Four-ingredient banana protein pancakes with a protein icing drizzled over the top. Serves two, about 338 calories and 26 g of protein each.
Created by Elite Supps athlete Courtney Day (@misscourtneyday).
Key points
- Four ingredients. Banana, eggs, protein, chocolate.
- Serves two. 26 g protein per serve.
- No flour. The banana and eggs do the work.
- Half the protein in the batter, half in the icing.
- Cook them low. These catch faster than flour pancakes.
Ingredients
Serves 2.
- 2 bananas
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg white
- 1 scoop salted caramel plant protein powder
- 25 g dairy-free chocolate
Nutrition (per serve)
- Calories 338
- Protein 26 g
- Carbohydrate 48 g
- Fat 9 g
Method
- Slice the bananas into a bowl and add the eggs and egg white.
- Using a fork, mash the banana together with the eggs until most of the banana chunks are gone.
- Stir half a scoop of the protein powder through the mixture. Do not add more than that, or the pancakes will be rubbery and dry.
- Optional: add some of the dairy-free chocolate to the mixture.
- Spray or drizzle coconut oil into a large pan and heat over medium heat.
- Pour the batter into the pan and cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges set, then flip and cook the other side. These are more fragile than flour pancakes, so keep them small.
- Mix the remaining half scoop of protein powder with a dash of water, being careful not to add too much, until it forms a thick liquid.
- Drizzle the protein icing and remaining chocolate over the finished pancakes and serve.
Why do these turn out rubbery?
Too much protein powder in the batter, which is exactly why the recipe splits the scoop.
Half a scoop goes into the mixture and half becomes the icing. That is deliberate. Protein powder sets fast and keeps tightening with heat, so a full scoop in a batter with no flour to buffer it gives you something closer to an omelette than a pancake.
The other cause is heat. Banana and egg batters catch quickly and brown before the centre is set. Medium heat at most, and be prepared to go lower.
Why are they falling apart when I flip them?
Because there is no flour holding them together. These are essentially a banana and egg batter, and they are fragile by nature.
- Make them small. Palm-sized rather than plate-sized. This is the single most effective fix.
- Wait longer before flipping. The edges need to be visibly set, not just bubbling.
- Use a thin spatula and commit to the flip in one movement.
- Mash the banana properly. Lumps create weak points.
Are protein pancakes actually healthy?
Healthier than standard pancakes, yes. A health food, no, and the toppings decide more than the pancakes do.
The real advantage is protein and satiety. At 26 g of protein per serve, these keep you full considerably longer than a stack of flour pancakes with the same calories. There is also no added sugar in the batter itself, since the banana provides the sweetness.
What changes the picture is what goes on top. The chocolate and icing here are already accounted for in the 338 calories. Add maple syrup and nut butter on top of that and you are eating a substantially bigger meal.
Can I eat pancakes while trying to lose weight?
Yes. No single food prevents fat loss, and the idea that some do is one of the more persistent unhelpful beliefs in nutrition.
Fat loss comes from sustained energy balance across weeks. A 338-calorie breakfast with 26 g of protein fits comfortably into most people's intake, and the protein content actively helps, because it keeps you fuller than the equivalent calories from carbohydrate or fat.
Whether pancakes specifically "help" with weight loss is the wrong question. They are neither an obstacle nor a tool. They are breakfast.
Is salted caramel protein powder any good?
As a flavour, it is one of the better ones for cooking, because caramel notes survive heat better than fruit flavours do.
Nutritionally there is no difference between flavours of the same product. Flavour is flavouring. Choose it because you will actually finish the tub, which is the only practical criterion that matters.
A plant protein works well here and keeps the recipe dairy free. Power Plant Protein is what the original recipe used, and 100% Vegan Protein is our house-brand alternative. The full plant protein range has the rest.
Can I make them without eggs?
Not easily. The eggs are the binder here, and with no flour there is nothing else holding the pancake together.
A flax egg is too weak for this recipe. If you need egg free, you want a different pancake recipe built around flour or oats rather than an adaptation of this one.
Storage
Best eaten immediately. Banana and egg pancakes go dense and slightly wet in the fridge.
If you have leftovers, they keep two days and reheat best in a dry pan. Make the icing fresh rather than storing it, since it sets solid.
For more like this, browse the full recipe collection.
