Treat yourself to a stack of my super soft and fluffy Chocolate Banana Pancakes for breakfast or brunch. They are melt in your mouth delicious with amazing, rich banana chocolate flavor!
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One of my favourite ways to use up ripe bananas is to mash them up and make vegan banana pancakes. They always turn out super fluffy and delicious, but chocolate makes everything better so enter vegan chocolate banana pancakes.
Yep, I've adapted this reader favorite recipe to make it even more decadent, by adding cocoa powder and chocolate chips. It takes them right over the top!
Ingredients
The ingredients list in the best vegan chocolate banana pancakes are made with simple pantry staple ingredients you’ll likely have on hand and no eggs are required.
Here is what you need at a glance:
- All-purpose flour - You can use spelt flour instead, but I find all-purpose gives the pancakes more fluff and a neutral flavor.
- Non-dairy milk - Any kind, but preferably unsweetened and unflavored.
- Oil - Just a touch really helps to give the best soft fluffy texture. Any liquid oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, mild olive oil, or even melted coconut oil is fine. Use nut butter instead of oil to make the pancakes oil-free. Details are in the written recipe.
- Bananas - You’ll want to use bananas that are overripe and spotty. The riper they are, the better the flavor of the pancakes will be.
- Sugar - Cocoa is bitter so a bit of sugar is necessary.
- Cocoa powder - You can’t have chocolate pancakes without it!
- Cinnamon - Just a touch of cinnamon really works with all of the other flavors in these pancakes and brings out the chocolate flavor.
- Dairy-free chocolate chips - Chocolate chips give the pancakes a double dose of chocolate flavor, as well as adding more decadence, sweetness and texture.
- Baking powder & baking soda - A combination for the best thick and fluffy pancakes. The baking soda reacts with the acidic cocoa to replace the natural leavening eggs would otherwise give with just the usual baking powder. That's why we use both in this chocolate banana pancake recipe without eggs.
- Salt - Important in almost all recipes, sweet or savoury.
Success Tip - With any recipes involving flour, I highly recommend that you weigh it. Cup measurements are not accurate enough to get the best results. If you do need to use measuring cups, spoon the flour into the cup then level off the top with a knife without pressing or shaking it down.
How To Make Chocolate Banana Pancakes
Making vegan chocolate pancakes is so easy! The printable recipe card is below, but here’s a quick summary with pictures so you can have the very best results when it's your turn:
Add everything to a blender and blend until thick and smooth, then let the batter rest for a few minutes while you preheat your griddle or skillet.
Pour the batter into your prepared griddle/pan.
Immediately sprinkle some chocolate chips over each pancake.
Flip once bubbles have formed and the pancakes has begun to set around the outer edges. They will look a bit like this:
Note that flipping a bit later than you usually would when making pancakes is important so that the cooking on the other side is kept to a minimum. That ensures the chocolate chips don't burn.
Hot tip! - Keep the oven on its lowest setting and put the cooked pancakes on a plate in there to keep warm while you finish cooking the whole batch.
If You Don't Have A Blender
Blending everything up in a blender makes this recipe super easy, but if you don't have one you can still make it. Start by mashing the bananas to a lump-free, smooth puree, then add the dry ingredients before pouring in the milk gradually, mixing gently to work out any lumps.
Serving Suggestions
Some of my favorite toppings for these pancakes include:
- sliced or caramelized bananas
- berries (blueberries, blackberries and raspberries work particularly well)
- peanut butter
- more chocolate chips or chopped nuts
- maple syrup and vegan butter
- dairy-free whipped cream
- vegan chocolate syrup or sauce
- date caramel
- almond butter
Storing Leftovers
Leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days or the freezer for up to 3 months. Just be sure to separate them with parchment paper when freezing. To reheat from the fridge, pop them in a hot skillet for a few minutes on each side, microwave them for 20 to 30 seconds, or pop them in a toaster. To reheat straight from the freezer, pop them in the toaster for 2 cycles and they should be heated throughout.
Recipe
Chocolate Banana Pancakes
Author:Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 mls) dairy-free milk
- 2 tablespoons liquid oil , or 2 tablespoons of nut butter for oil-free
- 1 medium (7 -8 inch) ripe and spotty banana , weighing about 170 grams in it's skin
- 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour , (plain flour in the UK)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- About ½ cup (85 grams) dairy-free chocolate chips
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
To make in a blender
- Add all of the ingredients to the blender except the chocolate chips. Peel the banana and break it up into manageable pieces before adding it. (If using nut butter instead of the oil, add an extra 2 tablespoons of milk).
- Blend the ingredients until smooth. Don't over blend. Turn it off as soon as everything is smooth and combined. You might need to scape the sides of the blender down halfway through.
- Leave the batter to rest while you preheat your pan/griddle to medium-low. The batter should be thick. Don't thin it out.
- Grease the pan/griddle with a little oil or vegan butter, then pour the batter on in rounds, about 1 ladle full or ⅓ cup per pancake. Immediately sprinkle some chocolate chips over each pancake. Just let them settle in on their own. They will embed themselves once you've flipped.
- Leave the pancake to cook slowly until bubbles are covering the top, and the sides and outer edges of the pancake have set (like in my process photos in the post above). It is important to cook these pancakes for longer on the first side than you might usually. That's to avoid the chocolate chips burning after you flip.
- Flip the pancake over gently, and cook until just golden brown. It will only take a minute or two. Then remove from the pan.
- Have the oven on its lowest setting then you can pop the cooked pancakes in there to keep warm while you finish cooking the rest.
To make by hand
- Mash the banana really, really well until it is a smooth puree consistency. Beat it together with the milk and oil until combined well.
- Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl (except the chocolate chips), whisk them together, then gradually pour in the milky banana mixture, stirring gently as you go to work out the lumps. Stir until all of the flour is absorbed and the batter is smooth, but don't overmix. Then leave to rest for 10 minutes before cooking them as above.
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Kate Chiodini says
Would a GF flour blend work in this recipe? It sounds so yummy!
Melanie McDonald says
I haven't personally tried it in this recipe but usually pancakes turn out ok with GF flour. Good luck!
Lynne says
We LOVE this recipe but you must know it only makes THREE large pancakes. Does that help tell you how much we love it!! The first time I tried it making two pancakes (there are only two of us) but they were far too challenging to flip. Now I make three pancakes and we have a leftover for a snack. Thank you for creating this delicious recipe that we enjoy so much for a weekend treat.
Helen says
This is so good! My husband said it’s even better than the one from the local pancake house. It takes longer to cook than a regular pancake but it’s worth the wait.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you both enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for giving it a try and for leaving a review!