This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
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.
How many calories do these have?
Hi Vanessa! If you go to myfitnesspal and plug in the ingredients, it will provide it for you 🙂 Enjoy!
Tried these this morning. Very yummy but wouldn’t consider them fluffy. Mine turned out flat. Omce i mixed everything, the batter did not need any added milk. Any suggestions? Maybe extra baking powder?
Hi Jenny! It sounds like it is the coconut flour you used- Sometimes it helps to let them sit a little before cooking. You definitely should need to add at least a little milk- Try also cooking them slowly on low heat 🙂
These look amazing!! I would love to know exactly which “Mashed Starch of Choice” you used to make the ones shown in the picture ?
Hi Charisse! I used unsweetened applesauce!
The recipe indicates it is for 1 serving. How many pancakes (of what approximate size) are in 1 serving?
Hi Amy! It depends on how big or small you pan fry them at 🙂
I have recently started a low carb diet for the medicaiton I am on (metformin…not diabetic but using it to control my insulin resistance and to help lose weight so I can get pregnant again). I tried almond flour pancakes and they were…well ok…it satsified my pancake need for that day…but these look… AMAZING.. I am goin to go out and get some coconut flour and try these out! I’m also lactose intollerant so these are a win win!
Oh fantastic- I hope you enjoy these Stephanie- Remember to let the pancake batter sit for a few minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb a little bit of the liquid 🙂
Hopefully your medication is assisting your insulin 🙂
Like everything else you post, I want to grab the mixing bowl and make this ASAP! One problem though, I can’t get coconut flout where I live, and it drives me crazy because I want to make al your pancake recipes! Is it possible to sub all purpose for the coconut? I know the absorbency is different, so add a little more of the all purpose, perhaps?
Hi Laurel! I haven’t tried it with all purpose and I can’t see it working, as it absorbs much differently.
Hi! I was so excited to find this recipe! I love high protein — especially when it involves something scrumptious as pancakes. I make a go of it this evening (using egg whites and applesauce), and I thought it was thick, but when I tried to flip in the pan, it was a crumbly mess. I noticed on another comment had the same problem and you replied to cook slow and cover….but I missed that in the recipe. Is this the problem? Do you have to cover the pan while cooking? Would love to nail it, cause even though the pancakes were a disaster and did not resemble your beautiful picture at all, they tasted delish and I would love to give it another try! Tips?
Hi Shannon! You really need to let the batter sit for a little while- That gives time for the coconut flour to thicken the batter. Also, definitely cover the pan while cooking 🙂
Arman, you have done it again! This recipe looks wonderful! I’ll be sitting here at work dreaming about these chocolate chip pancakes all day!!!!
🙂 Thanks so much, Linda!
I love… love … LOVE pancakes but avoid them like the plague! The more processed the foods are the more difficicult they are to digest. One would not think that but it is true…sad to say. BUT… these are definitely going on my list of foods to make every now and then. Of course I only use REAL Maple Syrup… thinking I will save this recipe for my Birthday Breakfast!
Thank you Arman!!!
Please do, Cindy- Just ensure you cook on low heat and covered- This will ensure thick, fluffy and filling pancakes 🙂
I tried this and it predictably fell apart like most coconut flour recipes do. I doubled it to make enough for two. I used stevia, canned pumpkin and almond milk, with Enjoy Life mega chunk chocolate chips. I got it to a thick batter, but only a couple of the smaller pancakes held together enough to even allow me to flip them. Rest just completely crumbled. I know part of it is the larger cups, but still, I was disappointed. Taste was fine but maybe pumpkin is not good choice? I’m curious what exact Chino you did to get them to hold together like ones in pictures! Thank you!
Hi Karen! I’m not sure why it didn’t turn out- As mentioned within the post, you need to be extremely cautious with the pancakes and cook slow and covered- These ensure thick and fluffy pancakes each time 🙂