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Our Love Language is Food > Recipes > Breakfast

Published: Jan 8, 2022 · Modified: Feb 12, 2025 by Meredith · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

Chocolate Protein Pancakes (Without Banana)

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Our family loves kicking off our weekends with a big stack of pancakes! While we love a sweet breakfast recipe as much as the next guy, we also like being full until lunch. This is where this fluffy chocolate protein pancakes recipe comes in! Our detailed eight step instructions and expert tips will help you have a high protein and chocolatey breakfast on your table in no time!

My husband and I have been trying out and making all kinds of different pancake recipes together for more than 10 years. The frequency has really gone up after our daughter joined our family and could begin telling us what she wants for breakfast (she requests these pancakes with sprinkles at least 3x a week – ha!).

After lots of testing and trying out all kinds of better-for-you ingredients, these double chocolate protein powder pancakes were born. We love that this recipe is banana-free, refined sugar-free, high protein, super versatile, and of course extra chocolatey (because we LOVE chocolate).

If you love these chocolate protein pancakes without banana, you’ll have to try our regular protein powder pancakes that use vanilla protein too!

Jump to:
  • Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Protein Pancakes
  • Chocolate Protein Pancakes Recipe Ingredients
  • How to Make Protein Pancakes With Oats
  • Chocolate Protein Pancakes Recipe Variations and Substitutions
  • Tips for Chocolate Protein Pancakes Without Banana
  • Topping Suggestions for Chocolate Protein Pancakes without Banana
  • Storing Protein Pancakes with Oats
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
  • Chocolate Protein Pancakes Recipe (No Banana)

Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Protein Pancakes

A sweet breakfast that’s actually filling. You know these pancakes are a filling breakfast when my lumberjack of a husband only wants three of them in a sitting (when he’d be likely to enjoy 5+ regular pancakes)! This recipe is a great way to get some extra protein in and still enjoy a pancake breakfast too.

So chocolatey! We don’t skimp on the chocolate in this easy protein pancakes recipe! We use chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips! YUM.

Easy to make. This recipe has you mixing everything together in your blender… it doesn’t get much easier than that!

Simple ingredients. We’re not using anything fancy in this recipe (unless protein powder isn’t a staple in your pantry). All ingredients used are easy to find at your local grocery store, Target, or Walmart.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes Recipe Ingredients

  • Rolled Oats. Old fashioned rolled oats are blended into oat flour to make this easy pancake recipe. Oats are highly nutritious, being a good source of fiber (both soluble and insoluble fiber), a good source of plant-based protein, and rich in antioxidants. Oats are also known to be filling, which may reduce the number of calories you eat overall as you stay full for longer.
  • Chocolate Protein Powder. I use whey protein powder, but you can also use a plant-based protein powder if desired to meet any dietary requirements you may have.
  • Cocoa Powder. We also add cocoa powder into our pancakes to amp up the chocolate flavor!
  • Unsweetened Almond Milk. Both plain almond milk and vanilla almond milk work well in this recipe. If you use vanilla almond milk, just know that you’ll have a really big vanilla flavor in your pancakes due to also using vanilla protein powder.
  • Unsweetened Applesauce. Unsweetened applesauce is often acts like a fat would in baking and plays the same role as butter or oil does in baked goods. It helps to keep the flour proteins from mixing completely with the wet ingredients to create a lovely texture. Unsweetened applesauce also contains naturally occurring sugars reducing the amount of other sugars or sweeteners needed in baking recipes.
  • Baking Powder, Baking Soda, & Apple Cider Vinegar. We are using a combination of baking soda, baking powder, and apple cider vinegar for our leavening agents to make the very best protein pancakes! Baking soda is typically used in pancakes to help them rise (it will start acting once it mixes with the acidic ingredient in this recipe, which is the apple cider vinegar). Using baking powder contributes to a light and airy texture, helping to create the fluffy pancakes. Apple cider vinegar is a natural leavening agent that also contributes to the batter’s rise as it reacts with the baking soda and baking powder. Using all three of these together in this recipe results in perfect fluffy protein pancakes!
  • Chocolate Chips. You can use whatever chocolate chip you prefer! Milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate chips are all great in these pancakes.
  • Salt (optional). Salt is a flavor enhancer, and helps amplify the depth and complexity of the other flavors as they combine in the baking process. Adding in a pinch of salt to your batter is a great addition to this pancake recipe.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

How to Make Protein Pancakes With Oats

Place rolled oats into a blender and blend for 10-15 seconds to break down the oats into a fine texture (fun fact: you just made oat flour!).

Place remaining ingredients (except the chocolate chips) into the blender and blend until a smooth batter is formed.

Gently stir in the chocolate chips.

Let the batter rest 8-10 minutes.

Pre-heat a non-stick pan (or griddle) over medium heat.

Spray the pan (or griddle) with cooking spray and scoop ¼ cup sized portions of batter into the pan, leaving room between the scoops of batter.

Cook for 1-2 minutes until the edges begin to form (they’ll look slightly raised/curved/dry), and then flip to cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Chocolate Protein Pancakes Recipe Variations and Substitutions

Use a different milk. You can use another non-dairy milk (like oat milk or unsweetened soy milk) if preferred. You can also make your protein pancake batter using dairy milk if you’d like!

Possible Dietary Restrictions?

This eggless pancakes recipe as written is a great high protein breakfast for vegetarians who don’t want eggs for breakfast, and can easily be modified to fit a variety of other special diets:

  • To make these into vegan protein pancakes, select a protein powder that is vegan-friendly.
  • Similarly, to make this into a dairy free protein pancakes recipe, select a protein powder that meets this requirement.
  • This recipe is already written to be a gluten free protein pancakes recipe, however, if you are serving them to someone with celiac intolerance it is wise to ensure your rolled oats specifically note ‘gluten free’ on the package!

Tips for Chocolate Protein Pancakes Without Banana

Let the batter rest – don’t skip this step! This may seem strange, but this time allows the apple cider vinegar to activate the baking soda and baking powder to help create the fluffy texture! It also allows the batter to thicken a bit, creating a sturdier batter when flipping. If you put your pancakes on immediately after blending the batter, they tend to be a bit flat and break apart when trying to flip them (but still taste good).

Topping Suggestions for Chocolate Protein Pancakes without Banana

You can serve your chocolate protein pancakes with any of your favorite pancake toppings. Below is a list of some fun combinations that pair nicely with these healthy chocolate pancakes:

  • Vanilla Greek yogurt and berries (this is what is shown)
  • Peanut butter and banana
  • Peanut butter, banana, and pure maple syrup
  • Whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate syrup
  • Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt, strawberries, and chocolate syrup
  • Butter and pure maple syrup
  • Pure maple syrup and toasted pecans or almonds
  • Whipped cream and berries
  • Banana and chocolate chips (and/or chocolate syrup)
  • Fresh fruit compotes or syrups

We also wrote an article outlining what to serve with pancakes if you need more ideas!

Storing Protein Pancakes with Oats

Leftover protein powder pancakes can be enjoyed at a later date for a quick and easy breakfast!

Option 1 – Store In the Fridge. If you plan to enjoy your leftover pancakes soon, you can store the remaining protein pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-days. Reheat pancakes in the microwave, starting with 1-minute (adjust the time to heat your pancakes as needed to reheat to your desired temperature).

Option 2 – Freeze. The best way to do this takes a few steps, but they are worth it to make a future morning easy, filling, and delicious with your leftover protein pancakes! Reheat frozen pancakes (from frozen!) for 1-minute. Option to then pop them into the toaster to crisp them up a little too for the perfect protein pancake!

How to Freeze Pancakes

  • Step 1: allow pancakes to cool completely to room-temperature on a cooling rack.
  • Step 2: do an initial freeze of your pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet. This only needs to be for about 30-minutes, but this will help prevent your frozen pancakes from sticking together.
  • Step 3: transfer pancakes to a ziplock bag labeled with the type of pancake and date made, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe FAQs

How do you know when to flip a pancake?

Pancakes are ready to flip after they begin to puff up and bubble. Signs that your pancakes are ready to turn include bubbles throughout the batter that are beginning to pop, and edges that have begun to firm up. The bottom of the pancake will be golden brown.
Generally it will take about 2 minutes to cook the first side of a pancake, and about 1 additional minute to cook the second side (however, this will depend on your heat).

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Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating & comment below! You can also tag @ourlovelanguageisfood on Instagram & Facebook. Be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get free recipes sent directly to your inbox!

Chocolate Protein Pancakes Recipe (No Banana)

Meredith
These chocolate protein pancakes are the absolute best! This recipe makes fluffy pancakes that are healthy, filling, and delicious. A great breakfast option for kids and adults alike!
4.78 from 9 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Inactive Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 192 kcal

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Measuring Cups
  • Liquid Measuring Cup
  • Rubber Scrapper
  • Non-Stick Pan or Griddle
  • Turner (Spatula)

Ingredients
  

  • 2 + ½ Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
  • ½ Cup Chocolate Protein Powder*
  • 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
  • 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 + ½ Cups Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
  • ⅓ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
  • 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Optional: Pinch of Salt
  • ½ Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Instructions
 

  • Place oats into a blender and blend for 10-15 seconds to break down the oats
  • Place remaining ingredients (except the chocolate chips) into the blender and blend until a smooth batter is formed
  • Gently stir in the chocolate chips
  • Let the batter rest 8-10 minutes
  • Preheat non-stick pan (or griddle) over medium heat
  • Spray pan with cooking spray and scoop ¼ cup sized portions of batter into the pan, leaving room between the scoops of batter
  • Cook for 1-2 minutes until the edges begin to form (they’ll look slightly raised/curved/dry), and then flip to cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
  • Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Notes

*Let the batter rest – don’t skip this step! This may seem strange, but this time allows the apple cider vinegar to activate the baking soda and baking powder to help create the fluffy texture! It also allows the batter to thicken a bit, creating a sturdier batter when flipping. If you put your pancakes on immediately after blending the batter, they tend to be a bit flat and break apart when trying to flip them (but still taste good). 
 
*Use a chocolate protein powder that meets your dietary needs. I use chocolate whey protein powder when I make this chocolate protein pancake recipe.
 
*Nutritional facts were calculated with whey protein powder.

Nutrition

Calories: 192kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 7gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 183mgFiber: 5gSugar: 1gCalcium: 26mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    4.78 from 9 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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    How many stars would you give this recipe?




  1. Angie says

    September 08, 2023 at 3:43 pm

    Can I make the batter the night before or is that too long to rest?

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 08, 2023 at 9:35 pm

      Hi Angie, I haven’t tried making the batter the night before, but I think it could work! Just be sure to store it in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it!

      Reply
  2. M. says

    October 16, 2022 at 10:42 am

    5 stars
    These were great, especially since I always have chocolate protein powder on hand! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • ourlovelanguageisfood says

      October 16, 2022 at 10:43 am

      Happy to hear you enjoyed these! Thanks for giving this recipe a try.

      Reply
  3. David says

    June 11, 2022 at 10:25 am

    5 stars
    These were really fun and filling! Loved the double chocolate .

    Reply
    • ourlovelanguageisfood says

      June 12, 2022 at 10:57 am

      glad you enjoyed these chocolate protein waffles! thanks so much for making my recipe!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Meredith!

I am a Midwest-based foodie and mom working full time by day and sharing my passion for all things food by night. Follow along for great recipes to share with your family and friends. I've got you covered for breakfast, dinner, snack-time, parties, desserts, drinks, and more!

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