Healthy Banana Pancakes Recipe – Extra Protein for your Family | AD
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Since becoming parents we have tried to give the children as healthy and nutritious meals as possible whilst letting them have treats like pudding on some days and really a good balance in their diet.
I’ve realised that although the kids are fantastic at eating fruit and vegetables there are some weeks where they don’t get enough protein in their diet so I’ve been looking at ways to increase the amount of protein we eat as a family.
I know you’re probably automatically thinking of how much protein in the form of meat, poultry and eggs your family eats. Often it can be hard – or expensive – to incorporate more of those foods into your meal plan for the week.
I’ve recently discovered whey protein and it has changed the way that we eat as a family. It’s such a versatile ingredient and something that you can add to so many dishes to give that extra boost of protein when you need it.
Why is whey protein so great?
Whey protein is a natural product, made from a by-product of cheese making it suitable for vegetarians. It has a really high nutritional quality which means it is commonly used for those interested in fitness but it’s now available in pretty much every supermarket as an ingredient and not just a supplement. It comes in different varieties with various flavours but I’ve found the flavourless version really great to cook with.
The whey based protein powder makes us all feel fuller for longer and even the children are happy to eat anything I make using it. It’s almost like flour when used as an ingredient and is just so easy to cook with. We’ve been adding it to smoothies, baking with it and even putting it in things like Yorkshire puddings!
One of our favourite recipes that incorporates whey protein is our healthy banana pancakes recipe. The children love pancakes and would eat pancakes all day every day if we let them. Instead, we tend to have them for a healthy breakfast or brunch on a weekend.
This healthy pancakes recipe is a really nice variation on a typical pancake, full of fruit and only natural sugars as well as the additional protein from the whey protein powder that I use instead of some of the flour.
We use an unflavoured whey protein powder for this protein pancakes recipe but a vanilla powder or chocolate protein powder would also work well. You can also get vegan protein powder which would also work in this easy protein powder pancakes recipes. This is also a great way to use up ripe bananas – fluffy banana protein pancakes are a great alternative to banana bread – and really the riper they are the better!
You could also use a banana protein powder in these protein banana pancakes to compliment the banana fruit flavour. Plus, a lot of people like to add rolled oats or oatmeal to their pancakes. You can add a handful of oats to make banana oatmeal pancakes if you like.Â
How do you serve these protein pancakes?
We always serve our banana pancakes simply with fresh fruit but you could add a drizzle of maple syrup or even some Greek yogurt for a new flavour combination. This easy banana pancakes recipe makes four pancakes which is perfect for an adult or I make this amount for the children to share as two pancakes is a big enough portion size for them.
How can I vary this healthy pancake recipe?
We use normal plain flour for these pancakes but you can use whole wheat flour for a denser finish. As there’s moisture from the bananas in the mix you don’t need any kind of milk or almond milk which we often use in our traditional pancakes.
You could also add a handful of rolled oats for oatmeal pancakes and these are almost dairy free – aside from the whey protein that a lot of lactose intolerant people can actually have.
For added flavour you could try making this easy banana protein pancake recipe with coconut oil, serving spread with peanut butter or adding a handful of chocolate chips or chia seeds to the mix. They’d also work well with a handful of rolled oats to make beautiful banana oat pancakes too. However you make them, banana protein pancakes are sweet, delicious and perfect for sharing!
If you’re looking for other recipes to use up old bananas why not try our banana blueberry fairy cakes, chocolate banana flapjacks or fruity nutty banana muffin recipes? You can see all our overripe banana recipes here.
So here’s our Healthy Banana Pancake Recipe:
Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Makes: 4 pancakes
Ingredients:
- 2 bananas – sliced
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp whey protein (approx 12g) – either chocolate or vanilla protein powder
- Oil
- Fresh fruit to serve
Instructions:
- Mash the sliced bananas in a bowl
- Add the eggs, plain flour and whey protein. Mix well until light and fluffy.
- Heat a frying pan – or pancake pan if you have one – and add a little drizzle of oil or cooking spray.
- When the pan is hot, add a dollop of pancake batter and cook for a couple of minutes over medium heat before turning over and cooking for a couple of minutes on the other side and the pancakes are lovely and golden brown.
- Repeat until all the mixture is used. Stack the pancakes on a plate, top with fresh fruit and eat immediately.
If you’d like to print or pin the Healthy Banana Pancakes Recipe for later you can do so below. Enjoy!
Healthy Banana Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 bananas
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp whey protein approx 12g
- Oil
- Fresh fruit to serve
Instructions
- Mash the bananas in a bowl
- Add the eggs, plain flour and whey protein. Mix well.
- Heat a frying pan – or pancake pan if you have one – and add a drizzle of oil.
- When the pan is hot, add a dollop of pancake mix and cook for a couple of minutes before turning over and cooking for a couple of minutes on the other side.
- Repeat until all the mixture is used. Stack the pancakes on a plate, top with fresh fruit and eat immediately.
*Note: Nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published.
These pancakes look absolutely delicious! These would be the perfect pre or post gym snack. I’ll definitely be trying out this recipe. Thank you for sharing! xxx
Your pancakes look flipping delicious! We only really have them once a year!