Chocolatey and fluffy chocolate pancakes covered in chocolate ganache and topped with berries are sure to make breakfast a little bit more exciting and give you a great start!
These chocolate pancakes are chocolatey, fluffy, and easy to make. They also make breakfast a little more interesting. The pancakes are topped with a delicious and creamy chocolate ganache that soaks into the pancakes and makes them fudgy.
Now, this is not a recipe you do daily, but if you are looking to change things up occasionally, then this chocolate pancake recipe is the one for sure.
I like to top the chocolate pancakes with berries to create a tangy contrast against the sweetness of chocolate, and let me tell you, it tastes divine!
Essential Ingredients
Good recipes always have good ingredients. There are certain ingredients in this recipe that can be replaced, and there are some that I do not recommend substituting. Therefore, if you are looking for substitutions and alternatives, please read this section carefully.
Gluten-Free Flour Mix: To make the gluten-free flour mix, I used white rice flour, tapioca flour, corn starch, brown rice flour, and xanthan gum. This is the flour mix that I use for all my recipes. However, you can also use any all-purpose gluten-free flour mix. I recommend Bob's red mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour or 1 to 1 Baking flour.
Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is the star of the show, so use high-quality cocoa powder for best results. I used Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder.
Baking Powder: To make the chocolate pancakes fluffy, we will be using baking powder. Do not substitute baking powder.
Vegetable Oil: Vegetable oil makes the pancakes moist and fluffy. I used corn oil, but you can also use canola oil. Do not use olive oil; it will change the flavor of the pancakes.
Buttermilk: The buttermilk makes the pancakes soft and provides them with lift. For a dairy-free option, substitute buttermilk with dairy-free buttermilk (see notes on the recipe card below)
The Secret to Fluffy Chocolate Pancakes
These chocolate pancakes are fluffy and delicious, and it all comes down to the process. Here is a detailed step-by-step instruction that makes this recipe foolproof!
Chocolate Ganache
Prepare the heavy cream: Add the heavy cream, to a medium-sized saucepan, over low heat until the heavy cream starts to simmer. This usually takes 5-7 minutes.
Make the chocolate ganache: Remove the heavy cream from heat, and immediately add the chocolate chunks. Let the chocolate chunks sit in the heavy cream for 5 minutes, allowing the chocolate to slowly melt. Then, using a whisk, mix the ganache until the chocolate is completely melted and the ganache has a smooth texture.
Cool the ganache: Then, cover the top of the ganache with plastic wrap as it cools down to room temperature. If you don't add a plastic wrap, then a film layer will form on top of the ganache that will be difficult and annoying to remove. As the ganache cools, it will thicken.
Chocolate Pancakes from Scratch
Prepare the flour mixture: Add and mix all the dry ingredients, such as the gluten-free flour mix, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set the flour mixture aside as you prepare other ingredients.
Prepare the wet ingredients: Add and mix the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, buttermilk, and milk until combined.
Make the chocolate pancake batter: Then, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. The batter will be thick. Then, add the chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
Cook the pancakes: Heat a non-stick greased medium-sized skillet over low-medium heat. Then pour ¼ cup of the pancake batter at the center of the skillet and let it cook for 1-2 minutes or until bubbles start to form on the sides. Then, flip the chocolate pancake using a spatula and cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes. If the pancakes keep sticking to the skillet, then grease it after each pancake.
Serve the pancakes: Drizzle the chocolate ganache on top of the warm chocolate pancakes, and top the pancakes with your choice of fruits and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chocolate Pancakes
Chocolate chips are added to the pancakes last and right before cooking. This prevents the chocolate chips from sinking.
Several ingredients make pancakes fluffy. The first is baking powder, which provides the pancakes with lift. The second is eggs, which give the pancakes structure and act as leavening agents.
No. You can omit baking powder; however, the pancakes will be flat. Still tasty, though.
Pancake batter should be thick and have a pourable consistency. If the pancake batter is too runny, the pancakes will turn flat. If your pancake batter is runny, add a tablespoon of flour one at a time until the batter thickens.
If the pancakes are getting burned, the skillet is too hot. Reduce the heat, and that should solve the issue.
Other breakfast recipes you might like!
- Snickerdoodle Pancakes
- Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins
- Savory Cake
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Gluten Free Chocolate Pancakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Ganache
- 220 grams of Heavy Cream
- 220 grams of 70% Dark Chocolate
Chocolate Pancakes
- 90 grams of White Rice Flour
- 36 grams of Tapioca Flour
- 18 grams of Corn Starch
- 36 grams of Brown Rice Flour
- ½ teaspoon of Xanthan Gum
- 30 grams of Cocoa Powder
- 2 ½ teaspoon of Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon of Salt
- 40 ml of Vegetable Oil
- 40 grams of White Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
- 240 ml of Buttermilk at room temperature
- 80 ml of Full-Fat Dairy Milk (or Almond Milk)
- 80 grams of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
Chocolate Ganache
- Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until the heavy creams simmer. Remove the saucepan from heat.
- Add the chocolate chunks to the heavy cream and let them sit for about 3-4 minutes. Then, whisk together the chocolate and the heavy cream (clockwise motion) until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Cover the top of the chocolate ganache with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming and allow it to cool while you prepare the pancakes.
Chocolate Pancakes
- Whisk together white rice flour, tapioca flour, corn starch, brown rice flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set the mixture aside
- Whisk together the vegetable oil, white sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, buttermilk, and milk. Then add the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips and fold them into the chocolate pancake batter using a spatula.
- Heat a non-stick greased medium-sized skillet over low-medium heat. Then, pour ¼ cup of the pancake mixture into the center of the skillet and let it cook for 1-2 minutes or until bubbles form on the sides, then flip the pancake and cook it on the other side until it is cooked through (1-2 minutes). Optional: You can coat the skillet with butter after each pancake to prevent the pancakes from sticking if you are not using a non-stick skillet.
- Serve the pancakes with chocolate ganache.
Notes
- Dairy-Free Option: The chocolate ganache can be made dairy-free by using dairy-free heavy cream. The chocolate pancakes can be made dairy-free by substituting buttermilk with a mixture of 240 ml of Almond milk and 1 tablespoon of White Vinegar. Meanwhile, the full-fat dairy milk can be substituted with full-fat almond or coconut milk.
Natalie says
Oh my gosh... I have to bake these pancakes tomorrow for breakfast. What a stack! They are so fluffy and look delicious. I can't wait to dig in!
Moop Brown says
These pancakes have my mouth watering. They look so rich and tasty, definitely can't wait to try making these.
Chandice says
This is the best breakfast! Gluten free and so decadent but nobody would ever know there is no wheat. Thanks so much!
Hayley Dhanecha says
We loved making these chocolate pancakes over the weekend, they were so delicious!
Chenée says
These were the best Valentine's weekend breakfast ever! So fluffy and the chocolate flavor was perfect.
Heidy says
I made these Gluten-Free Chocolate Pancakes for my BFF, who cannot have gluten, and she loved them so much I gave her your recipe link! They turned out light, fluffy, and perfectly airy! We will be making these again next weekend!
Katie Crenshaw says
I am so glad I found a gluten free pancake recipe that is actually good! The fact that they are chocolate make these over the top! They are so nice to make for a special breakfast.
Veronika Sykorova says
These were awesome! I ended up using Bob's Redmill gluten-free flour, it's my favorite! The ganache was delicious too.
veenaazmanov says
These Chocolate Pancakes look like a festive platter. Breakfast is definitely tempting and delicious.
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing chocolate pancakes recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!