Recipe

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These chocolate chip pancakes are totally delicious with a fluffy texture and packed with melty chips in every bite.

This is the kind of chocolate chip pancake recipe that legends serve up for breakfast. At least, that’s what my kids think, and you will too!

fluffy stack of chocolate chip pancakes topped with a pat of butter and pancake syrup on a plate

Fluffiest Chocolate Chip Pancakes

We’re a tad obsessed with chocolate chips at our house; so much so that we have a Costco bag in the freezer at all times. On many weekends, I use my best pancake recipe, which is extra fluffy, and add chocolate chips to the batter.

The result is the fluffiest chocolate chip pancakes you’ll ever make. So why spend a fortune on IHOP pancakes when you can make them at home?

How to Make Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Just like making classic pancakes, you’ll measure and mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then, add the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Once it’s ready, add the chocolate chips and gently fold them in, just enough to coat them with batter.

Avoid Burning the Chocolate Chips

Mixing them into the batter, rather than sprinkling them on top in the pan, prevents the chocolate chips from burning because they’re coated in batter.

How Do You Keep Chocolate Chips from Melting in Pancakes

Storing the chocolate chips in the freezer and adding them to the batter frozen helps a lot. If yours are at room temperature, use a spoon to coat them with a little extra batter once they’re in the pan, and always cook the pancakes over medium heat.

sliced stack of chocolate chip pancakes on a fork to show the fluffy texture and the chocolate chips inside

Success Secrets for Fluffy Pancakes

There’s a short video in the recipe card with step-by-step visuals. If you’re reading, here are a few tips:

A thick and airy batter yields fluffy pancakes, and this one nails it.
Fluffy pancakes are due to active baking powder. If yours has been open for more than 9 months and your pancakes aren’t very fluffy, it went bad.
Cool the pan between batches. Although these are cooked over medium heat, if your pan gets too hot, and the oil or butter browns quickly, run it under cold water in the sink.

Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

These chocolate chip pancakes are totally delicious with a fluffy texture and packed with melty chips in every bite.

4.98 from 87 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, aluminum-free
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
⅓ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Make the pancake batter:

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
Make a well in the middle by moving the flour to the sides, then pour in the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. Use a fork to whisk the egg first, then mix it into the liquid ingredients and slowly combine them with the dry ingredients make the batter. Mix until there's no visible flour left, but stop mixing as soon as you can to avoid chewy pancakes.
Add the chocolate chips to the bowl, and gently fold them into the batter with a silicone spatula, just enough to distribute them and cover them in batter.

Cook the pancakes:

Heat a non-stick griddle or large pan over medium heat. Once hot, grease, spray, or melt butter on the hot surface. Immediately, pour ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the greased pan. Cook the pancakes for about 2 minutes, until the edges look defined and bubbles form. Flip the pancakes over and cook for another minute on the other side.
Remove the pancakes from the pan onto a plate, cover them or keep them warm in a 200F oven on a sheet pan while you cook the rest. If you grease the pan with butter and it browns quickly, the heat is too hot. Rinse the pan between batches if needed to cool it down.

Serve:

Serve the warm pancakes topped with your favorite toppings and syrup.

Notes

Consistency Tips: The best visual is always the quick video above.

If your batter is too thick, you likely added too much flour into the cup during measuring (or omitted the butter). Add 2 more tablespoons of milk to thin it, then mix gently.
If your batter is too runny, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more flour, mix gently, and wait 5 minutes before cooking.
If your pancakes are flat, your baking powder is no longer active (gone bad). This ingredient cannot be omitted.
⅓ to ½ cup of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks is ideal. Add more, and they’ll be too heavy (too much) for the batter.