Light and Fluffy Banana Pancakes Recipe

Using yogurt and cottage cheese in these pancakes does two things: It brings extra protein to the breakfast table, and it helps produce the lightest, moistest pancakes you've ever tasted. The addition of fresh slices of banana, which caramelize into golden-brown disks of sweetness once they hit the skillet, to the batter can never be a bad thing, but the secret here is in the batter recipe, which should become your go-to base for all pancakes moving forward.

Nutrition: 320 calories, 5 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 54 g carbs

Serves 4

You'll Need

1 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
3 eggs
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup white whole wheat flour (We like King Arthur's)
1⁄2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 bananas, sliced
Warm maple syrup for serving

How to Make It

1. Whisk together the yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.
2. Add the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture, and stir just until blended.
3. Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-low heat. Coat with nonstick cooking spray, and add batter in large spoonfuls (about 2 tablespoons each).
4. As soon as the batter hits the pan, add three or four banana slices directly to each pancake, gently pressing them into the batter.
5. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the tops begin to bubble. Flip the pancakes and cook on the second sides for 3 minutes longer, until browned.
6. It will take a few batches to get through the batter, depending on the size of your skillet. You can keep the pancakes warm in a 200°F oven while you work through the batches.
7. Serve with more sliced bananas and a drizzle of syrup.

Eat This Tip

Nutritional Upgrade6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Most supermarket syrups are junk, made almost entirely of high-fructose corn syrup and chemical additives designed to approximate a maple flavor. But real maple syrup can be prohibitively expensive. Solution? Fruit compote.

Take a bag of frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, and mixed berries work well), dump into a saucepan with 1⁄2 cup water and 1⁄4 cup sugar, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the fruit is warm and the mixture has thickened. Use it for all your pancake and waffle needs.