I love when I find a new way to make a dish I love and do it in a healthier way. It’s one of my favorite things ever. I literally marvel over being able to make something that tastes just as good as the original without the calories and guilt. So when I found out that there was a chance of making banana pancakes without any of the carbs from flour and sugar? I was crazy with excitement and couldn’t wait to try these banana pancakes. They’re literally sugar-free and flour-free, mega-healthy, and they are still totally fluffy and delicious. Of course, it took a little work to get them there, but it was so, so worth it!
What I Learned in the Making:
- The original banana pancake recipe, which I found in a random Japanese YouTube video that I can’t find now, called for just bananas and eggs, but I found the flavor a little bland, so I added a little cinnamon and vanilla.
- On my first try, I couldn’t get the temperature or texture right, so I looked up how to make the perfect pancakes to find some clues. I came across this article that said you need medium to low heat (aha! done in by my impatience once again!) Then by chance, I happened upon this article that recommended baking powder in pancakes. Hmmm. Sure enough, adding a little baking powder made these babies fluff right up. Who knew?
- You’ll need a good blender for this. I tried with a whisk, but it didn’t do anything for the banana, which might not have been quite soft enough. But my little Bullet blender worked perfectly and quickly.
- If you want to get fancy, you can totally add blueberries or chocolate chips and it’s amazing. But if you do add these ingredients, know that there are two schools of thought with regard to when to add them. Some experts (there are actually pancake experts!!!) say that you should wait to add them until you have the batter in the skillet and gracefully drop them in. I don’t think I agree, and here’s why: if you drop them into the batter in the skillet, they remain on top. That’s fine at first, except when you flip the pancake, it’s heavy (top-weighted) and the berries are more likely to fall out of the pancake. Also, once you flip, the berries and chocolate chips will come into direct contact with the pan, and they’ll burn. Gross. So I recommend that you mix your berries or chips into the batter right before you pour it into the pan. (Side note: addition of chocolate chips will render this recipe non-paleo.)
- Use a really good maple syrup. Don’t mess around with crummy syrup substitutes. I used Trader Joe’s dark amber syrup and it blew our minds. (Side note: addition of maple syrup makes this recipe not-so-paleo. You’ll have to figure out that one on your own.)
Now some notes and photos from my trusty phone camera:
When you make the batter in your blender, it should be bubbly, like this:
When you pour it into the skillet, it’ll look like this:
Wait until the top gets less shiny and looks slightly drier, and has bubbles that pop and stay open. Then you can flip it. This is what it looks like when you flip:
Ingredients
- 2 bananas
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- butter
- blueberries or chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Slice bananas into a blender.
- Add eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and baking powder. Blend.
- Melt a thin sliver of butter (about 1/2 tsp worth) over medium-low heat.
- Add ¼ cupfuls of batter and, if you're using them, drop blueberries or chocolate chips into the better. Cook until the top doesn't glisten as much and the bubbles open and stay open, and the bottom is golden, about 4 minutes.
- Flip and cook until golden on the bottom, about 2 more minutes.
- If your pancakes are getting too dark, turn down the heat to low.
