Plantain Pancakes – Rich, tender, & delicious soft, tender, rich plantain pancakes, like pancakes but with a sweet plantain taste. Good for breakfast or make it for dessert with coconut sauce.
Have you tried one of those 2 ingredient banana recipes? When I heard about the trend of two ingredient banana pancakes, I just had to jump onboard and do a taste test. Sad to say it’s not my thing.
Decided to do the same with plantains since plantains contain more starch. I loved the full plantain flavor and the soft interior.
But still, I was not sold.
You may not want to take my word for it. I am not a fan of flourless, sugar and dairy free pancakes.
The two ingredient plantain pancake just doesn’t taste like pancakes. No they don’t! So if you are expecting a pancake you will be painfully disappointed.
If you are feeling adventurous, give it a try and tell me what you think.
This here is my variation of plantain pancakes made with flour, eggs, milk, overly ripe plantain, butter and nutmeg. Simply delicious and satisfying. Good enough to make me want to get some extra plantains when am at the grocery store.
These come together quickly with a blender. Blend the plantains until puree and then add the rest of the ingredients. Let it rest and you are on your way to a tasty breakfast.
Want a scrumptious dessert? Top with Coconut sauce and you will be glad you did.
Enjoy!!!
Watch How to Make It
- 2 medium overly ripe plantains 1 cup puree
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2/3- cup milk
- 3/4 cup water (add more if too thick)
- ¼ cup sugar adjust to taste
- 5 eggs
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1- teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 -1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup oil optional
- Cut up peeled plantains. Add to blender and blend until puree. You may do so with a potato masher. Then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse several times until all the ingredients have thoroughly mixed. Scrape the sides if need be and do one last pulse.
- Let the batter rest for about 30 mins or more in the refrigerator or overnight.
- Heat a skillet or a non stick frying pan then lightly coat the hot pan with vegetable oil, cooking spray, or clarified butter. Then pour about a ½ cup of batter depending on your fry pan or skillet. Tilt pan so the batter spreads across the bottom of the pan. Cook the pancake for about 1 minute on each side, or until the bottom is light brown.
- Serve hot with coconut sauce, cinnamon sugar, powder sugar or syrup.
Hi! I wanna try your recipe. Is it ok if I will not put nutmeg ‘coz it’s not available or is their any substitute u can recommend? Thank u!
Hi Joy! You could use cinnamon or lemon zest if you have any. If not just leave out the nutmeg, it will still taste great :)!
Can i use coconut milk…in place of fresh milk
Hi Ramani. I love coconut milk though I have never tried it in this recipe. I don’t see why you can’t. Do let me know how it works for you.
Hi Emma
Can I substitute milk with condensed?
Thank you Christine
And why do I have to let it sit for 30 minutes?
Yes you can. However, you might have to add a little more water to it , until you reach desired thickness.
Letting the batter rest , helps the pancake to be tender. I have made it several times without letting it rest with good results .
Happy Cooking!!!
I love this recipe, it’s simple and easy to prepare. Lots of plantains here so I can’t wait to do it myself.
I’m going to try to make this but could you please include the recipe for the coconut sauce? If i am overlooking the recipe, my apologies.
Here is the recipe for coconut sauce Coconut Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup (225 ml) coconut milk
1/2 cup (110 grams) brown sugar
2 ounce (57 grams) butter
In a small saucepan combine 1-cup coconut milk, ½ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup butter. Let it melt and simmer for about 3-5 minutes or until slightly thick . Set-aside until ready to use.
Hello. Really want to try this recipe today but please what do you mean by 1 1/2 cups flour?
Thanks
Hi, Ruth. That is about 187 grams of flour.
Hi in the video I noticed you added only one egg. So just confirming is it one egg or 5 eggs?
Hello Steph,
It’s 5 eggs.
I tried doing it using wooden spoon but the whole sticked to my pan
Generously spray the pan with cooking spray or oil , to prevent the pancake from sticking to the pan.
Do i have to use 5eggs ?..thats a lot of eggs …is there a way i can use less eggs or no eggs ?
Yes you have to use eggs . Cut it down to 2 eggs. Adjust thickness with more milk or water.
I tried it but it stuck to my nonstick pan. It did not home out nice. Why please?
Sorry to hear that. You have to lightly coat your pan with vegetable oil, cooking spray or clarified butter for it not to stick right to your pan.
These are a perfect crepe-like plantain pancake. I served them with guava sauce and a dusting of cinnamon-sugar. Delicious!
Thanks so much. I am loving these pancakes. I am making them for the second time now. But this time I am following the exact recipe.
I am going to give this a go, but make it with vegan substitute ingredients. I am looking forward to trying this!
Can wait to hear how it works out for you. Thanks
Looking so good!can I use almond milk.
Thank you. Yes, you can.
Hello Imma, very good job you are doing. I Just tried your plaintain pancake recipe. It sure taste nice but i fan into trouble while making it. I discovered that each time i try to flip over the undone side, the batter spills all’ over the pan. Thus leaving me with a moist and mashed pancake. The look also was not fine. I couldnt even get a flat surface or a nice shape. Please Can you let me know what i can do next time to avoid this. Thanks
What you are describing can happen any time you try to cook any type of pancake. Here are some strategies to try:
Make sure the pan is not too hot. Otherwise, the bottom will be very brown before the pancake is ready to flip.
Make smaller pancakes, ones that fit on your thin pancake flipper. Don’t try to cook too many at once.
WAIT UNTIL BUBBLES APPEAR before trying to flip. This means that air is cooking the inside. The edges should be solid and the middle not too gooey.
Once you gently loosen the edges (with the thinnest egg turner you have), slip the egg turner under the pancake WITH ONE QUICK PUSH, then quickly flip the pancake. If the spot where it was looks brown, move it to a new one.
Store the cooked cakes between paper layers as they come off the griddle, so that they won’t stick together. Use paper towels to absorb extra grease at first, then waxed paper for storage in the refrigerator, assuming you have any left!
So yummy! The recipe was a bit confusing as I wasnt sure what “add all of the ingredients “included. I almost left out the butter!
The texture I would like to be a bit drier so I can get it off the pan easier. Any suggestions?
Less butter would make it drier. Also you can use a spray to help get it off the pan .
I love these always wonder kow to make them, I have them all the time in Las Vegas me and my Husband Yummy in my Tummy Thanks!!!
Hi Imma! I made these for my family for our Christmas breakfast and I wanted to let you know I really loved your recipe. I’m completely new to African cuisine, but this was a great first step for me since pancakes are familiar territory for me. I didn’t make any coconut sauce to go with it but since I had coconut sugar and coconut water on hand I substituted these for the normal sugar/water so I could still get the coconut flavour. I’m looking forward to trying more recipes from your site 🙂
You are in for a treat Steph! Glad to hear it worked out well for you. Can’t wait to hear which ones you try out next. Wishing you all the best of 2018.
Hi. I have this plantain just lying around in the kitchen. I’ll definitely like to try this, but my blender is bad. Can I mash it spoon?
Yes you can.
I tried these today, so easy to make and delicious. I used raw coconut sugar in mine.loved the taste
Awesome! Glad you liked it
I made this today for our Sunday brunch and it was nothing short of amazing. Even my husband who is very choosy when it comes to loved it too. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you!
YAY! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Please why do you have to let it rest for a while before frying?
It helps make it tender . You can try both ways and see which one you prefer.
I made these plantain pancakes for breakfast this morning and it was a hit! My husband wolfed down three pancakes in quick succession – And he does not like plantain- AT. ALL!!! Its his least favorite food, he’ll avoid it altogether if he can. He enjoyed the pancakes so much I didn’t have the heart to tell him what was in it. Ssssh! It will be our little secret! The pancakes were soft and sweet! The nutmeg made my kitchen smell delicious. I omitted the vanilla (I forgot to add it) and used the pureed plantain straightaway without allowing it rest. The end result was delicious all the same. This recipe is keeper! I will be repeating it again soon. Thank you
OH WOW! same thing happened with my son. The first time I made them- you just can’t tell. My lips are sealed. It’s going to be our little secret. Thanks for letting me know Isimeme!
Do you have the recipe for coconut sauce?
Thank you.
Check it out here. https://www.africanbites.com/vitumbarice-pancakes/
Have you tried using green plantains? I just discovered this recipe and I’m hooked.
1 large green plantain
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbs coconut oil
pinch of baking powder (I’m sure baking soda would work just as well)
pinch of salt
I just blend everything together until the batter is nice and smooth. These come out amazingly light and fluffy. I’m not really a huge fan of banana-egg pancakes either, but using unripe plantains seems to be the secret. They taste great with lots of honey (and butter!).
No, I haven’t .Will have to give this a try. Thanks for sharing Rachael
I have made the thick american style plantain pancakes not the thin ones yet. On my too do list. Looks great.
Thanks Bintu!
Looks amazingly delicious!! Can’t wait to try this one. I recently tried the 2 ingredient banana pancake and was sadly disappointed because it mainly tasted more like eggs. I’ll give this one a shot.
Agree with the two ingredient pancakes. Hope this is more to your liking .Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks
I love plantains but I never thought about putting them in pancakes. I’m definitely going to give this a try as a dessert — I’m thinking caramelizing the plantains with a little brown sugar first, then serving with some fresh mango, shredded coconut, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Nice touch Julie.
Wow! Now this is something new. Will try.
I love plantains in general, and plantain pancakes in particular. However, due to dietary restrictions I can’t eat gluten; I will try making this with a small portion of coconut flour, to see if it’ll work. Thank you for sharing this unique recipe!
When I was in high school, we used to go get delicious crepes after class. These plantain pancakes remind me of those crepes! They look so light and sweet–perfect for a special occasion breakfast. I can’t wait to try them out!
They sure are a special treat.
These pancakes look absolutely delicious!