These delicious chocolate protein pancakes are made with oat flour and contain Greek yogurt, whole milk, and eggs for extra protein. They certainly don't skimp on rich, chocolate flavor. For double the chocolate pleasure, add chocolate chips, and top with our homemade chocolate pancake syrup!

Stack of chocolate protein pancakes topped with chocolate pancake syrup and chopped pecans on a white plate.

These delicious chocolate protein pancakes will give your body a healthy dose of protein without adding protein powder and extra fat. How is that accomplished? They are made with oat flour, Greek yogurt, whole milk, and eggs. I'm not complaining, but sometimes when I eat pancakes I'm hungry again in an hour or two. These pancakes definitely keep me feeling full longer. Granted, they won't take the place of a hearty omelette or frittata, but when you're craving something sweet, these are perfect!

Serve these with this irresistible (and super easy) homemade chocolate pancake syrup, and you'll be the hero (or heroine) at your breakfast or brunch table!

Jump to:

❤️ Reasons to Love This Recipe
🍫 Ingredients
📝 Instructions
🥣 Equipment
ℹ️ Substitutions
🌡️ Storage
💭 Top Tips
🥞 Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Food safety

❤️ Reasons to Love This Recipe

It's high protein. The oat flour, yogurt, eggs, and whole milk give these pancakes an extra dose of protein that will keep you satisfied longer.
It's easy. With only 6 steps to follow, you can successfully make these pancakes, even if you've never made pancakes before.
It's quick. You can have these pancakes on the table in 30 minutes or less!

🍫 Ingredients

Whole milk. You can substitute buttermilk in a 1 to 1 ratio and omit the lemon juice.
Lemon juice. Skip the lemon juice if substituting buttermilk.
Rolled oats. Be sure to use rolled oats, and not quick cooking or steel cut oats.
Unsweetened cocoa powder. We highly recommend Dutch processed cocoa powder. The Dutch process removes some of the bitterness inherent in cocoa powder.
Baking powder. Double acting.
Salt. Salt enhances the flavor of these pancakes.
Granulated sugar. This might seem like a bit much, but it helps to cut down on some of the bitterness of the cocoa. If you are concerned about too much sugar, we suggest substituting Swerve sugar replacement in a 1 to 1 ratio.
Greek yogurt. You can use either plain or vanilla.
Large eggs. Divided. Separate the yolks from the whites. Dividing the eggs helps these pancakes to fluff up.
Vanilla extract. Adds flavor.
Unsalted butter. Melted and cooled. Butter adds flavor and promotes tender pancakes.

See recipe card for quantities.

📝 Instructions

Add lemon juice to the milk. Stir to combine. Set aside. You can substitute buttermilk for the milk used in this recipe, if you'd like. If you're substituting buttermilk, you can skip the lemon juice and use buttermilk instead in a 1 to 1 ratio.

Rolled oats in a food processor. — Add rolled oats to a blender or food processor.

Oat flour in a food processor. — Blend or process until oats are ground into a flour. Add to a large bowl.

Oat flour in a small black bowl with a spoon. — The oat flour should have about the same texture as whole wheat flour. For more detailed information about how to make oat flour from rolled oats, see our cinnamon oatmeal pancakes post.

Dry ingredients in a glass bowl. — Whisk in cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Wet ingredients and granulated sugar in a blender. — Add milk, yogurt, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, and butter to a blender or medium bowl. Blend or mix with an electric mixer on low speed until frothy.

Chocolate protein pancake batter in a large glass bowl. — Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until no dry ingredient streaks remain.

Chocolate protein pancake batter with egg whites in a large glass bowl. — Stir in egg whites until incorporated. Set aside to rest at least five minutes.

Three chocolate protein pancakes on a griddle. — In the meantime, heat a griddle or large skillet to medium heat. Melt some butter over the hot surface and add about ¼ cup of batter to the surface. Repeat until there is no more room on the cooking surface. Cook pancakes until bubbles form and pop on the surface, about 4-5 minutes. Then flip and cook about 4 minutes longer. Remove pancakes to a plate or baking sheet. Repeat this step until the batter is gone.

🥣 Equipment

Dry measuring cups.
Liquid measuring cups.
Measuring spoons.
Blender. We love to use our blender to mix the wet ingredients for the convenience of it. You can always use a medium bowl and an electric mixer or whisk instead though.
Large bowl. Add your dry ingredients to this bowl because eventually everything will end up here!
Medium bowl. To mix the wet ingredients and sugar. Use this instead of a blender, if you so choose.
Electric mixer. Also use this instead of a blender, if you so choose.
Griddle. We use an electric griddle for our pancakes. You can use your stove and a large flat skillet instead. You may need to adjust the temperature and/or cooking time depending on whether or not you have a gas or electric stove.
Large skillet. If you don't have a griddle, use this to cook your pancakes.
Wide non-stick spatula. A wide spatula is best.
Small ladle.

ℹ️ Substitutions

Sugar free - If you are concerned about too much sugar, or are on a sugar free diet, we suggest substituting Swerve sugar replacement in a 1 to 1 ratio.
Low fat - You can substitute low fat or skim milk and low fat Greek yogurt. We do recommend keeping the butter though.

Chocolate pancake syrup in a small glass pitcher. — This chocolate pancake syrup is the perfect complement for these pancakes. Top them with chopped pecans as well!

Looking for more information about making pancakes? Visit our complete guide for making homemade pancakes from scratch, including detailed ingredient information, step-by-step instructions and more!

🌡️ Storage

Any leftover pancakes will stay freshest if you freeze them right away. To freeze, lay a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet and place the leftover pancakes on top. Place them in the freezer until frozen, then store them in a freezer bag. They will keep in your freezer for up to 6 months. Reheat from frozen in the microwave or toaster.

💭 Top Tips

Be sure to separate the eggs and thoroughly stir the whites in at the end. Because of the density of the oat flour, these pancakes don't want to fluff up as nicely as pancakes made with regular all-purpose flour. After many tries, I discovered that separating the eggs helps to solve this problem.
Before cooking, allow the batter to rest for at least 5 minutes to give the baking powder plenty of time to activate.

Made this recipe? We would love it if you could leave a rating. Either tap or click the stars in the recipe card or leave a comment below. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free e-cookbook of quick and easy breakfast recipes. Thanks!

📖 Recipe

Food safety

Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
Wash hands after touching raw meat.
Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
Never leave cooking food unattended.
Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes