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Enjoy dessert for breakfast with these thick and fluffy chocolate pancakes! They use whole wheat flour for a healthy dose of fiber and whole grains.
Need an excuse to have chocolate for breakfast? These pancakes are your answer.
Mornings are always a rush in our house, but that doesn’t stop us from having something satisfying for breakfast. To make our mornings a little special, a chocolate pancake goes a very long way.
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The best chocolate pancake recipe
Having a chocolate-flavored treat as your first meal of the day is a real blessing. Similar to my chocolate chip pancakes, What makes these even better is it uses whole-wheat flour. It enriches the pancakes with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- Only 5 ingredients. Five simple ingredients are needed to make these chocolate pancakes. The fewer ingredients you use, the less mess you create in the kitchen which is all we want on busy mornings.
- No oil and buttermilk. This pancake recipe doesn’t call for oil or buttermilk. And still, the pancakes turn out tender and fluffy.
- No eggs. This pancake recipe is amazing for anyone who is allergic to eggs or follows a vegan diet (like our banana and zucchini pancakes!).
Ingredients needed
You only need a few staple ingredients for this easy and delicious chocolate breakfast recipe.
- Flour. I use whole wheat flour for this recipe as it is healthier than white flour, but any flour works.
- Cocoa powder. Unsweetened and sifted. Choose Dutch-processed cocoa powder as it has a richer flavor.
- Sugar. Granulated white sugar.
Substitution idea
To keep these pancakes healthier, you can swap out the sugar for honey, maple syrup, or even coconut sugar.
- Baking powder. To help the pancakes rise.
- Milk. I used unsweetened almond milk but any milk works.
- Chocolate chips. Optional, but who doesn’t love double chocolate pancakes?
How to make chocolate pancakes
As you could expect, making these chocolate pancakes is super easy. Here’s how you make them.
- Prepare the batter. Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Pour in the milk and whisk until there are no big lumps in the batter. Fold through the chocolate chips.
- Cook the pancakes. Add a dash of oil to a non-stick pan and place over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add ¼ cup portions of batter to the pan and cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Repeat. Repeat until all batter is used up. Serve the pancakes warm with your favorite toppings.
Tips to make the best recipe
- Fold in chocolate chips into the batter to provide the pancakes with a richer chocolate flavor.
- Always sift the cocoa powder if you want to avoid lumpy batter.
- Use almond milk, cashew milk, and oat milk as 1:1 substitutes for cow’s milk if you want to make these pancakes vegan.
- Add some ground cinnamon and a dash of vanilla extract to the batter to make the flavor of the chocolate pancakes even richer.
Storage instructions
To store. Transfer leftover pancakes to an airtight container or bag and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To freeze. Make a big batch of these pancakes and freeze them for up to 3 months. Put sheets of parchment paper in between the pancakes to prevent them from sticking to each other.
To reheat. Reheat the pancakes in the microwave or in a pan over medium heat.
Meal prep idea
Did you know pancakes can be part of meal prep? We love to triple batch this recipe and portion them out for quick breakfasts throughout the week. Once the pancakes have cooled, place them in ziplock bags and keep them in the refrigerator until they ready to eat!
Recommended tools to make this recipe
- Griddle. The perfect kitchen tool for cooking pancakes.
- Non-stick pan. No griddle? A good non-stick pan with a lid will be fine!
- Spatula. To flip the pancakes.
More pancake recipes to try
- Zucchini pancakes
- Lemon ricotta pancakes
- Almond flour pancakes
- Oat flour pancakes
- Red Velvet pancakes
- Cinnamon roll pancakes
Frequently asked questions
While you can use water instead of milk to make pancakes, using regular or plant-based milk is a better idea. Milk provides a creamier flavor and moister texture for the pancakes.
Not overmixing the pancake batter and cooking the pancakes in a well-heated pan are two important steps for making good pancakes. Also, make sure to use a leavening ingredient and flip the pancakes once the surface is bubbly and the edges are slightly dry.
These chocolate pancakes are not gluten-free as they are made with whole wheat flour. To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free all-purpose flour. You may need to use slightly more of the all-purpose flour than the recipe calls for whole wheat flour.
Chocolate Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder sifted
- 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, sift in the flour and cocoa powder. Add the sugar and baking powder and mix well. Add the milk and whisk until a batter remains. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes.
- Add some oil to a non-stick skillet and place over medium heat. Once hot, add 1/4 cup portions of the pancake batter and immediately cover the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, remove the lid, flip, and cook for another two minutes.
- Repeat the process until all the pancakes are cooked.
Why do you not list the nutrition counts?
They are being included now for new recipes, feel free to calculate it!
There is no mention if u grease the frying pan! So do you? If so how much oil/butter do u use? thanks
I used 1 teaspoon, but I have a good quality non-stick pan
I’m a bit confused on the recipe. T? Tablespoon, Teaspoon? For the flour? That does not seem like enough to make the pancakes…
Hi there, have you used coconut flour before? A little goes a long way! T is tablespoon.
This would be the first time. Thanks for your reply! 🙂
Do you think you could add some protein powder to these without getting a gritty texture? Would I need to change up ratios? Just wondering if you’ve tried before potentially ruining a batch!
Hi Dee Bee! Unfortunately, I haven’t tired this with protein powder so am unsure how the final result will turn out. Please let me know if you do, I’m curious to see how it will work! 🙂
I need help! Maybe I’m not beating the egg whites engough? But mine don’t come out fluffy at all. They stay flat in the pan and I have trouble flipping them. I only need to add 1/4 cup of the milk because it doesn’t take much to make the batter thinner. The flavor is there (and good) but mine don’t look anything like your picture 🙁
Hi Shirley- Don’t beat the egg whites much- It doesn’t need too much beating o get the fluffy texture! You need to let the batter sit for a little bit to thicken up which in itself, should be EXTREMELY thick (spoonable batter!).
Hey, these do look amazing. However I’m confused: you state they’re totally sugar-free and yet granulated sweetener is one of the ingredients. Does the sugar-free only apply if you use a sugar substitute, then?
Hi Miranda! Sure is- I used Norbu, which is a granulated monk fruit sweetener which is considered sugar-free. I’ve also tried it with liquid stevia too 🙂
For liquid stevia, is it 1T as well?
Hi Rowena! Liquid stevia, I’d do the equivilant of 1 serving, as per the bottle!
do we know the nutrition facts? can we get them anywhere?
Hi Susan! For sure- If you add the ingredients into a calorie calculator it will provide it for you! Enjoy!
I this something that you would consider doing with your recipes? would be so nice to have. Just chose your most recommended ingredients to do so? even know there are variations? thanks for any comment. just a great service to add.
Hi Lonna! I tried doing that with a few recipes but it created too much conflict. Luckily, there are many calorie calculators online, so if people need this info, they can easily work it out for themselves 🙂 Enjoy!
New reader! Can’t wait to try these.
Quick question…. I need to sub oat flour for the coconut flour (bc I want these for breakfast tomorrow and don’t have coconut flour) ….would I use the same amount of oat flour or more?
Hi Olivia- I honestly haven’t tried it with just oat flour in so long- I think it will still work, but reduce the milk a little bit/adjust that 🙂
Only 3 Tablespoons of coconut flour for this whole recipe? Is that correct and this makes about 6 pancakes as pictured?
Hi there, have you used coconut flour before? It requires much more flour than others in recipes which call for liquid/eggs.
How many pancakes will this make lease
Hi there, depending on how large you make them, I made 4-5 thick pancakes per serve.
I am loving these pancakes, and I am a patient person, too!
🙂 You’ll have RIDICULOUSLY fluffy pancakes then! 🙂
Thank you for reminding me of Applesauce. I need to call Mom and making her bring me a couple of mason jars full of it. I mean, you know. Moms.
Also, I want Pancakes! I will have to prep them, cause I am ALWAYS too lazy to get up earlier and make a stack. AND they need to be fluffy!
Omg. Our mum’s need to swap foods, applesauce and almond butter!
You’re talking to the queen of impatience here. To allay my impatience I have to be working on something else! Ugh, I’m such a multitasker. These pancakes do look super amazing, and I guess that I’ll just have to listen to music or read something online while I wait for goodness to cook…
You are so patient- I remember you telling me your hot/cold smoothie pudding concoction!
Well this is good timing! I literally just told Laura this morning that we should go out for pancakes today. She said she’d rather not since we’d already had breakfast. But I’m thinking a big stack of these fluffmonsters could be appropriate for lunch, no? 🙂
Dude, upstate NY = Diner = POTATOES. Oh and the omelettes the size of your face.
I learned to be patient when I started making nut butters. They take a while but are totally worth it! Pancakes though…I am more of a waffle person because you just press the button and you don’t have to flip anything and after like 8 minutes they’re done. I’ve had too many pancake fails in that department lol
I have to share my waffle recipes then!
I can’t believe how big and fluffy they are with just few ingredients!
Right? Thanks Megan!
I wish I was more patient. Maybe my pancakes would turn out better then. Also I always have the problem that as long as I have the pancakes in the pan they are thick and fluffy and as soon as I remove them from the heat they deflate. Anyways I will give these a shot. Practicing my patience 😉
Yoghurt is okay-ish here but I just payed 15 Euros for a bottle of vanilla essence by accident.
Okay, you NEED to try this slow and long. SO GOOD.