to be the same. It's such a shame. Can you tell me if you may have any idea where I went wrong? Avril 🙂
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Oh, no! I have a couple ideas why...One is the oats might have been ground a little too fine, they should still be a bit chunky. That way, the mix wont be super mushy. And as these are vegan, they will definitely take a bit longer to cook that you'd think. Maybe they simply needed a little more cooking. All the best <3