5-Ingredient Banana Waffles With No Added Sugar or Baking Powder 🧇
We make these banana waffles at least three times a week 🤗 And we eat a ton of them. They’re tender inside, golden outside and sweet with no added sugar at all: all the sweetness comes from two very ripe bananas, the kind with skins covered in spots 🍌
It’s a homemade banana waffle recipe with just five ingredients you probably already have: banana, egg, butter, milk and flour. No sugar and no baking powder. You mix everything in a bowl, no mixer needed, and the batter makes 5 large waffles.
The only secret is not to overmix once the flour goes in: we explain why in how to keep them from turning rubbery. And if you don’t have a waffle iron, the same batter makes pancakes in a skillet.
How We Make Them at Home, Step by Step
Banana Waffles
Equipment
- Waffle iron Or a skillet, for pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe bananas about 200 g (7 oz) peeled; the riper, the sweeter
- 2 large eggs size M in Europe
- 40 g unsalted butter scant 3 tbsp; melted and warm, not hot
- 100 ml milk ⅓ cup + 1½ tbsp; we use cow’s milk
- 120 g all-purpose flour 1 cup; regular wheat flour
Instructions
- Mash the bananas. With a potato masher or a fork, in a bowl. It doesn't need to be smooth: a few small pieces are even better.
- Add the eggs. Both of them, and beat with the fork until well combined with the banana.
- Stir in the butter. The 40 g, melted and warm, not hot, little by little while you stir.
- Add the milk. The 100 ml, and mix.
- Add the flour and mix just enough. The 120 g, with a spatula, only until there's no dry flour left. If you overmix, the waffles turn rubbery.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes. It's normal for the batter to have a few small lumps: they disappear in the waffle iron. Meanwhile, heat up the waffle iron.
- Pour the batter into the waffle iron. A fifth of it, in the center, and spread it out to near the edge. If the iron is clean, there's no need to grease it.
- Close it and let it turn golden. Every waffle iron heats differently: go by the color, it should be nicely golden.
- Take it out and repeat. With a wooden spatula, so you don't scratch the iron. Repeat with the rest of the batter until you have 5 waffles.
Notes
- The bananas need to be very ripe, with skins covered in spots: they’re what sweetens the waffles. We explain it in the key: very ripe bananas.
- No waffle iron? The same batter works for pancakes in a skillet, over medium-low heat. We tell you how in the same batter makes pancakes.
- They keep well for 3 days in the fridge, well covered.
Any questions about the recipe? Ask us in the comments and we’ll get back to you. And if you make it, tell us how it turned out, we love hearing from you! 🤗
The Key: Very Ripe Bananas
In this recipe the banana is everything, and it has to be very ripe: with a deep yellow skin covered in brown spots. The riper it is, the sweeter, because as a banana ripens its starch turns into sugar. That’s why these waffles don’t need any added sugar.
On top of that, a ripe banana mashes in seconds, with a potato masher or a fork. It doesn’t need to be a smooth puree: a few small pieces are even better. If yours are still yellow, wait a few days. With bananas that aren’t very ripe, the waffles come out much less sweet.
How to Keep Banana Waffles From Turning Rubbery
Mix Just Enough
When you add the flour, stir only until there’s no dry flour left, and stop. If you keep mixing, the gluten in the flour develops and the waffles turn rubbery and tough instead of tender. It’s normal for the batter to have a few small lumps, as you can see in step 6: that’s fine, they disappear in the waffle iron.
A 5-Minute Rest
Before making the waffles, leave the batter in the bowl for 5 minutes. In that time the flour hydrates and the little lumps soften on their own, with no need to stir again.
Melted Butter, but Not Hot
The butter goes in melted and warm, never straight off the heat: if it’s hot, it can start to cook the egg. Pour it in little by little while you stir, so it blends nicely into the banana mixture.
In the Waffle Iron
We use a round waffle maker that makes large waffles divided into four sections. This batter makes 5 of them.
If your waffle iron is properly clean, there’s no need to grease it: the butter in the batter is enough for the waffles to release. Pour a fifth of the batter into the center, spread it out to near the edge and close the lid. Every waffle iron heats differently, so go by the color: they’re ready when they’re nicely golden. We take them out with a wooden spatula, which won’t scratch the nonstick coating.
The Same Batter Makes Pancakes
We always make them in the waffle iron, but if you don’t have one, the same batter works for pancakes in a skillet. Use a nonstick skillet with a little butter, over medium-low heat, and pour in a small ladle of batter per pancake. Flip them when the edges have set and bubbles appear on the surface. Gentle heat is better than high heat: the sugar in the banana makes them brown quickly, and they could stay raw inside.
And if what you’re craving is tall, fluffy pancakes, try our pancakes without baking powder.
What We Eat Them With
We love them just as they are, fresh out of the waffle iron. They’re sweet and don’t need any syrup. But they work with anything you’d put on a waffle: a few scoops of ice cream, syrup, melted chocolate or whipped cream 😋
How to Store Banana Waffles
They keep well for 3 days in the fridge, well covered. That way you can make the whole batch and have waffles for several breakfasts.
Banana Waffles FAQ
Do they have any sugar?
No, there’s no added sugar. All the sweetness comes from the very ripe bananas, whose starch turns into sugar as they ripen. That’s why it’s so important to use them when the skin is covered in spots.
Are these healthy banana waffles?
They’re classic waffles made with five simple ingredients and no added sugar: the fruit does the sweetening. They contain flour and butter, so they’re not a diet recipe, but a tasty homemade breakfast made with good ingredients.
Can I make these banana waffles for my baby?
Our daughter has been eating these banana waffles since she was 2. They have no added sugar, no salt and no baking powder, just the natural sweetness of ripe banana, which is why we’re so happy to make them for her. If your little one is younger, check with your pediatrician first, especially if they haven’t tried egg, wheat or dairy yet: these waffles contain all three. Let them cool and cut them into strips that are easy to hold.
Why is there no baking powder?
Because they don’t need it. The egg and the banana give them a tender crumb, and the waffle iron makes them golden on the outside. We prefer recipes without baking powder whenever they turn out well without it, and this is one of them.
How many waffles does this recipe make?
With our round waffle iron it makes 5 large waffles, each divided into four sections. If yours is smaller or makes square waffles, you’ll get more.
Do I need to grease the waffle iron?
Not if it’s properly clean. The butter in the batter is enough for the waffles to release with no trouble.
Can I make them without a waffle iron?
Yes, as pancakes in a skillet. Use a nonstick skillet with a little butter, over medium-low heat, and pour in a small ladle of batter per pancake. Flip them when bubbles appear on the surface. We always make them in a waffle iron, so we don’t have tested skillet times.
Why did my waffles turn out rubbery?
It’s almost always from overmixing when you add the flour. Stir only until there’s no dry flour left, even if a few lumps remain, and let the batter rest for 5 minutes before making the waffles.
What if my bananas aren’t very ripe?
They’ll work, but the waffles will be much less sweet. If you can, wait a few days until the skin is covered in spots: those are the bananas that work best here.
Can I use a different flour?
We always make them with regular wheat flour and haven’t tried others, so we can’t promise how they’d turn out. If you try another flour, let us know how it goes in the comments.
Can I use plant-based milk?
We haven’t tried it: we always make them with cow’s milk. If you try it, tell us in the comments how they turned out.
How long do they keep, and can I freeze them?
Well covered in the fridge, they keep well for 3 days. We haven’t frozen them, so we can’t promise how they’d turn out.
Made This Recipe or Have a Question?
Any questions before you start? Ask us down below and we’ll get back to you. And if you’ve already made it, tell us how it turned out or leave us a rating: it really helps more people find the recipe 😊
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