Light and Fluffy Banana Pancakes Recipe

By David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, Eat This

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.

Yield

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

• Whisk together the yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.
• Add the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture, and stir just until blended.
• 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).
• As soon as the batter hits the pan, add three or four banana slices directly to each pancake, gently pressing them into the batter.
• 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.
• 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.
• Serve with more sliced bananas and a drizzle of syrup.