Chocolate Pancakes – Guilt-Free Indulgence!
Chocolate pancakes are light, fluffy, and perfectly chocolaty. If you have ever felt like you needed an excuse to eat chocolate in the morning, here’s your chance. Guilt-free, early morning indulgence!
There are no fancy ingredients involved, just your everyday pancake staples. You will need some cocoa powder, but if you’ve been making homemade hot chocolate or yummy chocolate sauce lately, you may have some cocoa leftover. This is just one more way to use it up!
About these Chocolate Pancakes
These 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 a delicious, homemade chocolate pancake.
Top with a chocolate or caramel drizzle, good old fashioned maple syrup, whipped topping, or a fruit compote. The only limit is your imagination.
Making a double batch of pancakes from scratch to freeze some for later makes an already easy recipe even easier down the road. Pull out as many as you need and pop them in the microwave. Having them already made ahead of time makes this possible on any day of the week!
So in a nutshell, if you were thinking about laying around in bed all day this weekend, you thought wrong. These mouthwatering pancakes are worth getting out of bed in the morning. Plus, your busy weekday morning will thank you!
Looking for white chocolate? Try white chocolate pancakes!
What’s in Chocolate Pancakes?
- Egg – This recipe takes 1 large egg.
- Milk – 2% milk is our go-to choice, but skim, whole, almond milk and others will work.
- Oil or Melted Butter – Melted coconut oil will also work.
- Vanilla Extract – Vanilla adds depth to the flavor!
- All-Purpose Flour – 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 is best!
- Granulated Sugar – Only one tablespoon is needed, leaving plenty of room for adding chocolate syrup.
- Baking Powder – This will make the pancakes nice and fluffy!
- Salt – Salt balances out the flavors nicely.
How to Make These Chocolate Pancakes
Whisk egg, milk, oil, and vanilla in a bowl, until well combined.
In a separate bowl, toss together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Give it a light stir and incorporate it into the wet ingredients. Mix until combined, but be careful not to overmix.
Heat your griddle and if desired, grease with butter, oil, or nonstick cooking spray. You know your griddle best. If you think they might stick, go with a bit of grease.
Add batter by about 1/4 cup scoops and cook until bubbles appear and don’t disappear.
Flip and cook for another few minutes or until cooked through.
How to Make These Pancakes Your Own
- Toppings could include a chocolate sauce or dare I say a chocolate ganache. Maybe some whipped topping (or chocolate whipped cream), sprinkles, maple syrup, or any complementary fruit compote. A simple dusting of powdered sugar and fresh berries should also be on the menu!
- A scoop of chocolate protein powder is a great way to boost the protein in these pancakes. A scoop of nut butter in the batter will also do the trick! Check out our protein pancakes and chocolate protein pancakes if you’re looking for more hearty breakfast ideas.
- For a dairy-free version, swap milk for coconut or almond milk.
- Add in some cinnamon to the dry ingredients for added warmth.
- To make this gluten-free, substitute all-purpose flour for your choice of one-to-one gluten-free flour.
Storage Suggestions
Store cooled pancakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave to get them nice and soft again or in a toaster for a crisp outer layer on your pancakes.
More delicious pancake recipes
Love a classic, but slightly different pancake? Try brown sugar pancakes, banana pancakes, and oatmeal pancakes.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons oil or melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk egg, milk, oil, and vanilla until well combined.
- 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.
- Heat a griddle over medium heat. If desired, grease with butter, oil, or nonstick cooking spray. Add batter by about 1/4 cup scoops. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until bubbles appear and don’t disappear.
- Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Notes
- Makes 8-9 (4-inch) pancakes
Delicious! We love pancakes but normally just do “regular” pancakes… my girls thought it was SO fun that they got chocolate pancakes this morning! We topped them with Nutella because we are Nutella fanatics around here :). Thanks for the recipe!
I love that you made these already, you made my day and it’s not even 8:30AM! I bet they were amazing topped with Nutella! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
I like this recipe very much and I love this food because it is very special to me and it’s very good and chocolate in its top. Thank u ❤🌹🙏 so so much.
Thank you!