Name: Fluffy Hot Chocolate Pancakes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 ¼ cups milk; 1 egg; 3 tablespoons butter (melted); 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; Toppings: mini marshmallows (warm chocolate syrup, sprinkles)

Recipe

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These hot chocolate pancakes are easy to make with basic pantry staple ingredients and make an incredible breakfast treat!

You’re going to love the fluffy texture of these hot chocolate pancakes. Got marshmallows and chocolate syrup? Even better!

stack of chocolate pancakes topped with marshmallows and chocolate syrup

Hot Cocoa Pancakes

Milk, cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla make up my incredible recipe for hot cocoa. On a whim, I took those ingredients and turned my fluffy pancakes into this breakfast treat: hot cocoa pancakes.

While I don’t make them often, they’re a weekend pancake recipe that’s popular with my kids and their friends; the marshmallow topping and chocolate syrup take them over the top. Craving something more indulgent? Make these Nutella pancakes next!

Ingredients

To make this hot cocoa pancake batter, you’ll need simple ingredients. The amounts are in the recipe card, and below is a list with notes and swaps that can be made so the recipe turns out great every time:

Flour: traditional, all-purpose flour yields the best results.
Cocoa Powder: unsweetened cocoa to give the pancake batter a chocolatey base. Notes on using a cocoa mix are below.
Baking powder: the active ingredient that makes the pancakes fluffy.
Salt: enhances the chocolate flavor. Omit if the butter is salted.
Sugar: essential to sweeten the batter and any hot chocolate.
Milk: regular or non-dairy can be used to make these.
Eggs: used to bind the ingredients together.
Butter: a little to make the batter moist.
Vanilla: to enhance the flavor of these pancakes.

Can You Use Hot Cocoa Mix in Pancakes

When using a hot cocoa mix to make these pancakes, I recommend using a pancake mix to make pancakes, 2 packets of hot cocoa mix, 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, and 1 ½ cups of cold water. Mix everything in a bowl, let the batter sit for 5 minutes, and make the pancakes.

How to Make Hot Chocolate Pancakes

A few tips that help yield epic hot chocolate pancakes in each step-by-step include:

Measure & mix the dry ingredients
Start with a large bowl and measure the flour lightly, without packing it in the cup. Then add the other dry ingredients and eliminate any clumps in the powdered chocolate.
Add the wet ingredients
Add the eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla in the middle of the flour. Use a fork to whisk the eggs first, then begin to incorporate the rest of the wet ingredients to form a batter.
Cook the pancakes
Heat your pan or griddle first over medium-high heat. Once hot, grease it and immediately pour about ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Cook for 2 minutes on the first side, and wait to flip the pancakes until you see bubbles and defined edges. Cook for one more minute on the other side.
Stack them high
Keep the pancakes warm until you’re ready to top your stack with mini marshmallows and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

large stack of hot chocolate pancakes on a plate

Make Them Fluffy

Like all pancake recipes, the baking powder is what will give these hot chocolate pancakes their fluffy texture. Other tips include:

Don’t overmix the batter. This means that once there are no visible lumps, stop mixing; otherwise, you’ll get chewy pancakes (the opposite of fluffy).

Don’t press them with the spatula after you flip the pancakes over; this will compact the batter and make it ooze out on the sides and stop the “lifting” process.

Hot Chocolate Pancake Toppings

The sweet and delicious taste of these hot chocolate pancakes is already delicious but what my kids say takes them over the top is topping them with mini marshmallows and warm chocolate syrup. Sprinkles are optional.

Fluffy Hot Chocolate Pancakes

stack of chocolate pancakes topped with mini marshmallows and chocolate syrup

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

These hot chocolate pancakes are easy to make with basic pantry staple ingredients and make an incredible breakfast treat!

5 from 8 votes

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
Toppings: mini marshmallows, warm chocolate syrup, sprinkles

Instructions

Make the batter:

In a large bowl, add the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients well.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. With a fork, break up the egg first and then whisk it with the milk. Mix the ingredients in the bowl, working from the outside in until the batter is smooth.

Cook the pancakes:

Heat a large non-stick pan or skillet over medium heat. Once hot, grease with oil or butter and immediately pour about ¼ cup of batter per pancake on the greased surface.
Cook the first side for about 2 minutes, until the edges are defined and bubbles have begun to form on top. Flip the pancakes over and cook the other side for one more minute.
Remove the pancakes onto a plate or keep them warm while you cook the rest of the batter.

Serve:

Top your pancake stack with marshmallows and warm chocolate syrup.

Notes

Use the right baking powder: Since pancake batter naturally has a mild, neutral flavor, it’s important to use aluminum-free baking powder. The metallic flavor will ruin the taste, especially in fluffy pancake recipes that call for 2 or more teaspoons. Trust me on this one.