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My chocolate chip pancake recipe is SO simple, yet the results are stacks of golden brown, fluffy pancakes filled with gooey chocolate. My family asks for them every Sunday morning!
Craving fluffy homemade pancakes? Try my healthy banana pancakes, chocolate pancakes, or cottage cheese pancakes next.
Table of Contents
Is there anything better than a batch of old-fashioned homemade chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast? I don’t think so!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for quirky flavor combinations or unique ingredients (hello, protein pancakes!), but when my family’s expecting a foolproof and decadent breakfast, it’s chocolate chip pancakes all the way.
Why I love this recipe
- Freezer-friendly. If I’m going to make pancakes, you better believe I’m making DOUBLE what I need so I can freeze the rest for a pancake emergency.
- Pantry staples. I made sure there were no complicated or unnecessary ingredients in this recipe.
- Nostalgic flavor. I was raised on chocolate pancakes, and I’ve made sure to recreate those same experiences for my own family.
- Make as much as you need. Once you know the ratio of ingredients, it’s easy to scale up or down depending on how many hungry mouths you have to feed.
Key ingredients
- Flour. Nothing fancy is needed here. Just regular, all-purpose flour. I suggest sifting it first to remove any clumps.
- Granulated sugar. I used plain white sugar as it yields a lighter pancake, but you could use brown sugar if you prefer.
- Baking powder. Makes the pancakes rise. Make sure it’s not expired, or else you’ll be left with flat pancakes.
- Salt. To help bring all of the flavors together.
- Milk. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk will do.
- Oil. I used vegetable oil, but any neutral-flavored oil will work, or you can use unsalted butter.
- Eggs. My secret weapon! The egg yolks bind the batter, while the whipped egg whites are the secret to light and fluffy pancakes.
- Chocolate chips. You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or milk chocolate chips. Or stick with my sugar free chocolate chips to cut down on the sweetness.
How to make chocolate chip pancakes
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Mix the batter. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl. Combine the milk, oil, and egg yolk in a second bowl. Stir together the dry and wet ingredients.
Whip egg whites. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
Add the chocolate chips. Fold them through slowly.
Cook. Pour the batter into a hot griddle, cover it, and cook the pancakes for several minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook in the skillet for several minutes. Repeat this process with the remaining pancake batter.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Let the batter rest. I like to give the batter 5 minutes to settle so more gluten develops and yields a thicker, fluffier pancake.
- Some lumps in the pancake batter are okay. You don’t want to overmix the batter, or else you’ll end up with dense, flat pancakes.
- Cover the pan. If you are a veteran pancake maker from my website, you know this is my top tip. Covering the pan traps in all the heat and forces the pancakes to puff up.
- Chocolate sinking in the pancakes? I didn’t have this problem personally, but if you’re worried, toss the chocolate chips in flour before adding them to the pancake batter.
- Add extra mix-ins. Like bananas, strawberries, or a drizzle of peanut butter.
Frequently asked questions
If your chocolate chips are melting in the pancakes, try freezing them for 15-20 minutes before adding them to the pancake batter.
If your chocolate chips are burning, it could be because they’re not fully mixed into the batter or the heat is too high. Make sure the chocolate is fully incorporated into the pancake batter, and they’re cooked no higher than medium-low heat.
The batter can be made up to 24 hours before cooking, but no longer. After 24 hours, the baking powder deactivates, and the pancakes won’t rise as much as they should.
Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 large egg separated
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, oil, and egg yolk. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
- In the third bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Slowly fold in the beaten whites into the batter until combined.
- Fold through the chocolate chips.
- Add oil to a non-stick pan and place over medium heat. Once hot, drop large spoonfuls of the pancake batter onto it and cover the pan immediately. Cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes, remove the lid, flip, and cook for another 2 minutes. Repeat the process until all the pancake batter is used up.
Everyone who has made these, I need help because when I cooked the batter and flipped these they stuck very badly to my ceramic pans (with cooking spray on low medium heat) and fell apart. I really wanted to make them look pretty like in the picture.
I followed the recipe exactly, using apple sauce as the starch and egg beaters egg whites 1/2 cup plus one normal egg white for double the recipe that I made. I couldn’t find my whisk so I used a fork and a spoon to combine everything. The end batter wasn’t the regular super smooth but thick batter. It was thick, but a little gritty of course. Can someone help me out?
Hi Lorraine! I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t work out- Sometimes, if your pans have been overused, this tends to happen. The batter (as you’ve mentioned) sounds absolutely ideal!
made these (the vegan version) this morning but not sure where I went wrong – adding that much milk made the batter supper thin (though in fact I only added half of what is recommended as I did it spoon by spoon as you said) and the pancakes consequently didn’t work at all – they went into the pan more like crepes and then died a sad death there. Any idea what I could have done wrong?
Hi Anna! I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you- the batter should be EXTREMELY thick- If it’s thin, you can slowly add more coconut flour until the consistency is achieved. They should scoop onto the pan and then lightly spread, but continue to be thick 🙂
Hi, I want to make these pancakes..How much is T in spoons/grams or cup.Thanks
Hi Ninou! A ‘T’ is 15 mls 🙂
Hi Arman, just discovered your website while searching for high protein low carb recipes. I do lift weights with a passion. I don’t compete though, doing it just for the sheer fun of it. I laughed so hard as I read through your friends competition prep, loved it! Can’t wait to try these pancakes, thanks for the recipe ; )
Hi Christine! 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words! Hahaha my friend’s prep drove us crazy, but he ended up winning! 🙂
These look so fluffy! I can’t believe how fluffy they are. My “healthy” pancakes have always been flat and lacklustre.
right? The key is slow cooking time, coconut flour and egg whites!
These look awesome. Do you find that using only egg whites (vs whole eggs) in conjunction with coconut flour gives them extra fluffiness?
Hi Sheeva, that’s correct!
I wish you had included the nutrition info with this recipe.
Hi Patricia- It’s easy to calculate using myfitnesspal- I avoid including information as I focus on the ingredients VS the number.
As I was scrolling through this post I was praying you used Coconut flour because i just bought some. Chocolate chip pancakes are my thing and I’m super excited to try these 🙂
I used to try hard core ketosis for a few days. It did NOT go well. But I do love my low carb dinners and gluten free/grain free recipes, especially savory ones or ones that get really creative like these pancakes! I could never give up carbs to save my life, but then again, I wouldn’t give up fat and protein either! I need all three!
Oh Gosh.
You are a balanced little chicken!
Definitely making these over the weekend! Thanks for sharing Arman! I have never gone low-carb and I probably never will…I don’t think it’s a healthy option for a dancer such as myself. We need carbs for fuel! Plus I’m Italian so pasta. Always and forever.
No worries at all- Enjoy them, Marina!
Omg any talk of low carb drives me crazy. That’s because most people I hear talk about low carb thinks that means eating only protein.
Right? There are so many other options too!
Damn, you’re getting even me as a non-pancake person hungry here. These look amazing. Only I assume the vegan ones won’t come out as fluffy as these shown here?
Low-carb is never ever going to happen in my life. Obviously just to save the people around me from my moodiness ;).
They won’t, but they still taste great!
I love making pancakes…and I happen to have a lot of coconut flour on hand. I may just have to give these a shot since they look so nice and fluffy.
🙂 Please do!