Gluten-Free Banana and Egg Pancakes

It seems like flourless banana and egg pancakes are making another sweep through the paleo and gluten-free worlds lately. I’ve seen lots of recipes recently for the basic two-ingredient version with banana and egg in varying proportions. Other recipes call for the addition of coconut flour or protein powder, and still others add in peanut or almond butter. But no flour or flour substitute. Really?

Well, we haven’t had pancakes in three years, so I needed to see what the big deal was about. Were these anything like “real” pancakes? Would this healthy version make an acceptable substitute?

Once you try these, you won’t believe they’re just banana and egg. They’re delicately sweet, courtesy of the bananas, but as someone who’s not a fan of banana flavour, I’m happy to tell you they don’t actually taste much like bananas at all. I would say the flavour is closer to sweet and delicious eggy crepes, and these are a great way of using up overripe bananas that are starting to turn brown. Compared to regular pancakes, I find these harder to cook evenly, but the dark, crispy edges are actually surprisingly tasty. The sugar caramelizes a bit and gives them an almost toffee-like flavour.

After several weekends’ worth of experimentation, here’s my version of this gluten-free and dairy-free pancake, perfect for Sunday brunch. Instead of whipped cream, I serve these with coconut cream. The easiest way to do this is to leave a can of full-fat coconut milk in the fridge for a day or so. When you’re ready to serve, just open the can and spoon out the solidified coconut cream leaving the liquid behind.

Serve the pancakes with a scoop of chilled coconut cream and fresh fruit on top. No syrup or added sugar needed. This day we had raspberries and sliced strawberries, but we’ve also done blueberries, pineapple (think pina coladas), and melon. Try these next weekend. You’ll thank me!

Gluten-Free Banana and Egg Pancakes

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Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 6 eggs
• 4 ripe bananas
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil divided
• chilled coconut cream
• fresh fruit of choice

Instructions

 

• In a medium bowl, mash bananas well.
• In a separate bowl, beat eggs until frothy, then add eggs to mashed bananas.
• Add baking powder, vanilla, and cinnamon to egg banana mixture and mix well.
• Transfer to blender and blend on medium for 20 seconds until smooth but not runny. Be careful not to overblend.
• Heat cast iron skillet on medium-low with 1 tablespoon coconut oil.
• Once oil is hot, pour quarter cup of batter into skillet and cook 2-3 minutes until the centre begins to bubble and edges start to brown. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes.
• Add coconut oil as needed before cooking additional pancakes.
• Serve with chilled coconut cream and fresh fruit.

Notes

To make paleo-friendly baking powder, mix 1 part baking soda to 2 parts cream of tartar.