Pancakes are a staple in our house. Well, they’ve actually been a staple in my life since I was a kid, just like many people. My dad grew up eating “short stacks” that his grandmother made him, and in his words? He ate them faster than she could cook them. This is one tradition that he definitely kept up with.
As soon as I got married, my husband became a little obsessed with making pancakes too. Now it’s a constant competition: Who makes the better pancakes? Your dad or your husband? Sheesh. I’m staying out of that one.
So! I’m making my own pancakes: Pineapple Upside Down Banana Pancakes. These are a great twist on good old banana pancakes and better yet, they’re vegan. Donna sure does know what she’s doing with this recipe. Let’s get to it.
These are such a super simple recipe. You need some soy or almond milk (vanilla coconut is my favorite!), whole grain flour, baking powder, salt, a little canola oil, bananas for mashing and pineapple rings.
First up, mash the bananas. They don’t need to be completely mashed because we are going to throw them in the food processor.
Next, combine them with a little bit of the almond milk and blend, blend, blend. This technique blew my mind. I often make pancakes with mashed bananas, but simply fold them into the batter. Pureeing them with the milk made the batter silky smooth. I love this result.
Mix the bananas and milk with the dry ingredients. I used whole wheat pastry flour which tends to be a bit “softer” and not as dense as traditional whole wheat flour. Because of this, I only needed a little less than two cups of milk. I would suggest starting with 1 ½ cups and going from there.
Once the batter is mixed, heat a skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Add a little canola oil then throw the pineapple rings on to caramelize them. You do want to make sure that your pineapple rings are thin. I learned this the hard way.
Once one side is golden and delicious, flip it over.
Pour a bit of batter right in the center and just slightly over the outer rings of the pineapple. Let cook until bubbles form and the batter is almost set.
Then flip it! I love using a little oil or butter for my pancakes because they result is that gorgeous, almost crisp exterior.
Pile those babies up and cover them in syrup.
These were such a fun twist on regular banana pancakes and I just loved how easy they were. Hard to believe they are vegan too. Definitely a new go-to breakfast.
Thanks so much to Donna for the recipe. Be sure to check out her blog, Apron Strings. It’s super cute!
Recipe
Pineapple Upside Down Banana Pancakes
by Donna @ apron strings on April 19, 2012 in Breakfast, Pancakes
See this recipe post on Donna @ apron strings’s site!
Recipe Description
A twist on a classic: These are sugarless and vegan Pineapple Upside Down Banana Pancakes!
Preparation Instructions
Mash bananas with a fork—you should have 1 ½ cups. Process the banana in food processor with about ½ cup of milk until smooth. Blend in remaining milk. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir dry ingredients into banana mixture until blended. Let sit while cooking pineapple slices.
Cut outer skin off pineapple. Cut pineapple into slices ½ inch thick, making 8 slices. Using a small round cookie cutter, remove center core of each slice. Heat a skillet to medium low heat. Add a little oil to skillet. Cook pineapple slices in batches for about 2 minutes.
Turn pineapple slices over. Immediately pour ¼ cup batter into the center of each pineapple slice, allowing batter to spill over and form a circle around the outside of the pineapple slice. Add a little more batter if necessary to form about 1 inch of pancake around the outside of the pineapple slice. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned.
Carefully flip over and cook other side for about 2 minutes, until pancake is cooked through and is lightly browned.
Ingredients
- 3 Ripe Bananas
- 2-¼ cups Vanilla Almond Or Soy Milk
- 1-½ cup Whole Grain Flour (such As Wheat Or Oat)
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoons Salt
- 1 Small Pineapple
- A Little Canola Oil
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Jessica Merchant is a personal trainer turned food writer and blogger. Her blog, How Sweet Eats, is where she proclaims her love for all things sweet, all things bacon, and everything else in between. She works her magic in her Pittsburgh kitchen, which she shares with her husband of 2 years.
