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These classic and fuss-free chocolate chip pancakes are the best adult and kid-approved breakfast! Easy to make with a short list of pantry staples, this simple recipe yields a flawless batch of light and fluffy pancakes with gooey chocolate in every bite.
Is there anything better than a batch of old-fashioned homemade chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast? I don’t think so!
Made with a simple 8-ingredient batter, this chocolate chip pancakes recipe yields fluffy-on-the-inside and golden-on-the-outside pancakes every time. The chocolate chips in every bite are just a bonus!
Best of all? Just like my apple, cinnamon roll, and red velvet pancakes, these sinfully sweet chocolate pancakes are perfect for whipping up for weekend breakfasts and brunches. You can also batch-cook a stockpile to freeze and enjoy any day of the week!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love these chocolate chip pancakes
- It’s perfect for kids and adults. A classic pancake breakfast is a treat in itself, but there’s something about adding chocolate chips that makes the experience extra special for all ages.
- Freezer-friendly. Similar to protein pancakes, you’ll love the convenience of having a stash of ready-to-reheat pancakes in the freezer when you’re craving pancakes, chocolate, or both!
- It’s just plain delicious. I have dozens of excellent pancake and waffle recipes, including pumpkin pancakes, lemon ricotta pancakes, and cinnamon roll waffles. However, these easy chocolate chip pancakes are truly the best.
Ingredients needed
Family-friendly recipes like this don’t take much to make – just a small list of pantry staples. Here is everything you’ll need:
- Flour. All purpose flour is perfect for pancakes. Head to the FAQs to learn how to modify this recipe for special diets, like gluten free, dairy free, etc.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar sweetens the batter.
- Baking powder. This makes the batter rise. For the best results, use the freshest baking powder you can find.
- Salt. To help bring all of the flavors together.
- Milk. Any type of milk should work. You can even use buttermilk for extra fluffy pancakes.
- Oil. Use a neutral-tasting oil, like vegetable or canola oil.
- Eggs. Egg yolks bind the batter together while whipped egg whites are the secret to light and fluffy pancakes.
- Chocolate chips. You can use milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate chips. Or stick with my sugar free chocolate chips to cut down on the sweetness.
How to make chocolate chip pancakes
Warm and fluffy homemade pancakes are just a few steps away! Here’s what you need to do:
- Mix the batter. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, oil, and egg yolk. Add the wet mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, then gently stir to combine.
- Add the whipped egg white. In a third mixing bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. The white should be doubled in size, look extra fluffy, and stand up straight, just like in a pavlova recipe. Gently fold the beaten white into the pancake batter until combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Fold in the chocolate chips until they are completely immersed in the batter.
- Cook. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of the pancake batter onto the hot surface, then cover it with a lid. Cook until golden around the edges and repeat until all the batter is used up.
Pancake topping ideas
- Melted butter
- Maple syrup
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate syrup
- Strawberry sauce
- Melted peanut butter
- Chocolate sprinkles
- Caramelized bananas
- Caramel syrup
- Fresh strawberries
Tips to make the best recipe
- Some lumps in the pancake batter are ok. Trying to smooth them out will result in overmixing, which means dense and flat pancakes!
- Not sure if the skillet is hot enough? Drop in a teaspoon of batter. If the batter lightly sizzles, the pan is ready!
- You’ll know the pancakes are ready to flip when you see bubbles forming all around the sides and close to the middle (after about 2 minutes). Use a glass lid so you don’t have to constantly lift it and risk releasing the steam.
- To keep the cooked pancakes warm as you work through the batter, place them on a baking sheet in a 200ºF oven.
Variations
There are no rules when it comes to pancake mix-ins. Make this breakfast a real show-stopper by using any of these extras:
- Spices. Add cozy, dry spices like cinnamon and ground nutmeg to the batter to warm things up.
- Vanilla. Just a touch of vanilla extract will deepen the sweet and creamy flavors. We often do this with banana pancakes.
- Chocolate. Double chocolate chip pancakes? Yes, please! Mix ¼ cup of cocoa powder with the dry ingredients.
- Peanut butter chips. Use a 1:1 ratio of regular chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to make your pancakes taste like chocolate peanut butter cups.
Storage instructions
To store. Keep any extra pancake batter covered in the fridge and use it within 24 hours. If you have leftover pancakes, keep them wrapped in plastic or an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
To freeze. Layer the pancakes between sheets of waxed paper in a freezer-safe sealable bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months and reheat directly from frozen.
To reheat. Microwave a few pancakes at a time for 20 to 60 seconds. To reheat a large batch, it’s best to rewarm them on a baking sheet covered with foil in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.
Recommended tools to make this recipe
- Non-stick pan. My go-to pan for cooking pancakes, and they come with a lid.
- Cast iron skillet. If you want to take your pancake skills up a notch, a skillet is always a great idea!
- Griddle. The classic pancake cooking tool.
What to serve with pancakes
Something salty is always a fab idea to balance out the sweetness. Here are some favorites:
- Air fryer bacon
- Air fryer turkey bacon
- Hash browns
- Air fryer brats
- Frittata
- Crustless quiche
- Sous vide egg bites
Frequently asked questions
I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but a 1:1 gluten free flour blend should work well. You can also add chocolate chips to my naturally gluten free coconut flour pancakes, almond flour pancakes, and oat flour pancakes instead.
For dairy free chocolate chip pancakes, use your favorite dairy free milk and use vegan chocolate chips instead of regular chocolate chips. Or make my almond milk pancakes or oat milk pancakes with chocolate chips instead.
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.
Pancake batter doesn’t typically work for waffles without tweaking the ingredients. Instead, you can add chocolate chips to my almond flour waffles and oatmeal waffles recipes.
Chocolate Chip Pancakes
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!