I burned my first three batches of these.
Not lightly golden, not “a little too dark.” Straight up burned, smoke alarm and all.
My husband still brings it up.
But I kept going, because the idea of a pancake that’s basically a warm chocolate cake stacked on a plate was too good to give up on. And once I figured out the trick (more on that below), these turned into the recipe I make almost every Sunday.
They’re soft. They’re a little fudgy in the middle. And they taste like the boxed brownie mix your childhood self used to sneak bites of raw.
Here’s exactly how to make them.
Recipe At a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 15 minutes |
| Total time | 25 minutes |
| Servings | 4 (about 12 pancakes) |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Best for | Weekend mornings, chocolate cravings, kids who “don’t like breakfast” |
What You’ll Need
- 1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups (300ml) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (85g) chocolate chips, plus a handful extra for topping
- Butter or oil, for the pan
- Maple syrup, whipped cream, or berries, for serving
I know cocoa powder sounds fancy for a Tuesday. It’s not. You probably already have a tin of it in your baking cabinet doing nothing.
Tools You’ll Need
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium bowl (for wet ingredients)
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Non-stick skillet or griddle
- ¼ cup measuring cup, for portioning batter
- Spatula for flipping
Nothing here requires a trip to the store. That’s kind of the point.
How to Make Fluffy Chocolate Pancakes
1. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Combine, but barely. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix. Stir with a spatula just until the flour disappears.
Small lumps are fine. Lumps are actually good here 🍫.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips. Add the ½ cup of chocolate chips and fold them in with just a few strokes.
5. Let the batter rest. Let it sit for 5 minutes while your pan heats up. This step is the one everyone skips and shouldn’t.
6. Heat your pan. Set your skillet to medium-low. Add a small pat of butter and let it melt without browning.
7. Cook the pancakes. Pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look set, about 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Flip once. Flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes, until the center springs back when you touch it.
9. Repeat and serve. Stack them warm, add a few extra chocolate chips on top so they melt in, and pour on the syrup.
Pro Tips
- Don’t skip the batter rest. Five minutes lets the baking powder and cocoa fully hydrate, which is the actual secret to a taller, fluffier pancake. This is the mistake behind most of my early burned batches.
- Medium-low, not medium. Chocolate batter looks done on the outside long before the inside is cooked, because cocoa powder darkens everything early. Lower heat gives the middle time to catch up.
- Weigh your flour if you can. A packed measuring cup can add up to 20% more flour than intended, and that’s the difference between fluffy and dense.
- Use a light-colored pan if you have one. Dark non-stick pans run hotter and brown chocolate batter faster than you’d expect, which tricks you into flipping too early.
- Warm your syrup. Ten seconds in the microwave. It sounds small. It changes everything.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-free: Swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend. No other changes needed.
- Dairy-free: Use oat milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice stirred in (instant buttermilk) and swap the butter for a plant-based version.
- No buttermilk: Regular milk plus 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice, rested for 5 minutes, works the same.
- Extra fudgy: Add 2 more tablespoons of chocolate chips and reduce the flour by 2 tablespoons.
- Peanut butter chocolate: Swirl 2 tablespoons of melted peanut butter into the batter right before cooking.
- Mocha version: Add 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the dry ingredients. It doesn’t taste like coffee, it just makes the chocolate hit harder.
Make-Ahead Tips
You can mix the dry ingredients up to a week ahead and store them in an airtight container on the counter.
You can also make the full batter the night before and refrigerate it, though the pancakes will be slightly less tall since some of the baking powder’s lift fades overnight.
For actual meal prep, cook the full batch, cool completely, then freeze. More on that below.
Nutrition and Diet Notes
Rough estimate per serving (3 pancakes, no toppings):
| Calories | ~350 |
| Protein | 9g |
| Carbs | 45g |
| Fat | 15g |
| Sugar | 14g |
These numbers shift depending on your chocolate chips and how heavy-handed you are with syrup, so treat this as a starting point, not a label.
Pairing suggestions: crispy bacon for the salty contrast, fresh strawberries or raspberries to cut the richness, or a glass of cold milk if you’re fully committing to the dessert-for-breakfast bit.
Time efficiency tip: double the batch and freeze half. Reheated pancakes from frozen taste nearly identical to fresh, and you’ll thank yourself on the next busy morning.
Leftovers and Storage
- Fridge: Store cooled pancakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Lay pancakes flat on a baking sheet, freeze for an hour, then transfer to a freezer bag. They’ll keep for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: Pop them in the toaster on a low setting, or microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. Avoid the oven for single pancakes, it dries them out.
FAQ
Why aren’t my pancakes fluffy?
This is almost always overmixed batter or old baking powder. Stir just until combined, and check that your baking powder isn’t expired.
Can I use regular cocoa powder or does it need to be Dutch-processed?
Regular unsweetened cocoa powder works fine here. Dutch-processed will give you a slightly darker, milder flavor if you want to try it.
My pancakes are burning on the outside but raw inside. What’s going wrong?
Your pan is too hot. Cocoa powder darkens quickly, which tricks you into thinking the pancake is further along than it is. Drop the heat to medium-low.
Can I make these without eggs?
Yes. Sub each egg for 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water, rested for 5 minutes before adding.
Why buttermilk instead of regular milk?
The acidity in buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to give you extra lift, plus a slight tang that balances the sweetness of the chocolate.
Wrapping Up
These pancakes turned a kitchen disaster into one of my most requested breakfasts, and I’m willing to bet they’ll do the same for you.
Give them a try this weekend.
Then come back and tell me how they turned out, what you swapped, or if your kitchen also filled with smoke on attempt one. I read every comment 🍯.
