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! I also love these Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes! They're similar, but without dairy and with added banana!
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 and great for meal prep - 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 the 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 helps them rise when combined with baking powder and soda, plus it balances out the sweetness of the pancakes.
- Chocolate chips - You can use dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or vegan chocolate chips, depending on your preference. I like the mini 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
- Vegan buttermilk - 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.
- 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 bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, melted butter, and sea salt.
- Pour in buttermilk and whisk again to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk just until just combined.
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- Fold in chocolate chips and set the batter aside.
- Heat about a teaspoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat or on a griddle.
- 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.
Tips & Tricks!
- Don't overmix your batter - If you want your pancakes to be tall, light, and fluffy, don't overmix the batter! You want to mix in the flour and fold in the chocolate chips until they're just mixed. It's better to fold the batter with a spatula than vigorously mix it with a whisk.
- Make sure your baking powder is fresh - Sometimes baking powder loses its strength when it's been open for a while. Store it in a cool, dark place, away from sunlight, ideally in an airtight container.
- Keep the pancakes warm: You can keep the pancakes warm on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 200F (90C) while you finish cooking the rest of the batter. Simply lay them out on a baking sheet in a single layer. If you stack them, they will steam and turn more soggy.
What to Serve the Pancakes With
- 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!
- Nut butter, seed butter, or yogurt - Add a spoonful of almond butter, peanut butter, or this Homemade Nutella to the pancakes to up the protein and healthy fats! You can also serve them with some full-fat Greek yogurt or a vegan yogurt.
Storing and Reheating
Refrigerator: Store the pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them in a pan for a few minutes, flipping halfway through. If your pan is non-stick, 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. The chocolate chips tend to burn in a toaster, so be 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 container for 3-4 months. You can reheat them in a preheated oven at 300F from frozen until warmed through, or you can defrost them in the fridge overnight or on the counter for an hour first. I don’t recommend using a toaster for frozen pancakes because they tend to stay frozen in the middle with this method.
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 if you're avoiding 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.
Don't add too many. When there are too many, they will touch the pan too much and burn. When you don't overdo it, they will be mostly hidden in the batter and just melt instead of burning. You also want them to be spread well throughout the batter, which I find is easier with mini chocolate chips.
This could be either because your raising agents (baking soda and baking powder) weren't fresh enough or because you overmixed your batter, which often causes dense, flat pancakes. Even if your baking powder isn't expired, it could lose its potency if it's been open for a long time.
More Buttermilk Pancakes
If you're looking for other similar pancake recipes made with buttermilk, I have 5 recipes you should try. The Banana Foster Pancakes are my favorite, especially for fall and winter! To see all the latest ones, head over to Pancakes and Waffles.
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Print📖 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 bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, melted butter, and sea salt.
- Pour in 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 or a griddle.
- Spoon the batter into the pan to form pancakes. 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 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 3-4 months.
Reheating: Reheat in 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.