BEST Soft & Fluffy Banana Waffles
on May 05, 2019, Updated Feb 23, 2025
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These banana waffles turn those spotty bananas into a golden, crispy breakfast that’ll make you forget all about regular waffles. The naturally sweet banana adds moisture and flavor that takes these from good to absolutely irresistible!
Move over with your banana pancakes, Jack Johnson. These healthy banana waffles are the new cool breakfast in town! I believe in making waffles from scratch rather than from a box. A box mix tastes ok, but homemade waffle batter is incredibly simple and quick to make. And it allows you to pick and choose flavors and ingredients of your liking!
The secret to these waffles’ incredible texture lies in how the mashed bananas interact with the batter. As they cook, the natural sugars in the banana caramelize, creating crispy, lacy edges while maintaining a tender, fluffy interior.
The result is a waffle that’s perfectly balanced – sweet but not cloying, crispy yet soft, and delightfully aromatic with the comforting scent of warm banana bread.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Banana Waffles
- Perfect Balance: This recipe isn’t overly banana-y, just the perfect delicious balance of banana and waffle goodness.
- Topping Paradise: These waffles are seriously luscious vessels for your favorite sweet breakfast toppings: maple syrup, homemade buttermilk syrup, sliced fruit, peanut butter, and even chocolate syrup or Nutella!
- Health Boost: This is a good recipe for sneaking in fiber. Use whole wheat or oat flour instead of all-purpose flour for a little extra grain to start your day!
- Food Waste Solution: Transform those overripe bananas sitting on your counter into a delicious breakfast instead of throwing them away. Even bananas that are too soft for banana bread work perfectly in this recipe.
- Make Ahead: These waffles freeze beautifully – make a double batch and pop the extras in your freezer. Just toast them when you’re ready to eat for a quick and delicious breakfast on busy mornings.
🧇 People call me the buttermilk waffle queen, and honestly, I wear that crown proudly — these things are just too good!
Recipe Ingredients
- Banana — preferably aged bananas, not fresh
- Oil — use a light oil, such as canola or vegetable
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Milk — Any milk will work, but whole or 2% will result in a thicker batter.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Banana Waffles
This recipe couldn’t be simpler!
- Mash the banana in a bowl, then mix in the oil and eggs.
- Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Add the milk and mix gently.
- Preheat the waffle maker and cook according to the waffle maker’s instructions.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, and yum! This will create a slightly different texture and almost taste more like a banana oat muffin, which is amazing. Rather than using 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour, use 1 cup of flour and 3/4 cup of old-fashioned oats.
Yes, this is a good recipe for sneaking in fiber using whole wheat. Just add an extra splash of milk if the mixture is too thick.
Don’t stack the waffles when cooling! The heat coming off stacked waffles will cause them to steam and become soggy. Instead, spread them out on a rack. You can place the rack in the oven turned on a low temperature to keep the waffles warm while cooking the rest.
Yes! Just thaw them completely and drain off any excess liquid before mashing. Frozen-then-thawed bananas are actually perfect for this recipe since they’re extra soft and easy to mash.
Expert Tips
- Respect Thy Waffle Maker: For real. Read the instructions thoroughly because each one is different!
- Don’t Over-mix: When making the batter and adding ingredients, stir in everything until just combined. Too much mixing creates a chewier and less fluffy waffle. The batter should be fairly smooth with a few lumps.
- Patience is Key: Don’t touch that lid until the waffle maker tells you it’s time. The waffle maker will have a way of telling you when it’s done, like a light or beeper, or you can watch the steam for an indication. When the maker stops steaming, that should mean the waffle is done.
- Don’t Stack: When the waffles are cooling, spread them out, cool them on a rack, and avoid stacking them. The heat and steam coming off of them can cause soggy waffles, and that is a MAJOR bummer.
How To Store And Reheat Leftovers
These banana waffles stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months. To maintain freshness when freezing, place wax paper between each waffle and store them in a freezer-safe bag with as much air removed as possible.
For the best results when reheating, pop them in your toaster or toaster oven until crispy and heated through – avoid the microwave as it can make them soggy.
If frozen, there’s no need to thaw first; just increase the toasting time slightly.
More Yummy Waffle Recipes to Consider
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Simple Gingerbread Recipes
Homemade Gingerbread Syrup: Cozy Holiday in a Bottle
15-Minute Recipes
Cornbread Waffles with Chili – 15 Minute Dinner Idea
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
BEST Soft and Fluffy Banana Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 medium banana
- 2 tablespoons light oil, such as canola or vegetable
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/3 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the banana and use a fork to mash very well.
- Add the oil and eggs, and beat to combine well.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon to the bowl, and stir until just combined.
- Add the milk and stir until just combined.
- Make the waffles according to the waffle maker's directions.
- When one waffle is done, let it rest on a wire wrack, taking care not to stack the waffles.
- Serve hot with your favorite toppings such a maple syrup, buttermilk syrup, sliced bananas, pecans, whipped cream, or even chocolate sauce, Nutella, or peanut butter on top.
Notes
- You can substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour without any issues; add an extra splash of milk if the mixture is too thick.
- This is an easy recipe to scale up if you are cooking for a crowd.
- For the best texture, mash your bananas until they’re completely smooth with no large chunks. This ensures even distribution throughout the batter and prevents soggy spots in your waffles.
- If making multiple batches, place finished waffles directly on an oven rack (not stacked) at 200°F to keep them warm and crispy until serving.
these waffles were absolutely delicious. Moistest and lightest waffle I ever made. I substituted half brown sugar for regular sugar and added some nutmeg to mine. Also on half of them, I put chocolate chips on the top to melt. That way husband and kids would eat them.. delicious will definitely make again.
Nutmeg is SUCH a great addition! Thank you for sharing what’s working for you!
Hi Melissa, thank U very much for sharing your recipe! Measurements R perfect 🤩 It was delicious 😋 I omitted salt; added a pinch of nutmeg & 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 😃 Served it with warm banana sauce 😋
This was a great idea, but I had an issue with the recipe. I subbed 3/4 flour for oats like you recommended, but only used 1 cup of milk. Even that was too much milk! I had to add more flour to thicken the batter. Maybe if you use oats, add a lot less milk since they don’t soak it up as much as flour does.
FYI I did skip the sugar and use half whole wheat flour. I don’t think that would make it significantly runnier though.
Also it only made 3 large waffles, not 6. The extra milk might have stretched it to 4, but definitely not 6.
How long does the batter keep in the fridge?
I’m not sure. Overnight maybe? Will you let us know if you try it? I typically just make all of the waffles and reheat them in the toaster.
Can you make these a day ahead of time? I’m thinking of making them today and having them tomorrow for breakfast. Thanks!
I made a double batch often and keep the second half for later in the week, they reheat great!
I made a double batch. I’m going to pop them in the freezer single file on a cookie tray. When they are frozen put them in a bag and we can have them anytime we want. Just pop them in the microwave or the toaster.
A trick I learned with my long lost favorite waffle batter recipe ever: was to separate the egg whites, whip to peaks and fold into the batter. Always, let the batter rest. This creates a pillowy soft finish that is awesome on top of this awesome recipe!! This is the replacement recipe I’ve been looking for!! ????