Banana Coconut Milk Pancakes (Dairy Free)

Serve a small stack of these Coconut Milk Pancakes with banana to start your morning off a little sweeter! Dairy free pancake recipe made from scratch without Bisquick.

Who loves brunch?

If you said yes, you’re in luck! Today I’m posting Coconut Milk Pancakes with banana that are completely dairy free pancakes.

To be honest, the line between breakfast and brunch is blurred for me.

I know brunch is more savory and later in the morning, but the truth is what I eat for breakfast is also what I eat for brunch.

That usually involves being a little sweet, like my chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate pancakes, waffles for two, chocolate waffles, or French toast for two with whipped cream and maple syrup on top.

These banana coconut pancakes are more on the sweeter side thanks to the mashed banana.

I got the idea to substitute coconut milk for dairy milk when a Twitter follower said something to me about it.

I absolutely love canned coconut milk, so I gave it a go. Sometimes I’d rather drink coconut milk hot chocolate because of the coconut.

Now these pancakes are not vegan due to the egg, but they’re still delicious. I promise nobody will notice there isn’t any dairy!

What is coconut milk?

Coconut milk is coconut meat (the white part inside a coconut) mixed with water and blended until smooth.

When I say canned coconut milk, I’m referring to what you often find in the Asian, Latin, or even baking aisles.

This is not the thin milk carton kind you find in the dairy section. My recipes have only been tested with canned.

Next, double check the label. It should say coconut milk. Not cream of coconut. Not coconut water. And make sure it’s the normal version and not lite. It won’t have enough fat if it’s lite.

Ingredients For Coconut Milk Pancakes

These coconut banana pancakes are made from scratch; no baking mixes or Bisquick needed! All you need are the following basic pantry ingredients:

• All-purpose flour: Helps thicken your batter.
• Sugar: Adds a bit of sweetness to your batter.
• Baking powder: The key to making fluffy homemade pancakes. It may seem like a lot, but trust the recipe.
• Cinnamon and salt: Seasonings to make sure your batter isn’t bland
• Egg: Uses 1 whole egg despite being small batch pancakes so you’re not messing with yolks or whites.
• Canned coconut milk: Look for canned coconut milk in your Asian or Latin aisles. This is not the carton of coconut milk you find in the dairy aisle.
• Vegetable oil: Fat needed in the recipe. Use a neutral oil like vegetable or canola as olive oil may add an unwanted savory flavor. You can also substitute melted butter (dairy or nondairy)
• Banana: I highly recommend measuring your mashed banana so you don’t add too much.

How To Measure Canned Coconut Milk

If you’ve never worked with canned coconut milk before, here’s what to expect.

When you open a can, it will appear solid. That’s because the solid and liquid separated. If you shake the can, you can hear the liquid in there.

To measure canned coconut milk: Shake the can well then open and add to a bowl. Stir the solid and liquid together until smooth and pourable.

Next measure out what you need then save the rest for future use. Check out my recipes using coconut milk for ideas.

The coconut flavor is subtle, so it’s not in-your-face coconut pancakes; I don’t want to mislead anyone if you’re expecting a huge burst of coconut. The banana flavor will be more dominant.

How To Make Coconut Milk Pancakes

Here’s how to make your dairy free pancakes using coconut milk:

1. Whisk together your flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Beat together your egg, milk, oil, and vanilla in a measuring cup or another bowl.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry then gently whisk until everything is moistened then stir in banana. Do not overmix! Lumps are ok but there should be no pockets of flour.
4. Rest batter for 5 minutes to allow the gluten to relax. This means the pancakes won’t get tough while cooking. The batter will also thicken a little more because the flour absorbs the liquid.
5. Heat your skillet until hot. Ideally you want a non-stick pan. I let mine heat up while dry (aka no butter or oil). To make sure it’s hot enough, throw in a few drops of water. If they sizzle and evaporate quickly, the pan is ready.
6. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan then cook until edges are set and bubbles form on top. Flip then cook until second side is brown.
   
   The heat will fluctuate while cooking. If your pancakes are getting too brown, turn the heat down. If your pancakes are taking too long to cook, turn the heat up.

Store any leftover pancakes in a freezer-safe plastic bag with a piece of parchment in between so they don’t stick. Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

First published May 5, 2014