Chocolate chip pancakes are light and fluffy and studded with melty chocolate chips! They require just 1 bowl and only take 10 minutes to mix up!

This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am back from my girls weekend in Austin, Texas, and wow, we had a blast! We did lots of walking, shopping, talking and laughing. And TONS of eating - we pretty much ate our way through the city.

There was also a little dancing, a fire pit and s'more and some margaritas for good measure. ????

It's always lovely to get back home though and see my sweet family. ❤️

And they are the reason for today's recipe.

Recently, I finally shared the recipe for our classic fluffy whole wheat pancakes, which are a weekend staple in our house. (I thought I'd shared it before. Sworn I must have. But alas, no...)

My kids ADORE pancakes. Can’t get enough.

We also enjoy healthy blueberry pancakes, healthy chocolate pancakes as a fun twist for a special occasion — or just because. And my whole wheat pumpkin pancakes are a fall favorite.

I even make pancake mini muffins for a fun baked version. Those are great for sending as part of a school lunch too.

Total pancake obsession in our house.

Today, it’s my chocolate chip pancakes. Because you just can’t go wrong with having a little chocolate at breakfast. ????

(See my oatmeal chocolate chip waffles and my healthy chocolate oatmeal for other ways I try to sneak chocolate into our mornings.)

I remember the first time I had chocolate chip pancakes.

I was in New York City with my family visiting my grandfather and I was maybe 5 or 6 years old. The pancake, I think it was just one, came out and was probably 10- or 12-inches in diameter. Bigger than my head by a long shot.

I was in heaven! ????

These chocolate chip pancakes today are much smaller in scale but every bit as fluffy and delicious as the NYC diner ones I remember so well.

And they are really super duper easy to make! You just need 1 bowl and about 10 minutes to mix up the batter. Totally do-able!

Plus, like all of my pancake recipes, they are made with maple syrup (cause you already have it for serving with the pancakes) so they are naturally sweetened and there’s no added sugar.

AND you can opt for whole wheat flour or white wheat flour if you want to make these whole grain for healthy chocolate chip pancakes. I do that often. (I’ve also got tips below on how to make these gluten-free, dairy-free and/or vegan. ????)

I’m also so happy to be sharing another recipe in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, my go-to brand of flours, oats and more.

They are an employee-owned company and they are really dedicated to making high-quality products using the best ingredients. You know, things you’ll feel good about putting in your body and feeding your family. ❤️

I also love their dedication to whole grains and bringing a variety of products to the market for all types, tastes and dietary needs.

Back to the pancake deliciousness happening here though.

I’ve got some notes, tips, substitutions and FAQs coming up below on how to make chocolate chip pancakes. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

(Also, I’ve had a lot of experience making pancakes and want to share what works. ????)

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making chocolate chip pancakes:

• I have made these using Bob’s Red Mill’s stone ground whole wheat flour, as well as their (sadly, retired) white wheat flour and their organic all-purpose flour. You could also use a mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour or try it with their 1:1 gluten-free baking flour for gluten-free chocolate chip pancakes.
• It helps to use a ¼-cup measuring cup to measure out the batter into the skillet so you get evenly sized pancakes.
• Helps, too, to spray that measuring cup with cooking spray so the batter falls easily out of it. ????
• This recipe makes about 9-10 pancakes and I’d say the serving size is 2.

Full disclosure though, my kiddos often eat 3, 4 sometimes even 5 or 6 pancakes in a sitting. Maybe it’s a growth spurt thing, but just wanted to put that out there.

Now, for some other tips and substitutions…

Knowing when to flip your pancakes is kind-of the key to keeping them light and fluffy and oh so tasty.

You’ll know they are ready when you see little air bubbles forming all over the tops of the pancakes.

Here’s a picture of one of my basic pancakes to show you what that looks like:

The other big trick with cooking pancakes is keeping your pan at the right temperature.

For pancakes with chocolate chips in particular, I think it helps to keep the heat a little on the lower side. They just brown faster.

I heat my pan over a gas burner on just below medium heat and then lower it a little bit as I continue to cook pancakes. (You can adjust when you flip or between batches as needed.)

It will depend on your burner, your pans and just the weather. But it won’t take long to figure out your perfect temp adjustments.

OK, special diets coming right up.

Dairy-free chocolate chip pancakes are really easy to make using this recipe.

(My daughter used to have a cow’s milk allergy, which she thankfully outgrew, so I’ve done them this way before. And still do pretty often.)

Just use your dairy-free milk of choice, such as soy milk or almond milk. Then make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips and you are set.

Want to make vegan chocolate chip pancakes?

Use a dairy-free milk, a flax egg in place of the egg and vegan chocolate chips for this recipe. Easy peasy.

And now, my very favorite time-saving hack. This was life-changing guys.

Pro tip: Use two large skillets to cook twice as many pancakes at once.

If you are standing there flipping pancakes, you might as well do two batches at once and cut your time in half.

This has saved me countless hours over the course of my life and that makes me happy.

OK, a few other commonly asked questions…

How to keep pancakes warm:

- Don’t cover the pancakes on a plate to keep them warm. They’ll steam and get soggy.

- Instead, place the cooked pancakes onto a sheet pan in a single layer and put into the oven at 200 degrees until ready to eat.

(Or use my two-skillet method mentioned above to do twice as many pancakes at once and you won’t have much of a problem with pancakes cooling off.)

This recipe makes a pretty big batch and while my kids and husband sometimes power through ALL of those in a single morning, we usually end up with some extras.

Or else I double the recipe to ensure I have some extras.

(That’s the goal - it makes future breakfasts on busy mornings so easy to have some pancakes on hand!)

Here’s a few tips on how to store any extras you have.

How to store leftover pancakes:

- Leftover pancakes can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days. I put them in a plastic bag once they’ve cooled down and pop them right into the fridge.

- Pancakes also freeze great! Let them cool completely, then place in a freezer-safe ziptop plastic bag — that’s labelled! — and freeze for up to 6 months. (I’m able to get 4-5 pancakes in a standard quart-size freezer bag.)

- Move the pancakes to the fridge to defrost overnight and warm in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, or until warmed through.

- Or place in the microwave directly from the freezer and warm for 20-30 seconds per side, flipping them over and adding extra time as needed.

Like I said, we’ve *always* got extra pancakes of some variety or other in the freezer.

It really comes in handy if I’m out of town and my husband can just pull them out. Or if we need a quick breakfast on a busy morning.

Or if I just don’t feel like making another full batch one Sunday morning and I can use those instead.

Lastly, it wouldn’t be a Family Food on the Table post if I didn’t attempt to offer you some topping ideas.

Pancakes are no exception!

Pancake topping ideas:

• Maple syrup is our go-to and a classic favorite.
• Butter. Of course.
• Top with strawberries, blueberries or another favorite berry.
• Sliced bananas are another great fruit option for topping pancakes.
• Double up on the chocolate by serving these with some mini chocolate chips scattered over the top. Or a smear of Nutella!
• And if we’re getting decadent, feel free to do a drizzle of chocolate sauce or a swirl of whipped cream on top.

So many delicious options!

Oh, and I have to say, I do recommend real maple syrup over the imitation stuff. It’s way tastier and so much healthier too. Just look at the labels.

I hope you give this chocolate chip pancake recipe a try soon. It’s sure to brighten up your morning and start your day off right!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Stay tuned because I have a yummy twist on these coming up later this week!

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