If it looks like a pancake, smells like a pancake and tastes like a pancake, then it probably is a pancake malpua.
Say whaat?
Yep, you heard me right. I said Malpua. Pronounced: maal-poo-ahh.
So what the heck is that? It’s a sweet Indian pancake!
I really thought about calling this a “cardamom spiced banana pancake” BUT I love learning about cuisines and I figure you do too, right? Even though this is basically a cardamom spiced banana pankcake, it’s also a “banana malpua” – a popular north Indian dessert.
And if you think you don’t like Indian food… this banana pancake, I mean, banana malpua, will be your gateway into loving Indian cuisine.
Not only is this recipe a great way to use up ripe bananas (why is it that I always seem to have them?), it’s also gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free and nut-free (unless you top them with crushed nuts, obvi). One thing you should know is that these are made with rice flour. If you’re a regular here then you know I normally don’t use rice flour. In fact, this is only the second recipe that calls for the ingredient (here’s the first). The truth is, I’ve been using rice flour a little more lately. Why? It’s an inexpensive gluten-free grain that’s pretty allergy friendly. I know there are many of you who can’t tolerate grains but I want to offer recipe options for everyone suffering from allergies, so if I can come up with a good recipe using rice flour or another gluten-free grain, then I’ll share from time to time. I hope that’s okay. And I hope that if you’re strict paleo, you won’t hate me forever. But um, if you’re looking up a post about how to make gluten-free pancakes, then you’re probably not as strict paleo as you think you are… just sayin’ 😉
But if you are looking for a paleo pancake recipe – then you must try my Perfect Paleo Pancakes.
Onto the important stuff. What’s the difference between a regular banana pancake and a banana malpua? A banana pancake is soft and fluffy. A banana malpua is soft and fluffy in the center BUT it also has crispy edges. Oh, and a banana malpua is spiced with my favorite spice of them all: cardamom.
Just look at them… thin, soft, fluffy, crisp… and drizzled with maple syrup… ::swoooon::.
The ONLY downside to this recipe? Each banana pancake takes 4 minutes total to cook (2 minutes per side). UGH. That’s like a minute longer than a “normal” pancake.
Wow. That was such a stereotypical millennial thing to say… sorry… I will say that the time it takes to make these is 100 percent worth it.
You can top these banana malpuas with whatever you want – maple syrup, whipped cream, butter, ghee, jam, crushed nuts. I love the combination of banana and walnuts – I just think they pair SO well together. But I bet pistachios would be great on top of these too. Or cashews. You basically can’t go wrong.
You can make these bigger than mine – just spread the batter out and they should cook in the same amount of time. I just like making them small because they’re cuter that way. You might be like, “really, Ash? you care about your pancakes being cute?” Um, yes I totally do. Even though we should judge food by how it tastes and not by how it looks… that doesn’t really fly in the food blogging world. Because as a blogger, I absolutely need to make food look as good as it tastes, which is um a pretty hard thing to do, especially when you’re not a profesh photographer. I have no idea why I’m telling you all of this BUT… tell me, doesn’t this next picture just make you want to take a big BITE?
Say yes? Unless your answer is “No… I want to take SEVERAL big bites” in which case, I love you even more.
Gluten-free Banana Malpua (Cardamom Banana Pancake)
Gluten-free Banana Malpua (Cardamom Banana Pancake)
Ingredients
Banana Malpua Pancake:
- 1 cup mashed banana approx. 2 bananas
- 1 cup rice flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- 1 cup coconut milk canned and full-fat
- Coconut oil see directions
Optional Toppings:
- Crushed Walnuts or another type of nut
- Maple syrup
Instructions
- Combine the banana malpua ingredients together in a blender or food processor or in a bowl using an electronic mixer.
- Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to a non-stick crepe pan (like this one) over medium heat.
- Pour ¼ cup of the batter onto the pan.
- Spread out the batter a bit to form a circular shape. Then rotate the pan to make sure the coconut oil gets on all sides of the pancake.
- Cook for 2 minutes, flip, then cook for another 2 minutes.
- Repeat by adding 1 teaspoon of coconut oil before making each pancake.
- Serve with optional toppings, if desired.
Notes
Want to try more Indian desserts? Then be sure to check out my Paleo Indian eCookbook: South Asian Persuasion! It has 100+ Paleo Indian Recipes (gulab jamun, anyone?)
Neha says
Can we substitute coconut milk with regular milk ?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Neha, I haven’t tried but my guess is that whole milk should work as a substitute.
Neha says
This is an amazing recipe and my family loved it! Thank you so much! Based on the comments here I used 1/2 tsp Baking Soda. I couldn’t find white rice flour so used brown rice flour. I also used slightly more coconut milk because brown rice flour is slightly dense. I topped it with chopped cashews, pistachios and maple syrup. Lip smacking delicious. The Malpuas came out crisp on edges and chewy in the middle. Loved the texture. While on griddle, a couple of the pancakes broke. What am I doing wrong? Thanks again!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Neha! I’m so glad you and y our family loved the malpua 🙂 Thanks for sharing your subs!
Pooja says
I simply loved this….turned out lovely…kids enjoyed them with maple syrup…Thanks so much
My Heart Beets says
Pooja, I’m so happy to hear that! Glad your kiddos enjoyed this 🙂
Arati sethy says
I just tried this banana pancakes and they were very tasty😋. I have 2tbsp less rice flour so I added 2tbsp of wheat flour… the pancake are really yummy and my husband liked it 👍
My Heart Beets says
Arati, that’s really great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how this turned out for you 🙂
Seth says
I made these this morning for my son, who also has many food allergies. He devoured them! I devoured them. They are really delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
I advertised them to him as pancakes, and I found after the first one I cooked that they were pretty flat and dense. For me, upping the baking soda to 1/2 tsp and adding 1/4 tsp baking powder made them lighter and fluffier, probably more like pancakes than malpuas though. Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Seth, I’m so happy to hear that your son liked them! And that you liked them too! And thanks for the tip on making them more like pancakes – I’m sure my readers will appreciate it 🙂
jen says
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! My 5yr old is on an extremely restricted diet right now. But she can eat white rice and banana and coconut milk…. WIN! These turned out just like the picture, were simple as could be and she loved them 🙂 I can’t tell you how thankful I am.
And FWIW my batter was just a bit thicker than crepe batter. It poured and spread easily. Iused spotted bananas, bob’s red mill white rice flour, and whizzed it all up in my food processor. Thank you, thank you!
jen says
Oh, and my kids loved learning and saying Malpua 🙂
My Heart Beets says
Jen, your comment just made my night! Thank you so much for letting me know how much your kiddo loved the recipe 🙂
Ryan says
Didn’t work at all for me. Batter wasn’t batter as much as it was a big dry lump. Then proceeded to try and spread out what ended up being deformed shapes, not so much circles. Then when I tried to flip (more than 2 minutes per side), it fell apart. Threw entire batter away. Won’t be trying this again
My Heart Beets says
Ryan, did you use the correct amount of coconut milk? Or did you pack in the rice flour too tight? Sounds like you needed more liquid. If you can provide details I can help you troubleshoot. It’s unfortunate this didn’t work for you as the pancakes are delicious.
M says
I had a similar problem, but it got easier after the first three. Mine weren’t as nice flat and round as yours, but not a total fiasco. Flavor is good. I’d add more cardamom and coconut milk next time.
Question: what is the finished texture supposed to be? Mine were a little grainy but I assume that’s the rice flour and lack of gluten in rice flour. Are yours slightly grainy?
Kristin says
Do you think it would work to use coconut flour in place of rice flour? I have some in the pantry. Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Kristin, unfortunately coconut flour is very different from other gluten-free flours and can’t be substituted.
Faith says
Okay! I just tried this! And I have a few comments, because maybe a few other people have experienced the same thing? First: They were very tasty. No complaints there!
However…my batter was really, really thick. o_O I didn’t make any substitutions but I’m wondering if my bananas needed to be riper? They looked really ripe on the outside but inside they were soft without browning. So maybe riper bananas would have meant more moisture. I ended up adding the entire can of coconut milk to try and thin out the batter but it was still veeeery thick.
I used a ceramic pan and at least a tablespoon of coconut oil each time, and still they stuck on the bottom a little bit…I tried turning down the heat & then turning it up again, with no change. Again, I’m thinking this may be due to the thicker batter.
But most of all… it needs more cardamom! Maybe I’ve eaten so much by now that I need more to taste it, but 1/4 tsp wasn’t enough for me (fresh ground, even!) as I couldn’t even tell it was there. Next time, I’ll increase to 1/2 tsp or maybe just go all out with a whole tsp. Haha.
Anyway, I ate half the batch myself and am saving the other half for breakfast tomorrow, so… they’re certainly worth making. 😀
aruna says
Excellent recipe. can i keep leftover batter in the fridge?
Thank you
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Aruna! I haven’t tried keeping the batter in the fridge so I’m not sure – will you let us know how it turns out?
leena says
ooh.. my mouth.. is watering! do you happen to know if this works well with any other types of flours? or do you feel rice flour is best?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Leena! I haven’t tried it with another flour yet but when I do I’ll definitely write up a post about it! I have a feeling that tapioca and almond flour will work… but that’s just a hunch.
Chrissa - Physical Kitchness says
I need this malpua on my plate for breakfast at 7am tomorrow. Looks soooo good! I have a huge jar of cardamon that I don’t know what to do with. NOW I have the perfect solution!
My Heart Beets says
Haha, thanks Chrissa! I hope you love the malpuas!! 🙂