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These chocolate pancakes are my family’s favorite way to have dessert for breakfast! They are thick, fluffy, and made with just 5 wholesome ingredients.
Looking for more pancake recipes? Try my zucchini pancakes, savory pancakes, and sweet potato pancakes next.
Table of Contents
Need an excuse to have dessert 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. A chocolate pancake goes a very long way to making our mornings a little special.
Why I love this recipe
- Only 5 ingredients. Five pantry staples are all that’s needed. The fewer ingredients you use, the less mess you create in the kitchen!
- Made in one bowl. Speaking of mess, all you need is one bowl and one skillet to make the magic happen.
- Secretly healthy. There’s no oil, buttermilk, or eggs in this recipe, though you’d never guess by how moist and soft they are.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“These chocolate pancakes are so simple to make and I love to whip them up for my family for a fun and sneakily wholesome weekend breakfast.” – Suzanne
Key Ingredients
- Flour. I use sifted whole wheat flour for this recipe as it is healthier than white flour, but you can use regular all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour if you prefer.
- Cocoa powder. Unsweetened and sifted to remove clumps. Choose Dutch-processed cocoa powder as it has a richer flavor.
- Sugar. I used white sugar, but brown sugar or a sugar-free substitute works just as well.
- Baking powder. To help the pancakes rise.
- Milk. I used unsweetened almond milk to keep these dairy-free/vegan, but whole milk works too.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips. Optional, but who doesn’t love double chocolate pancakes?
How to make chocolate 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.
Make the pancake batter. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the milk and whisk until a batter forms. Stir in the chocolate chips (if using), and let the batter sit for 5 minutes.
Cook. Heat nonstick cooking spray in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, pour 1/4 cup portions of the pancake batter and cover the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip the pancakes, and cook for another 2 minutes. Repeat until all of the batter has been used.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Avoid overmixing the batter. More mixing means more air gets lost, making for flatter pancakes.
- Don’t skip the resting time. Those 5 minutes help the baking powder activate and give the pancakes their rise. If you’re not concerned with fluffy pancakes, you can skip this step.
- Cover the pan. If you’ve made any of my pancake recipes before, you know this is my non-negotiable tip. Doing this traps in the heat which yields uber fluffy pancakes.
More sweet breakfast ideas
Chocolate Pancakes
Video
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
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.
Notes
- Add more chocolate flavor. Swap some of the liquid with a shot of espresso. You won’t notice the coffee flavor, but it’ll give the pancakes a richer mocha flavor.
- Enhance the flavor of the batter. Add a pinch of salt or one teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Drizzle with peanut butter, healthy Nutella, chocolate sauce, or caramel sauce.
- Add mix-ins. Try fresh raspberries, strawberries, or banana slices.
- Don’t forget the toppings. I’m boring and prefer my pancakes with a little melted butter and maple syrup, but a little whipped cream and fresh berries never hurt!
Nutrition
Originally published February 2023, updated and republished June 2024
Ti be honest I started using low fat cocoa powder recently. Will try this one!
Can I use almond flour instead?
Haven’t tried- feel free to experiment and see!
Wow such a good recipe. I rarely make pancakes. This can be change!
good as hell!
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 made these yesterday for my girls and nephews…they LOVED them!!! Thank you so much for a healthy recipe that I feel good about making for my biggest critics! I had them begging for more today 🙂
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! 🙂