These chocolate banana pancakes are made with oats and are naturally sweetened. You will love how easy it is to whip up these fluffy, chocolate-y pancakes for an everyday breakfast or a special occasion!

Easy Chocolate Pancakes with banana
My son was never a fan of chocolate until he started kindergarten and saw all his friends loving it. He came home one day declaring his love for chocolate, and I welcomed him into the chocoholic club with open arms (p.s. chocolate is my love language).
Ever since then, I've been coming up with all kinds of ways to make the chocolate experience fun, delicious, and nutritious (I can't help myself! I am a pediatric dietitian hehe).
Healthy banana brownies, chocolate banana milkshake, chocolate avocado pudding, Chocolate zucchini muffins, and now these scrumptious pancakes!!
Made with simple ingredients like oats, unsweetened cocoa powder, and banana, you can enjoy these with your family for breakfast or any time of the day!
Oh and I even managed to add in some spinach :). You can't taste it and it's a wonderful way to get some extra greens into your child's diet.
I told you I am embracing this chocolate loving phase!
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Ingredients

I am highlighting just the ones that need further explanation. The complete list is in the recipe card below.
- Rolled oats - You can also use quick cooking. Oat flour will work too, but I recommend making it at home. It's SUPER easy to do and less expensive.
- Milk - I like to use whole milk but you can use 2% milk or any dairy-free alternative, like almond milk or oat milk.
- Banana - the riper it is, the sweeter the pancakes will be. Not only will it provide natural sweetness but will also add moisture to the pancakes.
- Eggs - I highly recommend using room temperature eggs as you'll end up with fluffier pancakes.
Step-by-Step Instructions

- Add the oats into a high-powered food processor and blend until they turn into flour-like consistency.
- Add the milk then the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth. Stop to scrape down sides as needed.
- Add oil/butter to a griddle or large non-stick pan and place over medium heat. If you have an electric griddle, warm to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Drop about ¼ cup of the pancake batter into the pan.
- Cook for 2-4 minutes, or until bubbles form and the edges look set. Flip pancakes and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
Substitutions
- Dairy-free? you can use plant-based milk of choice
- Egg-free? Add 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds and ¼ cup additional milk
- An alternative to oat flour? You can use all purpose flour or 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. All-purpose gluten-free flour will work too.
Tips for Success

- For best results, be sure to grind the oats first before adding the rest of the ingredients to the blender. This is to ensure a smooth batter without over blending. Alternatively, you can add all the wet ingredients to the blender first, add the oats last, and then blend.
- For sweeter pancakes, add more maple syrup to the batter or some chocolate chips
- After blending, let the batter rest for 2-3 minutes. This will allow for the oats to absorb some of the liquid, making it easier to scoop/pour into pan. If you find that the batter is too thick, add additional milk (a little bit at a time) to thin it out.
Serving Suggestions

Enjoy these fluffy chocolate pancakes with:
- Fresh berries, banana slices, or any favorite fruit
- A drizzle of Maple syrup or date syrup if looking for a no added sugar alternative
- A dollop of Greek yogurt
- Healthy cream cheese frosting
- A spread of creamy peanut butter, almond butter, or any nut or seed butter of choice).
- No added sugar strawberry jam
- Unsweetened applesauce
Note: I would hold off on serving these chocolate pancakes or any recipes with cocoa powder until 2 years of age, although small tastes are ok. Even though unsweetened cocoa powder doesn't contain added sugar, it does contain caffeine, to which babies are more sensitive.
Equipment
I didn't think I needed an electric griddle until the husband gifted me one for Christmas. And I am in love!! It has cut down the time I spend making pancakes by half, if not more!
I love that it holds a consistent temperature (so less chance of burning the pancakes) and is super easy to clean.
I've also been using it to make eggs, quesadillas, grilled cheese, tofu...I mean, why did I wait so long to get one?!
And if you've seen some of my recipes, you have met my number one kitchen workhorse - this high-powered blender! It's crazy to think that I've had it for 7+ years and it's still going strong.
I use it to make all my blender muffins, dips/sauces, smoothies, veggie nuggets, soups, cookies and so much more
Storage
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Here's how to freeze pancakes as well as reheat them so they taste just as good as the day you made them.
More Pancake Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!

Chocolate Banana Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats (200g)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (20g)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 medium ripe banana (140g)
- 2 eggs
- A large handful of baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- â…› teaspoon salt
Optional: Stir in ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the oats into a high-powered food processor and blend until they turn into flour-like consistency.
- Add the milk then the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth. Stop to scrape down sides as needed.
- Add oil/butter to a griddle or large non-stick pan and place over medium heat. If you have an electric griddle, warm to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Drop about ¼ cup of the pancake batter into the pan. v
- Cook for 2-4 minutes, or until bubbles form and the edges look set. Flip pancakes and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
- Dairy-free? you can use plant-based milk of choice
- Egg-free? Add 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds and ¼ cup additional milk
- An alternative to oat flour? Use all purpose flour or 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. All-purpose gluten-free flour will work too.
- For sweeter pancakes, add more maple syrup to the batter or some chocolate chips
Elizabeth Mc Cashin says
Thank you so so much for this recipe. My three year old hasn’t eaten fruit or veg in almost a year. We just made these together and she loved them. I paired them with some greek yogurt and sugar free raspberry jam. A complete success.
Min says
OH this makes me so so happy to hear!
Yaz says
My 3yo son and 64 year old mom both loved these pancakes! Easy to make and love that it’s all good stuff. Thank you for sharing 💗
Min says
Oh I love this so much! Thanks for sharing!!
Laura says
Wow! My family isn’t even your typical (likely regularly healthy eating) subscriber and I will be making these from now on! My husband was hesitant to try them (he saw the ingredients going into the blender lol) and he reluctantly tried them. At first he thought they were ok, but then he put a little bit of peanut butter on top (with syrup) and he was sold. My kids really enjoyed these too, particularly with whipped cream. We didn’t even include the chocolate chips! I’ll definitely top these with whipped cream, fresh banana, and mini chocolate chips next time to see if my Dad will have any idea these have such healthy ingredients when I make them for him!
Min says
This is just the best comment ever! SO happy to hear that you guys enjoyed these pancakes so much!!
Marlize says
We made these and the whole family loved them!
I do think though that it might be worth adding the intentional age somewhere as the AAP only recommends cocoa after 2 years old because of the caffeine and sugar content, and not all moms know about that, so a guideline could be helpful, especially for parents with a daughter like mine, who east what feels like a TON 😛
We will make these again! But maybe not for our one year old.
Min says
Ah several people have asked me on IG so I recommended holding off until 2 because unsweetened cocoa powder contains caffeine but will add here! Thanks for the suggestion!
Jessica says
Could you use frozen spinach nuggets, if so would you use 1 nugget thawed and squeeze the water out?
Min says
Yes! definitely squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible!
Sitara says
Hi! This looks so delicious, can’t wait to try! Do you use sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder?
Min says
Unsweetened!
Abby says
This recipe was sooooo good! I added a little more maple syrup and it was perfect! I think I will cook these again for Valentines morning!! THANK YOU!
Min says
Aww yay Abby!!! I'm so glad you loved these pancakes! Thank you for the lovely feedback!