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 flavour!
Move over, banana bread! We’re using up our overripe bananas in these delicious Chocolate Banana Pancakes instead!
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 the recipe to make them even more decadent, by adding cocoa powder and chocolate chips. It takes them right over the top!
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Layered with vegan butter and fresh maple syrup or vegan chocolate syrup, these chocolate pancakes are a sweet treat to start your day off right. They’re made with simple pantry staple ingredients you’ll likely have on hand and the topping options are endless. You can even make them ahead of time or keep them in the freezer when you need pancakes in a pinch.
What ingredients & equipment do I need?
(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).
The ingredients list in the best vegan chocolate banana pancakes don’t stray far from the pancake recipes you know and love. All you need is a good blender to make the batter!
- All-purpose flour - You can use spelt flour instead, but I find all-purpose gives the pancakes more fluff and a neutral flavour.
- Non-dairy milk - Any kind, but preferably unsweetened and unflavoured.
- 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 flavour 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 flavours in these pancakes and brings out the chocolate flavour.
- Dairy-free chocolate chips - Chocolate chips give the pancakes a double dose of chocolate flavour, 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.
No eggs are required for perfect fluffy chocolate banana pancakes!
How to make chocolate banana pancakes in a blender
Guess what? Making vegan chocolate pancakes is so easy! Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1 - Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth, then let the batter rest for a few minutes while you preheat your griddle or skillet.
Step 2 - Pour the batter in rounds on your prepared griddle/pan.
Step 3 - Immediately sprinkle some chocolate chips over each pancake.
Step 4 - Flip once bubbles have formed and the pancakes has begun to set around the outer edges. It 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.
The best chocolate chip pancake toppings
You can top your chocolate pancakes with anything you like! These are some of my favourites:
- caramelized bananas
- sliced banana
- berries (blueberries, blackberries and raspberries work particularly well)
- peanut butter
- chocolate chips
- maple syrup and vegan butter
- sprinkles!
- dairy-free whipped cream
- chocolate sauce
- date caramel
- almond butter
- chopped nuts
- cinnamon and sugar
Success tips
When making my Chocolate Banana Pancakes keep these tips in mind:
- Make sure your banana is very ripe. It should be very spotty.
- To quickly ripen a banana, add it to a paper bag with another piece of fruit such as a lemon or apple and fold the bag closed. The gas released from the fruit will help the banana ripen in just a few days or less.
- To get the best fluffy, tender texture, you must use the oil in this recipe. You can use nut butter instead to make the pancakes oil-free but they won't turn out quite as light and soft.
- Don't over-mix/over-blend the pancake batter or the pancakes will turn out tough and gummy.
- Don't add the chocolate chips to the batter when mixing it. Because these pancakes are egg-free, they take longer to cook and the chocolate chips will burn if they are in contact with the hot pan the whole time. Add them after you've spooned the pancake batter into the pan then they have no contact with the pan for the whole time the underside cooks.
- Always let the pancake batter rest. Resting allows the gluten strands in the flour to relax before they are cooked. This creates a softer, more tender pancake.
- This pancake batter is thick, which is a very good thing. The thicker the batter, the more light, fluffy, and thick the vegan pancakes will be.
- Always cook vegan pancakes on medium-low heat and no higher. If you rush them they won’t turn out light and fluffy.
- Because of the chocolate chips, it's important to flip these pancakes a bit later than you usually would so that the cooking on the other side is minimized. That ensures the chocolate chips don't burn.
Measuring flour for pancakes
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.
You can find inexpensive digital kitchen scales online and at most big superstores now. I promise it’s so worth it!
Storage and freezing tips
I don’t recommend making the chocolate banana pancake batter ahead of time because the leavening agents, like baking powder and soda, will lose their power as it sits. The pancakes are best when cooked fresh, but can be stored or frozen and then reheated later:
Storing - Leftover pancakes will keep in the fridge for a couple of days in a bag or airtight container. To reheat from the fridge, just 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.
Freezing - These pancakes will freeze well for up to 3 months. Put them in an airtight container or freezer bag once they are cool and place them in the freezer. To reheat straight from the freezer, pop them in the toaster for 2 cycles and they should be heated throughout.
Ways to adapt this recipe
- To make the pancakes refined sugar-free, replace the sugar with stevia or monk fruit sweetener.
- If you’d like to make these pancakes oil-free, use your favourite nut butter in place of the oil.
- Feel free to change up the spices by adding nutmeg, cloves, ginger, a tiny pinch of chilli powder (yes it works well with chocolate!), or whatever spices you like.
- Add a scoop of your favourite vegan protein powder
- Not a fan of chocolate? Make my Vegan Banana Pancakes instead.
- Are you on team waffle? Then you’ll love my recipe for the best crispy Banana Waffles.
Hungry for more?
I might have a slight obsession with fluffy vegan pancakes. If you love these chocolate banana pancakes, how about trying these too:
- Gingerbread Pancakes
- Vegan Spelt Pancakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
- Vegan Blueberry Pancake
- Vegan English Pancakes
Recipe
Chocolate Banana Pancakes
Author:Ingredients
- 1 cup / 240 mls non-dairy milk , unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons & 1 teaspoon liquid oil of choice , or 2 tablespoons of nut butter for oil-free
- 1 medium (7 -8 inch) very ripe and spotty banana , weighing about 170 grams in it's skin
- 188 g / 1½ cups all-purpose flour (plain flour in the UK)
- 3 tablespoons sugar , any kind
- 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 , (add as many as you like!)
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
To make in a blender
- Starting with the liquids, 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. Use as many as you like. Just let them settle on their own. Don't push them in or you will affect the texture of the pancake. They will embed themselves once you've flipped.
- Leave the pancake to cook slowly until bubbles are covering the top, and the sides and outter 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 we 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.
NOTES
- Make sure your banana is very ripe. It should be very spotty.
- To get the best fluffy, soft texture the oil is necessary in this recipe. You can use nut butter to make them oil-free but they won't turn out quite as light and soft. Still good though!
- Don't add the chocolate chips to the batter when mixing it. Because these pancakes are egg-free, they take longer to cook and the chocolate chips will burn if they are in contact with the hot pan the whole time. Add them after you've spooned the pancake batter into the pan then they have no contact with the pan for the whole time the underside cooks.
- As always 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 cups, spoon the flour into the cup then level off the top with a knife without compacting it or shaking it down. By doing it like this you will get roughly the correct amount. If you scoop the flour up into the cup, you will end up with much more than is needed and it will affect the outcome of the recipe. Digital scales are available at most big superstores now and you can pick one up for around $10. It's so worth it!
- Don't overmix/over-blend the pancake batter. Mix/blend it just enough to combine everything only. Overmixing creates tough, gummy pancakes.
- I always get questions about why I suggest resting the batter. It's because resting allows the gluten strands in the flour to relax before they are cooked. This creates a softer, more tender pancake.
- This pancake batter is thick. Thicker than a pancake batter made with eggs. That's the trick to getting light, fluffy, and very thick vegan pancakes with no gumminess or dampness inside.
- Always cook vegan pancakes on medium-low and no higher. Patience is key. They take longer to cook than non-vegan pancakes because there is no egg to set them up. If you rush them you won't get the best, fluffy texture.
- Because of the chocolate chips, it's important to flip these pancakes a bit later than you usually would so that the cooking on the other side is minimized. That ensures the chocolate chips don't burn.
NUTRITION
This recipe is adapted from my very popular Vegan Banana Pancakes recipe.
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!
Kristina Greene says
Where’s the flour in the recipe?
A Virtual Vegan says
It has now been corrected. Sorry!
paula says
Hi, I am not seeing the flour in the ingredients list. how much is to be used? Would love to make these for breakfast tomorrow.
A Virtual Vegan says
It has now been corrected. Sorry!