These fluffy chocolate pancakes are the perfect way for a chocolate lover to start their day! Thick and full of melty chocolate in each bite, this simple recipe gives you a good reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Mornings are tough. As a new mom, getting myself and my daughter ready for the day is an accomplishment every morning. Breakfast is always a challenge, as I want something that is easy to make but also gets me excited to get out of bed. This chocolate pancake recipe is exactly what I need; the recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make and tastes like chocolate cake in pancake form – dessert for breakfast!
If you’re a chocolate lover like me, or crave something sweet in the morning, then you will also love these chocolate pancakes. I also make a chocolate ganache sauce to drizzle on top of the pancakes while they are warm. With cocoa powder and chocolate chips in the pancakes, plus the chocolate sauce, these fluffy and thick chocolate pancakes are perfect paired with some juicy berries and if I really want to indulge, a scoop of no-churn vanilla ice cream.
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About the chocolate
I use three different kinds of chocolate in this chocolate pancake recipe. The pancakes themselves are made with both cocoa powder (I prefer Dutch-processed cocoa powder but any unsweetened variety will work) and chocolate chips (optional, but highly recommended). For the chocolate sauce that gets poured on top, I use chocolate bars instead of chips as they are of higher quality and have a better flavor and texture that makes a smooth, luscious sauce.
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How to make chocolate pancakes
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, many of which are pantry staples, this recipe comes together in minutes. You sift together your dry ingredients with a fine mesh strainer and, in a separate mixing bowl, whisk together your wet ones. I like to use oil instead of melted butter in this recipe since it makes for a taller, fluffier pancake but feel free to swap for butter if that’s your preference. Or, make both and do a taste test to see which version is your favorite.
The last step is to pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring just until combined. Be careful not to overmix your batter as it will cause your cooked chocolate pancakes to be flat and dense instead of the thick and fluffy ones you’ve been dreaming about the night before. If you’re using chocolate chips, this is the point at which you mix them in. I prefer using a rubber spatula to gently fold them in to avoid overmixing the batter. Once everything is mixed, set the batter aside to rest while you make the chocolate sauce.
Making the chocolate sauce
The chocolate sauce is a simple ganache made with bittersweet or semisweet chocolate bars and heavy cream. To make your morning even easier, the sauce can be made in the microwave and only dirties up one bowl. Be sure to microwave the ingredients in 20-30 second increments, using a whisk to stir between each time, so it gets evenly melted and not burned. Once a smooth and pourable consistency, you can set aside your chocolate sauce and begin cooking your chocolate pancakes.
Cooking the chocolate pancakes
Once rested, your batter is ready to be transformed into fluffy chocolate pancakes.
Heat up a griddle or skillet over medium heat and coat with butter or oil. The first pancake is never the best, so don’t worry if at first it doesn’t seem right. Any pancake recipe works best with patience and perhaps some whipped cream to cover up any mistakes. 😉
For each pancake, pour ¼ cup of batter into the skillet. Let it cook, untouched, for 1-2 minutes, until the surface has some bubbles. It’s important not to flip your pancakes too early, so you may need to turn down the heat if the bottom is browning too fast. Once flipped, cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes and transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil so the cooked pancakes stay warm while you are finishing the rest. Make sure you re-grease the skillet with butter or oil before every batch of pancakes to prevent sticking. Serve the chocolate pancakes immediately with the chocolate sauce drizzled on top (rewarm in the microwave for a few seconds if needed). Everyone in the family can enjoy this chocolate pancake recipe. As a nice sweet treat, these rich and chocolatey pancakes are the perfect way to add some excitement to your morning.
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More sweet breakfast ideas:
Chocolate Pancakes
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 1 ⅓ cups (185g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25g) cocoa powder (I use Dutch-processed)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
- 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil (or 45g melted butter)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (85g) chocolate chips or chunks
- butter or oil , for cooking
Chocolate Ganache Sauce
- 140 g (5 oz.) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
Instructions
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In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder with a fine mesh strainer, and salt (or whisk well with a whisk). Set aside.
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In a separate medium bowl, whisk together egg and sugar until well combined. Add milk, oil (or melted butter), and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined and moistened using a rubber spatula or whisk. Do not over mix. Mix in chocolate chips or chunks. Set batter aside and make the chocolate sauce.
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Chocolate sauce: In a medium heatproof bowl, combine chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave in 20- to 30-second increments, mixing in between, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. You can also melt the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl set over simmering water in a medium saucepain, creating a double boiler. Set aside while making the pancakes. I like to pour it over the pancakes while it’s warm.
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Cook the pancakes: Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat with butter or oil. For each pancake, drop ¼ cup of batter onto skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes, until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and the bottom appears to be done. Flip carefully and cook another 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and if you want you can cover the plate loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Coat the skillet with butter or oil before every pancake or batch of pancakes to prevent sticking.
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Serve immediately with chocolate sauce (rewarm sauce in the microwave for a few seconds if needed).
Adolfo says
Excellent!
URV says
Do you do eggless recipes?? I wud love one for this amazing pancakes?? Thank you!
Shiran says
You can see all my eggless recipes here.
Simon S says
Awesome recipe best one so far I’ve tried, please follow it exactly and you’ll be delighted!
Melissa says
Can you freeze these pancakes once cooked?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Melissa, yes you can! These pancakes freeze great. Just wrap them up well so they don’t get freezer burn. To re-warm, you can place in the oven at 350F for a few minutes.
Roshni says
Hey! Can you use fat free milk (lactate) instead of whole milk?
Shiran says
I don’t recommend it. The pancakes won’t taste as good.
Kay says
Not true. I don’t use regular milk. I used the Lactaid brand and it was still light and fluffy and tasty.
Elizabeth Castanon says
I used oatmilk and my girls loved them! Still great taste.
Marcia G says
I used 1% lactose free and they were delicious.
Kay says
Easy to follow recipe. The only tweak I made was less sugar, because I added sweet chocolate chips and try to keep my sons sugar intake down. I also skipped the chocolate sauce. All in all everything came out great!!!!
Randi says
I did the same – less sugar and no chocolate sauce. I did put a few semi-sweet chocolate chips in each pancake though. Also, I used pure maple syrup.
Ashleigh says
Such a soft and fluffy recipe! My kids loved it.
Zak says
I’ve made these several times, they taste delicious! So soft and fluffy and chocolatey. I sometimes use milk chocolate chips in the batter and I skip the chocolate ganache, they still taste great! I’d have them over plain pancakes any day.
kaylie says
it is amazing it tastes good and has so much flavor it makes 8 pancakes and has a lot of sugar so if yall don’t like to much sugar.
Gary g says
I’d give it 10 stars if I could. Absolutely amazing! Kids and wife loved them. I added strawberries and whipped cream on top. If you want a great appearance I also added a shake of confectioners sugar for fancy touch. I have to admit, I did make a funny face pancake using strawberries, ganache with whipped cream for hair. Devine, cheap, a make again for sure.
Urooj says
Simply delicious😍👍
Becky Cromer says
Ok, these were amazing! We didn’t even need the topping. Perfectly sweet and indulgent!
Connie Hash says
I thought they were amazing! We ran out of syrup, so I was trying to find a good pancake recipe that would be good without syrup. Only I didn’t make the chocolate sauce!
Nancy says
wow yummy chocolate pancake, so delicious.
Alan says
Can you use 3 tablespoons of olive oil instead of 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Shiran says
Hi Alan. It will slightly affect the flavor, but you can.
Arooj says
I did and they still turned out great
Uzma liaqat says
Its so yummy and delicious!!!My Family loved it!!!
Anonymous says
Made these and my family LOVED them. I used a half cup of chocolate milk, a half cup of milk, and it was delicious. Will make again. Thanks so much!
Donna says
This was an amazing recipe. It was delicious, and it worked for me exactly as written without adjustments.
I thought the chocolate sauce would make it a little too rich, but it didn’t – it was just right. My two teen boys and I have very different tastes, but we all loved it. Thanks, Shiran!
Avery says
Loved them!
Shari says
Absolutely amazing!! We will definitely make these again!
Suhana says
Can this mixture be made the day before and left in the fridge?
Shiran says
Yes 🙂
Miguel Denys says
Loved it!!
It makes me wanne cook them every morning 😋😁
Miguel Denys says
It makes me wanne cook them every morning 😋😁
Kim says
Hi, can I substitute heavy cream with canola oil for the chocolate sirup? Or maybe with half&half cream? Thank you
Shiran says
Hi Kim, I do recommend sticking to the recipe but you could try using half and half. The only thing I would keep in mind is you probably will need a bit less because it is thinner than heavy cream.
Genesis Lopez says
Do you by any chance happen to have the nutrition facts?
Shiran says
I don’t add nutrition facts to my recipes but there are plenty of nutrition calculators on Google that can help you determine these values 🙂
EP says
Fabulous recipe! I made these for my son’s birthday breakfast and he loved them! It was like eating chocolate cake for breakfast.
Jo says
These were delicious! I used 2% milk because I didn’t have whole milk, and they turned out really good.
Acnaib says
Is it okay if i use almond milk instead of the regular whole milk? Will it change the taste?
Acnaib says
Sorry i havent made my rating yet. My grade 7 son will present a video cooking pancakes and i want him to try your recipe. Thats why i wanted to ask if almond milk can be a substitute. I am afraid it will change the taste😬
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi! You can substitute almond milk, however it may change the texture/flavor a bit due to the reduction in fat.
Juliana Cowart says
Absolutely marvelous! Me and my brothers loved it! It was easy to make, not too complicated, and delicious!
Alex says
I love your recipe, first time I made great pancakes… The ones I used to make never came out like this, I’m glad I searched for a chocolate pancake recipe.
Quincy Kosak says
This was not very helpful I love to cook and lov to bake but I am still waiting for a recipe that isn’t by a mom struggling to make breakfeast in the morning what about the dads!!!
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Quincy, this recipe is not just reserved for moms. I wrote that in my blog post because that is my personal experience and I love sharing my life with my readers. However, that doesn’t mean dads can’t enjoy this recipe as well – or anyone, for that matter, with or without kids 🙂
Colleen says
Wonderful recipe! My grandson came over this morning wanting chocolate pancakes. I’ve never made them before, so I looked up this recipe. Very simple and easy to make with a 3 year old helping. I think they would be good for a dessert or a midday snack. A little whipped cream on top with the chocolate is good too. They are good at room temperature also. Happy day 🙂
Sara Crutchfield says
Excellent recipe! So d@mn delicious!!! Thank you for this!
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Sara, thank you and so glad you enjoyed it!
Jane says
Absolutely the worst website with all of these ads that prevent you from reading anything on here. I’ll never be back.
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Jane, we’re sorry for the inconvenience of ads. It is how we make our revenue for the blog so that you can continue to enjoy our recipes online for free. There are certainly websites out there where you can pay to view their recipes ad-free.
Kathy S says
I wanted chocolate cake but didn’t want to wait hours. So I made these chocolate pancakes instead. Made a great dessert topped with mint chocolate chip ice cream. Thanks for the recipe.
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Sounds amazing, Kathy! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Akansh says
The best Chocolate pancakes i’ve ever had
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Thank you, Akansh!
Cindy Warren says
Made this for a Valentine’s breakfast for my boys. They loved these pancakes. Very good with peanut butter and the chocolate ganache!
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Thank you, Cindy! We love these for Valentine’s breakfast!
kiara says
I love this recipe, I’ve done it at least six or seven times, I really like how chocolatey it is and its not too sweet, but still soo delish. My children loves it too! The best recipe for a chocolate pancakes.
Marren Allen says
These were an absolute hit at my house! We didn’t make the ganach but they are tasty all the same!
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Thank you!
Fabiana Duran says
It smells like Nutella. Best chocolate pancake recipe ever.👍
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Thank you!
Esther says
it tasted really well, but im not sure if i whisked the suger and eggs correctly.. i just used an electric mechanical whisk, but i wasnt sure if you meant us to whisk with a normal little whisk you hold in one hand.. tasted amazing anyway
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Esther, a regular whisk is perfectly fine and what is intended for this recipe. My recipes state “stand mixer or handheld mixer” if a mechanical option is better. Thank you for asking 🙂
Ariana Stella says
Very good and very fluffy!
Zaib Mumtaz says
Turned out well
Tammy says
Amazing recipe my kids and I loved them! DELICIOUS!
Miko says
Easy and awesome recipe
Nikki says
I did make it vegan friendly with bobs red mill egg replacer, plant-based mini chips, and silk unsweetened soy milk. The panacakes (I know I misspelled that, long story short, that’s how I spell it 😊), the panacakes were soooo good!!! Highly recommend 😋
Joicy Joseph says
I made sheet pancakes with your recipe and added some blueberries and almond flakes and it was yummy. Kids loved it.
David says
Made these for dinner tonight. I used to make for my kids a multi-chocolate pancake with chocolate mint chips. The recipe had staples … chocolate protein powder, chocolate milk mix, cocoa, and a popular chocolate-mint pieces. The recipe base was a popular baking mix. I no longer keep the protein powder, chocolate milk mix, or baking mix, and I lost the recipe on the computer that melted in a fire. My daughter, now 19, called and said she wanted chocolate chip pancakes for dinner. Your recipe came to the rescue and it was perfect. I must confess that I used a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix that always comes out a little more moist than regular flour. I also used twice as much of the chips. And, I cut the entire recipe in half to only use one egg. The result received raves from my daughter, and that is high praise. And, yes, I used Dutched cocoa … since I’m using my remaining black cocoa developing another recipe. Thank you for a GREAT recipe!!!
Sarah says
I loved this recipe the chocolate pancakes were so decadent. I didn’t have any heavy cream so I didn’t bother making the ganache and they were still amazing. I accidentally made a few slightly underdone, but the resulting gooey center made that my preferred method-even better than the ones with added chocolate chips.
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Yum! Oh that sounds wonderful. So glad these were a hit!
Lynda says
First time trying this recipe and it was so rich and delicious 🤤 thanks it’s a recipe I’ve have saved now ☺️