Chocolate Protein Pancakes (Without Banana)

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!

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.

Ingredients For Chocolate Protein Powder Pancakes

• 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

STEP 1: 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!).

STEP 2: Place remaining ingredients (except the chocolate chips) into the blender and blend until a smooth batter is formed.

STEP 3: Gently stir in the chocolate chips.

STEP 4: Let the batter rest 8-10 minutes.

STEP 5: Pre-heat a non-stick pan (or griddle) over medium heat.

STEP 6: 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.

STEP 7: 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.

STEP 8: Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

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

Storage & Reheating Instructions

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