Banana Vanilla Skillet Pancakes
Tender, dense skillet pancakes with mashed banana and a warm vanilla note, cooked golden in a hot pan. A simple high-protein breakfast that comes together in one bowl.
- Total
- 25 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 15
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Whisking · Pan-frying
- Sweet
Instructions
-
Peel the bananas and mash them in a mixing bowl with a fork until smooth with only a few small lumps left.
~3 min
Mashing breaks the banana's cell walls so its sugars and moisture release evenly, giving a smooth batter that sets uniformly.
Mash the bananas very smooth before the eggs go in; larger lumps stay wet inside the pancake and stop the centre from setting evenly.
-
Crack in the eggs, add 120 ml milk, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 0.25 tsp salt, then whisk until evenly combined.
~2 min
Whisking the eggs into the wet mix first disperses them fully, so the flour later hydrates evenly instead of clumping.
Whisking Whisk in quick, steady circles and stop the moment the flour disappears; over-whisking develops gluten and makes the pancakes tough.
-
Add 100 g plain flour and whisk just until no dry streaks remain. The batter should be thick but pourable; if it stands up stiffly, stir in up to 1 tbsp of the remaining milk.
~3 min
Stopping as soon as the flour is wet avoids overworking the gluten, which would make these dense pancakes tough and rubbery.
Whisking Whisk in quick, steady circles and stop the moment the flour disappears; over-whisking develops gluten and makes the pancakes tough.
-
Heat 1 tsp vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until a drop of batter sizzles on contact.
~2 min
A sizzling test drop confirms the pan is hot enough to set the batter quickly without soaking up oil.
Keep the heat at medium: these pancakes are dense from the banana, so a hotter pan browns the outside before the middle firms up.
Pan-frying Keep the oil at a medium shimmer and cook in small batches; too-hot oil browns the outside before the dense banana centre sets.
-
Pour in 3 pancakes of about 8 cm each, leaving space between them. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look set, about 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook until golden on the second side, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
~5 min
Bubbles on the surface mean the underside has set and released, so the pancake flips cleanly instead of tearing.
Pan-frying Keep the oil at a medium shimmer and cook in small batches; too-hot oil browns the outside before the dense banana centre sets.
-
Transfer the first batch to a plate and repeat with the remaining 1 tsp vegetable oil and batter to make 3 more pancakes, about 5 minutes. Serve warm.
~5 min
Pan-frying Keep the oil at a medium shimmer and cook in small batches; too-hot oil browns the outside before the dense banana centre sets.