Banana Flaxseed Oat Pancakes Recipe

What Is Banana Flaxseed Oat Pancakes?

Banana flaxseed oat pancakes are skillet pancakes made with ground rolled oats, ground flaxseed, ripe banana and eggs, with the whole batter blended in one blender and no wheat flour or added sweetener. They come out denser and more moist than a white flour pancake, with the sweetness the banana brings, and they are served with banana slices and chopped walnuts on top.

What Makes This Recipe Anti-Inflammatory?

Ground flaxseed is the richest common plant source of alpha-linolenic acid, the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid, and it also supplies lignans, which gut bacteria convert into enterolactone, the form that circulates in the blood. The oats add beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that forms a viscous gel in the intestine and is fermented into short-chain fatty acids, plus avenanthramides, the polyphenols found almost exclusively in oats. Use ground flaxseed rather than whole seeds, because whole flaxseeds pass through the digestive tract without opening and the body cannot reach the oil or the lignans inside.

Walnuts bring more alpha-linolenic acid, and cinnamon contributes cinnamaldehyde, the compound behind its aroma. The recipe leaves out refined wheat flour, added sugar and syrup, since the sweetness comes from the ripe bananas, and it cooks in extra-virgin olive oil instead of refined seed oils.

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 medium ripe bananas (about 1 pound total), 2 peeled for the batter and 1 sliced into rounds for serving
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Step 1

Put the rolled oats alone in a blender and grind them for 30 to 45 seconds. They are ready when no whole flakes remain and the mixture looks like fine flour.

Step 2

Add the ground flaxseed, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, the 2 peeled bananas, eggs, almond milk and vanilla extract to the blender. Blend for about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides, until the batter is smooth and light beige with dark specks of flaxseed.

Step 3

Let the batter rest for 10 minutes in the blender jar, without stirring. It is ready when it has thickened enough for a spoonful to hold its shape in a mound instead of running off the spoon.

Step 4

Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. The oil is ready when a drop of batter sizzles on contact. Pour in four 1/3 cup portions, spaced apart, and cook them undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges lose their shine and the bubbles on the surface open and stay open.

Step 5

Flip the pancakes with a thin spatula and cook them for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the second side is golden and the center springs back when pressed with a finger. Move them to a plate and repeat with the remaining oil and batter in two more batches, for a total of 12 pancakes.

Step 6

Divide the pancakes among four plates, three per plate. Top each serving with the sliced banana and the chopped walnuts.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

InflammaScore

1 Good! Very low inflammation potential

Q&A

Q1: Can I make these pancakes without a blender?
A1: Yes. Start with store-bought oat flour instead of rolled oats. Mash the two bananas with a fork until no chunks remain, then whisk the rest of the ingredients into them by hand. The texture will be slightly more rustic, but the pancakes hold together the same way.

Q2: Why does my batter spread out, and why do the pancakes break when I flip them?
A2: The most common cause is skipping the 10 minute rest in Step 3, which is what thickens the batter. Oversized portions, high heat, or flipping before the edges lose their shine also cause it. Wait until the surface bubbles open and stay open before turning each pancake.

Q3: Can I use steel-cut or instant oats?
A3: Steel-cut oats do not work. They stay hard and gritty because they do not hydrate in a 10 minute rest. Instant oats do work and give a softer pancake. Old-fashioned rolled oats grind into the flour with the best texture for this recipe.

Q4: Can I make them ahead, and how long do they keep?
A4: Yes. Store the pancakes in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze them with parchment paper between the layers. Reheat them in the toaster, which brings back a firm edge that the microwave does not.

Q5: How ripe should the bananas be?
A5: Look for bananas with heavily speckled skins. Green or barely ripe bananas bring little sweetness and leave firm chunks in the batter. Fully speckled bananas mash smooth and sweeten the whole batch on their own.

The whole batter blends in one jar, so cleanup takes a minute. A single batch reheats in the toaster, so it covers breakfasts for several days.