These Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes are so soft and airy with little bites of mini chocolate chips. They're a perfect fun and easy breakfast that the whole family will love!
You'll never go back to boxed pancake mixes with this uncomplicated recipe that uses a bunch of pantry staples you likely already have on hand!
My Kids' Favorite Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Some days just call for extra fluffy, extra chocolatey, extra toasty-warm chocolate chip pancakes. If it were up to my kids, "some days" would be every day. But maybe they aren't wrong! These chocolate chip pancakes are pure happiness on a plate. Like imagine bottling up your favorite day from your favorite vacation, frying it on a cast iron, and then dousing it with butter and syrup. That's these pancakes.
The trick to the best fluffy pancakes is to let them be as they cook. You see a lot of shows or movies where characters make pancakes, and after flipping them, they press down on the pancakes with a spatula. That is a NO-NO! Resist the press down. It might feel normal and natural, but it actually deflates all that air and lightness that was created as the first side cooked. They'll continue to puff up even more as side two sizzles away. You'll have light, airy, soft in the middle and lightly crusty on the outside pancakes in no time! And there's chocolate chips. So you know it's going to be a good breakfast!
What Makes These the Best Chocolate Chip Pancakes?
So many components of these pancakes are amazing. The texture is light and fluffy thanks to a combo of baking powder, baking soda, and eggs to let them rise and expand to perfection. The flavor is rich and buttery thanks to milk and melted butter in the batter, plus there are chocolate chips. MINI chocolate chips, to be exact. Everything's better with mini chocolate chips.
Chocolate Chip Pancakes Ingredients
Flour: Flour is the binder of your pancakes, making them bread-y and soft!
Sugar: Sugar gives a little sweetness to balance the other mild baking ingredients.
Baking powder, soda, and salt: The baking trifecta! These ingredients let the pancakes rise and get nice and fluffy.
Milk: Milk is essential in getting a rich and robust creamy flavor in the batter.
Melted butter: Butter lets the pancakes be really moist and adds a richness of flavor.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla gives a little warmth and complexity to the flavor.
Egg: The egg acts as a binding agent to keep the batter together and help the pancakes to rise.
Mini chocolate chips: These are just essential. Y'all already know!
How to Make Homemade Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Preheat a large cast iron over medium-low heat.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
- Add the milk, butter, vanilla, and egg to the center of the well.
- Start whisking gently in the center of the well and slowly move outward.
- Mix well for 1 minute.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir.
- Add a bit of oil to the pan.
- Using a ⅓ cup measuring cup, pour batter into the center of your pan.
- Let the mixture cook about 1.5 to 2.5 minutes.
- Let it cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove the pancake from the pan.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve warm pancakes with your choice of toppings, such as butter, syrup, bananas, or whipped cream.
Tips for Perfect Pancakes from Scratch
- Make a well: To evenly distribute the wet ingredients into the dry, make a well in the dry ingredients using the whisk. Add the milk, butter, vanilla, and egg to the well center, and whisk gently starting in the middle and moving outward.
- Whisk batter for about a minute: Whisking the batter for 1 minute incorporates air into the mixture so that the texture is really fluffy as the pancakes cook.
- Don't press on pancakes: Avoid pushing down on the pancakes as the cook so that they can rise and expand to get nice and fluffy.
How to Store Pancakes
Pancakes are best fresh in my opinion (they lose some of their fluff when reheated), but if you have leftovers, let them cool and store in an airtight bag. Reheat in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
Can I Freeze Chocolate Chip Pancakes?
You can! Store them in a freezer-safe, airtight bag and freeze for 3 to 4 months. You can reheat by popping them into a 350 degree F. oven for 15 minutes or put them into your toaster and toast until warmed through.
What is the Best Way to Reheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes?
My favorite way to reheat pancakes is simply placing them on a parchment lined baking sheet in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 minutes, or until heated through.
FAQs:
How Do I Make My Pancakes Fluffy?
Two things makes pancakes extra fluffy. 1) Whisk the batter for about a minute before adding in the chocolate chips to infuse more air into the batter and 2) Don't press down on the pancakes as they cook. This flattens them by removing the air bubbles made as they cook and rise.
How Do I Know When to Flip My Pancakes?
You'll know when to flip the pancakes when air bubbles form at the top of the wet batter and pop, leaving little holes in the batter. It takes about 1.5 to 2.5 minutes, and the second side takes about 1 to 2 minutes. The pancakes will be golden-brown on both sides when done.
What is the Best Way to Flip a Pancake?
Using a thin spatula, gently but swiftly slip it underneath the pancake, and flip in one steady movement. Don't hesitate or try to go slowly, or else it might flop and land in a weird way.
Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancake Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 large or 10-12 medium pancakes 1x
Description
These Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes are so soft and airy with little bites of mini chocolate chips. They're a perfect fun and easy breakfast that the whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk (plus up to ¼ cup extra, if needed)
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
- Oil or a bit of butter (about 2 tablespoons) for greasing your pan
- Butter, syrup, or anything else you'd like to serve with these
Instructions
- Preheat a large cast iron, or non-stick griddle or skillet, over medium-low heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Make a well or a bit of a hole in the center of the flour mixture with the whisk.
- Add the milk, butter, vanilla, and egg to the center of the well.
- Using your whisk, start whisking gently in the center of the well and slowly move outward, adding more flour as you whisk until the whole bowl is well incorporated and combined.
- Mix well for 1 minute to get the mixture nice and fluffy.
- Add the chocolate chips, and stir to just combine.
- Add a bit of oil or butter to the warm pan, and use a spatula to spread if out on the bottom.
- Using a ⅓ cup measuring cup, pour ⅓ cup of batter into the center of your pan.
- Let the mixture cook until bubbles come through the pancake, pop, and leave a little hole behind. This will take about 1.5 to 2.5 minutes. When you see this, use a thin spatula to flip the pancake.
- Let it cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- This is a slower cooking process at a lower temperature so that the pancakes cooks through the fluffy middle before it burns on the outside.
- Remove the pancake from the pan, and place it on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Set the baking sheet in a 200 degree F. oven to keep warm.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
- When all of the batter is cooked, serve warm pancakes with your choice of toppings such as butter, syrup, bananas, or whipped cream.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chocolate chip pancakes recipe, easy pancakes recipe, fluffy pancakes, homemade pancakes, pancakes from scratch
More amazing pancake recipes:
- Strawberry Pancakes
- Homemade Whole Wheat Pancakes
- Whole Grain Carrot Cake Pancakes
- Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes
- Healthy Whole Grain Zucchini Bread Pancakes
- Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes
Fluffy chocolate chip pancakes are such a fun breakfast that's easy to make with pantry staples you probably already have on hand!
Kristan Oakes
These were so yummy! I normally just make pancakes using a mix, so I was a little overwhelmed by the ingredient list. But it was actually really quick and easy! Everyone loved them.
★★★★★