Saturday, September 28, 2013

Cinnamon Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

Hi, guys :) I hope you're well and enjoying the fall-ish weather wherever you are (I add the "ish" because it still gets above 90 degrees here in Texas, but those days are nearing their end...I hope!) I've been craving pancakes lately, but given my new diet parameters, was a little unsure about how to proceed!
So the internet came to my rescue, like usual :) I found a recipe that utilized oatmeal in place of flour and bananas in place of sugar--with very few other ingredients! Hearty whole grains and delicious pancake goodness all around? I'm so in!
Also, today was a cooking first for me: I've never made any kind of batter in a blender before--and this recipe uses a blender to mix the ingredients. It makes sense, though, because it's so quick, and the cleanup is easy. I adapted this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen!
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 ripe medium bananas, cut into chunks
  • 3/4 cup milk (almond milk, skim milk, etc)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or more if you prefer)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:

In a blender, add chunks of banana and milk. Puree for 30 seconds or until throughly blended and smooth. Next add oats, baking powder, and salt into the blender; blend again until batter is well-combined; about 1 minute. Set aside to thicken up. After a few minutes check the consistency of the pancake batter; it should be somewhat thick. If it appears too thick, add a tablespoon or two of milk and blend again.

Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with vegan cooking spray or olive oil and heat over medium. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto skillet and gently spread out a bit with a spoon. Cook until bubbles appear on top, about 1-2 minutes. Gently flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 1-2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more oil or cooking spray. Top with peanut butter, maple syrup, fruit, or chocolate chips.
Nutrition Facts-- Servings: 3 Size: 3 pancakes Calories: 211 • Fat:  3.3 g • Carbs: 41.1 g • Fiber: 5.1 g  Protein: 6.5 g • Sugars: 12.8 g

106 comments:

  1. Uh-- YUUUM!!! Breakfast tomorrow, I think so! :)... And If not tomorrow, then definitely soon! :)

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  2. I made these today- YUM YUM YUM! Mine were a little thick in the middle/undercooked, but it's my own fault because I couldn't wait to eat them. I replaced the baking powder with arrow root power, and they turned out fine, probably could have used a bit more. I did NOT feel guilty topping them with a little syrup either ;) I love that these don't use eggs, because, with high cholesterol, I can use all the help I can get. Thanks for this!

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    1. Hi, Christal! Thank you so much for your feedback--and thanks for stopping by :) I've never used arrowroot powder before, so I'm glad to hear that it was a good substitution for the baking powder.

      I really loved these pancakes too; I need to make them again soon! Maybe I'll add some peanut butter or chocolate chips next time? :)

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    2. why would you choose to substitute arrowroot powder for baking powder ? Arrowroot is a thickening agent and baking powder is a leavening agent ?

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  3. I hate to be negative but I've done this twice now and it's not turning out good for me at all I mean it tastes good but they don't look like pancakes

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    1. Hi there! Thank you for your feedback. I understand that it can be a little tricky to make these look like pancakes without using flour, as it's one of the key ingredients in regular pancake recipes.

      Because of this, you'll probably have to manipulate the recipe a little bit to get the "pancake" look you want. My thoughts: next time, you could replace half the oats with flour, so 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup flour (and be sure to cook them all the way through because the batter is quite thick).

      Another option is to take your favorite pancake recipe and add oats, bananas, cinnamon to it. Because I've never tried any flour variations on this recipe, I'm sorry that I don't have a perfect answer for you, but I hope this gives you somewhere to start!

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    2. Made these this am for the 3 grandkids. Used half oats and half ww pastry flour, otherwise everything the same. They were perfect and delicious! Only wish I'd made a double batch, they gobbled them up quickly!

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  4. I wonder if this batter would work for waffles. You wouldn't have to worry about creating the pancake shape.

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    1. Great thought, Wendi! If you try it out, I'd love to hear about your results!

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  5. We just had these for breakfast and they were awesome! I topped mine with almond butter. We thinned the batter out so they'd be easier to cook. Delicious!

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    1. Awesome! Thank you so much for your feedback, Kenzie! The almond butter topping sounds delicious- what a great idea!

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  6. I made these yesterday and they were delicious!!! They were a little tricky to cook, I ruined the first two pancakes, I think I made them too big - but by the third go I decided to make them smaller, silver dollar size pancakes and they came out perfect!! Topped with some additional bananas and strawberries and maple syrup - these were excellent!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!!

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    1. Hi, Sosiesmama! I agree with you--they ARE tricky to cook, and I definitely had a few casualties before they began to turn out well. I'm thrilled you enjoyed them, and I'm happy to share. I love the strawberry banana topping idea. Delicious!

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  7. I have made these several times & I agree making then small is the key made mistake first time of them being to big to turn. I put a handful of blueberries in after they are blended and the are wonderful.

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    1. Great feedback, Karen. In fact, my close-up photographs make the pancakes look large, but I did the same thing as you all, and made them quite small, both to make them easier to cook and easier to flip! I love the blueberry idea!

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  8. I just made these this morning, they were a hit! I did follow the suggestions from previous comments and made them dollar size. I also added mini chocolate chips to some of them, per request if my youngest.
    I love the fact that I didn't have to use an egg and I always have that 1 or 2 bananas from the bunch that I get creative with.

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    1. Christine, hi! I'm so glad you all enjoyed them. The mini chocolate chips are a fabulous touch and a great way to make these pancakes more kid-friendly! And you're right--those additional few bananas always warrant a bit of fun experimentation in the kitchen. Thanks for your comments! :)

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  10. This looks awesome I will definitely try this....quick question....is it 211 calories per pancake or per serving of 3 pancakes??

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    1. Hi, Shavonne! Great question. The calorie count is per serving of three! I hope you enjoy them.

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  11. I decided to make a different variation of this recipe by pulverizing the oats in my Nutribullet followed by mixing the milk and bananas in a separate container like a smoothie. Then I proceeded to blend everything together. Worked perfectly ♥

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    1. Hi there! I imagine that your method created a very smooth pancake batter. Good thinking! So glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for stopping by! :-)

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  12. I've attempted several banana pancake recipes and so far I like this one the best.
    I just made them and they taste great! :) However, I had the same problem I've had with other recipes.
    My pancake come out really flat.:(
    I was wondering if I did anything wrong. I followed the recipe, except I didn't have baking powder so I substituted with baking soda and cream of tartar.

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    1. Hi, Alexia! Thanks for your comments! Without being there with you, it's hard to determine what the issue is, so I'll just troubleshoot a little here: Sometimes, old or expired ingredients can affect the outcome of the product (though I'm sure you're cooking with only the freshest ingredients), so check the expiry dates on your baking soda and cream of tartar.

      The recipe calls for you to allow the batter to sit for a few minutes before cooking. I wonder if the baking soda/cream of tartar combination is activating too early while your batter sits--so maybe next time, you might try shortening the time that the batter sits (just cook them a little earlier?)

      Final thought: as far as proportions go, if you're substituting the baking powder for the baking soda/cream of tartar combination, for every ONE teaspoon of baking powder in a recipe, you should substitute 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

      I don't know if these suggestions will be any help, but if they are, let me know which ones worked for you! Have a great day, Alexia!

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    2. Thinner batter will yield flatter pancakes. Try adding a little more oats or a little less milk. When measuring oats, I always shake the measuring cup (which more densely packs the oats) before leveling the cup.

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  14. we made these this morning first try we used a mixer and they were really heavy and wet and we didnt let them sit. second try we actually used the blender and let them sit and they turned out perfict

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  15. I thought this was a great idea but my pancakes were not sweet enough and under cooked and muchy in the middle. Not sure what I did wrong?

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    1. Hey there! I'm sorry you're having trouble with this recipe. A few things come to mind:

      1) This recipe doesn't use any added sugar, so if your bananas aren't EXTREMELY ripe, then the pancakes won't turn out very sweet. You can add a little honey or sugar to taste, but I recommend using very ripe bananas if you choose to try this again.

      2) This batter is extremely thick, and so these will take a bit longer to cook than regular pancakes would. To thin the batter, you can add a little more milk, or simplly cook the pancakes longer. Also, other commenters mentioned that making the pancakes quite small helped to cook them through.

      I hope this helps!

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  16. Just whipped a batch of these and they are amazing. I used frozen bananas and 1/2 tsp of baking soda instead of baking powder with a dash of vinegar. This is a keeper, thanks for posting.

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    1. Awesome! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  17. These were a huge hit at my house. My kids loved them. My husband is making me make them for dinner (brinner!). The only changes I made were: using salted caramel greek yogurt in place of some of the milk. And I cooked them with butter. But I'll keep these in mind for a good, healthy breakfast. I love olive oil, so the substitute wont kill me. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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    1. Hi there! Oh my gosh, you had me at Salted Caramel Greek Yogurt! What a delicious substitution! I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed them :)

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    2. Right? I had been baking with the yogurt because I think it was a little too sweet for my girls to eat plain. They weren't that crazy about it. But baking with it just made everything perfect.

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  18. These were very good! The oatmeal gives them a different texture than regular pancakes. They do seem to take a little longer to cook than regular pancakes, so you do have to be patient with them lol! My three year old has requested them two days in a row now! Will be keeping this recipe on hand, thanks for sharing it!

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    1. Hi, Nikoal! You're absolutely right--these pancakes are unlike any pancakes I've ever eaten or made before, so there was definitely a brief learning curve to make sure that they turned out well.

      However, if they're child-approved AND child-requested, then my work here is done! ;) Thanks so much for stopping by.

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  19. Should they be soft and smoochy in the middle?? Sry first time making vegan pancakes.. :)

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    1. Hi, Anon! This batter is thicker than standard pancake batter, so the pancakes require a bit more cooking time to cook all the way through.

      However, if you like them soft and smushy in the middle, then by all means, enjoy them that way! :) thank you for stopping by!

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  20. Hey,

    I tried to make these earlier but it really didn't work. The bottom kept sticking to the pan while the top wasn't cooked and it was just bubbling.

    I tried 3 pans and 2 different oils, different heats, I dunno what else to do.

    Maybe all the pans are naff, my dad used to have a pancake pan so maybe I should get one of them!

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    1. Hi, Tom. I'm so sorry to hear about all of your difficulty with these pancakes. I know that's frustrating. Did you have any better fortune with the pancake pan?

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  21. I fed these to my 14 month old and he devoured them. I loved them too. They tasted like banana nut bread! I can't wait to make them again but the recipe will have to at least be doubled for my family.

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    1. Hi, Anita! Thank you so much for your comment! I love it when my recipes are kid-tested; mom-approved :) I hope your family enjoys them as much as you and your baby have :)

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  22. Mine were not as fluffy as yours, but I wonder if my baking powder might be a little older and maybe not as active.
    After the first batch, I had a banana leftover so I decided to try to make a thinner batter and see what happened. It turned out more like a flatter crepe than a pancake, but it was still good. It also stuck to the griddle more and was harder for the spatula to get under, so I think I stick with the thicker pancake in the future.
    I tried coconut oil for greasing the griddle, but I can tell you all that butter works better.
    I topped mine with the rum bananas recipe here: http://stonewavereviews.com/2013/05/31/baked-banana-micro-wave-dessert-recipe/
    I have one of those "Stonewave" thingies but I wonder if you couldn't make it just as well in a covered bowl or mug with a vent in the top?
    Next time I think I am going to make oat flour first, and use that instead of whole oats. Oat flour is easy with a blender: http://www.momables.com/how-to-make-oat-flour/

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    1. By the way, my parrots loved them too. :)

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    2. Hey, if the parrots love it, I love it ;) thank you so much for your feedback!

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    3. Also, I think the oat flour idea is excellent. I may give it a try next time. I love that you experimented with this recipe. An oatmeal banana crepe doesn't sound half bad! :)

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  23. We just made these for breakfast this morning - they were absolutely delicious!! It actually turned out that we had 12 rather than 9, which was even better because my boyfriend ate 8 of them on his own! Lol. :) We put a little Greek cream cheese on top of them and rolled them up around a piece of turkey sausage or fruit. We will be making them again!

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    1. Hi, Katherine! Thanks for stopping by! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed these, and I LOVE the cream cheese idea and the turkey sausage roll-up. Yum!

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  24. Can these be frozen? I'd love to make up a big batch and have on hand for hectic mornings!

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    1. Kimberly, hi! That's a great question and a wonderful idea. My honest answer is: I don't know--I've never frozen these before! My guess is that they'll last just fine if they're refrigerated, but my worry is that the texture may change if frozen. Give it a try with a few pancakes--I wouldn't freeze them for longer than about two to four weeks at a time. I'd love to know how it turns out if you try it!

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  25. I've made these two or three times now and still struggling cooking them. My husband and I love the flavor. Mine never seem to firm up enough to flip and not be oatmeal. Any suggestions you can give me would be appreciate. What heat is everyone cooking these on and for how long before flipping?

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    1. Shoot, Carolyn- I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier. The consensus from previous commenter has been: make smaller pancakes and cook them for longer over medium heat.

      Anytime I make pancakes, there are always a few practice ones before I get the temperature right, but sometimes I have to adjust the heat to medium-high for these to cook all the way through.

      In your case, I'd troubleshoot by either cooking them for a bit longer than you already are (maybe 30 seconds to a minute longer before flipping), or slightly increase the heat.

      I hope one of these works! Let us know! Thanks for stopping in. Again, I apologize for my delayed response!

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    2. Also, some commenters have thinned the batter a bit by adding a little more milk to make them easier to cook. That could be another solution!

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  26. Is the banana in the pancakes really strong?

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    1. Hi, Jonesha- because bananas are one of the primary ingredients in these pancakes, you'll likely experience a pretty pronounced banana flavor. An earlier commenter described the taste as "banana bread." Hope that helps.

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  27. these were great thanks!

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  28. I made these today with my kiddos and they really enjoyed helping me make them and enjoyed eating them just as much! I made smaller one as suggested and they were very manageable. The insides were a little mushy, but not bad. I think that is just what you get without flour. It didn't take away from the taste for us. I love how healthy they are. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. You're welcome! It's always fun to get your kids involved in the kitchen :) Gald you enjoyed them!

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  29. These are delicious. My two year old loved them as well. I used quick oats and mixed them in my food processor. I cooked them on low. They were the same size and looked just like regular pancakes. I no trouble flipping them. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!!

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    1. Thank you so much, Michelle! I'm so glad to hear you had such a great outcome :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  30. I made them half an hour ago and they are SO GOOD!! Mine came out perfectly but I didn't measure out the ingredients, I kind of winged it a little bit because my measuring cup was dirty ;) Really tasty, great recipe!

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    1. Andrea, that's fantastic! I hear you on the "winging it"--so many of my recipes are cobbled together using a little of this and a pinch of that! Measuring can be overrated ;) Enjoy your weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

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  31. made these following your recipe exactly and they were terrible. the baking powder aftertaste was gross.

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    1. Hi there. I'm so sorry you didn't enjoy them! I recently made a recipe and added too much baking powder, which made the product incredibly bitter and nearly inedible, so I understand the aftertaste issue. I hope you're able to find a flourless pancake recipe that works for you!

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    2. I learnt that if baking powder is not fairly fresh it can give bitter aftertaste.

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    3. Hi, Anon--I learned the same lesson, and I also learned it the hard way! If you're willing, you may consider trying these again with some fresh baking powder and see how they turn out!

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  32. I made these tonight and followed the instructions as written and they were delicious perfection! After I flipped them, I spread some crunchy peanut butter on top and then sprinkled them with chocolate chips so the topping had some time to get all melty while the pancakes finished cooking. Amazing!

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    1. Hi, Anon. Wow, that sounds unbelievable! I love the crunchy peanut butter and chocolate chips! What a perfect combination with banana! So glad you enjoyed them. Thank you for stopping by!

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  33. Just made them for evening snack, my 4yo loved using blender lol. Turned out great, I used 1/4 cup measuring cup to portion on the pan and they had great thickness and texture, almost like real pancakes. The dough wasn't thick but maybe we didn't wait long enough. I had the pan on medium/high heat and they baked very quickly, maybe minute on each side and made 8 pancakes. Thanks for the recipe and great idea how to eat healthier!

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    1. Hi there! I love that you're getting your child involved in the kitchen early. So glad you two enjoyed them! I'm happy to share : )

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  34. Just made these for the third time! They are absolutely wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing this healthy, easy and yummy recipe!

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    1. Wonderful, Caroline! You're very welcome. Thanks for stopping by! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed them.

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  35. Hi there, can you tell me how long do these last in the fridge and do they change in texture? more dense/deflated?

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    1. Hi, Jenn! Great question. Because I made these small and didn't make too many, I only kept them in the fridge for a couple of days. I noticed that they were a little bit browner after being in the fridge, (just because bananas always brown when exposed to air!)

      Regarding texture, I found them to be just as chewy as when I first made them, but for the best bet, I'd recommend reheating them on the stove top rather than the microwave.

      Thanks for your interest! Hope you enjoyed some fun fireworks tonight!

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    2. Also, because these are made with few, but very fresh, ingredients, I wouldn't keep them in the fridge for much longer than a week to ten days.

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  36. Made these this morning...they came out great. After dropping 1/4 cup batter on the giddle, I used a knife to spread the batter out some. My husband really enjoyed them. Will definitely be making again, soon!

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    1. I'm so glad to hear that, Chris! Thanks for your feedback!

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  37. So Yummy! My 18mo LOVES these (as do we) & they're healthy so this is a win win for us! Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. You're most welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying them :)

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  38. Ive made these twice now , i love them! Only cut the recipe in half, i searched it and half of the recipe is 300 calories! I think your calories for this one saying 211 is wrong... With 2 simple bananas that this requires is 220 calories aprox, JUST for the 2 bananas:/ id like to know how you counted the calories here, i hope im wrong tho!

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    1. Hi, Melanie-- thanks so much for looking in to this! As with all of my recipes, I plugged the ingredients into a calorie counter and indicated how many servings the recipe was supposed to yield, and that's where my count came from. Additionally, the original poster had nutrition facts posted that were very similar to mine. Truthfully, this was the second recipe EVER that I attempted to post nutrition facts on, so it certainly may be faulty! Sorry about that! Thanks for your feedback.

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  39. The flavor was sublime....the highlight was the hint on cinnamon with each bite! I did lightly crush the bananas to get the pancakes to hold their shape, this is definitely a keeper!

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    1. Hi, anon! Thank you so much! I'm thrilled to hear that you're enjoying them. Have a fabulous weekend!

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    2. Hi, anon! Thank you so much! I'm thrilled to hear that you're enjoying them. Have a fabulous weekend!

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  40. I made these 2 days in a row for breakfast- that's how good they are!! I substituted chocolate chips for the cinnamon and then i cut up strawberries and put them on top!! Super easy to follow recipe, and everyone in my family LOVED!! Definitely going to be a go to recipe. Thanks so much!!

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    1. That sounds outstanding, Mallory! Thank you for your feedback.

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  41. WARNING----Do not, I repeat, DO NOT attempt to make waffles with this recipe. Now I need a new waffle iron. It was a volcano! I used cooking spray like I always do when I make waffles, but there was no solid waffle to take out of the iron; it was all just caked onto both surfaces. Bad. Just bad.

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    1. Hi, Kelli - so sorry that you had such a poor experience trying to make waffles with this recipe. That's a good caution for anyone who's thinking about it.

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  42. What kind of oats did you use steel cut or quick oats?

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    1. Hi, Denise! I did not use steel cut oats. I recommend either old-fashioned or quick oats for this recipe.

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  43. Sorry to say these totally flopped for me. They stood in a round form but I was never able to turn it around for cooking and just wound up with burnt-banana-oat-hash in my pan. I did not throw the batter away though, mixed in about a cup of flour, sugar, eggs and baking soda (yes a basic pancake recipe sort-to-say) and voila, they are perfect, fluffy and spongy, my boyfriend loved them both with maple syrup or nutella (he's belgian). For those who don't fear the carbs and just want an amazing banana-oat not-so-healthy pancake, I'd highly recommend it!

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    1. Hi there! Thanks so much for your feedback. I'm glad you were able to salvage the recipe. Your fix sounds great and I love the addition of Nutella! (It makes everything better, doesn't it?) Thank you for stopping by.

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  44. This is my new go-to healthy pancake recipe! Thanks so much!

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    1. You are most welcome, Kasey! Thank you for taking the time to comment. I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe!

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  45. Hello I'm going to try these they sound really good but i don't have time every morning to make a batch will they stay if I put them in the freezer

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    1. Hi, Anon! I never froze these, so I'm not sure. The fresh banana in there would probably turn the pancakes brown once frozen, so I wouldn't keep them frozen for than a week. Try it and let me know! Thanks for stopping in!

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  46. I loved these pancakes. I modified the recipe a little because the batter was thin and added a tsp of flour also, I ground up the oats to a fine powder before using it so it resembled flour.

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    1. Hi, A! I love the idea of making oat flour! I'll have to try that next time. I'm so happy you enjoyed them :) Thanks for sharing your modifications, and thank you for stopping in.

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  47. it is best way to Make Banana Pancakes! Thanks for sharing this helpful recipe, i think it would be more better comparison to only Banana Pancakes

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  48. WOW! It looks totally amazing. It’s easy.. It’s vegan. It’s soft, fluffy and tangy banana cinnamon pancakes. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack.

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  49. Amazing! Can’t wait to make again tomorrow.

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