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Tuesday 20 March 2012

banana lime buckwheat pancakes (vegan & gluten-free)

vegan and gluten-free banana lime buckwheat pancakes.

Bananas are cheap again. It's funny, the way price affects how I treat my produce. Now that they don't cost a fortune, I'll buy a bunch and leave them lying around the counter for days, giving them nary a thought. Over time, they start softening, collapsing in a sweet surrender, the yellow skins darkening with an increasingly relentless influx of brown spots.

And then I look over one day and think, oops, perhaps I should start using them before they go bad.

So that was how it came to be that I made these vegan and gluten-free buckwheat banana-lime pancakes three times in a row. There are slight differences in the flavours and textures each time I make them, depending on how ripe the banana is, and how thoroughly I mash them. Invariably, however, they tend to end up tasting like juicy banana bread in pancake form, and you can't go wrong once you give them a good slosh of maple syrup - the magical finishing touch.

vegan and gluten-free buckwheat banana-lime pancakes
(serves 1 - 2)


1/2 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 overripe banana, approx. 15cm / 6 inches in length, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
pinch of lime zest (optional)
1/2 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon oil
more oil, for frying
maple syrup and wedges of lime

Mix buckwheat flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, form a well in the middle, and set aside.
In another bowl, mash up banana flesh with lime juice (and zest, if using) with a fork until mushy, then stir in soy milk and oil. You could also use a blender or food processor for a smooth texture, but I like it the rustic way.
Pour the banana puree into the well of the first bowl, then stir gently with a wooden spoon until just combined - do not overmix. At this point, the batter should be thick but still pourable, with a slightly lumpy appearance, resembling a porridge.
Heat up a well-oiled frying pan over medium heat.
Drop 1/4 cup of the pancake batter into the frying pan and cook for approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes, or until the edges set and bubbles pop on the surface. Turn and cook the other side for 30 seconds to 1 minute until golden, then flip onto a plate.
Repeat with the remaining batter. You should end up with 4 fat pancakes.
Serve with lashings of maple syrup and lime wedges to squeeze.

gluten-free and vegan buckwheat banana-lime pancakes in a sinful maple syrup bath.

53 comments:

  1. Finally an interesting use for the buckwheat flour I have stored away in the freezer! Thanks!

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  2. Never had lime on a banana pancake but I'm willing to give it a go! They look really good.

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    Replies
    1. I love tangy flavours, so it really worked for me. :D

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  3. I love buckwheat and these pancakes look appropriately decadent. My only trouble is that bananas seem to evaporate in this household, I never have overripe ones lying around.

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  4. We had a family friend when I was growing up into health foods (a big deal in the 80s...) we called him 'Stan, Stan, the buckwheat man' he would havae loved these. Me too!

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    1. Indeed, though this isn't exactly health food - maybe if you go easy on the maple syrup... :p

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  5. Such a cool idea. I know what you mean about letting fruit to sit there for too long once you can actually get it - I'm like that with avocados. To be fair, it's so hard to know when they're going to deign to ripen perfectly. I do have some buckwheat flour kicking round, so I'll look out for bananas next time they're on special and give these a go!

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  6. I hear you! I treat my fruit and vegetables the same way. These look lovely.

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  7. ever since the hike and not having bananas for year, i've decided to forgo them for good. not sure why i did that though

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  8. This reminds me of an amazing recipe my MIL used to do with just a whiff of honey. But lime + banana + maple syrup = genius! This is superb and I just have to give it a try (d'you think banana/lemon/honey would taste good?)
    Take care!

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    Replies
    1. Your MIL's recipe sounds tempting! I can imagine your banana-lemon-honey combo tasting great too.

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  9. I hardly associate banana and lime in a single dish but you just seem to make it work!

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  10. One of these days I will break my over-ten-years-since-I've-eaten-pancakes streak and make them. It's more likely this will happen with pancakes that taste like something else. Like, say.... banana bread? ;) I do so love maple syrup...

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    Replies
    1. Oh, why no pancake love for so long? One day, one day soon!

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  11. It's time to rejoice for the price of bananas have finally gone down again, yahoo! Last week, I went to the market and got a bunch for 50cents/kg, it's insane. I immediately baked myself some banana bread that night. Now, I'm thinking I need to make another trip back so I can give your banana pancakes a go! My usual pancakes are quite plain and boring and that's why I like how you've added ingredients like lime zest and soy milk, yum!

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    Replies
    1. That's a bargain! Gotta love banana bread... yum yum yum.

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  12. Just the words "banana lime" sound heavenly! So, this is a 'must make' recipe for me and my hubby over the next few days - that's for sure!

    Grandma Kat
    XOXOXOXOXO

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  13. Lime on bananas? How curious! Love the idea though, sounds quite zesty!

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  14. Oh I love this. It's like lemon and sugar but better! Your pancakes look devine! Imagine the breakfast we could cook together :)

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    Replies
    1. Pancakes and waffles... oh yes, I can imagine that. :D

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  15. Hehe yes they used to be like gold. You'd ceremoniously unwrap it and savour every bite! Now they're everywhere for $1.50 a kilo!

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    Replies
    1. Oh yes, so precious! I'm so glad they are affordable again.

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  16. My husband is a banana bread lover so I know he would love these!

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  17. Yayy for cheap bananas! That reminds me, I have two semi black bananas in the freezer.. now to do something with them!

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    1. I had those too, and made a smoothie with them. :D (A matcha-flavoured one, I've posted it on my blog before if you're interested...)

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  18. These pancakes look seriously delicious - I love the flavour combos and buckwheat? Sounds totally yum!
    Thanks!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru
    Latest: Colossal Caramel Peanut Monster Cookies

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  19. Such a lovely recipe... I just posted a buckwheat pikelet recipe today too. Love yours... sublime!

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  20. Mmmm! We are giant fans of buckwheat pancakes in this house. I like the addition of lime instead of lemon - nice twist!

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    Replies
    1. I do love my lime. We use lime more often than lemons back home in Malaysia.

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  21. Dear leaf,

    This looks like a pretty healthy stack of pancakes and I think that twist of lime really gives them a new taste dimension. I did see bananas selling for $2 a kilo at Harris Farm a few weeks ago.

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    1. Thanks Chopinand! I think the pancakes were pretty healthy until I drowned them in maple syrup... ;)

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  22. I adore the lime in this recipe... I've been wanting to experiment more with buckwheat on behalf of my gluten free clients and this is just the inspiration I needed!

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    Replies
    1. Buckwheat is great, and I've made quite a dent in my stash with these pancakes. :D

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  23. A great way to use buckwheat. I love pancakes and maple syrup - a perfect breakfast idea, especially the touch of lime - thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I really enjoyed these for breakfast on the weekends. :)

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  24. That is so healthy and delicious!

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  25. That's really creative! I just had savory crepes at Roule Galette last night and enjoyed the taste of buckwheat crepes. Makes me curious how your pancakes will taste like. :)

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    Replies
    1. These are like sweet, moist cakes, quite different to what you had I'd say! :)

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  26. These look simply delicious! I have never tried buckwheat, but sure will!

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    1. Do, it's a healthier alternative to plain flour. :D

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  27. buckwheat and lime and banana is a new combination to me! Definitely trying this out as I was a bit put off by the taste of buckwheat pancakes plain the first time i made them.

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