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.
Brooke says
So light and fluffy!! I topped mine with almond butter and raspberries, best breakfast I’ve had in a long time 🤤
Faye Hawkes-King says
It is indeed possible to have protein pancakes that are light and fluffy. This recipe proves it. We used salted caramel whey powder instead of vanilla and 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice mix instead of 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and they were the best protein pancakes we have ever tasted! This will now become our regular pancake recipe and i cant wait to try all the different combinations
Martin says
I’ve been trying various protein pancake recipes over the past few months and most turn out like dried out leather. It occurred to me last week that separating the eggs would probably help then I found your recipe and it worked like a charm. Very tasty, almost like a soufflé omelette, very moist and satisfying. Thanks for sharing.
Julie says
First of all I’d like to say that i never end up leaving reviews, but by far these are the best banana protein pancakes to date. We used GNC brand cinnamon crunch protein and they were so sweet and delicious. I mixed 1/2c plain greek yogurt with 3tsp maple syrup to top the pancakes, and finished with some fresh berries. We had 2 eggs on the side and the total protein count was 54 grams 🙂 We are not limiting carbs however, so the syrup wouldnt be great for some. But im so happy to have stumbled upon this, thank you!!
Dean says
Amazing best protein powder pancakes ever!
Christina says
These are the best protein powder pancakes I have ever had. The banana makes them sweet enough that you don’t need anything else!!
Disappointed says
I have to wonder about the high number of favorable reviews for this recipe because the pancakes it yields are absolutely terrible. Like others have mentioned, cooking as described in the recipes yields pancakes that burn on the bottom but are raw in the middle (I did thin the batter out with some almond milk after reading the other comments, thinking that the thickness of the pancake was to blame for this). On top of that, the pancakes were impossible to flip without breaking apart. I was able to deal with this by steaming the pancakes as they cooked, which caused the top to set so flipping was doable. The resulting pancakes were sad, dense, and honestly just not good. I ate the portion that cooked correctly but threw out the other portion. There are so many other healthy, high protein low carb breakfast ideas out there (including other pancake recipes!) that I can’t imagine why anyone would suffer through these.
Laura says
After many tries with different recipes I found this one and I’m in awe of how good it is tahnk you so much!
Sal says
Been saving this recipe for a while and tried it yesterday. It worked really well for me, light and fluffy pancakes. Thanks for a great recipe!
T says
Really tasty and easy to make! Eggwhites add to the volume and 1 portion is filling as well. I added a teaspoon of cacao to make chocolate pancakes & with p2b and fresh berries on the side.
Tom says
They are lovely and tasty but I had to cook them much longer than 60-90 seconds I would say 2 and a half mins each side. Very hard to flip them over as they’re quite soggy and broke apart every time I tried to flip them over
Andrew says
Hi so I was looking at the nutrition facts and idk how big those serving sizes are supposed to be. Like how many grams is it for the nutritional facts, thank u.
Amisha says
I made these with Gold Whey Chocolate protein powder and halved the entire recipe in case it went wrong! Turned out perfect, no need to add any liquid and were thoroughly cooked. I added bacon and zero calorie syrup…… my new weekend ‘go to’ brekkie, thank you!
Cara says
Really great recipe. Loved them. I added kiwi and cherries to mine on the side. Delicious ?
Monika says
Absolutely delicious. Added fresh strawberies with basil on top of greek yogurt and it was like cherry on the cake. Thank you Danielle for sharing. 🙂
Lucia says
Hey! So I am currently on the same boat as you. My doctor has me off carbs and sugar due to infertility and pcos as well…It is the reason I came to checkout your recipe. However, my doctor has me off 3 fruits which are very high on sugar: BANANA, pineapple and watermelon.
This recipe looks delicious but sadly I cant have bananas.
Best of luck and I hope you have a few babies soon.
Nicole says
Can you leave out the egg yolks and just use the whites and keep the rest of the measurements the same?
Danielle Green says
You can, but the texture will be different. They are already pretty light the way they are and taking away the egg yolks will make them even lighter. I’d add an extra egg white though.
Elle says
Best protein and banana pancakes I have ever made!
Tahlia says
I just made these I absolutely LOVED them they turned out perfect! My partner who is reluctant to try anything remotely healthy (lol!) LOVED these too! I’ll definitely be passing this on! Xxx
Joy says
I’m sorry, is there really 204 grams of trans fat in this?? is that a typo
Danielle Green says
That was a mistake in the nutrition calculator. There is no trans fat. I have updated it to ore accurately reflect the nutrition.