Baby-led weaning banana pancakes are the perfect meal or snack for little hands and mouths and make a great finger food for babies and toddlers. These soft mini pancakes only contain 3 ingredients and can be made in less than 10 minutes. Easy, healthy and mess-free! {Gluten-free, paleo & vegetarian}
Why We Love this Recipe
- Super Easy – These 3-ingredient banana pancakes contain simple ingredients and can be made in 10 minutes TOPS.
- Nutritious – They’re a source of protein, fibre, and potassium and contain no added sugar since they’re naturally sweetened with banana.
- Mess-free – These pancakes only require a frying pan, bowl and flipper so minimal cleanup is required. They’re also easy for kids to eat so they don’t create a big sticky and crumbly mess!
- Kid-friendly – These pancakes are a huge hit with my baby and toddler and have been a regular item on their breakfast and snack menu since they started on solids. Due to their small size and soft texture, they’re perfect for baby-led weaning and toddlers! For a more adult-friendly version, try out these Banana Protein Pancakes or Chocolate Protein Pancakes, for a chocolatey twist!
- Great for picky eaters – Struggle to get your kids to eat eggs? These pancakes are a sweet delicious alternative way to consume eggs to get that extra dose of protein!
Ingredient Notes
- Banana – I suggest using an overripe banana for this recipe since it will be easier to mash and lends a sweeter flavour. It’s a great way to use up those brown spotty bananas!
- Egg – You can use brown or white eggs. There is no nutritional difference!
- Coconut flour – I generally throw in tablespoon of coconut flour to thicken up the mixture so that the pancakes are easier to flip and not as flimsy. You can also sub in oat flour or two tablespoons of quick oats.
Scroll down to get the full banana egg pancakes recipe.
How to make mini banana pancakes
As I’m sure you can guess by the title, these simple pancakes don’t require any type of elaborate effort or fancy ingredients.
To prepare, mash a ripe banana with a fork and whisk together with an egg. Add the coconut flour or quick oats to the mixture and stir to combine.
Next, heat a griddle or non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Add coconut oil to the heated pan. You can use any type of oil that you prefer, but I find the coconut oil compliments the other flavours of the pancakes nicely.
Using a tablespoon, drop the pancake mixture onto the pan one by one, leaving about an inch or so between each pancake so they don’t run together.
Cook for 3-4 minutes or until firm enough to flip. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes on the other side.
The end result are these mini naturally sweetened pancakes with slightly browned and crispy edges, perfect for little hands and mouths.
Recipe Tips
- Use a pancake griddle or non-stick frying pan when cooking the pancakes. I find I always get great results when making these pancakes on a griddle. As a bonus, it’s usually big enough to make the whole batch!
- I find this recipe works best as mini pancakes since they’re easier to flip. Plus they’re great for little hands, so perfect for toddlers or baby-led weaning. Use a tablespoon to scoop mixture for each pancake on the griddle to get the perfect size.
- Cook pancakes on the first side for long enough before flipping to allow them to firm up enough to flip without falling apart. I cook mine for about 3-4 minutes over medium high heat before flipping and then cook for an additional 1-2 minutes on the other side.
- Use a thin spatula to flip the pancakes if possible. They are delicate so I find it’s easier to get the spatula underneath with a thinner spatula. You may need to use your finger or a fork to help transition the pancake from the pan to the spatula when getting ready to flip.
- Use coconut flour, oat flour or quick oats along with the egg and banana as a thickener to thicken the batter. Although your typical banana egg pancake recipe generally just calls for a banana and egg, I find that with just the two ingredients, they turn out a little flimsy and are hard to flip.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use a frozen banana for these pancakes?
Yes! It’s a great way to use up those brown spotty bananas that you toss into the freezer. Simply pull out the banana from the freezer and allow it to thaw to room temperature. Then mash it and combine with the rest of the ingredients.
How to Store
These pancakes can be stored tightly covered with saran wrap or in an airtight container for up to four days.
Are these pancakes freezer-friendly?
Yes! In fact, I actually recommend making up an extra batch that you can keep in the freezer for those crazy busy days.
Simply freeze them in a ziplock bag so that you always have some readily available to grab-and-go.
To defrost: Place in the fridge overnight or pop them in the microwave for a minute or so.
How to reheat
You can place them in a frying pan over low heat for several minutes until warmed through or pop them in the microwave for a minute or so.
Serving Suggestions
These blw pancakes are delicious on their own, but taste even better when you top em’ up with some add-ons!
Here are some of our favourite ways to serve them!
- Top them up with some fresh or frozen berries for some extra flavour, fibre and vitamin C
- Spread some almond butter or natural peanut on top to add some healthy fats
- Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon
- Add a drizzle of maple syrup
- Dip in unsweetened applesauce
See ‘How to Cut Pancakes for Baby‘ for visual examples of how to serve pancakes up depending on a baby’s age and stage of development!
More similar recipes
- Strawberry Banana Pancakes
- Baby Oatmeal {Porridge Fingers}
- Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes
- Oatmeal Waffles
- Crepes with Almond Milk
- Mini Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Mini Turkey Apple Meatloaf Muffins
- Sweet Potato Lentil Tater Tots
- Spinach Zucchini Frittata Fingers
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Baby-Led Weaning Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour (or two tbsp of quick oats)
- 2 teaspoon coconut oil or cooking spray
Instructions
- Mash the banana in a shallow bowl. Whisk in the egg until combined with banana. Stir in coconut flour or quick oats and mix until combined.
- In a medium frying pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop the pancake mixture into the frying pan to form mini pancakes. The mixture makes about 8 mini pancakes.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side, or until firm enough to flip. Flip the pancakes and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side. Serve plain or with berries, almond butter or peanut butter.
Notes
- Use a pancake griddle or non-stick frying pan when cooking the pancakes. I find I always get great results when making these pancakes on a griddle. As a bonus, it’s usually big enough to make the whole batch!
- I find this recipe works as mini pancakes since they’re easier to flip. Plus they’re great for little hands, so perfect for toddlers or baby-led weaning. Use a tablespoon to scoop mixture for each pancake on the griddle to get the perfect size.
- Cook pancakes on the first side for long enough before flipping to allow them to firm up enough to flip without falling apart. I cook mine for about 3-4 minutes over medium high heat before flipping and then cook for an additional 1-2 minutes on the other side.
- Use a thin spatula to flip the pancakes if possible. They are delicate so I find it’s easier to get the spatula underneath with a thinner spatula. You may need to use your finger or a fork to help transition the pancake from the pan to the spatula when getting ready to flip.
- Use coconut flour, oat flour or quick oats along with the egg and banana as a thickener to thicken the batter. Although your typical banana egg pancake recipe generally just calls for a banana and egg, I find that with just the two ingredients, they turn out a little flimsy and are hard to flip.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in November 2018 but was updated in September 2020 to include better tips and photos.
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Thanks so much for returning to leave a review! These pancakes are always a hit with our baby and toddler too!
Great recipe. I’ve made it as is and also cut the banana and coconut flour in half with one whole egg to make it for our 18 month old.
I am wondering what other fruits I could substitute into the egg coconut flour base and how much?
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and that your little one loved it as well! That’s good to know that it also works when modifying the amount of banana and coconut flour. Thanks for sharing!
As for other fruits, I haven’t personally tried anything other than banana, but you could try using mashed sweet potato or pumpkin puree. I would say to start with a 1/3 of a cup, but you may have to experiment with quantities. Please keep me posted if you try it out!
Thank you! I did try that and it was the perfect ratio!
Randee
Awesome…thanks so much for reporting back! Good to know that ratio works out with these pancakes!
Hey Elysia. Now I know what I can do with overripe bananas besides turning them into muffins! The recipe works like a charm. I doubled up on the oats which was fine but will have to get some coconut flour as I am sure that would be a flavour booster!!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Al! It’s definitely a go-to in our house and SO easy too! Thanks so much for stopping by to comment :) Hope all is well!
Hi there! I don’t usually have coconut flour on hand… Can all purpose flour be used? Or whiz up some oats to make oat flour? Thx!
You can certainly try it! I believe some other readers mentioned that they used all purpose flour and it turned out. It’s really just used as a thickener to help the pancakes get a little more fluffy. The coconut flour adds a nice taste, but I’m sure regular or oat flour would work just fine. Hope it works out for you!
Love your recipe! What are your suggestions for taking these on the go? For pancakes that will be used within a day or two, do you refrigerate after making and then just pack straight from the fridge to go or should they be warmed? And then for the ones you freeze, do you just defrost in the fridge?
So glad that you love the recipe Katie! Generally, after we make them, we’ll refrigerate them and then just pack straight from the fridge. Our little guy likes to eat them warm or cold. After freezing, you can just leave them in the fridge and they should defrost within a few hours. Hope that answers your questions!