Overripe Banana Pancakes with Berries
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 banana, overripe
-
3.5 tablespoons gluten-free oat flakes
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup coconut drink
-
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin coconut oil
- 100 g berries
- 1 teaspoon date syrup
Buy Are there any overripe bananas lying alone on your kitchen countertop and you have no idea how to use them? Make banana pancakes for breakfast! You certainly have all the other ingredients you will need as the base, so just choose the toppings according to your own preferences 🙂
This is one of those recipes that rescue a morning when you have neither an idea nor the time. A ripe banana brings its own sweetness, so you need no sugar, and the oat flakes and eggs make the pancakes filling enough to carry you for a few hours.
Why an overripe banana works better here than a firm one
A banana ripens by taking itself apart. Enzymes inside the fruit cut its starch into simple sugars, which is why a green banana tastes of almost nothing and a spotted one tastes sweet. The proportions flip completely along the way: a green banana is mostly starch with barely any sugar, and by the time the skin is covered in brown spots that starch is nearly all gone.
Two things follow for this recipe. The sweetness is already in the fruit, so nothing else has to provide it – the teaspoon of date syrup at the end is a topping, not an ingredient the batter depends on. And the flesh has lost its structure, because the same ripening breaks down the pectin that held the cells together, so it mashes into the oats with a fork instead of leaving lumps in the batter.
How ripe is too ripe
Brown spots on a yellow skin are the point you want. A skin that has gone brown or black all over is still fine as long as the flesh inside is soft and smells sweet – that is the best banana for this batter, not a spoiled one.
Throw it out when the smell turns sharp and alcoholic, when liquid is leaking from the skin, or when you see mould anywhere on the fruit. Softness on its own is not the test. Smell is.
Preparation
I mashed the banana with a fork and mixed it with the oat flakes, eggs and coconut drink. I heated the coconut oil in a pan. I scooped the banana mixture onto the pan, forming pancakes. I fried them on both sides until golden brown.
I arranged the pancakes on a plate, topped them with date syrup (you can also use honey or maple syrup) and sprinkled them with blueberries. Other frozen berries work just as well, strawberries or raspberries included – put them on straight from the freezer, they thaw on the warm pancakes in a minute.
If you would rather grind the flakes into flour and get a smoother, fluffier pancake out of the same three ingredients, that version is in banana pancakes with oats.
Pancakes are forgiving, which is the whole point of them. You can go sweet with fruit and a little syrup, or lean savoury with yoghurt and nuts. The ingredient swap in the app does the same thing for a whole menu: change one component and the rest of the day recalculates around it.
If you cannot use the bananas today, freeze them
Peel them first. A frozen banana in its skin is almost impossible to peel, and waiting for it to thaw enough turns it into a mess. Break the peeled fruit into pieces, freeze them on a tray so they do not fuse, then move them into a bag.
Frozen banana releases water as it thaws, so drain the puddle before you mash it and use a little less coconut drink than the recipe says, otherwise the batter spreads in the pan instead of holding its shape. This is also the simplest way to always have the base for these pancakes ready, and the same pieces go into gluten free banana bread or banana muffins when you have more of them than one breakfast needs.
A breakfast that takes ten minutes is easy. Having one ready for every day of the week is the harder part. Diet & Training by Ann plans the whole week for you, in a three or five meal mode, and rebuilds the shopping list every time you swap something out.
Banana pancakes with berries
Ingredients
Method
- Mash the banana with a fork and mix it with the oat flakes, eggs and coconut drink.
- Heat the coconut oil in a pan.
- Scoop the mixture onto the pan with a spoon, forming small pancakes, and fry them on both sides until golden brown.
- Arrange the pancakes on a plate, pour the date syrup over them and sprinkle with berries.
Notes
Frequently asked questions
Yes, as long as the flesh is soft and smells sweet. A dark skin only means the fruit is fully ripe, which is exactly what this batter wants. Discard it if the smell is sharp and alcoholic, if liquid is leaking out, or if you see any mould.
The eggs are what binds this batter, since there is no flour in it. Without them the mixture falls apart in the pan. If you need an egg free version, add two tablespoons of ground flaxseed soaked in three tablespoons of water and accept a denser pancake.
Usually too much liquid. A very ripe banana is wetter than a firm one, and thawed frozen banana wetter still, so start with less of the coconut drink and add it only if the batter looks dry. Letting the oats sit in the mixture for a few minutes also thickens it.
Any plant drink works, and so does regular milk. Almond and oat drinks are the closest in consistency. Water works too, though the pancakes come out slightly less tender.
Roughly 430 kcal for the whole portion from this recipe. Two eggs and the oat flakes carry the protein and fibre, and the sweetness comes from the ripe banana, the date syrup and the berries. The exact figure depends on the size of the banana and the eggs. If you would rather have the number for your own plate than an average, the AI Calorie Calculator in Diet & Training by Ann works it out from a photo of the meal.
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