Start your day with these reader-favourite high protein pancakes! Made with just banana, protein powder and eggs, they come together in minutes. The best part? They're packed full of protein to keep you satisfied into the AM. If you're looking for more ways to use protein powder in your cooking, this really is one of the easiest recipes to start with.
These no-frills protein pancakes pack a hefty protein punch.
Featuring eggs and protein powder (working to a 20g protein per 2 Tbsp serve supplement), a finished stack serves up approximately 40g protein—similar to a medium chicken breast!
As a Registered Nutritionist, I’m often asked for quick and easy healthy breakfast ideas. Protein-rich foods are slow to be digested, so having a decent whack in the morning is a good nutritional strategy to keep us satisfied (1). These pancakes fit the brief and can be whipped up in 10 minutes. They’re also grain-free, making them ideal for those after gluten-free breakfast ideas.
A quick FYI: this recipe has been crafted to suit a variety of dietary preferences, so it doesn’t feature traditional pancake ingredients (except eggs). As a result, its taste and texture differs from regular pancakes—but they’re wonderful in their own right🥞 If you’re after more healthy pancake recipes, don’t miss my super popular Banana-Oat Pancakes—another crowd-favourite around here!
Ingredients Needed
Simple does it for these easy protein pancakes. You’ll need:
- Protein powder. This recipe is suitable for flavoured or plain whey or pea protein powder. There will be subtle differences in the end dish, depending on what you use—the whey batter blends creamier, leading to a slightly fluffier pancake. I’ve tested collagen protein powder which doesn’t work—this might be due to how collagen dissolves.
- Eggs. For structure, leavening (that little rise as they cook), flavour and richness (from the nutritious egg yolk fat). Two eggs definitely pull their protein weight, offering up 10g of the good stuff #gains.
- Banana. For nature sweetness, a yummy banana flavour and glorious quick energy (carbs). Go for a ripe yellow fruit—more of the starches will have converted to sugars, making it sweeter.
Feel free to play beyond these base ingredient. Try blending in spices (like cinnamon), spinach (for green goodness), or cacao powder (for a chocolatey boost). If you find something that works, leave a comment below!🙏
Step-by-Step: How to Make Protein Pancakes
Kitchen Tips
Keen to give this recipe a try? Here are my tried-and-tested tips:
- Blend ingredients together. It’s speedy and creates a nice uniform batter. Otherwise, you can whisk by hand in a bowl, just make sure to really mash the banana first so it’s not clumpy.
- Pour batter mixture into a small milk jug. Once the frying pan is greased and hot, pour the batter directly from the jug. This will help ensure perfect pancake rounds!👌
- Look out for signs that your pancakes are ready to flip, like a golden brown colour and edges that slightly pull away. If well-oiled/buttered, the pancake should lift easily off the griddle or frying pan when ready to flip. If not, cook for a smidge longer.
A note on batter consistency:
Protein powders can vary in both their serving weight (e.g., 24g, 40g) and how they absorb liquids—e.g. pea protein tends to be more absorbent than whey. This means even when following the recipe exactly, your batter thickness might vary. Start with 3 Tbsp of protein powder, blend, then check consistency. You’re after a thickness where the batter should pour into the frying pan and spread slightly. If it’s too thin (jiggly when wiggled), gradually add more protein powder. If it’s too thick, add a sprinkle more protein powder.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy for breakfast or a post-workout meal. While these are totally ace by themselves, pancakes are infinitely better with toppings (and the extra goodies add nutritional diversity and bulk out the meal!). Try:
- An extra protein boost with a dollop of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chopped nuts, or a sprinkle of hemp seeds.
- Bumping up the sweetness with chopped seasonal fruit, stewed fruit, fruit compote, or a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
- Adding texture with a sprinkle of crunchy granola or muesli, your favorite chopped nuts, a drizzle of tahini, shredded coconut, or an assortment of seeds.
- Or for just an insanely good time drizzle peanut butter overtop and add a sprinkle of chopped dark chocolate. Yum!
Thanks for reading!🥞 I hope you enjoy these protein pancakes with protein powder. After more protein-packed breakfast ideas? Try this easy and easy Greek Yoghurt Berry Smoothie.
Flourless Banana & Protein Powder Pancakes
Rating:
Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp* pea or whey protein powder or more to reach a thick pourable consistency
- 1 ripe banana or around ⅓ cup mashed
- 2 eggs
- Optional: A splash of water or milk, to adjust batter consistency if needed
Method:
- Heat a fry-pan over a medium to low heat. Grease well with oil or butter – so they don't stick!
- Blend together banana, eggs and protein powder. The mixture should be a thick pourable batter, that’s not too runny or stiff. If it’s too stiff, add a splash of water or milk. If it’s too runny, add a sprinkle of protein powder. You’re after a thickness where you can pour it into the pan and it spreads out just a little.
- Pour batter into a milk jug. Hot tip: the pouring spout will help you get perfect pancake circles!
- Pour pancake mixture into pan. Depending on your fry-pan size, you may need to do a few batches. Leave to cook until golden in colour or you can easily flip with a spatula. Repeat on the other side.
Notes:
* Protein powders can vary in both their serving weight (e.g., 24g, 40g) and how they absorb liquids—e.g. pea protein tends to be more absorbent than whey. This means even when following the recipe exactly, your batter thickness might vary. Start with 3 Tbsp of protein powder, blend, then check consistency. You’re after a thickness where the batter should pour into the frying pan and spread slightly. If it’s too thin (jiggly when wiggled), gradually add more protein powder. If it’s too thick, add a sprinkle more protein powder.
Avoid turning the heat up high – this will cook (or burn!) the outside of the pancake before the middle has a chance to cook through.
Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe
If you enjoyed this dish, please consider giving it a star rating when you post a comment. Star ratings help others discover my recipes online (and your reviews make my day! 🙂 ). Happy cooking and baking. Danijela x
102 Comments
Simple and delicious! Consistency was good, was a bit hard to flip but other than that a very easy recipe.
Would be yummy with a bit of cinnamon added into the batter.
Thank you so much for the feedback and kind star rating Katie! So stoked you liked them 🙂 I’m definitely going to try cinnamon next time! x
Hi,
Are these freezable please? 🙂
Hi Mollie, yes absolutely! These pancakes freeze really well. Just make sure to let them cool completely before freezing, then layer them with parchment paper to keep them from sticking. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag, and they’ll last for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, just pop them in the microwave. Perfect for meal prep! 😊
These are so good! I use chocolate protein powder and a bit of vegan pancake mix and they come out great! I top with peanut butter and dark chocolate buttons 😋
That’s awesome Sophie! Thanks for sharing your tip too, sounds great re vegan pancake mix! xx
Best pancake recipe out there. Beats *regular* pancakes to be honest. I used a vanilla falovred powder from myprotein and it’s just awesome.
Aw that’s so good to hear Ronnie! 🙂 Thanks for your comment x
Absolutely love this recipe!! Can’t believe something so yum only has a few ingredients… I added a vanilla protein powder to my mix! Highly recommend this recipe.
Yum, vanilla protein powder would be a great addition! Thanks for your comment 🙂 x
These were delicious! I added some cinnamon and organic greens powder—so yummy! I will for sure be making these again 🙂
Thanks for your comment Aliyah – love the tips, I’ll have to try them with those additions! x
Tried these this morning with vanilla protein powder and a pinch of allspice. They are amazing def a new go to breakfast.
Thanks for your lovely comment Nikki! Love the tip on the pinch of all spice – bet that’s delicious with your vanilla protein powder (chai vibes?!) xx
It was so good! you don’t even need a blender. Tastes great with a little bit of syrup or fresh fruit!
Thanks so much for your feedback and comment Liz. You’re right too, I have made them before without a blender and they work really well.
Amazing recipe! The pancakes came out so fluffy and sweet without any added sugars. Stewed berries and coconut flakes is the move 🙂 Thanks for the healthy recommendation.
Pleasure Jimmy! Thank you for the kind review x
Loved the taste, comfort. And ease.
Added sime cinnamin as a suggested.
I attempt to get some oats in as gluten free and know they are heart healthy and dtick to your ribs. I added 1/4
Cup of rolled oats that i previously blended into oat flour. And some water just to kerp nice and thin
Thank you for your kind comment and rating Regina! Loved your tips, cinnamon is a great idea xx
I added a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon to the batter and vanilla extract before blending! Then I added some frozen wild blueberries when cooking and they turned out great! I love how filling they are.
Ooo nutmeg and cinnamon! With wild blueberries! Sounds delicious. Thanks for your kind comment Julia xx
Loved this recipe! Since I just needed a single serving, I used 1 banana, 1 egg, 2 tbs. of Inspire Whey Protein Isolate Banana Nut Bread Protein Powder, 1/3 c. fresh blueberries and a dash of cinnamon. Breakfast was phenomenal…didn’t need butter or syrup. Thanks for sharing and putting me on the right path!
Hi Terra! So glad you enjoyed it – blueberries and cinnamon sounds ace! Thanks for your kind rating xx
Sooo tasty! Used a banana protein powder that gave extra banana flavour and topped the stack with a little Nutella, will definitely be making these again. Thank you for the recipe!
Ooo double banana! Nice! And banana + nutella = very happy tastebuds. Thanks for your kind feedback xx
Pelase confirm serving size? If 1 is selected is that physically just 1 pancake?
Hey Chantelle, thanks for your question. Serving size is for one person. You can make the pancakes as big or little as you like – this will impact how many pancakes you get. I recommend not making them too big as they’ll be hard to flip. I hope that helps xx
We made these this morning. I made a X2 recipe did add about 1/2 tsp of baking powder and a teaspoon of lemon juice. The family was impressed with the texture and flavor. Thanks for the recipe!
Pleasure, glad the family enjoyed them!
I made these this morning with vanilla protein powder and a pinch of cinnamon. Fantastic, especially since I need to stay off grains for a while. I indulged and had a bit of heavy cream on them.
Thanks for your comment Jenny! So glad you enjoyed them. Cream sounds like a delicious addition.
These are awesome. If I cooked up a batch of these, how many days would I have? I cook for the week on Saturdays.
Hi CJ! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂 I find they’re good for 3-4 days – they taste best reheated.
These are really good. I mixed in a tbsp of PB2 Chocolate Peanut Butter powder and it was very good. I topped it with a little bit of sugar free cool whip, that I mixed with the same PB2 powder, and some sliced strawberries and blueberries. This is definitely making a staple in our weekend breakfast for my husband and I.
Thanks for the kind feedback Kim – love your tip off adding the choc PB…YUM! xx
Made these this morning. Added cinnamon to up the flavor and cottage cheese to up the protein. We will definitely put these in our rotation. Thanks for a great recipe.
Great additions Melissa! Glad they’ll be welcomed into the rotation. Thanks.
This recipe looks fantastic
What is the nutritional value?
Please and thank you
Hi Aurelia, thanks for your question. The nutritional value can vary for this recipe based on whether you use whey/pea protein. But they’ll sit under 400 cal (without added toppings), with over 30g protein/serve and around 30g carbs. I like using Cronometer for nutritional analysis, it’s quite specific x
Beautiful
W hood
Thank you Maahir! 🙂 x
This is an easy to make dish. Great taste. Will add cinnamon next time.
Thank you for your kind rating and words Sheri! Cinnamon would be a great addition x
It does cook from outside in. I enjoy the taste! Very banana-ey and moist. I made about 9 pancakes about 2 inches wide. It was very thin and still runny after 3 tbs of vanilla protein powder. Definitely sweet enough. Maybe I’ll try a bigger banana. I tend to get the smaller sizes.
Thank you for your kind comment and star rating :). Yes, I’ve found the quantity of protein powder needed here can really vary based on blend used (whey vs pea, protein content/serve…) – some absorb more liquid than others, which impacts the viscosity and thickness of the batter. Sometimes another 1/2 to 1 Tbsp can really thicken it up – but they do still fry well on the thinner side. Thanks again x
Have you ever tried making extra and freezing them? Curious how they would do.
Hi Brent, I haven’t but now you’ve got me curious. I reckon they might handle a freeze, but I’ll need to test it. Watch this space!
I normally don’t like pancakes. These were delicious!
That truly is the best kind of feedback – thanks Chris! 🙂
these are easy to make, freeze & reheat . Nice snack totake when I need extra protein in the day. I added a splash of vanilla& some cinnamon ~ yummy
So great to hear – love the idea of enjoying them as a snack! Thanks Shanna 🙂 x
Daniela, these a fabulous just the way they are! (I use one scoop of Gold whey protein.) I usually make a half batch, put a teaspoon of nutella on it, and roll it up to eat it. I’m curious to find out how they freeze, but half batch or full…there’s never any leftovers to experiment with!😃
Thanks so much for your comment Valerie, so glad you enjoy them! I love the nutella-wrap idea – genius, I’ll have to try it. I’ve had a few people share they freeze and reheat well, so might be worth a triple batch next time 😉 x
It will be really helpful ifyou can add the nutritional information as well.
Thanks for the recommendation Carla, I will look into it 🙂 x
If you have a hankering for pancakes just eat a pancake, stay clear of these cardboard discs. If you are looking to train for the Olympic sport of discus then these will make a handy dandy substitute for the big heavy metal things.
Haha at least your review was quite funny Will. Discus sports aside, not everyone is able to eat regular pancakes – for whatever dietary reason. Given what ingredients they don’t contain, I hope they fit the bill for others. Cheers 🙂
Delicious! Easy to make and very yummy
Thank you for your kind words and rating Paula! x
Super yummy and I love how simple they are. It can be hard to find flourless/sugarless recipes. I tripled the recipe because I had 3 ripe bananas. I used the exact amount of protein recommended and the mix was a bit runny, I think (like the author suggested) if you do what I did you may want to add a bit more protein in to thicken the mix a bit. But I love them and even my boyfriend loves them and he’s not a huge sweets guy. They aren’t too sweet but taste really good. I used vegan protein and still great.
Hey Emily, thanks for the kind words and star rating! So glad you and your BF enjoyed them 🙂
Made this for my GF and she said it’s the best protein one she had. I think the banana really helps to not get the pancakes dry. Thank you for this recipe.
Thanks Peter, that’s such lovely feedback from your girlfriend! 🙂
Very easy to make and delush. I added blueberries.
Thanks for your kind comment Janet. Blueberries, yum! x
I recently made some delicious pancakes that were light, fluffy and had the perfect amount of sweetness. I added fresh blueberries to the batter, which added a burst of tartness that paired perfectly with the sweetness of the pancakes and maple syrup. It was a delightful breakfast treat that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a tasty start to their day.
Thank you for your lovely comment Nicole. So glad you enjoyed these 🙂 Adding the tartness of the blueberries is a fabulous idea x
great easy recipe just struggled to keep them round in the pan i added chia seeds yummy
Hi Vikki, thank you for your kind comment and star rating! 🙂 Yes, the absorbency of protein powders can vary – using chia seeds is a brilliant idea to help stiffen the batter up (while adding some extra nutrients into the mix), otherwise an extra sprinkle of protein powder should do the trick. Thanks again, D x
Super easy, so tasty! Used chocolate protein powder and was great – thank you!
Hey Katie, thank you so much for the kind comment and star rating. Really glad you enjoyed them – chocolate protein powder, yum! x
It taste so good.. I added pecan and pb2 delicious..do u know the micro?
So glad you enjoyed it Rose! I don’t currently post the nutrition analysis of each recipe (maybe one day), but a site I often use to do the analysis is Cronometer. Thanks x
So easy to make and delicious
So glad you enjoyed it Kylie, thanks for your comment and kind rating! x
I made these for my 7 year old who is a Type 1 diabetic. He absolutely loved them and they do not spike his blood sugar like regular pancakes do. He is obsessed 🙂 these are our new go to!!!
Wonderful to read this feedback Stef – so glad your little one enjoyed them x
I never leave comments on recipes but I couldn’t let this one go. It’s SO good! Recently bought protein powder that I don’t like, so decided to repurpose it to make these pancakes and I’m literally obsessed. My boyfriend is also lactose intolerant so this recipe is perfect for us. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hey Dani, thanks for this awesome comment – so good to hear you enjoyed the recipe and it’s giving new life to your protein powder! Enjoy x
AMAZING!!! These were so dang good with my vanilla kachava protein powder. I added a huge dallop of cottage cheese so I had to add a smidge more of protein powder to get a thicker pancake but they were SO GOOD!
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed them Rebecca. Thanks for the cottage cheese tip, great idea x
Came out great. Tried them per recipe with vanilla plant protein & also a batch with a bit of PB2 powder for flavor variation.
Hi DB, thanks for your comment and kind review. Great call on the PB2 powder – I’ll have to try it.
Easy and delicious and definitely good protein to hit our protein goals
I tripled recipe and made about 8 large pancakes
Thanks Theand, glad to hear they helped you hit your protein target! Enjoy.
Another delicious recipe
Thank you so much Sally! Appreciate the feedback 🙂
Wonderfully, I did add powered PB2 and cinnamon into the batter and my 6 year old loved it just as much as I did! Will make again and again!!
Woohoo, that’s so great to hear! Thanks Michelle, glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
These were so delicious! I used Free Soul protein powder and served it with raspberries and Greek yoghurt on the side. I will definitely be making them again!
Thanks Vanessa for your kind comment! So glad you enjoyed the recipe :).
I wasn’t expecting much to be honest as i protein anything recipes ends up tasting like protein powder. BUT these are great!! So delicious. I added a little milk instead of water but want to try Greek yogurt next. Definitely adding to my breakfast menu! Oh and the banana flavour is just soooo yummy.
Love this! Thanks Oliga 🙂 Glad you enjoyed them.
OMG these are amazing! Thank you.
Aw thanks Geoff! So glad you like them! 🙂
Can I replace the banana with 1/3 cup pumpkin puree?
That’s a great question Sarah. I haven’t tried it, but as pumpkin puree has a similar consistency to mashed bananas, it might well work. I’d expect a less sweet and more earthy flavour though (so offset with maple syrup!). You’ve inspired me to give a pumpkin version a go. Watch this space! x
They were extremely dry I’m planning on modify the recipe to make them more moist maybe adding soy milk or something. Very disappointed though.
I’m sorry to hear your pancakes turned out dry! This recipe has consistently worked well for many readers, so I’d love to help troubleshoot. A few key tips: make sure your banana is ripe (the riper, the moister), don’t overcook the pancakes (they cook quickly), and watch your protein powder amount – different brands absorb liquid differently, so start with less and adjust to reach that thick but pourable consistency. The most likely cause of dryness would be the protein powder type or amount. This recipe has only been tested with whey or pea, as stated in the ingredients. I hope that helps 🙂
I made these and added cinnamon to the batter, these were really good!
So glad you liked them, thanks Shanae!