These chocolate banana pancakes are fluffy and moist, made with buttermilk, whole wheat flour, cacao as well as chocolate chips for an extra chocolatey finish. Delicious, nutritious and simple to make!

Top down view of chocolate banana pancakes on white plate with banana slices.

These chocolate banana pancakes are an incredibly delicious and easy way to use up your ripe bananas and make your breakfast a little bit more special. They contain cacao powder as well as chocolate chips which intensify the chocolate flavour and add sweetness.

The other source of sweetness, as well as flavour, in these pancakes is banana. Because this recipe contains quite a generous amount of banana the banana flavour matches the intensity of the chocolate. Not only is this a truly delicious flavour duo but it also gives these pancakes the most fantastic texture – soft and moist from the fruit with chocolate chips melting inside and crisping up near the surface of the pancakes.

Chocolate banana pancake ingredients and substitutions

Ingredients for making banana chocolate pancakes in individual containers. — Chocolate banana pancake ingredients.

Banana: use ripe or very ripe bananas for maximum natural sweetness.
Cacao: I used cacao powder as it’s a little more nutritious than cocoa, but both work equally well. (If you use cocoa powder your pancakes will be a little darker than mine).
Chocolate chips: use any – milk, dark chocolate chips or others.
Eggs.
Buttermilk: you can substitute kefir or natural yogurt (but only if it’s pourable).
Vegetable oil: or another mild tasting oil.
Vanilla extract.
Flour: whole wheat/wholemeal or all-purpose/plain, if preferred.
Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

Assembling the recipe

1.Mash the bananas using a fork. Alternatively puree the banana for a super smooth consistency (if preferred).

Mashed banana with fork inside blue bowl.

2. Whisk together the banana, eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.

Mashed banana and other wet pancake ingredients in bowl.

3. Whisk in the cacao, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

Wet pancake ingredients and cacao in bowl with whisk.

4. Gradually whisk in the flour. When you’ve added most of the flour add the chocolate chips and whisk in along with the remaining flour. Stop stirring as soon as the flour is no longer visible.

Adding chocolate chips to pancake batter.

Banana chocolate pancake batter in bowl with spoon.

How to fry banana chocolate pancakes

1. Heat up approx. 1 tablespoon of oil over a low/medium heat (so the oil doesn’t burn). Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the pan and smooth out the top of each pancake if needed. Do not overcrowd the pan.

2. Cook the pancakes over a low/medium heat for about 2.5-3 minutes until bubbles start appearing on top. Turn them over, add a little more (½-1 tablespoon) oil and continue cooking for 2 more minutes or so.

Remove your chocolate banana pancakes from the heat and serve immediately.

Top tip

If your pancakes start browning too quickly lower the heat (have a peek after about 1 minute) but do not turn them over too soon as they may not be cooked through.

Can I cook these pancakes in butter rather than oil

I do not recommend it. Butter burns quickly which can also make your pancakes brown too quickly and taste a little bitter (especially since they contain naturally bitter cacao). If, on the other hand, you lower the heat the pancakes may not cook inside and rise.

It’s best to use vegetable oil (which is better at handling high heat) and serve your pancakes with a knob of butter (for an {optional} hint of buttery flavour).

Side view of banana and chocolate pancakes on top of plate with sliced banana.

Serving suggestions

These chocolate and banana pancakes are semi-sweet and have lots of flavour so you can enjoy them without any toppings. If you love pancakes with maple syrup by all means use it, but halve the amount you would normally add (you simply won’t need to use as much).

You could also serve these banana and chocolate pancakes with fresh berries, sliced banana or fruit compote.

How to ensure these pancakes are fluffy

Do NOT overstir the batter (overmixing may prevent your pancakes from rising).
Fry them slowly over a low/medium heat to give them enough time to cook and rise.

Can I prepare the batter ahead

I do not recommend it. Your banana chocolate pancake batter contains chocolate chips, which will start disintegrating if left uncooked for hours. They’ll simply become lost in the batter.

Are chocolate pancakes with banana healthy

Yes, they are! They are made with whole wheat flour, which is rich in fibre and vitamins, naturally low in fat buttermilk and a generous amount of fruit. They contain nutritious cacao and there is no added sugar, other than in the form of chocolate chips.

Top tips

Use ripe/very ripe bananas for maximum natural sweetness.
Do NOT overmix the batter.
I recommend using a non-stick pancake pan – your pancakes won’t stick to the pan and you won’t need to use very much oil.
Cook the pancakes slowly – over a low/medium heat – to ensure they are cooked through and do not brown too quickly.
Best served immediately.
Any leftover chocolate banana pancakes can be refrigerated, once completely cooled, in an airtight container, and served the next day (they will still be good though not quite as good as freshly made). Reheat in the microwave (or check out these other methods of reheating pancakes).
To freeze these pancake arrange them in an airtight container in-between pieces of parchment paper, so they don’t touch each other and freeze for up to 3 months.

Check out also these other delicious breakfast recipes!

Keep in touch!

If you make this chocolate banana pancake recipe I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks😊

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