These fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes are made with buttermilk which makes them extra light and soft. They're filled with melty pockets of chocolate and they're great served for breakfast, brunch, or even dessert with whipped cream!
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Why This Recipe Works
Extra soft and fluffy - If you've never made pancakes with buttermilk before, you have to try these! They have a similar texture to pancakes made with whipped egg whites but with much less effort!
Extra chocolatey but not overly sweet - The batter is only sweetened with a touch of maple syrup so the sweetness depends on the type of chocolate chips you use. I always use small dark chocolate chips. That way you get melted chocolate in every bite without having to add a lot of them!
Simple and versatile - The batter comes together in no time and you only need a few simple and easy-to-find ingredients. If you don't have chocolate chips, you can add blueberries instead!
Easy to make gluten-free - While you can use all-purpose flour to make these pancakes, it's really easy to substitute. I always make them with a gluten-free flour mix and I've never had any issues!
Freezer-friendly - These pancakes freeze really well so you can make a double batch to always have some on hand for busy mornings.
Ingredients
- Flour - You can use all-purpose flour here but I'm using a gluten-free flour blend. My go-to is always Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour, it works great every time!
- Buttermilk - Buttermilk helps make the pancakes extra fluffy and light. If you've never tried it in pancakes, I highly recommend it! See FAQs or the recipe card for how to make dairy-free buttermilk.
- Eggs - Large eggs help bind everything together. I haven't tried any vegan substitutes.
- Baking powder and baking soda - The addition of baking soda here is important because it reacts with the buttermilk and makes the pancakes extra fluffy. Fine sea salt is also necessary because it also helps them rise when combined with baking powder and soda, plus it balances out the sweetness of the pancakes.
- Chocolate chips - You can use mini chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or vegan chocolate chips depending on your preference. I like smaller ones because they spread throughout the batter better and you can use less of them.
- Maple syrup - The batter is lightly sweetened with maple syrup. You can also use brown sugar, cane sugar, or honey.
- Cinnamon and vanilla - You can barely taste these in the batter but they add a little bit of flavor and balance out the sweetness.
Variations and Substitutions
- No sugar - Use sugar-free chocolate chips and a sugar substitute in the batter like erythritol or stevia if needed.
- White chocolate chips - You can make the pancakes with white chocolate chips instead of dark.
- More spices - Instead of just cinnamon, you can add other spices like ginger, cloves, allspice, or others. In the winter, I love adding this homemade Christmas Spice Blend! It's similar to gingerbread but with more spices and less ginger.
- Blueberries - Add fewer chocolate chips and toss in some fresh or frozen blueberries for added freshness and extra flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, melted butter, and sea salt.
- Add buttermilk and whisk again to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk just until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips and set the batter aside.
- Heat about a teaspoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Spoon the batter into the pan to form pancakes. I do about ¼ cup batter per pancake. Don’t overcrowd your pan to make them easy to flip. I like to make a maximum of 3-4 pancakes at a time depending on their size.
- Cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes until the sides are slightly set and the bubbles start to appear.
- Flip and cook for 2-3 more minutes on the other side until golden brown.
- Repeat with the rest of the pancake batter adding more butter as needed and wiping it away if it starts to burn.
Keep the pancakes warm: You can keep the pancakes warm on a baking sheet in the oven at 200F (90C) while you finish cooking the rest. Simply lay them out on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Serving Suggestions
Syrup - You can serve the pancakes with just maple syrup or you can drizzle them with a homemade syrup like this Chocolate Simple Syrup or this Strawberry Simple Syrup. Check out all my Flavored Syrups for more inspiration!
Fresh fruit - Add fresh raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries during the berry season or chopped stone fruit like peaches, nectarines, or plums.
Cooked fruit - Simmering fruit with maple syrup and a little bit of butter makes a great topping for pancakes, waffles, or French toast. Try these Caramelized Apples, Caramelized Peaches, or these Caramelized Bananas!
Storing and Reheating
Fridge: Store the pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Best reheated on a pan for a few minutes flipping halfway through. You don't need to add any oil or butter as there's still leftover butter from cooking the pancakes the first time. You can also warm them up in the oven at 300F or in a toaster. Make sure to keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
Freezer: You can freeze any leftover pancakes in a freezer-safe bag or a container. They're best reheated in the oven at 300F until warmed through. You can also reheat them in a toaster but the outside usually starts to burn before the middle is fully defrosted and warm.
FAQs
I haven't tried any vegan substitutes for eggs so I can't guarantee it's going to work. You can try ground flax seeds or other egg substitutes you'd normally use. You can use vegan butter and make vegan buttermilk to avoid dairy.
Measure 2 cups of almond milk, remove 2 tablespoons of the milk, and add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Gently stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. It's ready when it slightly thickens and curdles.
Yes! They freeze and defrost really well. Add them to a freezer-safe bag or a container and freeze. Defrost in the fridge overnight or in the oven at 200F until warmed through.
More Pancake Recipes
All of the pancake recipes linked below are gluten-free and can be made dairy-free (except for the Greek yogurt pancakes). If you like these chocolate chip pancakes, I highly recommend the banana foster pancakes. They're very similar in texture just with caramelized bananas on top instead of chocolate!
To see all the latest ones, head over to Pancakes and Waffles.
- Banana Foster Pancakes
- Lemon Pancakes
- Greek Yogurt Pancakes
- Apple Ring Pancakes
- Peach Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 (14-15 pancakes) 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Chocolate Chip Pancakes are fluffy, soft, and filled with melty pockets of chocolate. They're great served for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (or a Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour blend)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (plus more for serving)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp melted butter (plus more for cooking)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 cups buttermilk (see notes for a vegan version)
- ½-¾ cup chocolate chips
- For serving: maple syrup, chocolate syrup, yogurt, nut butter, berries, fresh fruit
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, melted butter, and sea salt.
- Add buttermilk and whisk again to combine.
- Add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk just until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips and set the batter aside.
- Heat about a teaspoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Spoon the batter into the pan to form pancakes. Don’t overcrowd your pan to make them easy to flip. I like to make max 3-4 pancakes at a time depending on their size.
- Cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes until the sides are slightly set and the bubbles start to appear.
- Flip and cook for 2-3 more minutes on the other side until golden brown.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter adding more butter as needed.
- You can keep the pancakes warm on a baking sheet in the oven at 200F (90C) while you finish cooking the rest.
- Serve the pancakes with maple syrup, yogurt, berries, or any toppings of your choice, and enjoy!
Notes
Vegan buttermilk: Measure 2 cups almond milk and remove 2 tbsp. Add 2 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and stir gently. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. It’s ready when it slightly thickens and curdles.
Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Freeze in a freezer-safe container or a freezer bag for up to 6 months.
Reheating: Reheat on a pan, in the oven at 300F, or in a toaster until warmed through. You can reheat them from frozen or defrost them in the fridge overnight first. I don’t recommend using a toaster for frozen pancakes because they tend to stay frozen in the middle with this method.
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Natalie says
My new go-to pancake recipe! So fluffy and perfect every time. I use gluten-free flour by bobs red mill.