Banana Pancakes for Babies
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How to make easy pancakes for babies (and toddlers) with only five ingredients: oats, egg, banana, cinnamon and milk. Just blend, cook and serve!
I’m back with another baby food post for ya!
You all love seeing what I feed Olivia, and I love sharing it! It’s been so fun to have her try new foods and become a little foodie.
If you are just starting your baby food journey, here’s how I’ve been approaching introducing solids!
When you’re ready to dive in, be sure to check out these baby food combos and my baby oatmeal recipe for Liv.
A lot of people recommend pancakes as an early food for babies, especially when doing baby led weaning.
I tried the two ingredient pancakes (ones with just egg and banana) early on and she didn’t love them, but I starting making her these about a month ago and she’s obsessed. I think she likes the bread-y texture of these more!
These pancakes have quickly become her favorite and most requested food! She signs for them as soon as she wakes up. Girl knows what she wants!
I’m calling these baby pancakes, but they’re adult-friendly and quite similar to my banana cottage cheese pancakes. Whenever I make them for Liv I always snack on a few because they’re actually really good!
Banana Oatmeal Pancake Ingredients
You only need five simple ingredients for these pancakes.
- oats – rolled old fashioned oats are the base of this recipe. Once blended, the oats turn into oat flour! I like using Bob’s Red Mill organic rolled oats, but quick oats will work as well.
- banana – the banana gives the pancakes a nice sweetness and a nice texture. Other fruits and veggies could likely be used, but I’ve only tested the recipe with banana.
- egg – the egg adds protein, healthy fats and makes the pancakes fluff up a bit.
- cinnamon – I love adding a bit of warm spice to the pancakes, but this is totally optional.
- milk – I use unsweetened plain or vanilla almond milk, but you could use any dairy-free milk or cow’s milk.
How to Make Pancakes for Babies
I love how easy these small pancakes are to whip up and how well they store! One batch makes a lot of pancakes, which is great for weekly meal prep. I love having leftover pancakes in the fridge so I can simply warm them up a tiny bit and feed them to Olivia as soon as she wakes up. Here’s how to make them:
Blend: Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour batter onto a warm, greased skillet. I did about 1 Tablespoon of batter for each pancake to keep them small.
Cook: Cook until the batter starts to form little bubbles and you can easily get under the pancake with a spatula. Flip pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until pancake is cooked through.
If the batter thickens too much as you’re cooking the pancakes, simply add a splash of milk to thin it out a bit.
How to Serve Pancakes to Babies/Toddlers
This is obviously up to your comfort level as a parent, the age of your baby and their chewing ability! Here are some options:
- Give the baby the pancakes whole and let them take bites off
- Cut the pancakes into strips so that the baby can grab and eat
- Rip into small bite-sized pieces
It’s easier for younger babies to grab larger pieces of food so keeping the pancakes whole or cutting them into strips will likely work better. As they get older and develop their pincer grasp you can try smaller pieces to help them practice grabbing smaller objects.
You can serve these pancakes plain, topped with a little nut butter or yogurt or even with a fruit puree or chia jam for dipping. Kiddos love to dip!
How to Make These Pancakes Ahead of Time
Like I mentioned earlier, these are the perfect recipe to prep ahead of time! Follow the recipe as directed and then let the pancakes cool completely on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to a month.
The pancakes tend to get hard as they sit in the fridge so when your baby is ready to enjoy you can quickly pop them up in the toaster oven or microwave to warm and soften.
Everything You Need to Make Banana Pancakes for Babies
Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender
Buy Now →
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, 32-ounce (Pack of 4)
Buy Now →
Lodge 15 Inch Cast Iron Pre-Seasoned Skillet
Buy Now →More Baby Food Recipes and Resources
- Baby Oatmeal
- Healthy Smash Cake
- Oatmeal Fingers
- Homemade Applesauce
- Baby (+ Toddler) French Toast
- Baby Yogurt Melts
- Poop Chocolates
- How to Start Baby-Led Weaning + First Foods
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Banana Oatmeal Pancakes for Babies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats, quick oats will also work
- ¼ cup milk of choice
- 1 medium ripe banana, 86 grams*
- 1 large egg
- pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
- Cook until the batter starts to form little bubbles and you can easily get under the pancake with a spatula (about 2 minutes). Flip pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until pancake is cooked through.
- Serve whole or break into pieces for tiny hands. You can serve these plain, with a little nut butter or yogurt spread on top or with a fruit puree to dip the pancakes in.
- Cool the pancakes completely on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to a month.
Video
Notes
- Banana: Bananas can vary in sizes, so I would recommend weighing your banana in grams if you have a scale. If you have a large banana it will add more moisture to the batter making it too runny and difficult to fully cook in the middle. You also want to make sure your banana is ripe, but not overly ripe as that will also add extra moisture to your batter. If you are using a super ripe/mushy or extra large banana, you might want to start with only 1-2 Tablespoons of milk and add more as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Loved this recipe!
I added some vanilla essence for more flavor and some baking powder to make the pancakes a bit more fluffy. My 8 month old LOVED them.
Thank you 🫶🏻
Sounds amazing, Amy! I am so glad these turned out great for you and they are a hit for your little one. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
I’ve been making these weekly for my boys since my oldest (now 4) started food and they love them! I find using slightly less than 1/4 cup milk helps to make them a thicker consistency.
YUM! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback, Megan, I am so glad your boys are loving them. I appreciaet you taking the time to share your review & star rating, it means so much to me!
I substituted baby oat cereal for the blended oatmeal, and the batter came out way too thick. I tried cooking the pancakes for probably 10-15 minutes on the lowest stovetop setting and they still weren’t done in the middle. I probably added at least 2x as much milk to get the batter to the right consistency. I’m not leaving a rating because I changed the recipe, but I would love if the recipe specified how thin the batter should be before attempting to cook.
Hi Corey. I wouldn’t sub the oats for baby cereal, the texture definitely wouldn’t be the same as there are additional ingredients in the baby oat cereal that you won’t have in oats. The batter should be pancake batter consistency, not thin like water, but not too thick like a cake or brownie batter. Hope that helps. Let me know if you give this recipe a try with regular oats and how it turns out.
I have made these a bunch of times for my first born – he still loves them even though he has entered that picky toddler stage! I throw in spinach for an extra veggie boost too! It has been an amazing staple breakfast, snack, freezer, etc.
But now we have started BLW with my 8 month old who turns out is allergic to eggs. Has anyone tried flax as replacement? How does it hold up?
Hi Serenée! I am so glad these are a hit for you little one. How exciting to start BLW with your second. I haven’t tried an egg substitute so I’m not 100% sure how they’d turn out, but I think a flax egg should work, but let me know if you try it! Another person who made them shared that they used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free egg replacer and they turned out well for her, so that might be another good option for you! Can’t wait to hear how these turn out!
I’m in the same boat! Have you tried them with flax?
I just made these for my 10 month old, I had a lot of bananas so I did a double batch and they look great! I’m so excited to feed him some tomorrow. Hoping they’re a hit. We’re slowly trying more real foods 😀
Yay! Can’t wait to hear how these turned out and how your little one liked them! Hoping they are a hit!!
Not sure where I went wrong but these did not form into pancakes at all. It was like I just burnt some oatmeal 😕 My batter was thin but became clumpy and did not hold any kind of shape
Hi Megan – I am so sorry to hear these didn’t turn out for you. Did you change anything about the recipe? The batter shouldn’t have been thin and clumpy, how long did you blend it for?
I have tried to make these probably 10 times in the last two days and I cannot figure out what I’m doing wrong. I’m cooking them on the lowest setting following the recipe to a T And somehow they’re still burning on the outside before they can cook on the inside. ending up with super mushy pancakes. Even when I make the paper thin and small. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG
Hi Katie! I am so sorry these aren’t turning out for you. What type of oats are you using?
Could you use oat flour rather than blending oats? Would it be the same amount?
Hi Kristy! I have not tested this recipe with oat flour, but a few other followers have and they said it worked out great. I would probably use the same amount as well. If you give this recipe a try with the oat flour, I’d love to hear how they turn out for you! Enjoy!
I followed the recipe exactly, I just added the tiniest bit of vanilla and they were PERFECT! My 12 month old loved them plain or dipped in yogurt 😊
Hi Lindsey! This is so great to hear. I am glad your little one is loving these pancakes and they turned out amazing for you. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I tried this recipe and I got pretty pancakes BUT they feel also squishy/not done in the middle. I don’t want to give these to my baby. I even added extra milk to thin out my batter. I think blending the oats with everything is the problem-should probably blend the oats, and then combine everything outside of the blender like a normal pancake batter.
Hi Rachael – I am so sorry these turned out a bit underdone for you. Was the batter super wet? Were they unable to be cooked any longer? You want to make sure you are cooking them low and slow in the pan so the middle has enough time to cook through.
I found this recipe while looking for a healthy pancake for my 1 year old. And this one has been a hit since day 1. Now at 15 months old, he can eat at least 6 small pieces (about 3 inches in diameter) of pancake. I use oat flour right away cause I mix this by hand. I also add more milk (almost double).
So glad this recipe has been a hit! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Hi! I accidentally bought quick oats instead of old fashioned rolled oats, can I still use in the recipe?
Yes! Quick oats will work as well, enjoy!
I added chia and subbed Greek yogurt for the milk, with a touch of honey and baking powder for my 18 month old. (he likes fluffy pancakes), and it was a hit! Even I was gobbling them up.
YAY! This makes me so happy to hear, Sarah. I am so glad you found this recipe and it turned out great for you. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!