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Fluffy buttermilk pancakes and melty chocolate chips make for the very best breakfast. A stack of these chocolate chip pancakes is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face!
My family loves when I make pancakes on a weekend morning.
Whether it’s simple bisquick pancakes or sheet pan pancakes, pumpkin pancakes in the fall, or gingerbread pancakes in the winter, they never complain when pancakes are on the menu.
But it probably won’t surprise you to learn that my girls have one kind of pancake recipe they love the very best: chocolate chip pancakes!
Adding chocolate chips to pancakes
There’s nothing better than a big stack of buttermilk pancakes on a Saturday morning.
Unless it’s a stack of chocolate chip pancakes, that is!
Tossing some chocolate chips into your favorite pancake recipe is one of the easiest ways to make a typical weekend breakfast feel even more special.
When I’m adding chocolate chips to pancakes, I always like to use mini chocolate chips.
Mini chocolate chips tend to disperse better through certain baked goods, such as chocolate chip cheesecake or chocolate chip bundt cake. So it makes sense that they work best in pancakes, too!
You can totally use regular-size chocolate chips if that’s all you have on hand. Just keep in mind that they don’t always distribute as well!
How to make chocolate chip pancakes
You can add chocolate chips to just about any of your favorite pancake recipes. But I really love this particular recipe: the buttermilk in the recipe makes the pancakes fluffy and tender, and the melty chocolate chips make them extra delicious.
If you’re a pancake-making newbie, don’t worry. They’re easy to make and are sure to be a family favorite.
Ingredients you’ll need
To make my chocolate chip pancake recipe, you will need:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoonbaking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Before you get started, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. This will help your pancakes to come out perfect every time.
Buttermilk is an important part of this recipe. Adding buttermilk instead of regular milk makes the pancakes extra fluffy and helps keep them tender.
If you forget to buy buttermilk at the store, don’t stress. You can make a simple buttermilk substitute that will work great in this recipe!
You can even use that substitute trick with nondairy milk if you need these pancakes to be dairy free. (Just make sure to swap the butter for vegan butter and use dairy-free chocolate chips.)
Making these pancakes
First, whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Now grab a separate bowl or a large measuring cup and whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Hold off on the butter—we’re going to add that later.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. It’s ok if there are some lumps.
Set the pancake batter aside to rest for 5-10 minutes while you preheat a skillet or griddle over medium heat.
Once the griddle is hot and the pancake batter has rested, whisk the melted butter into the batter until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Rub some more butter over the surface of the skillet or griddle, then use a paper towel to distribute it evenly and remove the excess. Use a 1/3-cup measuring cup to add batter to the cooking surface.
Recipe Tip
Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan or it will take the pancakes longer to cook and make it harder to flip them.
Cook the pancakes over medium heat until bubbles form on the top side of the pancakes. Flip them and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the chocolate chips are melty and the pancakes are golden brown on both sides.
Repeat with the remaining pancake batter. Serve the pancakes hot with butter, syrup, or whipped cream.
Storage and freezing tips
If you have leftover chocolate chip pancakes, you can store them in the refrigerator or freezer to enjoy later.
Let the pancakes cool completely, then place them into an air-tight zip-top bag or airtight container. You can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To freeze chocolate chip pancakes, make sure they are completely cool, then place them on a baking sheet. Put the pan into the freezer for about an hour to freeze the pancakes solid.
Now pop the frozen pancakes into a zip-top freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating pancakes
When you’re ready to reheat leftover chocolate chip pancakes, there are a few methods you can use:
- Microwave: Place the pancakes in a single layer and microwave for anywhere from 45-60 seconds, depending on your microwave.
- Oven: If you’re reheating a lot of pancakes, place the pancakes on a sheet pan and cover the pan with foil. Bake at 350 just until warmed through.
- Toaster or Toaster Oven: Pop 1 or 2 pancakes into the toaster or toaster oven. You’ll probably want to use a medium-low setting for this, depending on your toaster. Your toaster may even have a setting for reheating frozen foods; if so, I highly recommend using that!
Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- Additional butter for prepping skillet or griddle
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk until just barely combined – don’t worry if there are some lumps. Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes while you preheat your skillet or griddle.
- Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Once the cooking surface is hot and the pancake batter has rested, add the melted butter to the batter, whisking until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Rub some butter over the hot cooking surface; use a paper towel to evenly coat the surface and remove excess butter. Use a ⅓-cup measure to add batter to the skillet or griddle – be sure not to overcrowd your pan.
- Let the pancakes cook over medium heat until bubbles start to form and burst on the top side of the pancakes. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until golden on both sides. Repeat with remaining pancake batter.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
