Hot Chocolate Pancakes

☕🍫 Hot Chocolate Pancakes — The Coziest Stack You’ll Ever Flip

Your breakfast tastes like a mug of hot cocoa wearing a whipped cream hat, you know you’ve made the right life choices.

 

 

These Hot Chocolate Pancakes are the ultimate winter (or honestly, any‑season) breakfast treat. They’re fluffy, chocolatey, and just the right amount of indulgent — like your favorite hot cocoa, but in pancake form. And the best part? They’re ridiculously easy to make thanks to a little help from Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix and a couple of hot chocolate packets you probably already have in your pantry.

They’re:

• Ridiculously fun — because who doesn’t want marshmallows on their breakfast?
• Perfect for cozy mornings — snow day, holiday, or just a “because we can” Saturday.
• Kid‑approved — and let’s be honest, adult‑approved too.

💬 Reader prompt: Are you a “stack ‘em high” pancake person or a “spread them out so I can drown each one in toppings” kind of eater?

 

The boys love Krusteaz pancakes, I do too. However, we’ve been trying to mix it up at breakfast time and we have a bunch of hot chocolate packs from Costco. We decided to throw them in some pancakes and see how they turn out.

They were an absolute hit! Homemade whipped cream and chocolate chips were the perfect topping. You can put anything you want on these but that was our preference. Give these a try! Let us know what toppings you tried and liked!

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix
• 2 Hot chocolate powder mixes
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups cold milk
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Heat the Griddle
   • Preheat to 325°F (medium heat) and lightly grease.
2. Mix the Batter
   • In a large bowl, whisk together pancake mix, hot chocolate powder, cocoa powder, milk, and egg until just combined. (Don’t overmix — lumps are your friends here.)
3. Rest the Batter
   • Let it stand for 2 minutes to relax the gluten and make fluffier pancakes.
4. Pour & Cook
   • Scoop slightly less than ¼ cup batter per pancake onto the griddle.
   • Cook 1 ½–2 minutes per side, flipping only once when tops bubble and bottoms are golden.
5. Serve & Top
   • Serve immediately with your choice of chocolate sauce, whipped cream, marshmallows, crushed candy canes, chocolate chips, or fruit.

🔢 Calorie Count (Per Pancake — Makes ~12)

• Calories: ~140
• Protein: 3g
• Carbs: 22g
• Fat: 4g
• Sugar: 9g

📊 Nutritional Facts (Per Pancake)

\*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

👩‍🍳 Pancake‑Making Tips for Cocoa‑Lovers

• Don’t press them down — it squishes out the fluff.
• Flip once — over‑flipping = tough pancakes.
• Keep them warm — place cooked pancakes on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven while you finish the batch.
• Mix‑in magic — fold in mini chocolate chips for melty pockets of joy.
• Topping tip — if you’re using whipped cream, add it right before serving so it doesn’t melt into a puddle.

💬 Reader prompt: Do you like your pancakes with a little crisp on the edges or soft all the way through?

🎨 Recipe Variations

• Peppermint Mocha Pancakes — add crushed candy canes to the batter and top with peppermint whipped cream.
• S’mores Stack — layer pancakes with marshmallow fluff and crushed graham crackers.
• Mexican Hot Chocolate — add a pinch of cinnamon and cayenne to the batter.
• Double Chocolate Dream — swap milk for chocolate milk and add extra cocoa powder.
• Fruit & Cocoa — top with fresh raspberries or strawberries for a tart contrast.

🧒 Kid Tips

• Let kids choose their own toppings — it’s like a pancake sundae bar.
• Use mini marshmallows for less mess (and cuteness factor).
• Make silver‑dollar pancakes for little hands.
• Turn them into “pancake pops” by inserting lollipop sticks before serving.

💬 Reader prompt: Parents — do your kids eat the toppings first or save them for the last bite?

🛒 Grocery Hacks

• Hot chocolate packets — buy in bulk during winter sales and stash for recipes.
• Krusteaz mix — keep a box in the pantry for quick breakfasts.
• Cocoa powder — store in an airtight container to keep it fresh.
• Milk swaps — almond, oat, or soy milk work just fine.
• Eggs — if you’re out, sub with ¼ cup applesauce for a slightly denser pancake.

📣 Reader’s Challenge: #HotChocolatePancakeParty

Here’s your mission:

1. Make these Hot Chocolate Pancakes.
2. Go wild with toppings — think seasonal, colorful, or over‑the‑top dessert vibes.
3. Snap a photo and post with #HotChocolatePancakeParty.
4. I’ll feature my favorites in an upcoming Friday Favorites post!

♻️ Leftover Remix

• Pancake Sandwiches — spread Nutella or peanut butter between two pancakes.
• Frozen Treats — freeze pancakes with parchment between layers; reheat in the toaster.
• Pancake Trifles — layer with pudding and fruit in a jar.
• Chocolate Pancake Croutons — cube and toast for topping ice cream.
• Lunchbox Surprise — wrap in foil for a sweet midday snack.

 

💭 Final Thoughts

These pancakes are proof that breakfast can be playful, cozy, and just a little bit magical. They’re quick enough for a weekday treat and special enough for a holiday brunch. Plus, they’re endlessly customizable — you can make them your own every time.

💬 Reader prompt: If you could turn any drink into a pancake flavor, what would it be?

Some breakfasts are just breakfasts. These Hot Chocolate Pancakes? They’re a celebration in a stack. They’re the smell of cocoa wafting through the kitchen, the sight of whipped cream melting into warm pancakes, and the joy of that first bite when you get a little bit of everything — fluffy cake, rich chocolate, and sweet toppings.

I love that they’re flexible — you can keep them classic, go full dessert mode, or add a seasonal twist. They’re forgiving, too; even if your pancakes aren’t perfectly round, they’ll still taste like a hug. And they’re the kind of recipe that makes people linger at the table, laughing and reaching for “just one more.”

So here’s my challenge: make them, share them, and tag your creations with #HotChocolatePancakeParty so we can all drool together, swap ideas, and maybe even inspire the next great pancake flavor. I want to see your tallest stacks, your boldest toppings, your “couldn’t wait to take a bite” photos.

Here’s to cozy mornings, chocolatey breakfasts, and recipes that bring people together. Here’s to you — because you’re about to flip something that will have everyone asking, “When are you making these again?” ☕🍫💛

Did you try our Hot Chocolate Pancakes recipe? What did you think? Did you love it? We would love to hear from you! Please leave us a comment below or tag us on Instagram!

 

BREAKFAST HEAVEN

 

This will quickly become your family’s favorite breakfast! This is French toast on steroids.  You will never go back to normal French Toast again!!!

 

 

 

It’s time to do Christmas stuff now, right? Hot Cocoa Cinnamon-less Rolls are so so good!

 

 

Pull-A-Part Cinnamon Roll Bread is the perfect cinnamon roll alternative for those of us who can not roll a proper cinnamon roll.