The best banana walnut pancakes, made from scratch and loaded with chocolate chips, no mashing required. Top with pure maple syrup and you'll never go back to pancake mix again!

top view image of banana walnut pancakes on plate with fork on plate scattered with chocolate chips walnuts and flowers on table

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions are my own.

Move over banana bread, there's a new favorite banana breakfast in town!

I'm all about the sweet, carb-loaded breakfast, but need plenty of protein to keep my blood sugar from dropping before lunch.

I developed this recipe when I was pregnant with one of my babies because I needed an excuse to eat a slightly healthier pancake breakfast. I found that adding bananas, walnuts, and chocolate chips was just what I needed!

image of plate with pancakes topped with walnuts, chocolate chips and bananas

You might be surprised, but a lot of people wonder if pregnant women can eat pancakes. The answer is yes! Of course you'll need to consult with your doctor on your individual dietary needs, but for the vast majority a stack of loaded pancakes makes a great pregnancy breakfast recipe.

These banana nut pancakes are simple to make, fluffy, and full of texture. They're perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast, or make a bunch and freeze them to have pancakes any day of the week!

What makes this recipe special is there's no mashed banana. You just mix up your pancake batter from scratch, spoon it onto a hot griddle, and top with banana slices, walnuts, and chocolate chips.

This lets the banana slices get nice and caramelized on the hot griddle while ensuring that each pancake gets the exact mix-ins you want in every bite!

Ingredients

All-purpose flour
Whole wheat flour
Granulated sugar
Baking soda
Baking powder
Salt
Buttermilk
Butter
Vanilla extract
Banana
Walnuts
Chocolate chips

How to make banana walnut pancakes

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl
Whisk eggs and buttermilk together in a glass measuring cup
Slowly whisk melted butter and vanilla into the buttermilk mixture
Pour wet ingredients into the dry and fold together with a rubber scraper until just incorporated
Pour ½ cup batter per pancake onto a hot griddle
Sprinkle with banana slices, walnuts, and chocolate chips
Flip and cook the other side
Serve with butter and maple syrup

two images. the first one is dry ingredients in a large bowl, the second one is dry ingredients being whisked together

two images. the first one is wet ingredients being whisked together, the second one is the dry and wet ingredients being whisked together

Top tips and questions

Do I need to use whole wheat flour?

It's ok to replace the whole wheat flour in this recipe with regular, all-purpose flour. You may need to add slightly more flour since whole wheat flour is more absorbent. Be sure to look at your batter to see that it matches the texture in the photos.

How to avoid tough pancakes

Don't over mix! You want to fully incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry without removing every lump. Fold gently and leave a few lumps in there for perfectly, fluffy pancakes.

close up image of fork stacked with banana walnut pancakes on plate

Why are my wet ingredients curdled and lumpy?

We're adding melted butter to cold buttermilk and eggs. If you don't do this slowly, the butter will seize up and get cold before incorporating.

Be sure to add your butter slowly. Alternatively, you could bring your buttermilk and eggs to room temperature before incorporating.

Tips for customizing

Swap the bananas for another fruit like thinly sliced ripe peaches or nectarines, raspberries, or blueberries
Skip the walnuts or swap them with pecans
Use carob chips or cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips
Use all-purpose flour for all of the flour instead of making some of it whole wheat
Drizzle cooked pancakes with your favorite nut butter for even more protein