Light, fluffy, chewy, and bursting with flavor, banana waffles are an incredibly versatile and unbelievably delicious breakfast or brunch centerpiece that will have everyone raving.
They’re basically banana bread parading around as waffles, and instead of a dense crumb, you get crispy edges, a perfectly chewy interior, airy pockets, and a blank canvas for toppings.
These waffles are great for lazy weekend breakfasts or fancy festive brunches in equal measure. They can be dressed up with decadent sauces, hold their own next to platters of bacon and hashbrowns, and will pull together any breakfast or brunch spread with aplomb!
Best of all, they’re super easy to make, don’t require any special ingredients, and taste just as marvelous as they sound.
What You Need to Make Banana Waffles
Aside from very ripe bananas, you’ll need a handful of pantry staples you likely already have in your cupboard.
All-purpose flour is the backbone of the dry ingredients, but if you prefer using whole grain flours, they work really well in these waffles, too.
In fact, most flours can be substituted here, though you should avoid high-gluten bread flours for this recipe, as they’ll produce a tougher waffle.
Buttermilk is the primary wet ingredient, but if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make your own. Just add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of whole milk and let it thicken for 5 minutes.
This trick also works with non-dairy milks, so if you prefer plant-based milk you can absolutely use it instead. And if buttermilk doesn’t do it for you, regular milk works too.
The flavor of these waffles is akin to banana bread, so I like to use cinnamon for the full effect. Any warming spice like cardamom, nutmeg, or ground clove works too!
Ingredients:
Here’s a list of what you’ll need.
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar or granulated sugar, whichever you prefer
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Eggs – whites and yolks separated
- Buttermilk
- Regular milk (for blending the bananas)
- Ripe bananas
- Unsalted butter, melted
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Maple syrup for serving
To make the waffles, you’ll need a waffle iron, a couple of mixing bowls, and a blender for the bananas. As mentioned before, if you’d rather mash the bananas with a fork that’s totally fine! Just make sure the mash is as smooth as you can get it.
How To Make Banana Waffles
The secret to making these banana waffles is blending the bananas with a little bit of milk and adding the banana puree to the waffle batter.
If you don’t have a blender, you can definitely mash them with a fork—just make sure the mash has minimal lumps. To achieve a smooth mash, reach for bananas that are ripe to the point of turning brown. This will yield a sweeter, more concentrated banana flavor and the softer pulp will more seamlessly blend into the batter.
For optimal fluffiness, separate the eggs and whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold them into the batter. This will inject air into the mixture and keep everything impossibly light and chewy.
This is an optional step, so if whisking egg whites doesn’t sound like your idea of a good time, it won’t ruin your waffles to add them whole.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until the mixture is homogeneous.
Using an immersion or high-speed blender, blend together the bananas and milk until smooth. Pour the banana puree into the wet ingredient bowl and whisk to combine.
Carefully pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Slowly stream the butter into the pancake batter, whisking constantly until the butter has fully incorporated and the mixture is homogeneous and smooth.
Using a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until they start to froth and thicken. As soon as they form soft peaks, fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined. Do not overmix. Set aside the batter and let it rest for 10 minutes.
While the batter is resting, preheat your waffle iron. Once the batter is done resting, spray the waffle iron with cooking oil or brush with neutral oil or butter. (If you grease your waffle iron with butter, turn the heat down to medium to prevent burning. Cook waffles for one to two minutes longer.)
Fill your waffle iron about ¾ of the way full and gently close until it has shut completely. Cook the waffles until they’re golden brown and puffed. This can take anywhere from 3-5 minutes depending on your waffle iron, so keep an eye on it!
Transfer to a serving platter and repeat until you’ve used up all of the batter.
Top with butter, maple syrup, freshly sliced bananas, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, or whatever topping you see fit. Serve warm.
What goes good with banana waffles?
The world is your oyster when it comes to banana waffle pairings. For toppings, anything from classic butter and maple syrup to fresh whipped cream and decadent caramelized bananas and butterscotch sauce will make these outstanding waffles even more spectacular.
If you’re rounding out a breakfast or brunch spread, serve them with savory options such as bacon, scrambled eggs, or hashbrowns. They’re plenty sweet on their own, so a savory counterbalance will make for the perfect morning meal.
Banana Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp brown sugar or granulated sugar whichever you prefer
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 eggs separated
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup regular milk (for blending the bananas)
- 2 ripe bananas
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl mix together buttermilk, egg yolks and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Blend or mash together the bananas and milk until you have a smooth puree.
- Add the banana puree to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
- Add the wet ingredient mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Slowly stream melted butter into the waffle mix while whisking constantly until the butter has fully incorporated and the mixture is homogeneous.
- Using a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined and do not overmix.
- Let the waffle batter rest for 10 minutes.
- While the batter is resting, preheat your waffle iron.
- Grease the waffle iron and fill ¾ of the way full and gently close until it has shut completely.
- Cook until golden brown and puffed, anywhere from 3-8 minutes depending on your waffle iron.
- Repeat until you’ve used up all of your batter.
- Serve warm and enjoy with your preferred toppings!
Nutrition
Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy!
- Mochi Waffles
- Nutella Waffles
- Strawberry Waffles
- Carrot Waffles
- Nutella Banana Bread
- Almond Flour Banana Muffins
- Banana Crepes
Rebekkah is a food writer, recipe developer and sommelier who is obsessed with all things food and drink. When she isn’t lingering too long in her kitchen, she can be found making music in her apartment or traveling the globe in search of the perfect noodle.