We’re big pancake fans over here at Kelly Jones Nutrition. You’ll find a variety of pancake recipes on the blog including these incredibly easy and fluffy ones, these pumpkin pancakes with spiced apple topping, these vegan buckwheat pancakes, and of course, the almond banana pancake recipe below!
With plenty of carbs and just a touch of protein, fiber, and fat, this recipe makes for a great pre-workout breakfast. Whether you’re feeding the whole fam, fueling for a Sunday workout, or food prepping to make breakfast and pre-workout snacks easier for the week ahead, these almond banana pancakes won’t disappoint.
Almond Banana Pancakes Pre-Workout
I first published my almond banana pancakes back in June 2014. We made them often back then, before I created my buckwheat oat pancakes and started making them almost every Sunday. This past weekend I was reminded of this recipe though, and how when we were training for the Nantucket triathlon, it was the only full breakfast Tim was able to eat and still feel amazing training a couple of hours later. Despite the fact that he seemingly digests super quickly most of the time, he never wants to eat breakfast with me before a weekend workout and opts for an RX bar, square bar, or homemade energy bar instead, saying he’ll feel too full.
Because these pancakes are carbohydrate-rich without too much protein and fat, they’re relatively easy to digest before a workout and may sit better than other common breakfast foods. If you’re not used to eating at all before a workout or are prone to exercise-induced GI distress, start small and work yourself up to a larger portion. Keep in mind that your body needs carbs to fuel your workout and it is possible to improve your carbohydrate tolerance both before and during workouts by gradually increasing intake over time.
If you’re enjoying pancakes post-workout try these chocolate protein pancakes that provide adequate protein for muscle recovery, or pair any of our other pancake recipes with an additional protein source like scrambled eggs.
Vegan Almond Banana Pancake Ingredients & Toppings
The use of soy milk and flax eggs makes this recipe vegan and dairy-free. The almond flour paired with the wheat flour adds some healthy fat to make these more filling for you if you don’t slather nut butter on your pancakes like me, and opt for syrup instead. If you’re gluten free, substituting buckwheat flour or a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend for the whole wheat flour would likely work well. In addition to sliced banana and some 85% dark chocolate chips, I highly recommend some unsweetened shredded coconut to top off these almond banana pancakes.
Oh, and bonus tip: if you’re in a rush, make an on-the-go pancake taco by throwing a banana in the middle, topping with your favorite nut or seed butter, folding, and heading out the door! I’m all about mindful eating, but I’m more about eating than not eating, too.
If you’re cooking for a family, double the recipe and freeze the rest for weekday breakfast or pre-workout snacks!
Almond Banana Pancakes
Whether you need a fun breakfast that feeds your whole fam, or you’re food prepping for the week ahead, these fluffy almond banana pancakes won’t disappoint!
- 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) almond flour/meal
- 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax mixed w/ 5 tbsp warm water)
- 2 1/4 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy for added protein)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 banana sliced, then quartered
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips optional
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Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
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In another bowl, mix all of the wet ingredients together.
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Add dry to the wet and stir just until you have a smooth consistency.
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Add the chopped banana in last, folding in and not over mixing.
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If you’re adding chocolate chips fold them in with the banana, or add them once the batter has been poured into the pan.
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Pour a half cup at a time onto a cast iron or non stick pan over low-medium heat (Closer to medium on my gas stove. You should know your own pans well enough to determine whether or not they need a very quick spray of cooking spray*).
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Once you start to see bubbles form on top, flip the pancake. After about 1 minute you should be able to remove from heat.
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Repeat until you’ve used all of the batter, and freeze extra pancakes for later.
