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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.
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 🙂