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.
Table of Contents
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
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! 🙂
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
Why do you not list the nutrition counts?
They are being included now for new recipes, feel free to calculate it!