Low Sodium Pancakes (3 Ingredients!)

These super delicious low-sodium pancakes have just 3-ingredients and come together in minutes!

It’s time to throw away your premade pancake mixes because this recipe couldn’t be easier. Yes, these 3 ingredient oatmeal pancakes only need three simple ingredients. Bananas, oats, and…

…another staple you usually have at your house… milk!

This recipe is basically like eating oatmeal but in a pancake form. How fun is that?

These pancakes are a great addition to any healthy eating pattern. It is egg-free, sugar-free, vegan, and gluten-free, and therefore suitable for many diets. You wouldn’t even know this is a no-egg pancake.

Are you ready to see how this healthy breakfast comes together? Let’s find out!

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Why Make 3 Ingredient Banana Oat Pancakes?

This healthy breakfast recipe is:

• made with 3 simple ingredients you already have in your home
• quick to put together (less than 10 minutes!)
• no chopping (no knife or cutting board needed)
• freezer-friendly (a fantastic addition to your meal prep)
• naturally sweetened with banana
• kid-friendly, and great for baby-led weaning
• vegan
• gluten-free
• egg free

Are These Low Sodium Pancakes Heart Healthy?

This recipe offers:

• 6 grams of protein  
• 4 grams of fiber 
• 20 mg of sodium

Which makes it a fantastic well-balanced breakfast that will fuel your day.

Read on to learn how each ingredient supports heart health.

The Ingredients Revealed

• well-ripened banana (one of 39 foods that can lower your blood pressure)
• rolled oats (one of 39 foods that can unclog your arteries)
• milk of your choice

Soy Milk

I chose soy milk in this recipe because not only does it have cholesterol-lowering plant protein and antioxidants it also has a rich consistency. 

Oats

Old-fashioned oats or rolled oats are healthy carbohydrates that contain soluble fiber. Eating enough soluble fiber every day can lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and aid in satiety (1).    

Be sure to use rolled oats or old-fashioned oats (instead of quick oats) for this recipe as they are less processed and will be more satiating.

Banana

Naturally sweet mashed bananas provide flavor, but also potassium.  Eating adequate potassium through whole foods can help lower blood pressure as it reduces the tension of the blood vessels and arteries to ease the blood flow.

It is well known that we need to reduce our sodium intake to control blood pressure, but not as well known that adding potassium can serve a similar function to help manage blood pressure. In fact, the more potassium you eat, the more sodium you lose through urine. 

This recipe is naturally sweetened with a banana instead of added sugar like maple syrup or honey.  Limiting added sugars is recommended by the American Heart Association (2).  Added sugars are referred to as empty calories because they don’t provide any nutritional benefit.

If you like a sweet pancake, choose a well-ripened banana.  The riper it is, the sweeter the end result will be!

How To Make Low-Sodium Pancakes

Making low-sodium pancakes is similar to most pancake directions and comes together very quickly. First, make the batter, then cook the pancakes.

First Step

To make the batter, first, blend the rolled oats into a flour. If you don’t have rolled oats you can substitute oat flour here to keep this a flourless pancake. This image shows the consistency of the oats after being blended.

Second Step

Then add the banana and the milk. Mix, and let sit for 10 minutes. The consistency of the pancake batter should be like the image below.

No need for a fancy mixer or food processor here, any blender will do.  

The longer you let the batter sit, the thicker the pancake batter will become.  This is because the fiber from the oats soaks up the milk, increasing its viscosity.

Since this recipe doesn’t use baking powder, resting the batter is the only way to increase the thickness of the pancake.

Third Step

Once the batter is mixed, preheat a non-stick pan (medium-high heat), to make sure the large skillet is warm before placing the batter on top. When cooking keep the temperature at medium heat because high heat will cause them to burn.

Once the pan is hot, spoon the batter onto the pan (I use a spoon, but you could use a measuring cup to make equal-shaped pancakes) and then let the heat do the work.  

Once the batter starts forming little bubbles it’s time to flip! Cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.

Oat flour is denser than all-purpose flour, and sometimes bubbles do not form.  As a back up you can check if they are ready to flip by gently lifting them with a spatula to see if the bottoms are browning.

In my experience, even though we are using oat flour, the addition of milk helps to form the bubbles which is a good indication the pancake is cooked and it is time to flip.

How Do You Reduce Salt In Pancakes

You can reduce salt in pancakes by not adding any salt, and using whole ingredients that are naturally low in sodium. This recipe only uses 3 whole ingredients and no added salt, making this a perfect low-sodium pancake recipe.

Baking soda and baking powder are two common ingredients found in pancakes. They are used as leavening agents in baking, helping baked goods rise. This low-sodium recipe omits baking soda and baking powder to lower the sodium and creates a thick pancake by letting the oats soak in milk before cooking. This increases the viscosity of the batter, thanks to the soluble fiber found in oats.

Watch How It’s Made

Watch this one-minute video to witness just how easy this recipe can be.  

Make-Ahead To Save Time                                                   

I’d suggest cooking these pancakes ahead of time if you want this recipe to be part of your meal prep rotation for busy mornings.  Since they are made with fresh ingredients, they only last 1-3 days in the fridge, so store them in the freezer for maximum freshness. 

Once the pancakes are cooked, be sure to cool them before putting them in a container to freeze. Remove as much air as possible, before sending them to the freezer to be stored for 3-6 months. 

Leftovers

When you are ready to reheat this freezer-friendly meal, I’d suggest reheating them from frozen in the toaster, just like you are making toast! Or you can also reheat them (from frozen) in the microwave on a microwave-safe plate for around 30 seconds.

Not only does this recipe make a healthy breakfast, but a healthy snack too, especially for kids!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is There a Low Sodium Pancake Mix?

Store-bought pancake mixes are usually high in sodium because they contain added salt, baking powder, and sometimes baking soda. All three ingredients are high in sodium.

A low-sodium pancake mix omits these ingredients like this baby gourmet* mix or this one from Bob’s Mills*.

Are Pancakes High In Sodium?

You may be wondering why pancakes have so much sodium. Well using salt as an ingredient makes pancakes taste good. Without salt, the pancakes are usually flat. Additionally, baking soda and baking powder are a source of sodium and are commonly used as leavening agents for baking. A leavening agent helps make pancakes rise by adding gas bubbles.

All three ingredients make pancakes high in sodium.

What Is The Healthiest Pancake?

Homemade pancakes are usually the healthiest pancake because you can control the ingredients. This recipe is one of the healthiest pancakes you can make because it contains three unprocessed ingredients that are rich in fiber and protein for a balanced meal. These ingredients are naturally low in sodium and rich in heart-healthy nutrients like potassium to help control your blood pressure.

Variations Of The 3 Ingredient Banana Oat Pancakes

Vegan

This recipe is vegan as is!

Gluten-Free

All ingredients are naturally free of gluten, but be sure your oats are processed in a certified gluten-free facility.

Variations

You can enjoy the 3 ingredient vegan pancakes as is, or add flavor based on preferences.  Some suggested mix-ins are:

• fruit like banana slices or fresh berries – you can top each pancake before flipping
• stir in some nuts or nut butter into the batter
• add some heart-healthy oats, chia, or flax for extra fiber and omega 3s  

Spices

You can choose to add other flavors to these 3 ingredient vegan pancakes if you desire. Some options may be:

• cinnamon
• lemon juice
• vanilla
• pumpkin pie spice
• apple pie spice
• blueberries
• chocolate chips

… to name a few.

Add The Toppings

Be sure to add your favorite toppings to these easy vegan banana pancakes. Some of my favorites are:

• apple sauce
• yogurt
• chia jam 
• maple syrup
• fresh fruit

Other Breakfast Recipes

Other Low Sodium Recipes

… as well as low sodium mayonnaise, low sodium breakfast ideas, low sodium lunch ideas, low sodium pasta recipes, low sodium bagels, low sodium tortillas, low sodium hot chocolate, low sodium marinara sauce, DASH diet desserts, DASH diet soups, low sodium oatmeal recipes, low sodium salsa, low sodium hummus, low sodium taco seasoning, tofu bolognese, beet mac and cheese… to name a few.

Or check out these low sodium cookbooks and DASH diet cookbooks.

Other Oatmeal Recipes

Protein baked oats, vegan protein oatmeal, chocolate avocado smoothie, smoothie to lower cholesterol, overnight oat bran, pecan pie overnight oats, turmeric energy balls, pumpkin protein balls, turmeric oatmeal, blueberry cheesecake overnight oats or a list of Registered Dietitian approved oatmeal recipes and oat bran recipes.

Final Thoughts

Who knew flourless, eggless, 3 ingredient vegan pancakes could be so easy and delicious?

My hope is this 3 ingredient oatmeal pancake shows you just how easy and delicious heart-healthy eating can be!

And if you LOVE this satisfying low-sodium pancake recipe and are interested in other heart-healthy meals subscribe to my newsletter for a FREE 7-day heart-healthy meal plan to get you started on lowering your blood pressure today!