Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Chocolate pancakes are light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. If you’ve ever felt like you needed an excuse to eat chocolate in the morning, here’s your chance!
How long it takes: 10 minutes to stir up the batter, about 6 minutes to cook each batch
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, griddle
Servings: makes 7 to 8 four-inch pancakes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItThese pancakes combine two of life’s simple pleasures: pancakes and chocolate! Whether you’re serving them to your sweetheart for a Valentine’s Day brunch or preparing them for your kids on a wonderfully lazy weekend, there is no wrong time for delicious, homemade chocolate pancakes.
Easy Chocolate Pancakes
Pantry ingredients. You won’t have to buy anything fancy to make chocolate pancakes. If you do any baking, you probably have everything you need already. Pancakes are made with simple ingredients like flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and so on. You’ll need an egg and milk, too. Really, nothing out of the ordinary!
Can be dressed up with toppings. Chocolate pancakes are the perfect base for all sorts of yummy toppings. You can go with good old-fashioned maple syrup but why not try chocolate syrup or hot fudge? Whipped cream and mini chocolate chips are fun. Fruit goes great with chocolate, too. Try sliced strawberries or bananas. The only limit is your imagination. Keep reading for more ideas.
Easy to freeze. Why not make a double batch since you have everything out anyways? These chocolate pancakes freeze really well. If you have pancakes in the freezer, they can be an easy weekday breakfast.
Ingredient Notes
- Egg, Milk, Oil: You’ll need 1 large egg and ¾ cup milk. Two percent milk is our go-to choice, but skim, whole, almond milk and others will work. I usually use canola oil for pancakes but any mild-flavored oil is fine, as well as melted butter.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla enhances the flavor of the chocolate; it’s frequently used in baking.
- All-Purpose Flour: I prefer unbleached flour but any type of flour will work. You could also use a mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose, or all whole wheat flour if that’s what you’re used to. Keep in mind that these swaps will affect texture slightly.
- Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder is used for baking so you’ll find it by the baking supplies. It’s made from finely ground cocoa beans after the cocoa butter has been extracted. Cocoa powder contains antioxidants and other nutrients; it’s sugar-free and nearly fat-free. It is NOT the same as hot chocolate powder.
- Granulated Sugar: The pancakes are very lightly sweetened with only one tablespoon of sugar.
- Baking Powder: You’ll need baking powder to make your pancakes nice and fluffy!
- Salt: A little bit of salt goes a long way towards making your pancakes flavorful instead of flat-tasting.
How to Make Chocolate Pancakes
Mix wet ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the egg until blended. Add the oil, milk, and vanilla, whisking until well-combined.
Add dry ingredients. Measure the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl with the eggs. Stir the dry ingredients lightly together right on top of the wet ingredients. You could mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl but I figure why get another bowl dirty?
Combine the flour mixture with the egg mixture, stirring until just combined. You shouldn’t see pockets of dry flour but if the batter looks slightly lumpy, that’s okay.
Preheat griddle. Put a griddle or large skillet over medium heat to preheat. Once it’s hot, you can add a pat of butter or a drizzle of oil if you want. My griddle is nonstick so I don’t usually add any extra oil.
Cook pancakes. Pour or scoop about a quarter-cup of batter per pancake onto the griddle, leaving just enough space between so that you can comfortably flip them. After 3 or 4 minutes (depending on how hot your griddle is), you should see bubbles beginning to form. The pancakes should be fairly firm on the bottom; flip them over and cook the other side another 3 to 4 minutes.
Serve. Place the pancakes on a serving platter or individual plates and serve immediately with your favorite toppings. If you’re cooking for a crowd, keep the pancakes warm in the oven until you’re ready to serve them. (You’ll find instructions on the recipe card below).
Recipe Variations
- Topping ideas: We love these pancakes with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. If you want to get a bit fancier, try homemade hot fudge sauce or dare I say, chocolate ganache. A simple dusting of powdered sugar and fresh berries is excellent, too. Warm nut butter and sliced bananas is a great combination on chocolate pancakes. A handful of chopped peanuts or mini chocolate chips would always be welcome.
- Chocolate chip chocolate pancakes: Double up on chocolate! Stir ¼ cup (or more) mini chocolate chips right into the batter.
- Mexican hot chocolate pancakes: Stir ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon into the dry ingredients. Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of hot fudge, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Dairy-free: Swap coconut, almond milk, or another plant-based milk for the regular milk.
- Gluten-free: Use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour instead of the all-purpose flour.
- Protein pancakes: If you’re looking to add more protein to your breakfast, be sure to try my chocolate protein pancakes.
What to Serve With Pancakes
To round out a pancake breakfast, I like to include protein in the form of eggs, meat, or dairy. It can be as simple as a bowl of yogurt or a couple of fried eggs. If you’re feeling a bit more ambitious, try baked bacon. You can cook up a whole package in the oven with minimal clean-up (it’s the only way to go). Breakfast sausages can be baked, too. Your air fryer works perfectly for smaller batches of bacon or sausages. Smoothies are always a hit; try my tropical smoothie. Sheet pan eggs are super easy as are Instant Pot hard boiled eggs (they peel easily every time).
Refrigerate/Freeze: Cool pancakes in a single layer on a wire rack if possible. Refrigerate leftover pancakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They can be frozen for a month or more.
Reheat: My preferred reheating method is a toaster oven. The pancakes taste like they’re fresh off the griddle. If you reheat pancakes in the microwave, they will turn out somewhat softer.
More Breakfast Recipes
Chocolate Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup milk (plant-based milk can be substituted)
- 2 tablespoons oil or melted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk egg, milk, oil, and vanilla until well combined.1 large egg, ¾ cup milk, 2 tablespoons oil or melted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- On top of wet ingredients, add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Toss together lightly before stirring into wet ingredients. Mix only until just combined, do not overmix.1 cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Heat a griddle over medium heat. If desired, grease with butter, oil, or nonstick cooking spray.
- Add batter by about ¼ cup scoops. Cook pancakes for 3 to 4 minutes or until bubbles appear and don’t disappear. Flip pancakes and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Notes
- To keep pancakes warm: If you’re making pancakes for a big crowd and you want to get a head start, preheat your oven to 200ºF. As you finish making a batch, put the pancakes on a baking sheet (with a wire rack if you have one) and keep them warm in the oven. Don’t cover them with foil because that will make them get soggy.
- Storage & reheating: Refrigerate leftover pancakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They can be frozen for a month or more. For best results, reheat the pancakes in a toaster oven. The pancakes taste like they’re fresh off the griddle. If you reheat pancakes in the microwave, they will turn out somewhat softer.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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