Banana Buttermilk Pancakes with Candied Walnuts

Banana buttermilk pancakes are light, fluffy and delicious. Topped with candied walnuts and maple syrup, they’re a wonderful start to the day.

(Looking for more ideas for breakfast and brunch? Check out this ultimate list of breakfast ideas for recipe inspiration.)

Do you know that Jack Johnson song, Banana Pancakes? That’s my song. 

Waking up slow is the very definition of me in the morning. (Some people say that song is about something else but I run a family friendly blog here so we will ignore those people lol!)

Some days though, we get hit by the pancake bug and we are suddenly up at a respectable hour expected of responsible adults on a Saturday, fussing in our kitchen making pancakes. 

And buttermilk banana pancakes are one of our favourite pancakes to make. 

Light, fluffy and so good! Throw in some candied walnuts and let me tell you, you’d become a morning person too.

Why you’ll love making this recipe

• Making banana pancakes is an easy way to use up those overripe bananas. No need to bake banana bread or banana buttermilk muffins.
• Speaking of buttermilk, this recipe is also a great way to use up leftover buttermilk.
• Banana buttermilk pancakes also freeze well. So you can make them tonight and enjoy pancakes every morning next week.
• This banana pancake recipe is also very customizable. Add your favourite mix-ins and toppings. I have some delicious ideas in the FAQs below.

What you’ll need

Making pancakes from scratch is almost as easy as using the box mix. You simply need to get your ingredients together yourself.

Ingredients

And the ingredients for this buttermilk banana pancake recipe are simple to find. You’ll need:

• All purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Buttermilk
• Almond milk (or whatever milk you prefer)
• Eggs
• Mashed ripe bananas
• Unsalted butter
• Oil or butter for frying (canola oil, vegetable oil or coconut oil works)

Candied walnuts are optional but highly recommended. They’re such a great topping for these pancakes! To make them, you’ll need:

• Walnuts
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter

Tools

You really don’t need any special tools to make pancakes. Just bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a frying pan or pancake griddle, and a turner or pancake flipper.

If making candied walnuts, you’ll also need a skillet and a baking sheet.

How to make banana buttermilk pancakes

STEP 1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and  salt. Set aside.

STEP 2. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, almond milk, eggs, mashed bananas and melted butter. Set aside.

STEP 3. Put a medium sized pan or a pancake griddle on your stove over medium heat. You know it’s ready when small amounts of water sprinkled over it sizzles and evaporates immediately.

STEP 4. At this point, you can pour your buttermilk mixture into your flour mixture and gently stir. Do not over do it — the batter doesn’t have to be a smooth mixture. You want a coarse batter with bits of flour remaining.

STEP 5. Put a little oil or butter on your pan and start dropping your pancake mixture about ⅓ cup at a time. Cook about 3 minutes per side, or until bubbling and the edges are golden brown.

STEP 6. Serve warm topped with candied walnuts and maple syrup, or your favourite toppings.

How to make candied walnuts

STEP 1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.

STEP 2. Using a skillet over medium heat, stir walnuts, sugar and butter together until the sugar is melted and all walnuts are coated (4-5 minutes). Make sure to stir constantly so your sugar doesn’t burn.

STEP 3. Transfer mixture to your baking sheet and spread evenly so the walnuts don’t stick together. Wait for the sugar to cool and harden (1-2 minutes) before serving.

I often have a jar of candied walnuts that I snack on. It’s also great with oatmeal and salads.

Expert tips for fluffy pancakes

Frustrated with flat and rubbery pancakes? Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way for soft, fluffy pancakes every time:

• Combine your wet and dry ingredients at the last minute, just when you’re ready to fry them. I know some recipes ask you to chill or rest the batter but I’ve found that resulted to flatter pancakes for me.

• Do not over mix the batter. You don’t want a smooth batter but a lumpy one. Again, I know other recipes suggest mixing the batter in a blender but I prefer to do it by hand so I have more control. I only usually use my blender when making lemon sugar crepes.

• Watch the temperature. You want the your pan to be hot enough, but not too hot to burn the pancakes before they’re properly cooked. Sprinkle some water on your pan and if it sizzles, you’re there. You don’t necessarily need a pancake griddle; a non-stick pan that distributes heat evenly works well too.

• Don’t flatten. Once you pour the pancake batter on your pan, leave it alone. Don’t swish it around, don’t flatten it, resist the urge to peek underneath. You’ll know when it’s time to flip when the edges are set and bubbling.

And did you know you can meal prep pancakes?

Recipe FAQs

Other pancake recipes

Pancakes make every morning special. Make them for Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving morning, Christmas morning, or for someone’s birthday breakfast in bed.

• Pumpkin buttermilk pancakes are light, fluffy and full of the warm, cozy flavours of fall. They’re amazing with candied pecans!
• Ube pancakes are your favourite buttermilk pancakes bursting with the ube flavour you love. Made with ube halaya or ube jam, it’s sweet, soft, fluffy. Definitely a delicious way to start the day.
• Whip up a batch of these light fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes and start the day with sunshine on a plate! Bright lemon flavour, not too sweet, soft as a cloud.

This weekend, get up early and reward yourself with fluffy banana pancakes. They will make you feel great about being up before noon!

Of course, who said pancakes are just for breakfast and brunch? Go ahead and make these pancakes at midnight. They will be just as delicious.

Happy pancake making!

Did you make fluffy banana pancakes? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

And if you love to start the day with bananas, try bananas and cream oatmeal.

Banana Buttermilk Pancakes

Author: Jolina

Banana buttermilk pancakes are light, fluffy and delicious. Topped with candied walnuts and maple syrup, they’re a wonderful start to the day.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine North American

Servings 12 pancakes

Calories 282 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Mixing Bowls
• ▢
  Measuring Cups
• ▢
  Measuring Spoons
• ▢
  Baking Sheets

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the Pancakes:

• ▢ 3 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 2 cups buttermilk room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup almond milk room temperature (see notes)
• ▢ 3 pcs large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup mashed ripe bananas about 2-4 bananas
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• ▢ Oil or butter for frying

For the Candied Walnuts:

• ▢ 1 cup walnuts you can chop them but I didn’t bother
• ▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

 

For the Pancakes:

• ▢
  In a large bowl, combine 3 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
• ▢
  In a separate bowl, whisk 2 cups buttermilk, ½ cup almond milk, 3 eggs, 1 cup mashed bananas and ¼ cup melted butter. Set aside.
• ▢
  Put a medium sized pan on your stove over medium heat. You know it's ready when small amounts of water sprinkled over it sizzles and evaporates immediately.
• ▢
  At this point, you can pour your buttermilk mixture into your flour mixture and gently stir. Do not over do it – it doesn't have to be a smooth mixture. You want a coarse batter with bits of flour remaining.
• ▢
  Put a little oil or butter on your pan and start dropping your pancake mixture about ⅓ cup at a time. Cook about 3 minutes per side, or until bubbling and the edges are golden brown.
• ▢
  Serve warm topped with candied walnuts and maple syrup.

For the Candied Walnuts:

• ▢
  Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
• ▢
  Using a skillet over medium heat, stir all ingredients together until sugar is melted and all walnuts are coated (4-5 minutes). Make sure to stir constantly so your sugar doesn’t burn.
• ▢
  Transfer mixture to your baking sheet and spread evenly so the walnuts don’t stick together. Wait for the sugar to cool and harden (1-2 minutes) before serving.

Video

Notes

1. You can substitute dairy milk for almond milk.
2. This recipe yields 12-16 pancakes, depending on how big you make them.
3. You can make the candied walnuts up to 3 days ahead – just store in an airtight container. No need to refrigerate.

Nutrition

Calories: 282kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 6gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 389mgPotassium: 278mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 225IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 118mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional information are estimates only.

Tried this recipe? Leave a star rating today!Also tag @iamtheunlikelybaker I’d love to see your creations.