Gluten Free Banana Pancakes

Christmas Day. James and I woke up in the condo at eight, which is sleeping in by pandemic standards, and I made hotteok for breakfast because it's becoming our thing ╬ôçö the sweet Korean pancakes, brown sugar pooling inside like liquid gold, crispy on the outside, molten on the inside. We ate them standing at the counter in our pajamas, burning our tongues, and James said, "Same time next year?" and I said, "Every year." Some traditions you inherit. Some you build from scratch. I prefer the ones I build.

We FaceTimed the rounds. David and Karen first ╬ôçö Karen in the recliner with a blanket, David beside her with coffee, the tree behind them decorated with the same ornaments from my childhood. Karen opened the Christmas box and held up the green bean casserole recipe in my handwriting and pressed it to her chest and said, "You remembered the fried onions." I said, "Of course I remembered the fried onions." David tried the kimchi and made a face that he tried to disguise as appreciation, and I love him for trying. Kevin next ╬ôçö he was with Lisa in Portland, and he'd opened his box already because Kevin has never once in his life waited until Christmas morning. He said the gochujang caramel was "genuinely disturbing and I've eaten the whole jar," which is the highest compliment Kevin gives.

Christmas dinner was James's project ╬ôçö his mother's Taiwanese three-cup chicken, soy-braised eggs, and stir-fried water spinach ╬ôçö alongside my kimchi fried rice, because our holiday table is always a negotiation between his roots and mine. We set the small table by the window with actual plates instead of the paper ones we'd been using all pandemic, lit a candle James's mom sent from San Jose, and ate slowly, deliberately, like people who understand that meals are the architecture of a life and you have to build them with care.

After dinner, the apartment quiet, the candle burned low, I sat with my laptop and read about Korean adoption search databases. Not for the first time ╬ôçö I've read about them before, in quick, guilty sessions followed by closing the tab like I'd been caught. But this time I didn't close the tab. I read for an hour. I read the FAQ. I read testimonials from adoptees who found their birth parents and adoptees who didn't and adoptees who wished they hadn't. I read until James fell asleep on the couch, and then I bookmarked the page and closed the laptop and sat in the dark kitchen listening to the rain and thinking: next year. Maybe next year I'll be brave enough. The year turned under me like dough, and I let it.

Hotteok is our Christmas morning thing now — molten brown sugar, crispy edges, burned tongues — but I know not everyone keeps sweet rice flour in their pantry, and honestly, the spirit of that morning is less about the exact recipe and more about standing in your pajamas with someone you love, making something warm from almost nothing. These gluten free banana pancakes carry that same energy: simple, a little golden, the kind of thing that turns into a ritual before you even realize you’ve started one. If hotteok taught me that some traditions you build from scratch, this recipe is proof you don’t need much to begin.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 2 (about 6 pancakes)

Ingredients

2 ripe medium bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
1/4 cup gluten free rolled oats (or certified GF oat flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter, for the pan
Pure maple syrup and fresh fruit, to serve

Instructions

Mash the bananas. In a medium bowl, mash the ripe bananas thoroughly with a fork until smooth with very few lumps. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your pancakes will be.
Mix the batter. Add the eggs, oats (or oat flour), baking powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt to the mashed bananas. Stir until just combined into a thick, slightly lumpy batter. Do not overmix. Let the batter rest for 2 minutes to allow the oats to hydrate slightly.
Heat the pan. Warm a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Add the coconut oil or butter and swirl to coat. The pan is ready when a drop of water flicked onto the surface sizzles gently.
Cook the pancakes. Drop about 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake onto the skillet. Cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges look set and small bubbles form across the surface. Carefully flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Adjust heat as needed — banana pancakes brown faster than traditional pancakes.
Keep warm and repeat. Transfer finished pancakes to a plate and loosely tent with foil while you cook the remaining batter. Add a small amount of butter between batches if needed.
Serve. Stack the pancakes and serve immediately with pure maple syrup, sliced fresh banana, or a handful of berries. Eat them at the counter in your pajamas if possible.

Nutrition (per serving)

Gluten Free Banana Pancakes — The Breakfast That Became Our Tradition