This Chocolate Protein Pancake recipe will make you fall in love with healthy pancakes.
If there was one recipe I've made the most in my lifetime since starting this blog, it would be these chocolate pancakes. Without fail, every time I sit down to enjoy these, I think to myself, "I can't believe I get to enjoy pancakes while also taking care of my health."
I love pancakes, and so I wanted to create a recipe I really enjoyed that enabled me to still get pancakes in my life but also follow my clean eating, high-protein lifestyle.
And I think I nailed it.
Ingredient Notes
Between the protein powder, rolled oats, and the eggs, you are getting a good serving of protein. And then you have the banana and cocoa powder for added flavor!
Let's take a closer look at these healthy ingredients:
Banana: Any ripe bananas will do for this recipe. The riper the bananas, the sweeter the pancakes. (I also use bananas in my Banana Protein Pancakes).
Rolled oats: I like to use rolled oats instead of flour in this pancake recipe to add in the benefits of oats. Avoid quick oat because they are more processed than rolled oats.
Protein powder (chocolate): Using protein powder as a substitute for flour in your pancakes is a fantastic way to add additional protein. It's important to get a high-quality protein powder, so I love my cleanish Brand Vanilla Bean plant-based protein powder. This is the same protein powder I use in my other protein pancake recipes.
Cocoa Powder: I recommend using 100% cacao powder for this recipe to avoid any added sugars. My favorite is Nestle Special Dark, but many great brands exist.
Eggs: Eggs are the glue that holds these pancakes together. If you want to avoid eggs, you could use unsweetened applesauce. For less fat and more protein, opt for egg whites instead.
Cinnamon: While not a vital ingredient to make the pancakes work, I like adding a little cinnamon to increase the depth of flavor and sweetness of the pancakes. This can be omitted if you'd prefer.
Watch Me Make These Pancakes
How To Make Chocolate Protein Pancakes
The good news is that these chocolate protein pancakes are super easy to make and just require a few simple steps -- which is why I meal prep these babies every week.
To make these pancakes, just...
- add all the ingredients to a blender
- blend until smooth
- heat a griddle or a frying pan and add a little coconut oil
- pour the pancake batter into the pan, about ¼ cup per pancake
- cook for 2-4 minutes or until the edges start to harden
- then flip the pancake over, and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side
...and poof -- you’re done and you have delicious, easy, and healthy chocolate protein pancakes to enjoy! I love to top with fresh berries and some pure maple syrup.
Cooking Tips
To avoid making dry pancakes, make sure to watch how much protein powder you use. If your pancake batter has too much protein powder, you will end up with sad, dry, rubbery pancakes. That's not what we're trying to do here!
- Don't use too much protein powder. Your batter shouldn't go beyond ⅓ total powder or you will end up with dry pancakes.
- Always use a dry filler in your batter. We're using rolled oats in this recipe.
- Always use a binding ingredient. I usually use egg whites and/or whole eggs for my pancake recipes.
- Use good quality protein powder. This is crucial. Watch out for brands with lots of nutritionless fillers, artificial flavoring, and added sugar. This is why I made this cleanish Plant-based Protein Powder.
- Add baking powder to your batter. This helps provide that fluffiness and rise.
- Don't over-whisk or over-blend your batter. This makes your pancakes chewy. Just blend or whisk the batter until smooth.
How To Meal Prep Pancakes
You can easily make your protein pancakes ahead of time, using either of the methods below:
- Meal Prep Protein Pancakes. Completely cook the pancakes and then store them in an air-tight container in the fridge. When ready to eat, just reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through. The meal-prepped pancakes will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Frozen Protein Pancakes. Follow all the steps to cook the pancakes, then allow them to cool and freeze them. To prevent the pancakes from sticking, freeze individually on a baking sheet in the freezer, then gather them and store together in a re-usable storage bag. When ready to eat, remove from the freezer and either allow to thaw overnight or reheat in the microwave for 1-3 minutes until heated. Frozen protein pancakes will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Protein Pancake Recipes
If you love pancakes as much as me, you're gonna love these other protein pancake recipes, too!
Chocolate Protein Pancakes
Equipment
- blender
- Griddle
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
Chocolate Protein Pancakes:
- 4 eggs
- 2 ripe bananas
- ¾ cup rolled oats, uncooked
- ¼ cup chocolate protein powder (I use this one)
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, for cooking
- raspberries for garnish
- pure maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- In a blender, add all the ingredients except for the coconut oil and toppings.
- Blend this until very smooth.
- Once the oil is melted, pour about ⅓ of a cup of the batter onto the hot griddle. This will make approximately 4 in pancakes, which is what we prefer in our house.
- Cook the pancake for 2-4 minutes, until the edges begin to turn from a shiny to a dull and bubbles appear in the center of that pancake.
- Flip using a spatula and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
- To serve, you can top with some fresh raspberries and drizzle with pure maple syrup.
Video
Notes
- You could just mix this all together and they’ll be lumpy, but I like them smooth so I use a blender.
- For the protein powder, you can use whatever one you prefer.
- To store these pancakes, keep them in an air-tight container. They’ll be fresh to use for up to 3-4 days in the fridge if you reheat them or can be frozen up to 2 months.
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products I use very often and highly recommend.
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