Strawberry Banana Pancakes

Pancakes way better than IHOP and healthier too! Our fluffy vegan Strawberry Banana Pancakes are made with protein packed chia seeds and strawberries, then studded with caramelized banana slices. Drizzle on a little homemade Better than Mrs. Butterworth’s Syrup and say hello to your new easy breakfast favorite.  Ready in 20 minutes!  

Whether you refer to this stack of deliciousness as hotcakes, flapjacks, griddle cakes, pancakes or slapjacks, we have lots of reasons you are going to want to make a batch of strawberry and banana pancakes today.  

Jump to:

• What’s to Love 
• Ingredients and Substitutions 
• How to Make - Basic Overview 
• Getting Started 
• How to Cook 
• When Are They ready to Flip Over? 
• How Long to Cook? 
• Why Did My Pancakes Burn? 
• Why are my Pancakes Mushy on the Inside?  
• Breakfast Sides and Brunch Ideas 
• Leftover Chia Seeds? - Try This! 
• Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s) 
• More Pancake Recipes
• Strawberry Banana Pancakes

What’s to Love 

• Out of eggs? No problem! These no egg pancakes use chia seeds as an egg replacement.  Chia seeds give your pancakes a little healthy boost of protein and fiber.  
• In season strawberries are delicious in the pancake mix and placed in between the Chia Seed Pancakes.  Extra strawberries are delicious in chocolate covered frozen yogurt bites.
• How cute would this stack be to serve for a breakfast or brunch gathering? Just serve up as a sliced wedge of pancakes with a drizzle of Strawberry Rhubarb Refrigerator Jam or your favorite toppings. Don’t forget a dollop of Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream.  

• Caramelized bananas without the fuss. Instead of mashing bananas and adding them to the pancake mix, we studded the pancake with slices of bananas. You got to give this a try! With a little vegan butter or coconut oil in the pan, the bananas caramelize right on the pancake itself. We can’t wait for you to try these little gems of bronze deliciousness. 
• Customizable and Dairy Free too - just like our gluten free coffee pancakes and peanut butter and jelly sheet pan pancakes!  

Ingredients and Substitutions 

All-purpose Flour - can be exchanged in a 1-to-1 ratio with whole wheat flour or gluten-free Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour mix.  

Ripe Bananas – having little brown spots on your bananas is preferred.  The riper your bananas are - the sweeter they become. However, you do not want to use bananas that are completely brown as they will be too mushy.  If your bananas are not really ripe, you can add a sprinkle of coconut sugar on the actual bananas before flipping over to help caramelize the bananas.  

Strawberries – fresh berries are the best. Frozen strawberries can make your pancakes soggy and it will take them longer to cook.  

Chia seeds -  when combined with water create a gel that helps bind your pancake batter together like an egg.  

1 tablespoon of whole chia seeds + 2.5 tablespoons of water = 1 Chia Seed Egg Replacement 

If you do not need the recipe to be vegan, you can replace the chia seeds and water mixture with 2 regular eggs.  

Baking powder – makes the batter light and fluffy and rise. 

Cinnamon or Cardamom spices are a delicious addition but are totally optional. You may even like to add 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  

Coconut Oil – Adds moisture, flavor and also helps prevent the pancakes from sticking. If you want to make your vegan strawberry pancakes fat free, hold the coconut oil and use a non-stick pan with a little spray oil for cooking.  

Almond Milk – or any dairy or non-dairy of choice work well in this pancake recipe. Oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk or even buttermilk or regular milk are okay if you do not have a dairy intolerance.  

How to Make - Basic Overview 

For the full and complete recipe, please see the recipe card below. 

1. Put chia seeds and water together and stir. Set aside and allow it to thicken.  

2. Add flour, baking powder, salt, spices in a large bowl and stir. 

3. Add the chia seed mixture to the dry ingredients and stir a little bit. 

4. Then, add coconut oil and almond milk to the pancake batter. 

5. Stir just until mixed. Set aside and allow the batter to rest. 

6. Fold in the strawberries. 

7. Heat and grease your skillet. Add about ¼ cup thick pancake batter in the skillet.  

8. Press approximately 5 banana slices onto each pancake while they are cooking in the skillet.  

9. Once the bubbles stop forming and the edges are crispy, flip over.  

10. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side.  

11. Stack with extra strawberries, if desired.  

12. Top with extra sliced bananas and strawberries and your favorite toppings. 

Getting Started 

• Choose the best fresh ingredients.  Confirm that your baking powder is not expired.  
• Do not over mix batter as this make your pancakes tough. 
• Let the batter rest for a few minutes to thicken up and do its thing. 
• The best pans for cooking pancakes are a good old fashion griddle or a heavy non-stick skillet. 

How to Cook 

• Cook pancakes over a medium heat. This ensures that the pancakes do not brown on the exterior before the interior of the pancake is cooked.  
• If you cook pancakes on too low of a heat, they may get tough and can have a pale exterior. 
• You can make small mini pancakes like the size of a silver dollar or extra-large pancakes. That is up to you.   

• We like to make our pancakes with about ¼ cup of batter.  This size makes them easier to flip.  
• Make sure that you leave room in your pan so the pancakes are not crowded and are not touching.  

When Are They ready to Flip Over? 

• White flour pancakes are ready to be flipped when the bubbles formed on the top break and then stop forming. However, whole-grain pancakes like whole wheat brown a little faster.  
• Bubbles will start to form on the edges first and pop and then they will start to form in the middle of the pancake. When these middle bubbles stop forming, it is time to flip.  

How Long to Cook? 

• The time to cook depends on the type of flour you are using and the temperature of your burner.  Generally speaking, it takes an average of 2 to 3 minutes of cook time on each side.  
• Strawberry banana pancakes are finished cooking when the pancake is raised and fluffy.  The exterior is lightly brown on both sides with crispy edges and is no longer shiny on the outside.  

Why Did My Pancakes Burn? 

• You have the heat set too high. 
• If you use real butter, the butter may over brown and cause your pancakes to burn. One way to avoid this is to clean your skillet or pan between cooking batches of pancakes. Trying cooking pancakes in clarified butter, vegan butters or coconut oil as these have a much higher smoke point. 

Why are my Pancakes Mushy on the Inside?  

• Simply, you may have cooked them on too high of a heat and the exterior of the pancake browned before the interior had a chance to cook all the way though. For the next pancake, turn the temperature down a little bit.  
• Don’t be in a rush to flip the pancake. You have to be patient and let your banana chia seed pancakes cook until the bubbles essentially stop forming in the middle of the pancake BEFORE flipping over.  

Breakfast Sides and Brunch Ideas 

Are you having the whole crew over for a morning breakfast or brunch? Some of our readers’ favorites to serve on the side is our Stove Top Parmesan Leek Frittata, Blackberry Lemon Drop Biscuits or our Baked Eggs in Toast.    

Looking for vegan options? Try our Cranberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies,or Spicy Tofu Scramble.  

Don’t forget about the drinks! Spice up your usual morning coffee with and Iced Bubblebee Coffee, or maybe even a Mexican Chocolate Cherry Smoothie for a special treat.  

Leftover Chia Seeds? - Try This! 

We need to confess something. We have a chia seed addiction. Ok, we have said it so that is the first step in admitting to addiction, right? It is that little crunch of the seed.  

We put them in just about anything and everything from baked goods to oatmeal, scrambled eggs and they are sublime in a pudding. Have you tried our Lemony Lavender Chia Seed Pudding or Matcha Chocolate Chia Parfait?  

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s) 

More Pancake Recipes

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