I love it when the real thing is chock full of nuts and chocolate, so these Banana Bread Pancakes have to be packed with them too!
Greyson loves chocolate, even at almost 2, when he sees anyone eating some, he b-lines for them yelling "chaclat, chaclat!" If you love it as much as Little G, check out these other banana chocolate chip pancakes. Uncka makes sure to use lots of mini chips, and put some on top for G too!
If you are just looking for some nutty pancakes, Uncka has just the recipe for you, check out THIS ONE. Also, be sure to always serve them with WARM maple syrup, the real kind!
Jump to:
Ingredients
For these banana bread pancakes, I like to use a blend of really over-ripe, and just a little over bananas. One gets really mushy and one stays a little chunky to give the pancakes texture. This is a great place to use one from the freezer and one that is only counter-ripe.
If you use ONLY overripe bananas your pancake batter can become a little too wet and can get gummy, that is why I like to use a combo of bananas at different stages. And be sure to have an extra 1 or 2 for slicing and topping the pancakes when serving.
What you need:
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Chocolate Bar
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Over-Ripe Bananas
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- Cinnamon, ground
- Nutmeg, freshly grated
- Eggs
- Whipped Irish Butter
- Maple Syrup
See the recipe card for full quantities.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.
Method
I start this recipe by toasting the walnuts and pecans in a skillet on the stove. Do this on medium-low heat, tossing or stirring often so they don't burn. When you can smell them, remove them from the heat and the pan, then chop once cool enough to touch.
And while you can use chocolate chunks from a bag, I prefer to chop a chocolate bar for this recipe. It gets more melty, ooey, and gooier than chips, which is always a win.
Next, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat on the stove. Add the milk to the pan and just continue warming until no lumps of butter remain, the milk does not need to simmer or boil. When adding cold milk it can make the butter lump up, just warm it enough that the butter becomes liquid again.
Warm the butter and milk VERY gently over very low heat. If it gets too hot it will begin to cook the flour when you add it to the dry ingredients and could scramble the eggs. Just warm enough to not have butter lumps is the key, never HOT.
To make the batter, mash the bananas in a large bowl, then add the warm butter and milk to the bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients and eggs and mix until a slightly lumpy batter has formed.
It is ok for pancake batter to have a few lumps. This is also when you will fold in half of the walnuts, pecans, and chocolate chunks, save the rest for topping when serving.
To cook the pancakes, heat a griddle over medium heat on the stove, and be patient. Heat it for at least 5 minutes to get fully warm. Whisps of smoke should appear when it is ready to be cooked on, but it should not be billowing smoke.
Drop 2-ounce ladles of batter on the hot griddle and cook till it gets very bubbly and the bubbles begin to pop. Flip and cook 30-45 seconds longer till fully cooked.
Uncka's Chef Tip
Be sure to stack the cooked pancakes up to so they finish cooking, the same way you'd stack tortillas and put them in a warmer or cloth to finish. Pancakes finish cooking all the way through to the center in the same way as well as keeping the first cakes warm as you cook the rest. This ensures not wet or soggy middles.
To serve your banana bread pancakes, stack them high and top them with a few banana slices and some reserved nuts and chocoalte. Finish with a hearty drizzle of REAL maple syrup and get ready to dive in!
Substitutions
Let's chat about how to make these pancakes gluten, or dairy-free if you or someone you love needs to follow those dietary guidelines for their health.
- Flour - If you need to make these banana pancakes gluten-free, use a quality cup-for-cup flour swap. The one I linked here is really high quality and has great results.
- Milk - If you are dairy-free, you can use almond milk, but my suggestion is cashew for its higher fat content. Pancakes may stick a bit when using almond milk, and you may need to grease the griddle or pan more often during the cooking of your pancakes.
- Butter - You can use a vegan butter substitute or plant-based butter. A bit of a more economical swap is vegetable or canola oil.
- Walnuts & Pecans - If you have a nut allergy, be sure to leave them out, or make our regular banana pancakes, or chocolate chips variety.
- Chocolate Bar - If you do not have a chocolate bar, you can use store-bought chocolate chunks from a bag, or any flavor of chocolate chips you prefer.
Equipment
These are my favorite little skillets for toasting the nuts for this pancake recipe or for making pancake toppings in too.
My number one, most favorite tool for perfect pancakes is a Cast-Iron griddle. They build up a strong, natural, non-stick coating over time and make for BEAUTIFUL pancakes.
Be sure to season a new griddle, every time you use and wash it (with soap) with this cast-iron oil to build THE BEST non-stick surface.
I like a really sturdy, metal spatula for flipping pancakes. It helps them not stick to it, and makes for a perfect flip, no floppy half-turned pancakes, It's got to be THIS spatula for me!
The use of a 2-ounce ladle makes THE perfect-sized pancakes, in my opinion. They are just the right size and easy to flip.
Storage
While pancakes won't spoil if left on the counter overnight, they are just like a cake, biscuit, or cookie in this way. I prefer to place them in a zip-top bag or air-tight container in the fridge.
You can also freeze pancakes. To do so, lay them flat on a tray, not stacked, then once frozen place them in a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months.
Reheat leftover banana bread pancakes, from the fridge or freezer, in a toaster, or toaster oven for best results. They can also be warmed in the microwave for 30-45 seconds straight from the freezer.
Top Tips
Be sure to toast the walnuts and pecans first thing. They need time to cool a bit before adding them to the pancake batter. If they are too hot they can begin to cook the eggs in the batter.
When making the pancake batter, ensuring it rests for 10 minutes is a HUGE gateway to SUPER FLUFFY pancakes. This allows the leavening agent to fully develop and lets the gluten strands in the flour relax.
Exercise patience and let the griddle get really warm before you start cooking. A griddle that is too cool will cause the pancakes to stick to it. I use a really Well-Seasoned cast iron griddle that requires no buttering due to the amount in the actual pancakes.
If you can use a small amount of high-heat oil like vegetable or grapeseed to grease your griddle if needed. You should only need to do this once before you start cooking. Use a paper towel to spread an even and thin layer over your griddle.
I prefer to cook on medium, to just under medium heat so my pancakes can cook quickly. I also prefer only to cook 2 pancakes at a time so I have plenty of room to flip.
Be sure to stack your pancakes after cooking. This allows them to stay soft as well as allowing the middles to finish cooking while also staying a little JAMMY SOFT. That's what I call it anyway. It helps create super tender pancakes.
FAQ
You may be cooking your pancakes on too high or too low of heat. I like to cook mine just one notch under medium on my stove. This seems to be just the right heat for me. Experiment with your stove and find the sweet spot.
Baking Soda. It is what gives the pancakes their rise. The boost ensures a super fluffy, light, and airy finished pancake.
Can I use Bread Flour vs. All Purpose Flour for Pancakes?
You can! Bread flour has a bit more protein in it which will give you a more chewie texture to your pancakes and a deeper, richer flavor.
Related
If you LOVE pancakes like Greyson and me, try these other great recipes:
Great Banana Bread Recipes
If you are looking for an Easy Banana Bread, look no further than this recipe. It is quick to whip up and full of banana flavor!
If you like your banana bread nutty and chocolaty, check out this Chocoalte Chip Banana Bread.
This recipe calls itself The Best Banana Bread Ever for its timeless flavor and perfectly moist crumb!
This Brown Butter Banana Bread from Uncka has a richer flavor that comes from cooking the butter first until it is caramel in color and bursting with flavor.
Banana Bread Pancakes
I love it when the real thing is chock full of nuts and chocolate, so these Banana Bread Pancakes have to be packed with them too!
Ingredients
- ½ cup Walnuts, toasted and rough chopped
- ½ cup Pecans, toasted and rough chopped
- 1, 3 ounce Chocolate Bar, chopped into chunks
- 8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 ¼ cups Whole Milk
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 large Bananas
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon, ground
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg, freshly grated
- 2 lg Eggs, lightly beaten
- Whipped Irish Butter, for serving
- Maple Syrup, for serving
Instructions
- In a small skillet on the stove, heated over medium-low heat, add the walnuts and pecans to the pan, and with a watchful eye, toss them around over the heat for about 5 minutes till fragrant and they begin to turn golden brown. Set aside to cool while you prepare the pancake batter.
- Chop the chocolate bar into large chunks and set aside till needed.
- In a 2-quart saucepan on the stove, melt the butter over low heat. Add the milk to the pan and heat just till warm and any butter that solidified is liquid again. Do not boil. Let cool for 5 minutes, then stir the vanilla extract into the milk mixture.
- In a large bowl, mash 1 and ½ of the bananas in the bottom, then whisk the milk mixture into them until well combined.
- Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the bowl and whisk just till a few streaks of flour remain.
- Crack the eggs into the bowl and whisk just till incorporated, a few flour lumps may still remain.
- Roughly chop the walnuts and pecans you toasted and set aside to cool in the first step and gently fold ½ of them into the pancake batter along with half the chocolate chunks. Reserve the remainder for topping finished pancakes with.
- Let the pancake batter rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
- After the batter has rested for 5 minutes, warm the griddle on the stove, over medium-heat I suggest a cast iron griddle. It is important to let it get hot till it begins to smoke the tiniest bit, then you know it is ready to be cooked on.
- Turn the heat down two marks on the stove dial, just between medium, and medium-low.
- Using a 2-ounce ladle, drop 2 rounds of batter on the griddle at a time. Cook for 30-45 seconds, just till the edges begin to set.
- Flip and cook a further 45-60 seconds, then remove to a platter.
- Pancakes can be kept warm in a 200˚F oven if needed.
- To make whipped Irish butter, beat 4 tablespoons in the bowl of a stand mixer, I like to use my flex edge flat beater it gets the butter extra fluffy, and beat for 3-4 minutes on medium-high, with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Serve the pancakes with a dollop of butter on top and top each stack with a few slices of the remaining bananas, the reserved nuts & chocolate, and a drizzle of warm maple syrup, the real kind!
Notes
Substitutions
Let's chat about how to make these pancakes gluten, or dairy-free if you or someone you love needs to follow those dietary guidelines for their health.
- Flour - If you need to make these banana pancakes gluten-free, use a quality cup-for-cup flour swap. The one I linked here is really high quality and has great results.
- Milk - If you are dairy-free, you can use almond milk, but my suggestion is cashew for its higher fat content. Pancakes may stick a bit when using almond milk, and you may need to grease the griddle or pan more often during the cooking of your pancakes.
- Butter - You can use a vegan butter substitute or plant-based butter. A bit of a more economical swap is vegetable or canola oil.
- Walnuts & Pecans - If you have a nut allergy, be sure to leave them out, or make our regular banana pancakes, or chocolate chips variety.
- Chocolate Bar - If you do not have a chocolate bar, you can use store-bought chocolate chunks from a bag, or any flavor of chocolate chips you prefer.
Top Tips
Be sure to toast the walnuts and pecans first thing. They need time to cool a bit before adding them to the pancake batter. If they are too hot they can begin to cook the eggs in the batter.
When making the pancake batter, ensuring it rests for 10 minutes is a HUGE gateway to SUPER FLUFFY pancakes. This allows the leavening agent to fully develop and lets the gluten strands in the flour relax.
Exercise patience and let the griddle get really warm before you start cooking. A griddle that is too cool will cause the pancakes to stick to it. I use a really Well-Seasoned cast iron griddle that requires no buttering due to the amount in the actual pancakes.
If you can use a small amount of high-heat oil like vegetable or grapeseed to grease your griddle if needed. You should only need to do this once before you start cooking. Use a paper towel to spread an even and thin layer over your griddle.
I prefer to cook on medium, to just under medium heat so my pancakes can cook quickly. I also prefer only to cook 2 pancakes at a time so I have plenty of room to flip.
Be sure to stack your pancakes after cooking. This allows them to stay soft as well as allowing the middles to finish cooking while also staying a little JAMMY SOFT. That's what I call it anyway. It helps create super tender pancakes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 599Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 717mgCarbohydrates: 81gFiber: 4gSugar: 46gProtein: 9g
Food Safety
There aren't many concerns when it comes to pancakes, but here are a few tips to help ensure the best experience with your pancakes.
- Ensure your pancakes are fully cooked, as eating raw pancake batter is not advised because it contains raw eggs.
- The USDA advises to not leave cooked foods at room temperature for longer than 2 hours, 1 hour if the environment is above 90˚F.
- That said, pancakes contain the same ingredients as cakes, biscuits, and cookies so they can be stored at room temperature.
- I personally advise keeping them in an air-tight container or zip-top bag and warming them in a toaster or microwave before eating leftovers.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
Krista Darkins
I had 2 ripe bananas so I made banana pancakes with pecans. It was fabulous. I don’t care for nuts, but toasting them made them yummy. I did not use syrup - just fresh fruit and some whipped cream.
Kendell
Yay!! So glad you made and enjoyed them! Can't wait to hear which ones you make next!