Fluffy Vegan Chocolate Pancakes

Fluffy vegan chocolate pancakes made from scratch! Healthy enough for breakfast, indulgent enough for dessert. Oil-free, easy, and delicious!

Vegan chocolate pancakes have been a staple in our house for a while now. And, honestly, I’m not quite sure why I haven’t shared this recipe yet?

We love having them for brunch on the weekends with a side of my spicy vegan breakfast sausage patties.

Personally, I like to go old-school with just a little warm maple syrup, but my kids love to cover them in chocolate sauce with a dollop of my vegan whipped cream. They say it makes them feel like they’re eating chocolate cake for breakfast.

That’s understandable. These vegan chocolate pancakes are light and fluffy and great for breakfast. But, cover them in some vegan chocolate ganache and you’ve got one indulgent dessert.

Just think, within 15 minutes after reading this, you could be eating fluffy, healthy, vegan chocolate pancakes that just happen to taste like chocolate cake.

You’re welcome!

What You’ll Need (Ingredients)

You only need six simple, wholesome ingredients and one bowl to make these delicious pancakes.

• Flour: I prefer whole wheat pastry flour or organic unbleached all-purpose flour. But, regular whole wheat flour will work. You could also use fine oat flour if you need a gluten-free option.
• Chocolate: raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
• Baking Powder: Baking powder is used to increase the volume and lighten the texture of baked goods. If you leave this out the pancakes will be flat and dense.
• Chocolate Chips: I prefer Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini-Chips.
• Dairy-free Milk: soy milk and almond milk work best with vinegar to create the buttermilk reaction you will need. Oat milk has never worked well for me in this application.
• Vinegar: creates buttermilk when whisked together with the non-dairy milk. It helps to make the pancake batter light and airy when combined with the baking powder. You may also sub apple cider vinegar.
• Pure vanilla extract: vanilla is to sweet recipes what salt is to savory recipes. It adds a depth of flavor but can be left out if you choose.
• Optional: this recipe as written is not sweet, I prefer the sweetness that comes from the maple syrup after I make the pancakes. But, you may use a dry sweetener such as organic cane sugar, maple sugar, or date sugar. Be sure not to use granulated sugar as it is not usually vegan and extremely processed.

How To Make Vegan Chocolate Pancakes?

These pancakes are fluffy and chocolatey and that's it. There’s nothing more to say except, “Let’s make’em!”

First, in a bowl or large measuring cup whisk all of the wet ingredients together and set aside for about 5 minutes. This will give the vinegar and milk time to sit and create the vegan buttermilk.

Next, add all of the dry ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, to a large mixing bowl and stir everything together.

Pour in the wet mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth but has just a few lumps. Now, set the batter aside and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. While the batter rests, preheat a nonstick skillet or griddle to medium heat.

Add the chocolate chips and stir just enough to even incorporate them into the batter.

Once your pan is ready pour the desired amount of pancake batter into the pan. I normally use about ½ cup of batter per pancake. But ⅓ a cup will give you more pancakes.

As the pancakes start to cook, the top will start to bubble, and the edges become slightly crisp. Once this happens, flip the pancake and cook for another 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Serve immediately with warm maple syrup, vegan chocolate ganache, or even a spread of peanut butter. Fresh berries, sliced bananas, and more chocolate chips make excellent toppings as well.

Tips For Making Fluffy Vegan Pancakes

• Don't overmix your batter! Whisk it until it's smooth then stop. Too much mixing will cause the pancakes to come out flat and dense.
• Let the batter sit for at least 5 minutes after mixing so the vinegar and baking powder has time to make the batter light and airy.
• NO HIGH HEAT! Set your pan on medium heat and allow it to completely heat up before making the pancakes.
• Use a good nonstick frying pan. My personal favorite is Ballarini nonstick pans. 
• Leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or in the freezer for 1 month. I always make an extra batch, freeze them, and pop them in the toaster oven when I need a quick breakfast.

More Vegan Pancake Recipes

• The Best Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
• Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
• Banana Oat Blender Pancakes
• Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes
• Easy Vegan Pancakes
• Vegan Apple Cinnamon Pancakes