A stack of rich chocolate pancakes makes a great addition to a brunch spread or to simply enjoy on their own any day of the week. Serve topped with fresh berries and a hot mug of coffee or freshly steeped tea. For more pancake recipes from scratch, try my banana pancakes, classic pancake recipe, or pumpkin pancakes.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Flour – all-purpose flour creates the perfect soft pancake texture. I don’t recommend swapping for another type of flour, as it will change the consistency. Cocoa Powder – use unsweetened cocoa powder to avoid making this chocolate pancake recipe too sweet. Natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder both work great! Sugar – granulated sugar makes these pancakes soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet. It also helps them brown when cooked which enhances the delicious flavor. Milk – whole milk adds a delicious creaminess and gives the pancakes the best flavor. Alternatively, you can swap with equal parts half-and-half or a nondairy milk of your choice. Large Eggs – bring the eggs to room temperature before starting the recipe. They mix easier than cold eggs and help keep the melted butter from solidifying into little chunks in the batter. Butter – unsalted butter is best so you don’t oversalt the flavor. Alternatively, you can substitute 1:1 for canola or vegetable oil. Chocolate Chips – use semi-sweet chocolate chips if you want a dark chocolate flavor. Or, swap for milk chocolate or white chocolate if you want a sweeter taste. Heavy Cream – makes a rich and creamy base for the chocolate sauce topping on the pancakes.
How to Make Chocolate Pancakes
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and lightly stir together with a rubber spatula until almost combined so you don’t overmix.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir them in a few times, then set the batter aside. A few lumps in the batter are okay!
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease the bottom of the pan with butter. Working in batches, drop the batter into the skillet using about ¼ cup batter per pancake. Cook until the edges of the pancakes are set and lots of bubbles have formed on top of each pancake, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Carefully flip the pancake and continue cooking until golden brown and the centers feel springy when you press on them, for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm, or in an oven set at 200°F if desired.
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat just until it starts to steam. Do not let it boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the chocolate chips.
- Stir in the chocolate chips until smooth with a rubber spatula. Serve the chocolate sauce over the warm pancakes.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
Let the batter rest. Before you begin pouring the batter into the pan, let the prepared batter rest on the counter for a couple of minutes. This will give the flour time to hydrate, which makes the pancakes extra light and fluffy once cooked. Use a nonstick pan. This will go a long way in cooking the pancakes to perfection and helps with easy flipping so the batter does not stick. I still recommend lightly greasing the hot pan with butter to prevent sticking and to add a delicious flavor. Grease the pan between pancakes. Be sure to add a little butter or nonstick spray in between making each pancake batch so the batter does not stick to the pan. You don’t want burnt pancakes! Don’t rush the cooking time. It can be tempting to flip the pancakes sooner than they may be ready. Make sure you wait until bubbles begin to form (and pop!) in the batter on the top of the pancake before flipping it. Depending on how warm your skillet is, it can take 3 up to 5 minutes. The bottom of the pancake should be golden and set, and slide onto your spatula easily when it’s ready to flip.
If you’ve tried this Chocolate Pancakes recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
