Banana Blueberry Pancakes — Soft, Golden & Naturally Sweet

Last Saturday my youngest spotted some spotty bananas on the counter and announced — very seriously — that we needed pancakes. He wasn’t wrong. I mashed one banana, threw in a handful of blueberries, and twenty-five minutes later we had a stack of the softest, most golden banana blueberry pancakes sitting on the table. No mixer. One bowl. Just real breakfast energy.

If you love blueberries in your baking, you’ll want to peek at our blueberry banana muffins too — same cozy duo, totally different vibe.

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Why You’ll Love These Banana Blueberry Pancakes

One bowl, one fork, twenty-five minutes — and a stack that tastes like you put in way more effort than you did. Here’s why this recipe works every single time.

• One bowl, no mixer. Mash, whisk, fold — done. Less washing up, more eating.
• Naturally sweet. The ripe banana does most of the sweetening so you barely need extra sugar.
• Bursting blueberries. Fresh blueberries stay whole in the batter and melt into little warm pockets as they cook.
• Ready in 25 minutes. Weekday mornings, lazy weekends, toddler meltdowns — this recipe handles all of it.
• Kid-approved, every single time. My kids never leave a single one on the plate.

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Ingredients & Notes

Nothing here you don’t already have. A ripe banana, some flour, an egg, blueberries — and a few pantry staples that do more work than you’d expect. Here’s what each one brings to the batter.

Ripe banana. This is the heart of the recipe. You want a banana that’s deep yellow with plenty of brown spots — the kind most people would throw away. Those spots mean the starches have converted to sugar, which is exactly what gives these banana blueberry pancakes their natural sweetness without needing much added sugar. One large banana mashes down to about 100g and that’s all you need. If yours are still firm, pop them unpeeled on a baking sheet at 300°F (150°C) for 15 minutes — they’ll soften and sweeten beautifully.

All-purpose flour. Standard plain flour gives the lightest, most tender pancake here. I’ve tested it both ways and all-purpose wins every time for this recipe. If you want a nuttier, more filling version, swap half the flour for rolled oats — or check out our banana oat pancakes which are built around that exact combination. For a gluten-free version, a 1:1 GF flour blend works at the same quantity — just let the batter rest 5 minutes before cooking so it thickens slightly.

Baking powder. 1½ teaspoons is what gives these pancakes their lift and that soft, fluffy interior. Make sure yours isn’t old — baking powder loses its power after about 6 months and flat pancakes are the result. Quick test: drop half a teaspoon in hot water. If it bubbles vigorously, it’s still good.

Ground cinnamon. Half a teaspoon is enough to add warmth without overpowering the banana or blueberry. It rounds out the flavour in a way that’s subtle but makes a real difference. You can skip it if you prefer a more neutral batter, or add a tiny pinch of nutmeg alongside for a slightly spiced version.

Salt. Just a quarter teaspoon, but don’t skip it. Salt balances the sweetness of the banana and makes every other flavour in the batter taste more like itself. If you’re making these for babies under 12 months, leave it out entirely.

Egg. One large egg binds the batter, adds richness and helps the pancakes hold together when you flip them. It also contributes to that golden colour on the outside. For an egg-free version, a flax egg works well (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water, rested 5 minutes until gel-like) — or head over to this dairy-free banana pancake version which handles every substitution for you.

Melted butter. 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, gives the pancakes their soft crumb and a gentle richness. Unsalted is important so you control the salt level yourself. Dairy-free? Swap for the same quantity of melted coconut oil — it works perfectly and adds a very subtle coconut note that’s actually lovely with blueberry.

Milk. Two thirds of a cup — any milk works here. Whole milk gives the richest result, but oat milk, almond milk and soy milk all produce great pancakes. Use whatever you have in the fridge.

Vanilla extract. One teaspoon of real vanilla extract adds depth and a warmth that ties all the other flavours together. Use pure extract, not imitation — the difference in flavour is real and noticeable in a simple batter like this one.

Fresh blueberries. Half a cup of fresh blueberries is the star ingredient here. Fresh is best — they hold their shape in the batter, then burst when they hit the hot pan, creating those warm, jammy pockets inside each pancake. If you only have frozen blueberries, they will work, but rinse them under cold water and pat completely dry before folding into the batter — excess moisture turns the whole batter purple and makes the pancakes gummy. If you love this blueberry-banana pairing in baked form, our blueberry banana muffins use the exact same combination.

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How to Make Banana Blueberry Pancakes

Seven steps, two bowls, twenty-five minutes. The key is in the order — dry first, wet second, blueberries last. Follow that and you’ll have the fluffiest stack you’ve ever made.

Step 1 — Prep the Dry Ingredients

1. Sift the dry ingredients. In a medium glass bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Give it a quick whisk to combine evenly. Sifting takes 30 seconds and makes the difference between a smooth, light batter and one with bitter little clumps of baking powder hidden inside.

Step 2 — Build the Wet Mixture

2. Mash the banana. In a large glass bowl, mash your ripe banana with a fork until you get a smooth purée. A few small lumps are completely fine — they’ll add texture. This is the step where the banana does its job: the more spotted and soft it is, the sweeter and more flavourful your blueberry banana pancakes will be.

3. Build the wet mixture. Add the egg, melted butter, milk and vanilla extract to the mashed banana. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and well combined — about 30 seconds. It should look creamy and uniform, with no streaks of butter.

4. Combine wet and dry. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet bowl. Fold gently with a silicone spatula — slow, wide strokes — until just combined. Stop the moment you can’t see dry flour. The batter will be lumpy and that is exactly right. Overmixing activates the gluten in the flour and turns soft pancakes into tough, chewy ones. Lumps = fluffy.

5. Fold in the blueberries. Add the fresh blueberries and fold very gently — just 3 or 4 slow, wide movements of the spatula. You want the berries whole and intact. If you crush them into the batter now, you lose those beautiful jammy pockets inside the finished pancake and the batter turns lavender.

Step 3 — Cook & Serve

6. Cook the pancakes. Heat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat — 350°F (175°C). A drop of water should bounce and sizzle, not evaporate immediately. Add a tiny knob of butter and let it melt, or leave the pan dry if it’s well seasoned. Pour approximately ¼ cup (60ml) of batter per pancake. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until bubbles appear across the entire surface and the edges look set and dry. Flip once with a flexible spatula and cook for 1 more minute until golden underneath.

The batter looks thick — that’s correct. Don’t spread it with the back of the cup. Let it settle naturally and it will puff up on its own.

7. Serve immediately. Stack the pancakes, add a small knob of butter on top and drizzle generously with warm maple syrup. These are best eaten straight from the pan while still warm and tender.

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Lily’s Tips

I’ve made this recipe more Saturday mornings than I can count. These are the five things that actually make the difference — the ones I wish someone had told me the first time.

Don’t overmix — ever. I’ll say it again because it’s the most common mistake. Fold until the flour disappears, then stop. The batter should look rough and lumpy. That texture is what gives you soft, pillowy pancakes. A smooth batter gives you dense, flat ones.

Sift your dry ingredients. Baking powder and cinnamon both clump. Those clumps don’t dissolve in the batter — they bake as bitter little spots in the finished pancake. Thirty seconds with a sifter fixes this completely.

Fold the blueberries last, and lazily. Add them right at the very end and use the widest, most relaxed folds you can. Three or four movements is enough. The goal is berries that are still whole — they’ll burst at exactly the right moment when they hit the hot pan.

Medium heat, not high. I know it’s tempting to crank the heat to speed things up. But high heat burns the outside before the inside cooks through. Medium heat gives you that even, golden colour all the way across and a fully cooked, fluffy centre.

Keep cooked pancakes warm on a baking sheet in a 200°F (95°C) oven while you finish the batch. They stay soft and don’t steam themselves into a soggy stack.

“One ripe banana contains about 12g of natural sugar and 3g of fiber — which means your banana blueberry pancakes are naturally sweet before you even add a drop of maple syrup.”

“The riper your bananas, the less sugar you’ll need — nature does the sweetening for you.”

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Variations

The base recipe is wonderfully versatile. Once you’ve nailed it, these are the twists I love most — all tested in my kitchen, all genuinely worth trying.

Make them vegan. Replace the egg with a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, rested 5 minutes), swap the butter for melted coconut oil, and use oat or almond milk. This dairy-free banana pancake version walks you through every substitution in detail.

Make them even simpler. If you’re short on time or ingredients, our super simple 3-ingredient banana pancakes need just banana, egg and oats — still delicious, even faster.

Add chocolate chips. Swap half the blueberries for dark chocolate chips. Banana, blueberry and chocolate together on a slow Sunday morning — there’s nothing better.

Make them protein-packed. Add 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder with the dry ingredients and reduce the flour by 2 tablespoons. Or check out our banana protein pancakes for a recipe built entirely around that goal.

Make them for babies and toddlers. Skip the salt, replace the butter with a little coconut oil, use breast milk or formula instead of regular milk, and quarter the blueberries so they’re not a choking risk. Our baby-friendly banana pancakes are specifically designed for little ones from 6 months up.

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How to Store

These pancakes keep better than you’d think — and they freeze beautifully. I always make a double batch on weekends just to have them ready for the week ahead.

Counter: 1 day — pancakes dry out quickly at room temperature. Only leave them out if you plan to eat them within a few hours, covered loosely with a clean cloth.

Fridge: Up to 4 days in an airtight container. Stack with a small piece of parchment paper between each pancake to prevent sticking. Reheat in a dry pan over low heat for 1 minute per side, or pop them in the toaster for a slightly crispier edge.

Freezer: Up to 2 months. Let the pancakes cool completely, then freeze flat on a baking sheet for 1 hour before transferring to a zip-lock bag. Reheat directly from frozen in the toaster or in a pan over medium-low heat — no need to defrost first.

Meal prep tip: I make a double batch every Sunday morning and freeze half in individual stacks of two. On school mornings, two minutes in the toaster and breakfast is on the table. My kids genuinely can’t tell the difference from fresh.

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One Last Thing Before You Go

These banana blueberry pancakes have become our Sunday morning ritual. I hope they become yours too. If you try them, leave a star rating below — it genuinely helps more people find this recipe, and I read every single comment.

If you love this, try our banana berry smoothie alongside your next stack, or bake a batch of our baby-friendly banana pancakes if you have little ones at the table!

Love, Lily 🍌