This banana chocolate chip pancakes recipe can be whipped up together quickly and is loaded with mashed bananas and chocolate chips. They are fluffy, soft and delicious, bringing out the kid in everyone.
When I think of breakfast, one of the first ingredients that comes to mind is bananas - from banana Nutella crepes to chocolate peanut butter banana breakfast cookies to almond flour banana muffins. The options are endless.
But is there much better than the combo of chocolate and bananas? They are just meant to go together. There is a reason it is a main dipper with chocolate fondue.
But getting to this recipe. Let's be honest, every kid had chocolate chip pancakes growing up. You may have even added some banana slices on top.
This banana chocolate chip pancakes recipe kicks it up a notch though by mashing some bananas and adding it to the batter. The end result are addicting pancakes which the whole family will love.
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Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour - creates a light and fluffy pancake.
- Baking powder - important in giving that rise you like to see with your pancakes. Doesn't need to react with acid to create a rise.
- Bananas - adds natural sweetness and moistness. You want super ripe bananas.
- Chocolate chips - they are called banana chocolate chip pancakes for a reason. You get that melty chocolate factor throughout.
Ingredient Swaps
Like any recipe you can mix up the ingredients. Some variations include:
- While I like all-purpose flour as it is the most common, but cake flour works well too and creates even a lighter pancake. You can also go with oat flour if you want to be gluten-free.
- I like to use light brown sugar with these pancakes, but granulated or dark brown sugar can be used.
- I use whole milk, but you can use a dairy free milk like coconut milk or almond milk. You can also use buttermilk as well.
- I'm personally a fan of dark chocolate chips, but milk or semi-sweet are good substitutes.
Step-by-Step Photos
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl before adding in the wet ingredients and mixing to combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside for 10 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add butter. Drop ¼ cup batter and cook for 1 minute or until bubbles surface. Flip and cook for another minute on the other side and repeat with remaining batter.
FAQs
There is no such thing as a too ripe banana. The perfect banana is black, but you can also use bananas streaked with black/brown. The blacker the better however.
If you want to speed up the ripening process, place the bananas in a paper bag and fold down on the top. Add an apple which increase the ethylene gas and quickens the ripening process.
Over-mixing pancake batter develops the gluten which will make them tough and rubbery. You want to mix the batter until it just comes together. It's okay if there are some lumps of flour.
It will most likely be because the heat on your griddle or skillet is too high and it is cooking the outside much faster than the inside.
Of course! Transfer the pancakes in a single layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Place them in the freezer for two hours before transferring to a bag. To heat, place frozen pancakes in an oven or toaster oven until warmed.
Equipment
The equipment you use is important to how the pancakes turn out. What is needed is the following:
- Large bowl - need a bowl to be able to mix together the batter.
- Non-stick skillet or electric skillet - I personally like using an electric skillet, but a non-stick works great too.
- Spatula - need to be able to flip the pancakes.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Baking Powder Freshness - you may not realize this but baking powder and baking soda actually expires pretty quickly. Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. If you use older baking powder, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the donuts. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
- Whisk Dry Ingredients - to avoid lumps in this pancakes recipe, whisk the dry ingredients before adding to the wet ingredients.
- Don't Overmix - to add to the above, you don't want to overmix the batter. You want to have some lumps to create fluffy pancakes.
- Rest the Batter - if you have the time, rest the batter for 10 minutes so the flour absorbs the liquid. I do this as I'm warming up the pan.
- Use an Electric Skillet - a large electric skillet allows you to make multiple pancakes at a time, but you can use a cast iron skillet as well.
- Wipe Skillet - by using butter, it will eventually burn so wipe the skillet between pancake batches to keep from having burned pancakes.
- Don't Flip Too Early - wait until bubbles pop and form holes that stay open on the surface of the batter before flipping the pancakes.
Other Pancake Recipes
If you’ve tried this banana chocolate chip pancakes recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large)
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, light brown sugar baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, mashed bananas, eggs, butter and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined - it's ok if there are lumps. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat generously with butter. Once hot, drop about ¼ cup of batter on the griddle. Cook for about 1 minute or bubbles start to surface. Flip and cook the other side for about another minute, or until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.
Notes
- Baking Powder Freshness - you may not realize this but baking powder and baking soda actually expires pretty quickly. Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. If you use older baking powder, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the donuts. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
- Whisk Dry Ingredients - to avoid lumps in this pancakes recipe, whisk the dry ingredients before adding to the wet ingredients.
- Don't Overmix - to add to the above, you don't want to overmix the batter. You want to have some lumps to create fluffy pancakes.
- Rest the Batter - if you have the time, rest the batter for 10 minutes so the flour absorbs the liquid. I do this as I'm warming up the pan.
- Use an Electric Skillet - a large electric skillet allows you to make multiple pancakes at a time, but you can use a cast iron skillet as well.
- Wipe Skillet - by using butter, it will eventually burn so wipe the skillet between pancake batches to keep from having burned pancakes.
- Don't Flip Too Early - wait until bubbles pop and form holes that stay open on the surface of the batter before flipping the pancakes.
Lauren says
My toddler son loves these!