Fluffy, delectable, and tender whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes are a kids, and a parents dream! The kids will love the chocolate chips, and the parents will love that they are healthy, so it's a win win. You will never want pancakes from a box again. At least we hope not haha 😁.
Do you wish you could eat chocolate chip cookies for breakfast but you just don’t because 1) You’re trying to maintain healthy eating habits and 2) You really don’t want to have to buy a new wardrobe. Well we have a solution for you… Healthy Chocolate Chip Pancakes, yip that’s right! Our chocolate chip pancakes are made with 100% whole wheat flour, that means they have a good dose of fiber and nutrients and way less sugar than cookies.
If you’re still not convinced you can eat chocolate chips for breakfast and just want a plain whole wheat pancake recipe then we got you. Whichever pancake recipe you choose, you really can’t go wrong, because pancakes are life. Especially if they are healthy pancakes made with whole grains.
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Pancakes are so versatile, you can eat them for brunch drenched in butter and syrup, or heat up leftovers, spread them with peanut butter and jam, or butter and applesauce, fold them up like a taco and eat them on the go! This method is actually pretty good with cold pancakes too.
What's Cool About This Recipe
- 100% whole grain: This healthy pancake recipe is made with 100% whole wheat flour so they pack a nice dose of fiber and nutrients.
- Easy: This pancake batter is super easy to make and only requires one bowl.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Whole white wheat flour: We usually grind/mill our own wheat flour using hard white wheat. High quality store bought white whole wheat flour also works great.
- Baking powder: This makes the pancakes tall and fluffy
- Baking soda: This helps neutralize the tang of the buttermilk just a bit and helps with browning.
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Buttermilk: You can also use kefir or a mix of equal parts Greek yogurt and regular milk.
- Egg
- Oil: Any oil you use to bake with should work. We’ve used olive oil, light olive, safflower, avocado and grape seed.
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips: We usually use semi sweet or dark chocolate chips.
See recipe card for quantities.
If you're looking for more ways to use buttermilk then we have Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Muffins, Regular Buttermilk Pancakes or this Mini Apple Bundt Cake.
Instructions
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium or large bowl.
Add the wet ingredients and whisk until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Heat a griddle or frying pan to medium-low heat. Add a small coating of oil. Add pancake batter and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip when small bubbles appear on top and the bottom is golden brown.
Cook another 2-3 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger. Serve immediately for optimal deliciousness.
A Note About Over Stirring
Whole wheat pancakes are extra forgiving and you don’t need to worry about over stirring. The bran in the whole wheat flour acts as little tiny razors and prevents the gluten in the flour from becoming too tough.
We actually did an experiment because it’s such a no-no in the pancake world. We made a batch of this whole wheat pancake batter and cooked half of the batter. Then we stirred the heck out of the other half and cooked them. To our surprise the batter we stirred more actually made a fluffier pancake! Can you believe it??
Serving Suggestions
- Maple syrup and butter
- Fresh fruit and whipped cream
- Butter and applesauce
- Butter and fruit spread
- Spread with peanut butter and jam, fold up like a taco and you have a great on the go breakfast for busy mornings.
- Flavored greek yogurt
Variations
- Use mini chocolate chips and make silver dollar pancakes.
- Add orange zest for an extra punch of flavor.
Equipment
An electric griddle is nice to have but not required.
How to Store Pancakes
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
How to freeze:
Place the pancakes in a resealable bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to reheat:
Frying pan: Place however many pancakes you want in a frying pan over low heat, usually on the smallest burner. Cover and cook until warm. Check the bottoms and flip if necessary.
Toaster: Place pancakes in the toaster and toast until warmed through. Use the frozen setting if available for frozen.
Tips From Our Kitchen
- Use a little bit of oil on your pan to fry even if using a nonstick griddle/pan.
- Add a little more buttermilk or regular milk if the batter is really thick. Thinner batter will make thinner pancakes
- If the batter is on the thinner side let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Make sure to check the ingredients on your chocolate chips to make sure they are up to your standards of “healthy”.
Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Healthy Chocolate Chip Pancakes (whole wheat)
Equipment
- Electric griddle optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup (128 g) Whole white wheat flour hard white wheat
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (240 g) Buttermilk
- 1 large Egg
- 2 tablespoons (26 g) Avocado oil any neutral flavored oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (55-60 g) Chocolate chips dark or semi sweet
Instructions
- In a medium or large bowl whisk the dry ingredients together.1 cup (128 g) Whole white wheat flour, 1 teaspoon (4 g) Baking powder, ½ teaspoon (3 g) Baking soda, ¼ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- Add the wet ingredients and whisk until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.1 cup (240 g) Buttermilk, 1 large Egg, 2 tablespoons (26 g) Avocado oil, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, ⅓ cup (55-60 g) Chocolate chips
- Preheat an electric griddle or large frying pan to medium/low heat. Coat the pan/griddle with butter or oil and pour ¼ cup batter portions onto the hot surface. Let cook 2-3 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown and the tops start to bubble. Flip and cook on the other side until done (2-3 minutes). The tops should spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately or cool and store.
Notes
Nutrition
We calculate these nutritional facts using an estimate and they can vary drastically between ingredients used and measuring technique. So, they are not intended for medical use.
Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you!