Chocolate for breakfast? With these easy chocolate pancakes, absolutely! Sweet, fluffy, and full of rich chocolate flavor, you’re in for a treat to start your day!
We all have our favorite breakfasts. I like Fried Sweet Potatoes with Runny Eggs. Mr. Crumbs loves Almond Flour Pancakes. And we ALL like Cinnamon Oatmeal Blender Waffles.
But there is something about chocolate pancakes that makes my kids SWARM and SWOON.
As in, they literally run to the breakfast table, pump their fists in the air, and cheer for chocolate pancakes. And then they sit there, savoring every single bite as if it’s their last pancake on earth.
I’m telling you. If you want to kick your pancake game up a notch, make these chocolate pancakes!
CHOCOLATE PANCAKES RECIPE
This chocolate pancakes recipe is unlike any other pancake recipe I’ve shared so far.
- They’re NOT made in a blender (like these Protein Pancakes).
- They’re NOT cooked on a baking sheet (like these Sheet Pan Pancakes).
- They’re NOT sourdough (like these Sourdough Pancakes Made with Discard).
- They’re NOT Paleo (like these Easy Almond Flour Pancakes).
If anything, they most closely resemble these Fluffy Strawberry Pancakes or these Oatmeal Pancakes simply because there’s no prep work and you cook them on a griddle.
But there’s one big difference here… CHOCOLATE.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but I LOVE chocolate.
And if you ask me, there’s nothing wrong with having chocolate for breakfast… especially when it’s homemade AND there’s barely any sugar!
Let’s unpack this chocolate pancake recipe, shall we?
CHOCOLATE PANCAKE RECIPE DRY INGREDIENTS
Rolled Oats
We’re going to whiz the rolled oats in the blender first to make oat flour, but you can easily substitute any flour you want here. Whole wheat (best if fresh ground), all purpose flour (choose unbleached and unenriched), einkorn (good for those with gluten sensitivity), or a gluten-free flour blend (I’ve used this one before) would all work well.
I wouldn’t use almond flour or coconut flour for this chocolate pancake recipe because those two flours behave very differently than most other flours.
Cocoa
I’ve mentioned before, but we took a baby step and moved from natural cocoa powder (the kind you find in the grocery store) and now use raw cacao. It has a deeper, richer flavor and retains more nutrients than natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
This is the kind I buy and Walmart has it for the best price locally. You can easily use whatever cocoa you have on hand though.
Sugar
I really hate to include sugar in a pancake recipe, especially when you’re going to top it with butter and pure maple syrup anyway, but we need just a teeny bit to counteract the bitterness of the unsweetened cocoa powder.
I often use honey or maple syrup to sweeten, but Turbinado sugar works really well for this recipe. It’s not as refined as white sugar and still helps us cut back.
Baking Powder + Baking Soda + Salt
Leavening agents, and salt helps to bring out the flavor of chocolate.
Psst…Did you know that many salts contain MICROPLASTICS? It’s a sneaky toxin that may be in your everyday salt, and thus your everyday food (um, gross). I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because their salt is FREE of microplastics, and it tastes delicious! (PLUS, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt – just pay shipping and handling!)
CHOCOLATE PANCAKE WET INGREDIENTS
Yogurt + Milk
The original version of this chocolate pancake recipe called for buttermilk, but I don’t normally have buttermilk in my fridge. You can easily make buttermilk with any of these methods, but I had a tub of yogurt that I found marked down so I decided to use that instead.
Actually, I liked how using yogurt and whole milk – instead of buttermilk – made the batter thicker and less runny!
Melted Butter + Eggs
Every pancake recipe needs fat from somewhere, and this chocolate pancakes recipe uses melted unsalted butter. Eggs are for binding, but you can make flax eggs (or one of these large egg substitutions) instead if you need to.
Coffee + Vanilla
A hefty splash of coffee really makes the chocolate flavor pop, as does a tiny splash of vanilla. You can make your own vanilla extract or use one of these vanilla substitutes.
I recommend using decaf coffee just to avoid adding unnecessary caffeine to the pancakes. I’m pretty sure our kids can manage bouncing off the walls without any help from us!
I like to keep small packets of instant coffee like these on hand for when recipes call for them. Or you can use the ideas from this post on 10 ways to save on coffee!
You can also replace the coffee with additional milk if you aren’t a coffee drinker.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE PANCAKES
Step 1. In a large bowl, melt the butter. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Step 2. Preheat the griddle to 350F.
Step 3. Make sure you also have the remaining wet ingredients pulled out and ready.
Step 4. Measure oats into a blender and process for about 30-45 seconds, or until you have what looks like flour.
Step 5. Add the remaining dry ingredients to the blender and process for about 20 seconds, just to combine everything. (Note: You don’t HAVE to process everything in the blender, but this saves you from dirtying another bowl.)
Step 6. Add the remaining wet ingredients to the large bowl with melted butter and whisk everything together well.
Step 7. When the griddle or skillet is preheated, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until they are just combined. Be careful not to overmix your batter.
Step 8. If needed add a small amount of cooking spray to your skillet. Measure ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle and cook the first side of the pancakes until they bubble and you can see that the edges are cooked, about 2-3 minutes. Flip over and cook for another minute or two.
Step 9. Repeat with the remaining pancake batter, stirring well in between batches.
Chocolate pancakes are best served warm with butter and pure maple syrup.
CHOCOLATE PANCAKE RECIPE TIPS
Oats absorb liquid fairly quickly, so by the last round of pancakes, your batter may be noticeably thicker and hard to pour. If it’s too thick to scoop onto your griddle, whisk in a tablespoon or two of milk to thin it back out. This is especially helpful if you’re making a double or triple batch of pancakes!
Store leftover pancakes in the refrigerator, and they’ll be good for several days. If you want to make a double or triple batch (which I HIGHLY recommend), these pancakes also freeze REALLY well.
To flash freeze pancakes, place a single layer of pancakes on a cooling rack, on top of a cookie sheet, in the freezer for about 45-60 minutes. Then you can remove them and put them in a freezer-safe container for longer-term storage.
This flash freezing method will let you (or the kids) pull out as many pancakes as you want without all of them sticking together in one giant pancake blob!
TO SERVE CHOCOLATE PANCAKES
These cocoa pancakes are yummy on their own, but adding toppings make these a fancy breakfast!
- Butter and maple syrup
- Whipped Cream or Chocolate Whipped Cream
- Add chocolate chips for chocolate chocolate pancakes
- Dust with powdered sugar
- Top with fresh berries, blueberries, and sliced strawberries or banana slices
- Spread peanut butter on top
Make it a hearty meal with one of these on the side:
- How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
- Homemade Breakfast Sausage
- The Best Scrambled Eggs
- Oven-Roasted Breakfast Potatoes
CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE PANCAKES FAQS
Can you have pancakes for dessert?
Why not? Add whipped cream and sprinkles to your chocolate pancakes or have a pancake sundae bar complete with chocolate sauce and maraschino cherries on top.
How long can I keep pancake batter in the fridge?
Since this batter is made with oats, they’ll absorb the liquid as the batter sits. If you prepare the chocolate pancake batter ahead of time, you may need to add additional milk to the batter before cooking the pancakes.
Can you make chocolate pancakes with bisquick?
You probably could, using my Homemade Bisquick Recipe and adding cocoa powder and a bit of sugar. But honestly, just make this recipe – it’s easy!
MORE DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE RECIPES
- Blender Chocolate Waffles
- Chocolate Banana Bread
- 5-Minute Chocolate Hummus
- Homemade Brownie Mix
- No-Bake Brownie Bites
- Healthy Homemade Chocolate Pie
Fight Inflation Workshop!
Sign up for my FREE Fight Inflation Workshop and learn simple strategies to save money, even with rising food costs!Chocolate Pancakes
Chocolate for breakfast? With these easy chocolate pancakes, absolutely! Sweet, fluffy, and full of rich chocolate flavor, you’re in for a treat to start your day!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8–12 pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup cocoa (I used raw cacao)
- ¼ cup sugar (I used Turbinado)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup yogurt (I used plain, whole-milk yogurt)
- 1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
- 4 Tbsp melted butter
- 4 Tbsp coffee (I used decaf)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (here’s how to make your own)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, melt the butter. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Preheat the griddle to 350F.
- Make sure you also have the remaining wet ingredients pulled out and ready.
- Measure oats into a blender and process for about 30-45 seconds, or until you have what looks like flour.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients to the blender and process for about 20 seconds, just to combine everything. (Note: You don’t HAVE to process everything in the blender, but this saves you from dirtying another bowl.)
- Add the remaining wet ingredients to the large bowl with melted butter and whisk everything together well.
- When the griddle is preheated, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until they are just combined.
- Measure ¼ cup of batter to the griddle and cook until you can see that the edges are cooked, about 2-3 minutes. Flip over and cook for another minute or two.
- Repeat with the remaining pancake batter, stirring well in between batches.
- Best served warm with butter and pure maple syrup.
Notes
Adapted from this recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 418
desiree call
Looks good! Would you add additional milk or butter to the batter if omitting the coffee? (For religious purposes I don’t drink coffee.)
Tiffany
Sure! Or hot cocoa would be nice too. Or even peppermint tea!