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Super quick and easy to make, these healthy two-ingredient pancakes are grain-free, paleo, and delicious. If you’ve ever tried the banana two-ingredient pancakes but were disappointed with them, try these instead. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
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Not like banana pancakes!
So, if you have ever looked for some healthy, grain-free pancakes on Pinterest, you were probably bombarded by beautiful pictures of 2-ingredient pancakes made with bananas and eggs. Am I right?
Excited, you may have run to your kitchen to give them a try; only to find it was a complete disaster!
Not only did you have to wait for 10 minutes to cook each pancake over super low heat just to be able to flip them properly without them falling apart, but they sort of tasted like banana mash!
OK, so maybe that didn’t happen to you, but it did happen to me.
I could never get the banana two-ingredient pancakes to work well. It was difficult to get them to cook slowly enough to hold together without burning. Even when I did successfully make them, I was never very impressed with the texture.
I still wonder how so many people were able to take beautiful pictures of stacks of banana pancakes when all I ended up with was a pile of banana mush.
The History of the Plantain pancakes
Christmas day rolled around and I hadn’t planned anything for breakfast.
When I looked over to see the plantains and eggs in my fruit basket, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if I blended them together to make pancakes.
After the banana pancake fiasco, I don’t know what prompted me to try making them with plantains instead. Perhaps it was boredom, curiosity, or my intuition that plantains have a higher starch content that would make a more realistic pancake.
Whatever it was, I’m glad I tried it because this recipe has since become a family favorite.
Unlike the banana pancakes, these paleo plantain pancakes remind me of “real” pancakes. The starchy nature of plantains makes a batter that works and tastes much more like “regular” wheat pancakes.
What I really loved about these is that everybody in the family was really impressed with them. (Yes, even my picky little boy!)
Since that first Christmas, I have made them many times. My son asks for them all of the time.
How to Make Plantain Pancakes
Making these pancakes couldn’t be easier. The trickiest step is peeling the plantains.
Green or Yellow plantains?
Depending upon how green or ripe your plantains are, your pancakes can vary in levels of sweetness and how much they taste like bananas.
A greener plantain makes for a less sweet pancake that acts and tastes more like a traditional pancake. Green plantains are also a bit harder to peel.
Yellower, riper plantains are easier to peel. Using riper plantains results in a sweeter pancake with more of a banana flavor. Because they have a higher sugar content, you’ll have to be a bit more careful about not burning them when cooking them.
Either way, they are much easier to make than banana pancakes, and I think they taste better too. 😉
Advice
Try making these healthy pancakes both ways: with yellow and green plantains to see which type you prefer.
Mixing the batter
Once you’ve peeled the plantains, cut them into chunks and place them in the container of a blender.
Add 2 eggs for each plantain and process in the blender until you have made a smooth batter.
Peel the plantains. Cut into chunks.
Cooking the pancakes
Unlike banana pancakes, these pancakes are quite easy to cook and flip. They don’t need any special care.
Heat up the skillet with a bit of butter, coconut oil, or ghee over low to medium heat.
When the fat has melted and the skillet is warm, pour the batter in small circles onto the pan.
After a minute or so, when bubbles start forming, flip the pancakes with a spatula.
Cook for another minute or so on the other side and then remove from the skillet. Your pancakes are now ready to serve!
Serving ideas
I like keeping the recipe simple and then serving these pancakes with walnuts and maple syrup. Something about the combination of banana flavors with walnuts really appeals to me.
You can, though, serve them any way you would serve “normal” pancakes. For example, they’re also delicious covered with fruit and whipped cream.
Watch how to make these paleo pancakes
Paleo Plantain Pancake Variations
While these pancakes are delicious as-is, you can customize the recipe to change things up.
Chocolate plantain pancakes
By adding some cocoa powder to the batter, you can make delicious chocolate plantain pancakes. That’s a super-easy way to change them up, of course.
I add around 1 Tbsp. of cocoa powder for each plantain used. For sweeter chocolate pancakes, you can also add up to 1 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup to the batter mixture.
Stuffed double chocolate pancakes
If you’re really feeling fancy, you can stuff your pancakes with a chocolate mascarpone filling.
To stuff the pancakes, first, we need to make the filling. Here is a recipe you can use for a simple, tasty filling. (It’s the same filling I used in my chocolate ravioli.)
Chocolate Mascarpone Filling
- 1/2 cup mascarpone
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
Once combined, spread the mixture in disk shapes onto a small tray covered with parchment or freezer paper. Then, freeze the disks until solid.
When you are ready to make your stuffed pancakes, heat up the skillet. Pour in a little bit of the batter, using a spoon to spread out the batter a little and make it a bit thinner.
Remove a disk of frozen mascarpone filling and place it onto the batter in the skillet. Immediately pour a little more batter over top of the frozen filling, enough to cover it completely. Spread it out over the top of the filling with a spoon if necessary.
When you see bubbles forming around the edges, carefully use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook on the other side for a minute or two, enough to brown them on the other side.
Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
To make pumpkin spice pancakes, add 1/4 cup of pumpkin purée to the batter, along with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp. ground cloves. Continue with the recipe as usual.
4-ingredient pancakes
So, I guess by now you’ve probably seen my recipe card, and have seen that it actually lists 4 ingredients rather than two. So, let me explain…
When I first started making these, I made them with only two ingredients, eggs and plantains.
You can definitely make them that way and they turn out great, BUT…
With time, I started to tweak the recipe. I found that adding a couple of optional ingredients improved them ever so slightly.
Why add baking soda?
If you like fluffy pancakes, a touch of baking soda will help achieve that. It doesn’t make a huge difference, but I usually add a pinch of baking soda to give them that extra rising ability.
If you don’t add baking soda, the eggs still give them a fluffy quality, so they will still be tasty if you don’t want to use it.
Warning
Don’t add too much baking soda or the flavor will ruin your delicious pancakes!
Why add coconut oil (or ghee)?
With time, I also found that adding the slightest bit of coconut oil (or ghee) made the pancakes moister and enhanced their flavor. When I first started adding a fat, I used coconut oil. Later, I found that I liked the flavor that ghee gave them more.
You can choose whatever fat you like to enhance the flavor of your pancakes.
Healthy Paleo Plantain Pancakes Recipe
Paleo Plantain Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 plantain
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda optional
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee optional
- coconut oil or ghee for frying
Variation: For Chocolate Pancakes add:
- 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
Variation: For Pumpkin Spice Pancakes add:
- 1/4 cup pumpkin purée make your own
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. cloves
Instructions
- Peel and slice the plantain(s) and place the slices into a blender with the eggs and other optional ingredients.
- Blend all of the ingredients until smooth.
- Heat a skillet/frying pan to medium heat.
- Melt some coconut oil or ghee in the pan before pouring in some of the batter.
- Wait a couple of minutes until bubbles start to form on top before flipping to cook on the other side.
- Flip and brown the other side of the pancake for around a minute.
- Remove the finished pancake from the skillet and continue to make pancakes until you have used all of the batter.
- Serve with maple syrup, nuts, honey, or whatever toppings you prefer. Enjoy!
Notes
Stuffed Chocolate Pancake Recipe
Stuffed Double Chocolate Plantain Grain Free Pancakes
Ingredients
For the Pancakes:
- 1 plantain
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 tsp. coconut oil for preparing skillet to keep pancakes from sticking
For the Filling:
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
For the Chocolate Sauce:
- 50 g chocolate
- 1 cup coconut milk
Instructions
Preparing the Filling:
- Before beginning to make the pancakes, make the filling by mixing together the cheese, chocolate, and honey. Spread the filling out into circular shapes on wax or parchment paper and freeze it into disks for easy placing in the pancakes.
Making the Pancakes:
- Peel the plantains and slice them. Add the sliced plantains to a blender along with the eggs, cocoa powder, and honey.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour in a little bit of the batter, and use a spoon to spread out the batter a little and make it a bit thinner.
- Heat up a skillet/frying pan over low-medium heat. Add in a little bit of coconut oil or ghee until melted.
- Remove a disk of frozen mascarpone filling and place it onto the batter in the skillet.
- Immediately pour a little more batter over top of the frozen filling, enough to cover it completely. Spread it out over top of the filling with a spoon if necessary.
- When you see bubbles forming around the edges, carefully use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook on the other side for a minute or two, enough to brown them on the other side.
- Continue making stuffed pancakes until you have finished making all of the pancakes.
Making the Chocolate Sauce (Or Paleo Filling)
- To make an optional chocolate sauce, heat the coconut milk in a skillet until simmering and then remove from the heat.
- Add in the dark chocolate, broken into small pieces, and stir it in to completely melt and incorporate the chocolate into the coconut milk.
Notes
Update Information
The post for paleo plantain pancakes was originally published on January 16, 2016. It was combined with the post on how to make stuffed double chocolate pancakes and video was added when the post was republished in January 2020.
If you love healthy pancakes, why not try out these paleo, low-carb walnut pancakes too!
Paleo Low Carb Walnut Pancakes
New Year’s Traditions in Spain
These were delicious! I made the pumpkin ones and while mine came out fairly soft, they were so good! I miss regular pancakes, so I love having this alternative now!
Hi Jamie,
I’m so happy you enjoyed them! My son really loves these too!
banana pancake are never really my thing either..im really curious to try this plantain version..
They still have a banana-ish flavor, of course, but they are much easier to make and the texture and flavor is much different. My son really loves them with a little cocoa powder, but he usually asks for both. So I make some “normal” ones first, and then add in some cocoa powder to the last ones. We just had them this morning again because he was begging me for them. 🙂