Light & Fluffy Banana Protein Pancakes are a healthy breakfast with 5 simple ingredients that taste amazing and fill you up! Whipped egg whites, protein powder and ripe bananas make up these low-fat and low-carb pancakes, for a complete and wholesome meal.
Protein Pancake Recipe
These Protein Pancakes are a fantastic low calorie breakfast loaded with wholesome goodness. Unlike most banana pancakes that can be flat and dense, we use a special technique to make them light and fluffy. They are the best protein pancakes you will make!
Whether you follow a low carb diet or are just looking for a wholesome breakfast recipe, these protein pancakes are filling and delicious. When I am craving something hearty for breakfast like pancakes, these are one of my go-to recipes for my kids and I.
Healthy Pancake Recipe
We grew up enjoying a hearty stack of rich buttermilk pancakes every Sunday. It was one of the few things my Dad cooked in our family, but boy were they delicious! I still love a good buttermilk pancake, but they aren’t necessarily the most sensible choice to make every week. These protein banana pancakes are a much healthier recipe.
Banana Protein Pancakes
I have tried versions of banana protein pancakes using protein powder in the past but they tend to be dense and unappealing. One day a light went off in my head…whipped egg whites!
By beating the egg whites alone, like you would for a meringue, it would make the batter much lighter and airier. The process worked wonderfully. They were like eating banana clouds!
Why are my protein pancakes burning?
Bananas have lots of natural sugars in them. If you cook these protein pancakes at too high of a temperature, they will burn on outside and not cook through the center well. It is important to cook these banana pancakes in a non stick skillet over medium-low heat.
Best Protein Powder for Pancakes
Another reason that protein pancakes can burn is the protein powder you use in the recipe. We use a low-carb and low sugar protein powder which results in a beautifully light and fluffy pancake. If you are using a protein powder that is higher in sugar, they will more difficult to cook.
I highly recommend Naturade Whey Protein Booster for a protein powder that doesn’t have any added sugars and therefore only has 1 carb per serving.
Another issue I have seen people run into, is the consistency of the batter. Some protein powders will make the batter too thick. If you run across this issue, just thin the batter a little with some water or milk until it is a good pancake batter consistency.
Can I freeze Protein Pancakes
This recipe makes two servings, so if you are flying solo you can toss the leftovers in the freezer. Layer the pancakes between parchment paper in a resealable bag and you will have a great breakfast option for the future! If you are heading to work and need a last minute breakfast, pop a few of the pancakes in the microwave. Cook them for a minute and you have an easy and healthy breakfast for an amazing grab and go meal.
Protein Pancake Consistency
Banana Protein Powder Pancakes don’t have the same consistency of a traditional pancake with flour, but they are equally wonderful in their own right! Top them with some honey yogurt and fresh fruit for the ultimate breakfast.
If you are looking for the same exact consistency as a regular pancake that is loaded with flour, this recipe is not for you. The absence of any flour will obviously create a different consistency.
Are pancakes a good source of protein?
Regular pancakes have minimal protein and are loaded with carbs. Protein Pancakes on the other hand have tons of protein and minimal carbs. This particular recipe for protein pancakes has a whopping 22g of protein per serving. That is a great way to start the day and fill you up and we all know how important protein is!
Are protein pancakes healthy?
If you are making clean protein pancakes with healthy toppings like fruit and Greek yogurt, they incredibly healthy! Bananas, strawberries and raspberries are all great options. Add a drizzle of natural peanut butter for even more protein and great flavor.
I like to use a healthy protein powder and avoid those with added sugars and subsequently higher carbs.
Low-carb breakfast recipes
Check out more great more low-carb breakfast recipes below. They are packed with protein and full of delicious flavors! Whether you want something quick and easy on-the-go or are looking for a great breakfast bake to serve to guests, we have got you covered.
- Light & Spicy Turkey Sausage Breakfast Burritos – This grab and go option is a fantastic meal prep option for a healthy breakfast.
- Goat Cheese & Pesto Veggie Scramble – This protein packed breakfast is loaded with amazing flavor.
- Easy Microwave Scrambled Egg Cup Recipes – Another great meal prep option, these premade jars are a great way to enjoy loaded scrambled eggs in just minutes.
- Ham and Cheese Egg Bites – These egg muffins made with cottage cheese and ham are a fantastic breakfast on the go.
Light & Fluffy Banana Protein Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 40 g vanilla protein powder
- 1 large very ripe banana
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- In two clean bowls, separate the eggs carefully so none of the yolk gets into the egg whites.
- Beat the egg whites on high for 2 minutes until they form soft peaks. (It is important that your bowl or beaters don't have any oil, fat or yolks on them, or the egg whites won't form peaks. Soft peaks are defined as barely holding their shape. The peaks flop over immediately when the beaters are lifted.)
- Add the egg yolks along with the remaining ingredients to a medium bowl and beat until smooth.
- Gently fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the banana mixture until roughly combined. Fold half of the remaining eggs whites into the mixture and finally the last portion until everything is well combined.
- Heat a skillet over low heat. Scoop 1/4 c. of the mixture onto the skillet and cook for 60-90 seconds on each side.
- Serve immediately.
- OPTIONAL: Top with fresh fruit and/or 1/3 c. plain non-fat Greek yogurt mixed with 1 Tbsp. honey.
Mika says
Warning: don’t beat the egg whites by hand if it’s the day or two after a hardcore arm day. ☺️ Seriously though, these were perfect. I used Teraswhey, organic bourbon vanilla. They are amazing! Even my boyfriend commented on them. Well done!!!
Shanta says
Ummm so I just made these and followed your recipe exactly. The only addition was one tsp of peanut butter. Lady you are a food genius!!! I’m currently about to post my pic of my pancakes on Facebook. My picky husband destroyed them….and so did I.
P.S. you may not get this post but I to struggle with infertility. My husband and I had one failed IVF cycle. Since then God has healed my heart and removed my pain. We will be adopting next year. Best of luck to you. When you do have a kid…they will have the best chef Momma ever.
Love…Shanta
Flora says
I’m sorry but this recipe creates air-cakes with no substance! You need some kind of flour in there to give them more bite.
Renate says
These pancakes are sooo Good! Thanks for the great Recipe!
Danielle Green says
Happy to hear you enjoyed them!
Mikolaj m says
How much calories would 100grams of these pancakes have?
Danielle Green says
Sorry, I don’t figure the nutrition that way. You can see the nutrition info for 4 pancakes at the bottom of the recipe though.
Michael says
Hi, how much calories would 100gram of these pancakes have??
Michael says
Hi, I would just like to know how much calories would 100 grams of these pancakes be?
D Stewart says
Why do the eggs whites and yolks need to be separated. Admittedly, I’m a novice in the kitchen but this seems cumbersome. How much of a difference will it make it everything is combined quickly?
Danielle Green says
This makes a huge difference. By whipping the egg whites, it adds a light fluffiness to the pancakes instead of the normally heavy and dense protein pancakes.
Denise says
I tried this recipe on a whim because I had everything by chance and it turned out better than expected! The pancakes were fluffy and had the right amount of cinnamon. I used chocolate whey protein by ON and instead of syrup, I used peanut butter. It went well!
Jennifer Sanchez says
I tried powdered bone broth protein in place of the protein powder. Do not try it! Could not even flip the pancakes. Not rating yet since I didn’t follow the recipe!
Monica G says
Hi there,
I gave these a try with Isoflex protein and they wouldn’t cook around the edges ? Just all raw batter :/ any suggestions ?
Danielle Green says
Unfortunately I am not familiar with that protein so I can’t help troubleshoot much. I do know that different proteins definitely have different consistencies though, so it might be worth giving it a try with the Naturade protein.
Julia Irwin says
Hi! I made these today and used a french vanilla protein powder that I had on hand (20gm protein per scoop). They were good and I will make them again. I have been getting into counting my macros recently and I’m confused about the nutritional facts that are listed…it states this makes 8 pancakes (it did) and a serving is 4 pancakes…how is there only 8 grams of protein per serving if using 2 scoops of protein powder, and there are also 2 eggs in this? I clicked on the link for the protein powder in the recipe and it looks like 16gm protein per scoop but this still did not make sense to me if using 2 scoops plus eggs. Are the nutritional facts accurate?
Thanks,
Julia
Danielle Green says
Hi Julia, thanks for that catch. I went back and cross referenced everything from the nutritional app I pulled this from. It looks like I made a typo in the protein section. There is in fact 22 grams of protein per serving. Sorry about that mistake, but thanks so much for pointing it out!
Danielle
Emily says
I randomly found this recipe and decided to give it a try because I’m on a healthy diet. Let’s say it turned out disastrous. I had none of those thin metal spatulas so I was trying to improvise with a thick rubber spatula, a wooden spatula (slightly thick), a metal spoon etc. Nothing was working. The result was a hot mess. However, this is probably my fault because that was the first time I made pancakes and nothing I used could flip it properly. The batter itself? It was delicious! I was only able to make 6 ‘pancakes’ if you could call it that and the kitchen smells great! But it was just t out al chaos trying to flip -_-
Jerica says
I made these with a plant based peanut butter protein powder and they turned out great!! Thank you
Jack says
These were great!!!
I’ve tried making protein pancakes before but they never came out this good. Looks like I found my recipe!
I also added a handful of frozen blueberries and 1/4 tsp vanilla
Lucy H. says
Hey, this recipe looks great! I am currently moving on from vegetarianism, to try and adopt a healthier vegan lifestyle. I was just wondering if you know of anything i could use with this recipe, to substitute the eggs? Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks a bunch! All the Best Xx
Danielle Green says
With this particular recipe, I don’t think there would be a good substitute for eggs. The whipped egg whites are what make them light and fluffy and I am unaware of a substitute that would do the same for them. Sorry I couldn’t be more help, but best of luck with your transition to vegan!
Laura Goetz says
For vegan instead try Aquafaba!(chickpea juice)You have to whip it for 30 minutes but it foams and does a great job
Danielle Green says
Love this suggestion, thanks!
Meredith says
Try using the liquid from a can of garbanzo beans. 3 Tablespoons for every egg.
Patti says
I made these with blended silken tofu and Vega protein. They turned out great!
Katelyn says
These sound great. Can I use Chocolate Shakeology instead of the protein powder?
Danielle Green says
You could try, but I’m not certain how the flavor would be. I’m personally not a fan of the artificial sweetener flavor in Shakeology, so it wouldn’t work for me.
Maria says
Oh my days !!! Thanks for sharing , they’re so amazing. Fancied some pancakes só saw this recipe last night, was supper excited to try it this morning. Everything went well and despite slightly burnt they tasted amazing !!!
I used my vegan peanut butter protein and topped it with strawberries and agave syrup !!! PERFECT COMBINATION. Thank you again 🙂 it’s already in my recipe book
Sue says
Yes, you can use Shakeology. (And the sweetener is NOT artificial) Enjoy!
Candice Gomez says
Loved them! Finally some protein pancakes that are light & fluffy!! Only thing I added were some chopped walnuts……yum!!! Thank you!!! Best wishes & positive vibes on your fertility. ?
Danielle Green says
Thanks so much Candice!
Emily says
Winner!!! Thank you for givIng me something edible and fast for breakfast ❤️ They turn out kind of gooey in the middle, is that normal? And I am adding a few semi sweet choc chips on top instead of syrup.
Danielle Green says
I’m happy to hear you like them! Mine didn’t turn out goey at all in the middle. My guess is you might have a thicker protein powder and need to add a little bit more liquid to compensate for it.
Kasthur Narayanswami says
These are the best protein pancakes I’ve had, hands down! Thanks so much for sharing!! Only thing I found was I needed to add a little water to thin out the protein/banana/egg yolk mix (but that’s probably because my protein is like cement). Kas Xx
Danielle Green says
I’m so happy to hear you loved them! I’m glad you were able to adjust them to your particular protein powder to make them work for you. Thanks for stopping back to share!
Sarah says
I added my banana to my magic bullet with some unsweetened almond milk for more “liquid”. They came out wonderfully and my 9 year old daughter gobbled them up! We don’t like overly sweet things so I also used one scoop vanilla protien and one unflavoured for a less powerful vanilla taste.
Sarah says
ohhh and we topped with dark chocolate shavings and banana slices!
Danielle Green says
Yum!!!
Laurel says
I whipped up a batch for myself, then made a batch (substituting the protein powder for baby rice cereal) for my baby who has gluten issues. We both loved them, and I froze most of the baby batch of pancakes and have been reheating them in the microwave. She is still devouring them after being frozen and heated up again. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Danielle Green says
That makes me so happy to hear it worked for both you and your baby!
Tracie says
Can these be refrigerated and popped into the microwave throughout the week?
Danielle Green says
I haven’t tried this myself yet, but if you give it a try, I would love to know how they turn out! Thanks.
Lory says
I do it a least 3/4 times a week. I added 1/2 scoops of oats to have more fiber.
And instead of doing step by step, I mix everything on my nutribullet in 1 min, save time for a quick breakfast.
Clare Dicker says
I need to try this – I literally ate it raw today and set fire to my kitchen …. think it was too gloopy
Aisha says
Hi. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a newbie to cooking but mine don’t seem to be cooking properly. I used all the right ingredients and measurements too.
Wendy says
So many people in the comments are not reading the post and criticising the recipe. Well Danielle, I just wanted to say I just made these pancakes and they turned out AMAZING! You did a great job with the recipe and it tasted so good, I ate the whole thing by myself ?. I used Bulk Nutrients Protein Matrix+ and added about a tbsp of almond milk for the eggyolk mix to mix together properly. Thanks again!
Tracie says
I got food poisoning, a severe case of diarrhea, and it gave me the plague. Thanks a lot Danielle.
Danielle Green says
Thanks for the good laugh Tracie! 😉
Kelly says
We made these and I had them on a super low heat but found the outside was burning before inside was cooked?
When you say they have a different texture, is that super soft and squishy still? I still ate them but am concerned about the eggs not cooking properly?
Danielle Green says
No, they shouldn’t be soggy. My guess is that you used a thicker protein powder and therefore need to add a little extra liquid to spread it out more.
Bethany says
I find if this happens making protein pancakes: i cook them and flip, then turn off the burner, and place tinfoil on top of the pan for a few minutes….. this gets the inside done without burning.
Neila says
They were amazing! Yes the texture was different and darker on the outside than my regular protein pancakes ..I am addicted..I melted peanut butter with like 5 white chocolate chips and I can’t tell you how good they are. PS.. next time I’ll add walnuts and a little maple syrup to top the recipe..
Lola says
Amazing tip! I covered mine with a plate after the first one was a too gooey. The rest turned put incredible, best pancakes I’ve ever tried. Thank you Danielle
Rashie says
Hi Danielle, first I’m sorry you are struggling with infertility and I hope your desire to have a child is fulfilled very soon (If you haven’t conceived already).
Thank you for sharing this recipe. While bananas are usually forbidden for me, these pancakes looked too yummy to deny myself this rare treat. There are times when I buy too many bananas for my kids so when they go brown I throw them in an airtight bag and toss them in the freezer to use for bread or muffins later. I usually roast them in the peel before mashing them to bring out more of that delicious banananess (if that isn’t a word, it needs be). I’ve decided to use a roasted banana and sub the vanilla protein powder with cinnamon roll flavored whey protein for your recipe this morning…fingers crossed that I don’t muss it up!
Thanks again,
Rashie
Danielle Green says
Thanks for the kind words Rashie! I hope you love them.