Banana chocolate chip pancakes combine two breakfast favorites – banana bread and chocolate chip pancakes – for a delicious pancake recipe. Ripe bananas, chocolate chunks, and sweet goodness in every bite. An easy griddle pancake recipe for breakfast or brunch.
My kids love pancakes. They love banana bread. And they love chocolate. So one morning when I had a few bananas going soft on the counter, I figured – why keep those flavors separate? Banana bread chocolate chip pancakes, made right on the griddle. Turns out that’s not a bad way to use up bananas that are past their prime.
If you’re building out a pancake rotation, this one fits right alongside a couple of my other favorites – the classic pancakes on the griddle and, if you’ve got a sweet tooth like my kids, the cinnamon roll pancakes. This banana chocolate chip version is somewhere between the two – comfort food with a little dessert energy.
Ingredients & Notes
- ripe bananas – The riper (and spottier) the better. Overripe bananas mash easier and bring more sweetness and banana flavor to the batter.
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- melted butter
- buttermilk
- baking powder and baking soda
- brown sugar
- all-purpose flour
- good quality chocolate bar – Most chocolate chip pancakes recipes only call for bagged chocolate chips, but don’t skip the bar. Chopping a real chocolate bar into chunks gives you those melty pockets you don’t get from chips alone.
- chocolate chips – We like adding the bar and the chips together for our pancakes. The chunks melt down into gooey pools, and the chips hold their shape a bit more.
Tip for Scooping Pancake Batter
We love using a 2 tablespoon-sized, quick-release cookie scoop to scoop our pancake batter onto the griddle, because it’s fast and mess-free. We use two of these scoops, so each pancake is roughly 1/4 cup of batter.
How to Make the Best Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes
*We used the griddle insert on our Charbroil 3-in-1 Commercial Series gas grill. However, you can use any outdoor griddle, electric countertop griddle, or even a skillet for this recipe.
- Mash the bananas. In a bowl, combine the ripe bananas, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mash until the bananas are soft and fully broken down.
- Build the batter. Into the same bowl, add the melted butter, brown sugar, and buttermilk. Give it a mix until just combined.
- Mix and add the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients including the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. *Yes, I know that brown sugar is technically a dry ingredient, but I prefer to mix it with the wet ingredients so that it has a chance to dissolve. Then add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix until everything is just combined, being careful to not overmix.
- Add the chocolate. Fold in your rough-chopped chocolate bar and the chocolate chips.
- Preheat your griddle. Heat your griddle to about 350–375°F.
- Cook the pancakes. Once your griddle’s up to temp, ladle on your pancakes and cook until you see bubbles forming on top and the edges start to set, then flip. Cook the other side until golden, then serve.
*Chef’s Note: I prefer to make my pancake batter before heating up my griddle. This batter benefits from about 10-15 minutes of rest time, rather than immediately ladling it onto the griddle. After the rest, you’ll notice small bubbles have formed in the batter, and that’s what helps the pancakes get super fluffy.
Recipe Tips
- Griddle running too hot? A quick trick – splash a little water onto the griddle surface. Not a lot, just a little. It’ll cool the surface down fast so you can get back to cooking at the right temp. We find that 350-375°F is perfect for cooking fluffy pancakes.
- Chop your chocolate bar rough, not fine. Bigger chunks give you those melty pockets throughout the pancake instead of chocolate disappearing into the batter.
- Don’t overmix. Mix the wet and dry ingredients only until they are just combined. Overmixed batter makes for tougher pancakes.
- Use bananas that are more brown than yellow. Same rule as banana bread – the uglier the banana, the better the flavor.
Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 oz good quality chocolate bar rough chopped
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with the beaten eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Into the same bowl, add the buttermilk, melted butter, and brown sugar. Mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Then add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix until everything is just combined, being careful to not overmix.
- Fold in the chopped chocolate bar and chocolate chips.
- Preheat your griddle to 350–375°F.
- Ladle the batter onto the griddle in pancake-sized portions. Cook until bubbles form on top and the edges look set, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook the second side until golden, another 1-2 minutes.
- Serve warm, with extra chocolate chips, a drizzle of syrup, or your favorite pancake toppings.
Notes
- Resting the batter – I prefer to make my pancake batter before heating up my griddle. This batter benefits from about 10-15 minutes of rest time, rather than immediately ladling it onto the griddle. After the rest, you’ll notice small bubbles have formed in the batter, and that’s what helps the pancakes get super fluffy.
- Scooping the batter – We love using a 2 tablespoon-sized, quick-release cookie scoop to scoop our pancake batter onto the griddle, because it’s fast and mess-free. We use two of these scoops, so each pancake is roughly 1/4 cup of batter.
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