Recipe · 4 minute read

These are the pancakes for the brown bananas sitting on your bench. Everything goes in the blender, the batter’s ready in under ten minutes, and a scoop of protein powder turns a treat into a breakfast that should keep you going until morning tea.

You don’t need flour, a bowl or a recipe you have to read twice. The riper the bananas the better, because they bring all the sweetness, so the ones you were about to give up on are perfect. They come out soft in the middle and golden at the edges, a bit like banana bread. Kids tend to eat these without noticing there’s anything good for them inside.

Why it’s good for you

Toast and a coffee might get you to 9 o’clock, but they don’t give you much protein. If you’re training, about 20 to 40 g at a meal is a good target.

A 30 g scoop of plain whey concentrate has about 24 g of protein (check your tub, because flavours vary), so the two of you start on about 12 g each. Add the eggs and oats, spoon over some Greek yoghurt, and a plate of these gets you into that range. The oats and banana bring fibre as well.

If you’ve got a strength class on, these are a good thing to eat afterwards, or a couple of hours before if you like something in your stomach.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 very ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 scoop (30 g) vanilla or natural whey protein powder
• 1/4 cup milk of your choice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• A pinch of salt
• A little butter or olive oil, for the pan
• Greek yoghurt, berries and a drizzle of maple syrup, to serve

Method

1. 1Blitz the batterPut everything except the butter and toppings in a blender and blitz until smooth. Leave it to sit for 5 minutes so the oats soak up the liquid. It should be thick but still pourable, so add a splash more milk if it isn’t.
2. 2Heat the panMelt a little butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Keep the heat lower than you would for ordinary pancakes, because protein powder and banana both brown fast.
3. 3Cook small roundsPour in about 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake and leave room between them. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear and the edges look set, then flip gently and give them another minute or so.
4. 4Stack and serveKeep the first batch warm on a plate under a tea towel while you cook the rest. Pile them up with yoghurt, berries and a little maple syrup.

Make it your own

• No protein powder: swap the scoop for another 1/4 cup of oats, and serve with extra yoghurt.
• Dairy-free: use a plant protein powder and plant milk, fry in olive oil, and swap the yoghurt for a plant-based one. Plant powders drink up more liquid, so add an extra splash of milk.
• Extras: stir blueberries or a spoonful of peanut butter through the batter after blending.
• Chocolate: use chocolate protein powder and scatter a few raspberries on top.

Book a class

Make it ahead

Cooked pancakes keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, or freeze them flat with baking paper between the layers. They go straight from the freezer into the toaster, which makes a busy Tuesday morning a lot easier.

The takeaway

Next time your bananas go brown, get the blender out. Freeze a few and you’ve got another morning sorted too.