The Best Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas Recipe (2024)

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Caramelized Banana Pancakes are a lovely way to start your day! A tall stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes with caramelized bananas on top makes for a sweet breakfast treat that’s perfect for Sunday mornings.

If you’ve been following my recipes for any amount of time, you’ll know that I love pancakes. And sharing a delicious banana pancake recipe has been on my list for a long time, but I ran into a little problem.

I didn’t like the effect mashed bananas had on the pancake’s texture. Caramelizing bananas in maple syrup was a very delicious solution.

Jump to:
  • What are caramelized banana pancakes
  • Ingredients
  • How to make Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas
  • Pancake tips
  • Variation ideas
  • My best pancake recipes
  • Helpful tools
  • Storage suggestions
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews
this recipe

What are caramelized banana pancakes

These caramelized banana pancakes are a twist on your traditional banana pancake recipe where mashed bananas are mixed with flour to create a pancake batter. With this recipe, we’re making some classic buttermilk pancakes, and topping them with bananas that have been caramelized in maple syrup!

In terms of the taste and texture there is certainly a big difference. Given that this recipe is made up of two main components, the experience is a mixture of the two parts:

  • The buttermilk pancakes are fluffy and flavorful, but not overly sweet by themselves.
  • The maple syrup caramelized banana topping has a sticky texture (like honey!), and brings the sweetness to this breakfast recipe.

Ingredients

One of the best things about classic recipes like a banana pancake is that you don’t need a lot of fancy, difficult-to-obtain ingredients.

For the Buttermilk Pancakes

  • Cake flour
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • White sugar
  • Salt
  • Egg
  • Buttermilk
  • Unsalted butter, melted
  • Pure vanilla extract
  • Butter, for cooking

For the Caramelised Bananas

  • Maple syrup
  • Brown sugar
  • Butter
  • Ripe bananas
The Best Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas Recipe (2)

How to make Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas

A great thing about this pancake recipe is that it doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any strange ways. You’re making banana pancakes by cooking bananas…and pancakes. As such, a lot of the instructions are pretty much what you would imagine for a standard pancake recipe.

How to make buttermilk pancakes

Sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl (these are your dry ingredients). Whisk the eggs with buttermilk, and then melted butter (these form your wet ingredients).

Taking care to not over-mix, barely combine the wet and dry ingredients to form a lumpy batter. Let the batter (and its lumps!) sit for 10-15 minutes. (This is a great time to caramelize your bananas.)

Warm a heavy-bottomed saucepan (or a griddle, or a large nonstick skillet) over a medium or medium-low heat (depending on your stove and pan thickness), melt butter for cooking (be generous, please), and spoon or pour a third cup of the pancake batter on to the pan. Gently flip the pancakes once small bubbles begin to appear on the surface, and the edges begin to brown, about two to three minutes per side.

Transfer pancakes to a warm plate until your complete batch is ready.

How to caramelize bananas

Over a low-medium heat, mix the maple syrup, butter, and brown sugar, stirring gently until the sugar has dissolved, and the mixture is just about bubbling. Add in the sliced bananas, cook until brown and golden, turn and repeat on the other side. Serve warm.

Serve

Stack your pancakes (neat tower or messy, up to you!), spoon on some caramelized banana slices. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (and a little more maple syrup if you have a sweet tooth! And if you’re feeling like you want an A+, opt for warm maple syrup).

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas Recipe (3)

Pancake tips

All your standard fluffy banana pancake tips will apply to this recipe, as well as a few additional ones that are specific to caramelized banana pancakes.

  • All-Purpose flour will work fine, but will result in pancakes that are ever-so-slightly less fluffy. For the optimal fluffy pancake, cake flour (sometimes called, pastry flour) is the best choice.
  • Be sure to use ripe, and not overripe, bananas for this recipe. Overripe bananas may be too soft and end up sticking to your pan.
  • When caramelizing the bananas, be sure to adjust the heat as necessary. You don’t want to burn your caramel. And please, please, please, be very careful. Do not stick your finger into the hot caramel to get a taste, that’s something that just won’t end well!

How to make fluffy banana pancakes

The fluffiness of your pancakes will be affected by five points:

  • Over-mixing your batter.This is incredibly easy to do, and incredibly effective when it comes to killing fluffy texture of your pancakes.
  • Stale ingredients. Fresh ingredients, especially baking powder/soda, are a must!
  • Turn your pancakes over gently.Tossing your pancakes into the air, or even flipping them over carelessly will literally squish the air out of your pancakes. No bueno.
  • Skipping the rest period.You need to let your pancakebatter rest. This allows time for all those reactions that create air bubbles and fluffiness to take place!
  • Kitchen conditions.This doesn’t apply to everyone, but a humid kitchen can actually affect your pancakebatter. If you happen to live in a hot climate, or happen to work in a somewhat stuffy to humid kitchen, consider letting your pancakebatter rest in the fridge.

Do I have to make the caramelised bananas

Nope, you’re in charge here! If you prefer to have plain bananas, you can do that too. Heck, if you don’t like the sound of caramelized banana on pancakes, skip the caramelizing step, and opt for a chocolate sauce with your bananas. Or peanut butter!

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas Recipe (4)

Variation ideas

As always, when it comes to creating variations on your banana pancakes, the world is your oyster. The easiest way to change these pancakes up is to play around with the toppings. For example, for some added crunch, you can sprinkle crushed pecans or hazelnuts to the tops of the pancakes.

Of course, you can also swap out the bananas for other fruits, but just be careful as not all fruits will caramelize as nicely.

My best pancake recipes

So you may know by now, but pancakes are kinda my bag. I love pancakes, and I have plenty of pancake recipes. Here are a few of my favorites for you to check out:

  • Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes
  • Fluffy Japanese Pancakes
  • Savory Lentil Pancakes
  • Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

The link below is an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase using it, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). These small commissions help keep Chocolates & Chai going. Thank you.

Luckily, it doesn’t take much equipment to make perfect pancakes. It is however a lovely feeling to have all the right equipment. Here are a few little things that might make your pancake-making experience just that much sweeter.

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Storage suggestions

If planning to eat later, refrigerate the pancakes and caramelized banana syrup separately in airtight containers. They’ll be okay for 2-3 days. And you can reheat them in a pan over a gentle heat.

And that’s it, bestie. Now it’s your turn, you tell me. Have you make these buttermilk pancakes with caramelized bananas? Or do you prefer a different type of banana pancake recipe? Let me know in the comments below.

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The Best Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas Recipe (5)

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas Recipe

★★★★★5 from 1 review
  • Author:
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 6 caramelized banana pancakes 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Caramelized Banana Pancakes are a lovely way to start your day! A tall stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes with caramelized bananas on top makes for a sweet breakfast treat that’s perfect for Sunday mornings.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Buttermilk Pancakes

  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • Salt, a pinch
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Butter, for cooking

Caramelized Bananas

  • cup maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 2 ripe bananas (sliced lengthwise)

Instructions

How to make buttermilk pancakes

  1. Sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.
  2. Beat eggs with buttermilk and melted butter separately.
  3. Barely combine wet and dry ingredients to form a lumpy batter. Let the batter sit for 10-15 minutes. (This is great time to caramelize your bananas!)
  4. Melt butter over medium heat.
  5. Ladle ⅓ cup of batter on to the pan.
  6. Flip pancakes when bubbles appear on the surface and edges begin to brown – about 2-3 minutes per side.

How to caramelize bananas

Over a low-medium heat, mix the maple syrup, butter, and brown sugar, stirring gently until the sugar has dissolved, and the mixture is just about bubbling. Add in the sliced bananas, cook until brown and golden, turn and repeat on the other side. Serve warm

Serve

Stack up your pancakes (neat tower or messy, up to you!), spoon on some caramelized banana slices. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (and a little more maple syrup if you have a sweet tooth!) or whatever your lovely heart desires.

Notes

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Cooking
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: buttermilk pancakes with caramelized bananas, caramelized banana pancakes, banana pancakes,

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do my banana pancakes fall apart? ›

Why do my banana pancakes fall apart? If you find that your pancakes are falling apart, you may not have mashed the banana enough. Make sure the bananas are mashed up nice and smooth so you get the perfect texture.

Why are my buttermilk pancakes not fluffy? ›

Making pancake and waffle batter ahead of time is a huge no-no and will lead to flat, dense results every time. Even letting your batter hang out for just a few minutes after you've mixed it before you start ladling it onto the griddle will lead to less fluffy results.

What makes restaurant pancakes taste so good? ›

Restaurants tend to use real, farm-fresh eggs and real milk when making their pancakes, which as you might guess, adds to a richer, higher-quality eating experience.

How does Gordon Ramsay make perfect pancakes? ›

Gordon Ramsay's recipe

Whisk the egg whites “*ntil foamy”. MiX all the other ingredients in a second bowl, then fold in the egg whites. Grease a pan with butter and use a medium heat, ladle in the batter to cook until bubbles form (around 5-6 minutes) and then flip and cook for around 2 minutes.

How do you keep banana pancakes from burning? ›

Cook until the center of the pancake puffs up and each side is golden brown, about 1 or 2 more minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter, lowering the heat as needed. (Pancakes tend to cook faster as you go, so lowering the heat later will prevent burning.)

Why are my banana pancakes raw inside? ›

Avoid High Heat

If you're cooking with a griddle, Wenk says to lower the heat to 360 degrees (the pan can stay over medium heat) before spooning in the batter. Mortillaro explains that high heat results in uneven cooking as it burns the outside while leaving the inside batter raw.

What happens if you add an extra egg to pancake mix? ›

Eggs also give the batter additional, richer flavor from the yolk fat. If you add too many eggs, you'll have “pancakes” that look more like custard or crepes. When you don't add enough eggs, the cakes will be drier and tougher.

Should you let buttermilk pancake batter rest? ›

You should. Resting pancake batter for at least 10 minutes (or even overnight) does two key things, both of which help the batter rise better and cook to a more tender finish in the pan. The first thing a good rest does is allow time for the flour to hydrate.

Do pancakes taste better with water or milk? ›

Can I Use Water Instead of Milk in Pancakes? Milk adds both flavor and texture to pancake batter, so if you are looking to make pancakes without milk, a simple swap to water doesn't always do the trick. For pancakes made without milk, you'll want to add some flavor through melted butter and vanilla extract.

What makes pancakes fluffy and helps them rise? ›

The chemicals in the baking powder react when combined with liquid, which triggers an initial release of gas. This first release happens slowly. A second, bigger burst of gas occurs when the batter is heated. Heat produces a quick burst of bubbles, and that's what really gives pancakes their fluffiness.

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