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An easy homemade Chocolate Chip Pancake Recipe for light, fluffy, pancakes loaded with chocolate in every bite. They are delicious with butter and syrup, chocolate syrup and whipped cream, or even plain!
This easy Chocolate Chip Pancake recipe is made with convenient pantry staples and is a favorite of children and adults everywhere.
With chocolate chips in the mix, who even needs syrup (my kids, obviously). Chocolate sauce and whipped cream are delicious toppings too, and they elevate this breakfast meal to a delectable dessert.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Baking powder: This chemical leavener generates bubbles in the pancake batter to help make them light and fluffy.
- Milk: Cow’s milk or any milk alternative, such as soy, cashew, oat, or almond milk. From skim to whole, any fat level will do.
- Chocolate chips: Use any kind you love: semi-sweet, dark chocolate, or milk chocolate chips.
Step-by-step instructions
- To mix the dry ingredients, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients: milk, egg, and melted butter; mix until smooth. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat, greasing if desired (see note 3). Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately ¼ cup batter for each pancake.
- When bubbles start to form on the first side and the bottom is golden brown, carefully flip and brown the second side.
- Repeat with remaining batter (you should have about 8 pancakes). Serve hot with butter and maple syrup or homemade syrup.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about four servings, 2 (4-inch) Chocolate Chip Pancakes each (more or less if you adjust the size). Feel free to multiply the recipe as desired; it doubles and triples beautifully.
- Storage: Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Arrange cooled pancakes in a single layer, not touching, on a small baking sheet or plate. Freeze until the pancakes are frozen individually, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or reheat in the microwave from frozen.
- Oiling the skillet: If you love crispy edges on your pancakes, you’ll want to lightly grease your skillet with oil or butter before adding the batter. If using a non-stick skillet, you can skip the fat and cook the flapjacks in a dry skillet for a smooth, brown surface.
- Keep them warm: To keep pancakes warm while you’re making them, or to store them for an imminent brunch, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Set a rack over a baking sheet and place in the oven, then transfer cooked pancakes to the rack until serving time. Or, keep warm in a skillet over medium-low heat.
- Vanilla: I don’t always add vanilla to my pancake batter, but a teaspoon is delicious! It’s a little bit more natural sweetness.
- Gluten-free pancakes: Substitute your favorite 1:1 GF flour blend. My favorite is King Arthur’s 1:1 GF flour blend.
- Favorite toppings for pancakes: Melt peanut butter in the microwave, then drizzle over your Chocolate Chip Pancakes for a PB&C mash-up. It’s even better if you add a pile of sliced bananas on top! Or try strawberries or raspberries; a little bit of fresh fruit tartness can cut through the chocolate and make the dish feel lighter.
- Classic Homemade Pancakes: For standard white-flour pancakes better than anything you’d get at a diner, try my beloved Homemade Pancake Recipe. It’s ready in 20 minutes or less, and they are so good! It’s definitely a family and reader favorite.
- Blueberry Pancakes: These fluffy homemade pancakes are filled with heaps of blueberries – fresh or frozen! They remind me of the epic pancakes from the Cracker Barrel restaurant.
- Chocolate Pancakes: Part breakfast, part dessert, and loaded with real cocoa powder and chocolate chips in every bite. Try them plain or with whipped cream and chocolate syrup; your sweet tooth is calling you!
- Healthy Pancake Recipe: If you’re looking for wholesome breakfast ideas, keep a batch of homemade Healthy Pancake Mix in the pantry. Whenever the mood strikes, mix up the batter for as few as 3 to 4 pancakes at a time. It’s ideal for busy school mornings and will keep the kids full until lunchtime.
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes: These luscious pancakes are lemon-scented, light, and fluffy, and make every day a little sunnier. Make them as-is, or add blueberries for the best breakfast ever.
- Vegan Pancakes: For a hearty plant-based breakfast, try my Vegan Pancakes made with oat milk, flax seeds, and coconut oil.
- Muffins: Learn the secret to homemade bakery-style Chocolate Chip Muffins that beat anything you can buy. These muffins are soft, tender, and not too sweet – just a perfect ratio of muffin to chocolate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you keep chocolate chips from burning in pancakes?
A skillet on medium-high heat shouldn’t burn chocolate chips, so just keep an eye on the temperature and flip your pancakes as soon as you see bubbles forming in the patter (when the bottom is golden brown).
Why are restaurant pancakes so fluffy?
Using the right about leavening agent makes for the puffiest pancakes. This recipe uses a whopping 3 ½ teaspoons of baking powder in the batter, so they get extra tall and fluffy, just like your favorite diner.
More tasty breakfast ideas
Appetizer Recipes
Mini Quiche Recipe
Breakfast Recipes
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Breakfast Recipes
French Toast Sticks
Breakfast Recipes
How to Scramble Eggs
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Chocolate Chip Pancake Recipe
An easy homemade Chocolate Chip Pancake recipe for light, fluffy, pancakes loaded with chocolate in every bite.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/4 cups milk (see note 2)
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup chocolate chips (see note 3)
- butter and maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg, and melted butter; mix until smooth. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium high heat, greasing if desired (see note 3). Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately ¼ cup for each pancake.
- When bubbles start to form on the first side, carefully flip and brown the second side. Repeat with remaining batter (you should have about 8 pancakes). Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.
Notes
- Baking powder: This chemical leavener generates bubbles in the pancake batter to help make them light and fluffy.
- Milk: Cow’s milk or any milk alternative, such as almond, cashew, oat, or soy. From skim to whole, any fat level will do.
- Chocolate chips: Use any kind you love: semi-sweet, dark c, or milk chocolate chips.
- Oiling the skillet: If you love crispy edges on your pancakes, you’ll want to lightly grease your skillet with oil or butter before adding the batter. If using a non-stick skillet, you can skip the fat and cook the flapjacks in a dry skillet for a smooth, brown surface.
- Yield: This recipe makes about four servings, 2 (4-inch) Chocolate Chip Pancakes each (more or less if you adjust the size). Feel free to multiply the recipe as desired; it doubles and triples beautifully.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 2 (4-inch) pancakesCalories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 9gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 812mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 567IUCalcium: 309mgIron: 3mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.