Saturday mornings in our house mean one thing - chocolate pancakes on the griddle while Lina waits with his favorite spatula. After years of weekend breakfast attempts and plenty of requests from family, I've figured out how to make these taste like chocolate without being too rich for breakfast. These aren't regular pancakes with some cocoa mixed in - they're made to give you that chocolate flavor while still being light and fluffy like pancakes should be.
Why You'll Love These Chocolate Pancakes
These chocolate pancakes work for lazy Saturday mornings and special occasions alike. You don't need fancy ingredients or tricky steps that stress you out before you've had your coffee. Most of what you need is probably sitting in your pantry right now, and the whole thing comes together in about 20 minutes.
What I love is how these satisfy that chocolate craving without feeling too heavy for breakfast. Kids think they're getting dessert, but they're not so sweet that you feel bad serving them in the morning. Lina always wants these on his birthday, and even my neighbor who swears she doesn't eat chocolate before noon asks for the recipe every time I make them.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Chocolate Pancakes
- Ingredients for Chocolate Pancakes
- How To Make Chocolate Pancakes Step By Step
- Equipment For chocolate pancakes
- chocolate pancakes Variations
- Smart Swaps for Chocolate Pancakes
- Storage
- Why This Recipe Works
- Top Tip
- My Cousin's Hidden Gem: A Recipe for Success
- FAQ
- Related
- Pairing
- Chocolate Pancakes
Ingredients for Chocolate Pancakes
The Pancake Base:
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Milk
- Eggs
- Melted butter
The Chocolate Boost:
- Mini chocolate chips
- Extra cocoa for dusting
For Serving:
- Fresh berries
- Butter
- Maple syrup
- Whipped cream
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Chocolate Pancakes Step By Step
Mix the Dry Stuff:
- Set aside
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl
- Make sure no cocoa lumps
Wet Ingredients:
- Beat eggs in another bowl
- Add milk, melted butter, and vanilla
- Whisk until smooth
Put It Together:
- Pour wet ingredients into dry
- Stir just until combined
- Don't worry about small lumps
- Fold in chocolate chips
- Let batter sit 5 minutes
Cook the Pancakes:
- Flip once and cook until done
- Heat griddle over medium heat
- Grease lightly with butter
- Pour ¼ cup batter per pancake
- Cook until bubbles form on top
Equipment For chocolate pancakes
- Ladle or ¼ cup measure
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Griddle or large skillet
- Spatula for flipping
chocolate pancakes Variations
Double Chocolate:
- Add extra cocoa powder
- Mix in dark chocolate chips
- Drizzle with chocolate syrup
- Top with whipped cream
Banana Chocolate:
- Mash ripe banana into batter
- Add sliced bananas on top
- Sprinkle with chopped walnuts
- Drizzle with honey
Berry Chocolate:
- Fold in fresh blueberries
- Top with mixed berries
- Add a dollop of yogurt
- Dust with powdered sugar
Peanut Butter Chocolate:
- Add banana slices
- Swirl peanut butter into batter
- Top with crushed peanuts
- Drizzle with peanut butter
Smart Swaps for Chocolate Pancakes
Flour Options:
- All-purpose → Whole wheat flour
- Regular → Gluten-free flour blend
- White → Oat flour (ground oats)
Milk Changes:
- Regular milk → Almond milk
- Dairy → Oat milk
- Whole → Skim milk
- Standard → Buttermilk (extra tangy)
Egg Alternatives:
- Whole eggs → Egg substitute
- Regular → Flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoon water per egg)
Chocolate Swaps:
- Mini chips → Regular chocolate chips
- Milk chocolate → Dark chocolate chips
- Chips → Chopped chocolate bar
- Standard → Sugar-free chocolate chips
Other Ideas:
- Butter → Coconut oil
- Vanilla → Almond extract
- Sugar → Honey (use less)
Storage
Same Day (up to 4 hours):
- Keep on plate covered with kitchen towel
- Don't stack them hot or they'll get soggy
- Reheat in toaster or microwave
Fridge (2-3 days):
- Cool completely first
- Stack with parchment between layers
- Store in airtight container
- Toast to reheat
Freezer (up to 2 months):
- Cool completely
- Place on baking sheet, freeze individually
- Transfer to freezer bags once frozen
- Toast straight from frozen
Reheating Tips:
- Oven at 350°F for 5 minutes if reheating many
- Toaster works best for crispy edges
- Microwave for quick warming (30 seconds)
Why This Recipe Works
These chocolate pancakes succeed where others fail because of a few key things I've learned over the years. First, using both cocoa powder and chocolate chips gives you chocolate flavor throughout plus those little bursts of melty chocolate in every bite. Second, not overmixing the batter keeps them light and fluffy instead of tough and chewy. Third, letting the batter rest for those 5 minutes lets the flour fully absorb the liquid, which makes them more tender.
The other thing that makes these work is the balance of wet to dry ingredients. Too much liquid and they'll be flat and soggy. Too little and they'll be thick and heavy. This recipe hits that sweet spot where they're fluffy but still hold together when you flip them. Plus, cooking them at medium heat gives the inside time to cook through without burning the outside. It's all about taking your time and not rushing the process.
Top Tip
- The secret to perfect chocolate pancakes is all about temperature control and patience - cook them on medium heat so the outside doesn't burn before the inside is done, and never press down on them with the spatula while they're cooking because that squeezes out all the air bubbles that make them fluffy. I learned this the hard way after making countless flat, tough pancakes when I first started.
- Now I let them cook undisturbed until I see those little bubbles forming on the surface, then flip them just once and let them finish cooking on their own. The batter needs time to set properly, and rushing the process always backfires. As my cousin always says, "Good pancakes can't be rushed, but they're always worth the wait," and he's absolutely right - the best things in the kitchen happen when you give them the time they need.Retry
My Cousin's Hidden Gem: A Recipe for Success
My cousin taught me something about chocolate pancakes that I never would have figured out on my own. He's one of those guys who barely cooks anything more complicated than scrambled eggs, but his chocolate pancakes were great when he made them for his kids' sleepovers. I asked him for years about what he was doing differently. Turns out he was melting a small piece of dark chocolate right into the melted butter before mixing it with the wet ingredients.
It sounds simple, but that melted chocolate spreads through every bite in a way that powder or chips just can't match. Plus, he'd save a few pieces of that same chocolate to grate on top of the finished pancakes while they were still warm. "Kids think you're some kind of pancake magician," he told me with a grin. He was right - when I started doing this, Lina's friends started asking if I could make pancakes whenever they came over.
FAQ
Can I add cocoa powder to chocolate pancakes batter?
Yes, you can add cocoa powder to regular pancake batter. Use about ¼ cup cocoa powder for every 2 cups of flour, and cut back the flour a little to make room. The cocoa makes the batter thicker, so you might need extra milk to get it right.
What is Queen Elizabeth's pancake recipe?
Queen Elizabeth's pancake recipe was simple crepe-style pancakes made with flour, milk, eggs, and salt. No chocolate - those were thin pancakes served with lemon and sugar. Our chocolate pancakes are the thick American-style ones with cocoa and chocolate chips.
What are the ingredients in IHOP chocolate pancakes?
IHOP's chocolate chip pancakes have flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, and chocolate chips. They use a buttermilk-style batter that makes them fluffy. Our homemade version lets you control the ingredients and chocolate flavor better.
How to make chocolate pancakes easy?
Mix all the dry stuff first, then combine wet ingredients separately, and fold them together gently. Don't mix too much - lumps are fine. Use mini chocolate chips for more chocolate without extra work. Let the batter sit 5 minutes before cooking.
Time for Weekend Pancake Magic!
Now you have everything you need to make these chocolate pancakes - from the basic recipe to my cousin's melted chocolate trick. These fluffy, chocolatey stacks prove that weekend mornings are made for slowing down and enjoying something good with the people you care about.
Want to try more breakfast treats that make mornings special? Our The Best Garlic Cheese Rolls Recipe makes a sweet dessert that's great for brunch gatherings. Craving something fun and crispy? Try our Easy Sheet Pan Pancakes Recipe that kids love helping with. Or try our Healthy Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars Recipe for those times when you want to feel fancy without too much work!
Share your chocolate pancake success! We love seeing your weekend breakfast creations!
Rate this recipe and join our breakfast-loving family!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Chocolate Pancakes
Chocolate Pancakes
Equipment
- 1 Large mixing bowl (For whisking dry ingredients)
- 1 Medium mixing bowl (For mixing wet ingredients)
- 1 Whisk (To combine ingredients)
- 1 Ladle / ¼ cup measure (For pouring batter onto griddle)
- 1 Griddle / skillet (For cooking pancakes)
- 1 Spatula (For flipping pancakes)
- Set Measuring cups & spoons (For accurate measuring)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups All-purpose flour
- ¼ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder - Sift to avoid lumps
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoon Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 ¼ cups Milk - Dairy or non-dairy
- 4 tablespoon Melted butter - Plus extra for greasing
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Mini chocolate chips - Or chopped chocolate
- — — Extra cocoa powder - For dusting optional
For Serving (optional:)
- — — Fresh berries - Any kind you like
- — — Butter - For topping
- — — Maple syrup - Classic pairing
- — — Whipped cream - Optional but delicious
Instructions
- Whisk all dry ingredients together until evenly combined without lumps.
- Beat eggs with milk, butter, and vanilla until smooth and well blended.
- Gently fold wet and dry ingredients together, leaving small lumps for fluffiness.
- Pour batter on hot griddle, wait for bubbles, flip once, and finish cooking.
- Plate pancakes and add berries, syrup, butter, or whipped cream before serving.
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