Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes – Easy & Healthy

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These fluffy vegan chocolate chip banana pancakes are loaded with melty chocolate chunks and full of delicious chocolate banana flavour! You can make these delicious pancakes with only less than 10 ingredients too! They are healthy, easy to whip up in the morning, and great for yummy breakfast and snacks in the afternoon.

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Ok, who here loves having pancakes for breakfast? One of my favourite moments in the morning is making pancakes and stacking them in a tall pile on my favourite plate. It’s such a great way to start the day for the weekend, it brings me all the happy and jolly feeling! If you like the kind of slow, relaxing, and peaceful morning with a stack of pancakes like me, these vegan chocolate chip banana pancakes will be your next morning staple.

I actually made this recipe last year and have made a bit of an update on them. They are not only delicious but entirely vegan! These chocolate chip banana pancakes are made with chocolate chunks, unlike other recipes that call for chocolate chips, which makes them so indulgent and decadent. The melty chocolate that runs down when you cut them looks so heavenly as well as in your mouth.

And because this recipe uses wholemeal flour, 1 whole ripe banana, and dairy-free vegan chocolate chunks, it’s a lot healthier than regular chocolate chip pancakes! It’s like eating dessert in the morning that is actually healthy, win-win!

Main ingredients and substitutions

Wholemeal flour: I used wholemeal flour for this healthy chocolate chip banana pancake recipe. Wholemeal flour has more fibre and minerals than plain flour so I like using them for breakfast bakes! If you want to make it gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. You can also use regular plain flour. If using 1:1 gluten-free flour or plain flour, reduce the amount of soy milk to 210ml.

Soy milk: I like using soy milk in pancakes as I feel it makes the best vegan buttermilk for pancakes. You can also use other plant milk such as almond milk, oat milk, etc.

Banana: I used one whole ripe banana with black sugar spots. Bananas are at their best when they have sugar spots around them so do make sure to use ripe ones for the best pancakes!

Organic cane sugar: I used some organic cane sugar to make the pancakes healthier! You can replace it with other sugars too such as regular sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, etc.

Vegan chocolate: My favourite is this vegan milk chocolate I buy from my local supermarket. Milk chocolate adds nice sweetness on top of the banana and I love the combination! If you want to make the pancakes less sweet, you can use dark chocolate too.

Apple cider vinegar: I often use apple cider vinegar when I make my vegan buttermilk. I use one with “mother” as it has more healthy properties in it! You can also use neutral flavoured vinegar such as distilled white vinegar.

Baking powder: I used baking powder alone for this pancake recipe. Do make sure that your baking powder is not expired, old baking powders don’t have the leavening power to make the pancakes nice and fluffy! To test if your baking powder is fresh, take a little amount on a plate and add a drop of vinegar. If it bubbles up it’s good to go!

Other ingredients: Coconut oil for frying.

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

Large mixing bowl: I used my pyrex mixing bowl to mix the pancake batter. Use a fairly big mixing bowl so that it’s easy to mix.

Non-stick frying pan: Use a decent-sized frying pan to cook the pancakes. A non-stick pan would be perfect! I choose ones with no teflon and other harmful toxins.

Turner: Use a turner with a fairly big surface so that it’s easy to flip the pancakes! 

*The ingredient list and measurement for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to make vegan chocolate chip banana pancakes

Step 1: Make vegan buttermilk and mix the dry ingredients

First, let’s make vegan buttermilk! In a medium bowl or a jug, mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar together and let it sit for a few minutes until it curdles. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder with a whisk until well combined and there are no lumps left. Set aside.

Step 2: Mash the banana and break a vegan milk chocolate bar

Mash the banana with a fork or masher until it becomes a paste. Use a ripe banana here! If your banana is too young, it has less nutritional value and is not soft enough to mash into a paste. Set aside. Take the vegan milk chocolate bar out of the packet and chop it into chunks. 

Step 3: Make the pancake batter

Add the mashed banana and vegan buttermilk to the dry mixture and mix gently with a large wooden spoon or a silicone spatula until just combined. Don’t over mix here! It’s ok if you see little lumps of flour in the batter. Don’t worry! Add the chocolate chunks to the batter and fold in gently.

Step 4: Cook the pancakes

Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Once the pan is heated, lower it down to low heat. Add about half a teaspoon of coconut oil to the pan and evenly spread in the middle of it.

Ladle some batter into the middle of the pan and using the bottom of the ladle form a circle. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until the edge of the pancake is cooked and some bubbles are popping up on the surface of the pancake. The pancake looks a little like a crampet at this point because of the bubbles and the outer area looks cooked and drier than the middle. The bottom should be golden brown with a nice crispy edge.

Flip the pancake carefully using a spatula. Cook for a further 1-2 mins until the bottom is cooked and golden in colour.  Repeat for the rest of the batter. Stack them, decorate with more bananas and drizzle some maple syrup. Enjoy while warm!

Tips and tricks

Cook on low heat

I’ve cooked countless pancakes in my life and the best tip I can give you when it comes to cooking pancakes is to cook on low heat. It does feel that cooking on medium heat would make the process faster, but it always leads to burnt pancakes! Cooking slowly on low heat is the best for fluffy pancakes.

No over-mixing

This goes to pancakes too as well as other baked goods like cakes and muffins, no over-mixing! Over mixing the batter is bad because it creates too much gluten in the batter, which leads to a tough and rubbery texture with no fluffiness in pancakes. It’s tempting to mix the batter until silky smooth with a whisk because it looks nice, but resist the temptation and mix gently with a large wooden spoon or a silicone spatula rather than a whisk to prevent mixing it too much.

How to store these vegan banana pancakes

If you want to save them for later, you can put them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 2 days. Microwave or heat them under the grill until they are warm again before eating.

To store for a longer period, put them in a freezer-friendly airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. When serving, thaw them then microwave them or heat them under the grill until they are nice and warm again.

Q and A

Why did my pancakes burn before they were cooked?

If your pancakes got burnt before they were cooked, it can be that you were cooking them at a temperature that is too high. If you cook them on medium to high heat, the bottom of the pancakes start to cook too fast before cooking the centre of them, which results in the burnt bottom with an uncooked centre. Try cooking them slowly on low heat and I think you’ll get perfectly cooked fluffy pancakes!

My pancakes are not fluffy?

Check if your baking powder is fresh or not first. It’s super easy to check, simply add a little vinegar to the baking powder on a little plate and if it bubbles up it’s good to go. If not, toss it away and buy a new one. Also mixing the batter too much until it’s super smooth will result in rubbery, tough, and not fluffy pancakes. Mix the batter gently if your pancakes are not fluffy and see if it helps!

Can I make them into waffles?

Absolutely! Simply cook them in a waffle maker instead of cooking in a frying pan. 

Want to master the basics of vegan baking?
Check out Vegan Baking 101 – the beginner’s guide to vegan baking for you to become an excellent vegan baker and familiar with the basics of vegan baking, ingredients, and techniques with useful tips!

You will LOVE these vegan chocolate chip banana pancakes because they are:

• super fluffy
• vegan
• healthy
• full of banana and chocolate flavour
• perfect breakfast
• great snack
• delicious

Please leave a comment and rate this recipe in the comment section below if you like this recipe! Let me know and tag me @thechestnutbakery on Instagram too. Thank you for making my recipe, friends!

Recipe Card

Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes – Easy and Healthy

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• Author: Maiko
• Total Time: 13 minutes
• Yield: 10 pancakes 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

These fluffy vegan chocolate chip banana pancakes are loaded with melty chocolate chunks and full of delicious chocolate banana flavour! You can make these delicious pancakes with only less than 10 ingredients too! They are healthy, easy to whip up in the morning, great for yummy breakfast and snacks in the afternoon.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups (220g) wholemeal flour
• 1 cup (220ml) soy milk
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/4 cup (35g) organic cane sugar
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup (60g) vegan milk chocolate broken into chunks
• Some coconut oil for frying
• Some maple syrup for drizzling

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Instructions

1. In a medium-sized bowl or jug, mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to make vegan buttermilk. Set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder with a whisk until there are no lumps left.
3. In a bowl, mash the banana with a fork or masher until it forms a paste.
4. Add the vegan buttermilk and mashed banana to the dry mixture and mix gently with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula until just combined. Be careful not to over mix! Little lumps of flour in the batter is ok at this point, don’t worry.
5. Add the chocolate chunks to the batter and fold in gently.
6. Heat up a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. When it’s heated, lower it down to low heat. Add a little coconut oil in the middle of the pan and spread evenly. Ladle some batter into the middle of the pan and using the bottom of the ladle form a circle. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until the bottom and edge of the pancake is golden and cooked, and some bubbles are popping up on the surface of the pancake. *See the process pictures above in the article.
7. Flip the pancake carefully and cook for a further 1-2 mins until the bottom is golden and cooked. Transfer the pancake to a plate and repeat the cooking process for the rest of the batter.
8. Stack them, top with more bananas, drizzle maple syrup, and enjoy while they are warm!

Equipment

frying pan

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glass bowl

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silicone spatula

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Notes

Cook on low heat to avoid burning the pancakes.

For the best result and fluffy pancakes, do not over mix the batter.

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 3 mins
• Category: Pancake
• Method: Cooking
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: breakfast, healthy

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