These simple banana oat pancakes need only 3 ingredients. They're quick and easy to make and taste fantastic. Kids will love to help make them (but if there are only adult 'kids' in your house - they'll love 'em, too!)

Mornings can be a whole lot simpler when you've got these pancakes in the pan! If you've got a banana in the fruit bowl, an egg in the fridge, and oats in the pantry, you're set. And if you've got some kids around that you can rope into making up a batch of the pancakes for you - score!

Banana Oat Pancakes are a delicious way to enjoy simple healthy ingredients - and add up to a whole lot more than the sum of their parts. They're moist and tender inside and delicately caramelized outside. The banana flavour is not overpowering and its natural sugars add just the right, light touch of sweetness. Oats add a toasty flavour and deliciously nubbly texture. All you need is a dollop of yogurt and some fresh fruit to make them into a mouthwatering, satisfying breakfast. These pancakes are a variation of my 2-Ingredient Banana Pancakes. The addition of oats makes them a bit more substantial and adds a serving of good fiber. For such a simple recipe, these pancakes are fabulous.

Cooking with Kids

Meet my newest little cooking buddy. His name is Caleb. He's three and a half years old and LOVES to cook already!

Caleb grinning in front of two plates of his pancakes — Caleb is thrilled with his pancakes

He also enjoys reading books, playing at parks, and riding along on the garden tractor. His favourite animals are elephants. Caleb loves any kind of construction machines - playing with his toy ones and watching real ones. His favourite character is 'Rubble', the construction dog from Paw Patrol, and he wants to be an excavator operator when he grows up.

Caleb Makes Banana Oat Pancakes, and You Can, Too!

Caleb is quite talented in the kitchen already! He'll guide us through this pancake-making process.

First you peel a banana, then you break it into pieces and put them on a plate. Mash them up with a fork.

left - Caleb peeling a banana, right-mashing the banana — there's some serious concentration going on here

Then you take an egg and crack it into a bowl. Hitting it just hard enough on the counter to crack it is a fun activity!

left- Caleb holding up an egg, right - beating the egg in a bowl with a whisk — Caleb's thrilled to crack an egg! then he gets right into whisking it

Add the banana and some rolled oats to the beaten egg.

Caleb holding up a spoonful of batter — Is this mixed good enough?

Then you fry the pancakes in a skillet with a bit of butter. Flipping them is tricky and might need an adult's help.

We made one batch plain and one batch with a pinch of cinnamon added to it. We can't decide which one we liked better!

Caleb looking proudly at the two plates of pancakes he made — this little chef is beaming with pride at his accomplishment

There's such joy in watching kids discover the fun of cooking. Seeing their intense concentration as they learn the skills and then watching their pride and satisfaction as they taste the finished dish is one of the most rewarding feelings. Spending time in the kitchen with kids of all ages is one of the easiest ways to connect and make memories together. Starting kids cooking at a young age not only teaches them valuable life skills, it gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment that will stay with them well into the future, a foundation for building confidence and a way to develop good habits and learn new skills. Plus, cooking teaches them the simple joy of good food prepared with love and enthusiasm.

blue plate with banana oat pancakes, yogurt, and orange & banana slices — breakfast is ready!

Guten Appetit!

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Check out more Cooking with Kids recipes here, and see our latest one for homemade Cloud Dough (a really fun and easy playdough), or come join Caleb and I as we make Jam Cookies.

Banana Oat Pancakes

Margaret Bose Johnson

These simple pancakes need only 3 ingredients: banana, egg, and oats! They are quick and easy to make and taste fantastic. Mornings made simple.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American, Canadian

Servings 1

Ingredients

▢ 1 medium banana ripe, but not brown
▢ 1 large egg
▢ ¼ cup (4 tablespoons/25gms) rolled oats, preferably quick oats gluten-free if necessary
▢ butter, oil, or coconut oil for frying

optional:

▢ a pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

Peel the banana and mash it on a plate with a fork until no large lumps remain.
Crack the egg into a bowl and beat it with a fork.
Add the mashed banana and the oats to the beaten egg. (If using cinnamon, add it now.) Stir to combine.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a small amount of cooking fat (about 1 teaspoon) and spread it around to coat the surface of the pan.
Ladle about 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan to make each pancake, making sure to leave space between them to turn the pancakes easily (make only 3 pancakes at a time if using a 10-inch skillet).
Cook the pancakes until they are golden brown underneath (1-2 minutes) - you can lift up an edge of the pancake to peek underneath. Flip the pancakes carefully, as they are delicate. Cook them until the other side is golden brown, too
Serve with yogurt and fruit slices, or butter and syrup.
Makes 6 (3-inch) pancakes, serving 1 adult or 2 young children.

Notes

These pancakes work best with bananas that are ripe but still mostly yellow or with only a few small brown spots. If the bananas get really brown and overripe, they contain a lot of sugar which can make the pancakes burn more easily and also makes them more fragile to flip, resulting in occasional broken pancakes (still tasty, though).

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