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Start your day with these dairy-free, gluten-free protein pancakes made with chia seeds, flax seeds, and banana. Nutritious, filling, and delicious!
This recipe came to be after an email from my friend. She told me about these pancakes that she loved from The Skinny Confidential. The idea of using banana in the place of my usual almond flour or coconut flour was intriguing, so I tried it. Then I tweaked it, and I tweaked it a little more.
And the result are these cinnamon chia-flax protein pancakes. They are moist, flavorful, filling, and good for you. They are packed with protein, fiber, and omega-3s. They are also naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and Paleo.
Ground chia seeds and flax seeds are used instead of flour for a healthy twist on pancakes, which makes them a nourishing option for any day of the week. Try my Fluffy Greek Yogurt Pancakes, Healthy Zucchini Egg Muffin Cups or Banana Yogurt Smoothie for other healthy higher protein breakfast options.
Table of Contents
What makes this recipe great
- These no flour banana pancakes are a healthy pancake option.
- They are easy to make. You just throw everything into a blender or food processor.
- They are high in protein, omega-3s, fiber and antioxidants.
- It’s a great way to add chia seeds and flax seeds into your diet.
- They are great for those following a dairy-free, gluten-free, or Paleo diet.
Recipe ingredients
- Eggs– these bind the batter together and add protein.
- Banana– they add sweetness to the pancakes while also binding the batter together.
- Chia Seeds– make sure to use ground chia seeds. You can grind them yourself in a coffee grinder or buy them pre-ground.
- Flax seeds– make sure to use ground flax seeds or flaxseed meal.
- Cinnamon– this adds nice flavor to the pancakes.
- Lemon juice– this helps activate the baking powder in the recipe and balances the acidity in the recipe.
- Baking soda– this is what makes the pancakes rise!
- Honey– I love only using a little to add a hint of sweetness.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Make sure your flax seeds and chia seeds are ground. You can’t do this in a food processor. You need a coffee grinder or spice grinder.
Step 2: Put all of your ingredients into a food processor or blender.
Step 3: Put 2 Tablespoons worth of batter on the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes a side.
Step 4: Flip the pancakes.
Expert tips
- How to grind chia seeds or flax seeds at home– you can use a coffee grinder or spice grinder. I prefer to buy ground chia seeds and ground flaxseed meal but if I can’t find it, I do it at home.
- Make sure the pancake batter isn’t lumpy. The banana sometimes takes time to mix so make sure the banana isn’t lumpy. This results in thicker pancake batter.
- How to serve: Serve pancakes with maple syrup, berries or other fruit, butter, almond butter, maple butter, apple butter or whatever is your favorite pancake topping of choice.
Other pancake recipes you’ll love:
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Cinnamon Chia-Flax Protein Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 banana
- 2 Tablespoons ground chia seeds
- 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor. Mix.
- Scrap the sides of the blender down with a spatula and then blend everything together one more time.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Grease with oil.
- Use 2 Tablespoons worth of batter to make each pancake. Lower heat to low medium.
- Wait until the batter starts bubbling a bit (2-3 minutes) before flipping. Cook for about another few minutes on the other side, or until golden brown.
- Note: Depending on your stove top or your pan, these may cook more or less quickly, so just keep an eye on them. Also, I noticed that my first few pancakes took more time to cook, and the other ones browned much more quickly.
- Yields 7- 8 mini pancakes total. Serves 1 or 2.
Notes
- How to grind chia seeds or flax seeds at home– you can use a coffee grinder or spice grinder. I prefer to buy ground chia seeds and ground flaxseed meal but if I can’t find it, I do it at home.
- Make sure the pancake batter isn’t lumpy. The banana sometimes takes time to mix so make sure the banana isn’t lumpy. This results in thicker pancake batter.
- How to serve: Serve pancakes with maple syrup, berries or other fruit, butter, almond butter, maple butter, apple butter or whatever is your favorite pancake topping of choice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Dairy free? But use 2 eggs? Are eggs not considered dairy?
Thanks! Caroline
No eggs aren’t considered dairy. This is a helpful site with good info https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-eggs-dairy
Thank you about the banana info. I was going to ask you about a substitute since I’m deathly allergic to raw bananas also among other fruits and veggies.
We’ve found that his allergy is linked to pollen in the raw fruit. He misses bananas a lot so he likes being able to have them in pancakes and banana breads. I hope you are able to have them cooked as well!
can we omit banana
It wouldn’t work the same without banana. I do have some pancake recipes without banana in my recipe index! 🙂
The proteins become denatured when they are heated, so yes, you are right – it changes the shape of the protein which is causing the allergy. The body recognizes allergenic proteins as foreign and mounts an attack/immune response, when the protein is denatured it’s different enough that the body doesn’t recognize it as an allergen. This isn’t the case for every persons allergies, though.
Wow, so happy to know the reason why. The body’s response to food and allergies can be such a bummer :/
These are very good and easy quick to make. Threw all the ingredients in nutribullet and blended. Added some chocolate chips to a few to try and it was yummy! Used a flax chia blend I had which is already ground. Will definitely make again.
Happy to hear it! Adding chocolate chips sounds delish! 🙂
Can the mix be made the night before, stored in the fridge over night, and pancakes made in the morning?
I’ve never made them in advance before. I would be worried about the chia seeds expanding and changing the texture of the batter overnight. If you try it, let me know!
I did this and the batter was very thick. I just added an extra egg and they were fine. Have made this recipe twice now and the hubs and I like them with defrosted blueberries that are nice and juicy! No need for maple syrup this way. But, yes I have a but, I can’t seem to get them cooked without scorching them. I keep turning the heat down but . . . To no avail. We eat and enjoy them anyway ?
I’m looking into adding a plug-in to do this. I’ll let you know as soon as I do! 🙂
Thanks for the tip!
any ideas if I can crush my flaxseed and chia seeds or should i get separate ground ones ?
I’ve never done it before, but I did just find this interesting article on how to grind your own flaxseeds. I think the same can be done for chia seeds as well 🙂
How many calories would say each pancake has?
About 55 calories a pancakes 🙂