Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes
on Apr 22, 2020, Updated Jun 28, 2024
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These Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes are so soft and airy with little bites of mini chocolate chips. They’re a perfect fun and easy breakfast that the whole family will love!
You’ll never go back to boxed pancake mixes with this uncomplicated recipe that uses a bunch of pantry staples you likely already have on hand!
These fluffy chocolate chip pancakes are pure happiness on a plate. Like imagine bottling up your favorite day from your favorite vacation, frying it on a cast iron, and then dousing it with butter and syrup. That’s these pancakes.
The trick to the best fluffy pancakes is to let them be as they cook. You see a lot of shows or movies where characters make pancakes, and after flipping them, they press down on the pancakes with a spatula. That is a NO-NO! Resist the press down. It might feel normal and natural, but it actually deflates all that air and lightness that was created as the first side cooked. They’ll continue to puff up even more as side two sizzles away. You’ll have light, airy, soft in the middle and lightly crusty on the outside pancakes in no time! And there’s chocolate chips. So you know it’s going to be a good breakfast!
Table of Contents:
Table of Contents
What Makes These the Best Chocolate Chip Pancakes?
So many components of these pancakes are amazing. The texture is light and fluffy thanks to a combo of baking powder, baking soda, and eggs to let them rise and expand to perfection. The flavor is rich and buttery thanks to milk and melted butter in the batter, plus there are chocolate chips. MINI chocolate chips, to be exact. Everything’s better with mini chocolate chips.
Ingredients:
- Flour: Flour is the binder of your pancakes, making them bread-y and soft!
- Sugar: Sugar gives a little sweetness to balance the other mild baking ingredients.
- Baking powder, soda, and salt: The baking trifecta! These ingredients let the pancakes rise and get nice and fluffy.
- Milk: Milk is essential in getting a rich and robust creamy flavor in the batter.
- Melted butter: Butter lets the pancakes be really moist and adds a richness of flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla gives a little warmth and complexity to the flavor.
- Egg: The egg acts as a binding agent to keep the batter together and help the pancakes to rise.
- Mini chocolate chips: These are just essential. Y’all already know!
See recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
Tips for Perfect Pancakes from Scratch
- Make a well: To evenly distribute the wet ingredients into the dry, make a well in the dry ingredients using the whisk. Add the milk, butter, vanilla, and egg to the well center, and whisk gently starting in the middle and moving outward.
- Whisk batter for about a minute: Whisking the batter for 1 minute incorporates air into the mixture so that the texture is really fluffy as the pancakes cook.
- Don’t press on pancakes: Avoid pushing down on the pancakes as the cook so that they can rise and expand to get nice and fluffy.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Pancakes are best fresh, but if you have leftovers, let them cool, and store in an airtight bag. Reheat at 350 degrees F in the oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
You can! Store them in a freezer-safe airtight bag and freeze for up to 4 months. You can reheat by popping them into a 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes or put them into your toaster and toast until warmed through.
My favorite way to reheat pancakes is simply placing them in a parchment lined baking sheet in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes or until fully heated.
Two things make pancakes extra fluffy. 1) Whisk the batter for about a minute before adding the chocolate chips to infuse more air into the batter. 2) Don’t press down on the pancakes as they cook. This flattens them by removing the air bubbles made as they cook and rise.
You’ll know when to flip the pancakes when air bubbles form at the top of the wet batter and pop, leaving little holes in the batter. It takes about 1.5 to 2.5 minutes, and the second side takes about 1 to 2 minutes to brown. The pancakes will be golden brown on both sides when done.
Using a thin spatula, gently but swiftly slip it underneath the pancake and flip in one steady movement. Don’t hesitate or try to go slowly, or else it might flop and land in a weird way.
More Breakfast Recipes to Consider:
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
Homemade Gingerbread Syrup: Cozy Holiday in a Bottle
Muffin Recipes
Spice Up Your Morning With Gingerbread Muffins
Pancake Recipes
Stack ‘Em High: Golden Cornbread Pancakes
Sourdough Recipes
Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread – A Perfect Breakfast Loaf
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk, plus up to 1/4 cup extra, if needed
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- Oil or a bit of butter, about 2 tablespoons for greasing your pan
- Butter, syrup, or anything else you'd like to serve with these
Instructions
- Preheat a large cast iron, or non-stick griddle or skillet, over medium-low heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Make a well or a bit of a hole in the center of the flour mixture with the whisk.
- Add the milk, butter, vanilla, and egg to the center of the well.
- Using your whisk, start whisking gently in the center of the well and slowly move outward, adding more flour as you whisk until the whole bowl is well incorporated and combined.
- Mix well for 1 minute to get the mixture nice and fluffy.
- Add the chocolate chips, and stir to just combine.
- Add a bit of oil or butter to the warm pan, and use a spatula to spread if out on the bottom.
- Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, pour 1/3 cup of batter into the center of your pan.
- Let the mixture cook until bubbles come through the pancake, pop, and leave a little hole behind. This will take about 1.5 to 2.5 minutes. When you see this, use a thin spatula to flip the pancake.
- Let it cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- This is a slower cooking process at a lower temperature so that the pancakes cooks through the fluffy middle before it burns on the outside.
- Remove the pancake from the pan, and place it on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Set the baking sheet in a 200 degree F. oven to keep warm.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
- When all of the batter is cooked, serve warm pancakes with your choice of toppings such as butter, syrup, bananas, or whipped cream.
These were so yummy! I normally just make pancakes using a mix, so I was a little overwhelmed by the ingredient list. But it was actually really quick and easy! Everyone loved them.