Easy Plantain Pancakes
These gluten free plantain pancakes are super quick and easy to make. Plantain pancakes are a tasty breakfast staple that makes a delicious meal any time of the day!
Suitable for gluten free and vegetarian diets.
I was standing right in front of the compost, about to throw in a large bunch of overripe plantains when Freddy walked past and said – ‘ever heard the one about the food blogger who could not figure out what to do with ripe plantains?’
Challenge totally accepted and I spent the better part of 2 days testing out delicious plantain recipes.
I will be sharing some of these with you soon but please, please please allow me to start with these gluten free and sugar free plantain pancakes.
So love plantains, then this easy recipe is for you. And you might like these Air Fryer Plantains and Air Fryer Banana Chips, and these easy Fried Plantains and Baked Plantains Post.
Why Make This Recipe
- Versatile – these plantain pancakes are a great option for breakfast, brunch and breakfast for dinner recipes.
- Affordable – made with budget friendly ingredients.
- Fast – these tasty treats are super quick and super easy to make with minimal prep time. Ps no baking soda or baking powder needed.
- Scalable – scale up to feed a crowd. Just make sure to have 2 or 3 frying pans on he go if serving a large crowd.
- Diet – suitable for gluten free or vegetarian diets.
Ingredient Notes
- Over ripe plantain – you will need the black skinned plantains for this. Yellow Plantain or green plantains will be too firm.
- Gluten-free flour use your regular gluten free blend.
- Melted butter, I prefer to use salted melted butter.
- Eggs – which helps bind it all together.
- Milk – use whole milk, but for extra flavor sub in some coconut milk plus up to an additional 1/3 cup, if needed to thin batter
- Flavorings- the main flavor is from ground nutmeg but optional extras: cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt. Keep an eye on the salt level if using salted butter.
- Oil – use oil eg olive or coconut oil or butter for frying.
How To Make Plantain Pancakes
Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Put plantain chunks in a blender and blend till a smooth batter forms and there are no lumps.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the blended plantains and blend till combined.
- If the batter is too thick, just add in a couple of tablespoons of milk at a time till you get the consistency you desire.
- If you have time, allow the batter stand for 30 minutes
- Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over low medium heat, grab a ladle of batter and immediately pour the batter to the hot pan. Tilt the pan slightly so the batter spreads and covers the bottom of the pan.
- Cook until the pancake sets at the bottom and there are bubbles forming, then flip to the other side and briefly cook the other side till golden brown and cooked.
- Repeat with the remaining batter till the rest is done, adding a tiny amount of oil to the pan between each pancake.
Plantain Pancakes Tips
- These pancakes will break if you flip them like a traditional pancake so do turn them over carefully using a turner.
- They will not bubble like traditional pancakes so you have to keep check them to see if they are done before turning them over.
- Store leftover batter in a mixing bowl covered with plastic film in the fridge overnight.
- Feel free to use regular flour if you are not following a gluten free diet.
- Plantain pancakes are sweet from the plantain, so do not be tempted to add in any sugar. Instead add a couple of teaspoons of maple syrup or honey as required.
- You need very ripe plantains for these pancakes, make sure the skin is black (the yellow plantains will still be too firm, green plantains will be too firm).
- To peel the plantains add them to a cutting board, and using a sharp knife make a cut in the skin of the plantain lengthwise and peel it off.
- If the batter is too thick add some more milk.
Well, that is pancake day, Valentine’s day breakfast and exotic breakfast generally sorted for the next few days. Enjoy.
FAQs
A plantain is a starchy fruit that’s part of the banana family but it isn’t quite like a banana. Typically, you wouldn’t eat it raw because the plantain is starchier and is not as sweet as a banana.
You’ll find plantains on any Latin (called Tostones), Caribbean or African menu.
Plantains are served either as a side to accompany a main course, as the main course (yes please to stuffed plantains) or in a stew and also as a dessert with some Ice cream, icing sugar or honey.
A plantain is a starchy fruit that’s part of the banana family but it isn’t quite like a banana.
Typically, you wouldn’t eat it raw because the plantain is starchier and is not as sweet as a banana. Their skins are also much thicker than bananas. You would need to cook plantains before you eat them.
Bananas are less starchier. You can eat bananas uncooked as long as they are ripe, although you can cook them too if you prefer.
To peel the plantains add them to a cutting board, and using a sharp knife make a cut in the skin of the plantain lengthwise and peel it off.
More Plantain Recipes
More Pancake Recipes
- if you like regular pancakes then try these Buttermilk Pancakes.
- Vietnamese Pancakes.
- Moroccan Semolina Pancakes.
- Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes.
- Instant Pot Pancake Bites.
Serving Suggestions
Feel free to serve with your favorite compotes like Strawberry Compote, Blueberry Compote or
Thank you for reading my Plantain Pancakes recipe post. And please visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, UK food blog.
Get The Plantain Pancake Recipe:
Don’t forget to tag #recipesfromapantry on Instagram or Twitter if you try Plantain Pancakes! It is really, really awesome for me when you make one of my recipes and I’d love to see it. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thank you for reading Recipes from a Pantry.
Plantain Pancakes
Ingredients
Plantain Pancakes Ingredients:
- 1 overripe plantain peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup milk plus up to an additional 1/3 cup, if needed to thin batter
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- optional extras: cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt
- oil or butter for frying
Instructions
Plantain Pancakes Instructions:
- Put the plantain pieces in a blender and blend till smooth and no lumps remain.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend till combined. If the batter is too think, just add a couple of tablespoons of milk at a time till you get the consistency you desire.
- If you have time, allow the batter to stand for 30 mins.
- Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan and add in one ladle of plantain pancake batter. Tilt the pan slightly so the batter spreads and covers the bottom of the pan.
- Cook until the pancake sets at the bottom, then flip and briefly cook the other side.
- Repeat till the rest of the batter is done, adding a tiny amount of oil to the pan between each pancake.
Notes
Plantain Pancakes Tips
- These pancakes will break if you flip them like a traditional pancake so do turn them over carefully.
- They will not bubble like traditional pancakes so you have to keep check them to see if they are done before turning them over.
- Plantain pancakes are sweet from the plantain, so do not be tempted to add in any sugar.
Nutrition