Childhood Paradise: Chocolate M&M Pancakes Recipe

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Enjoying the Colors!

M&M’s! One of my favorite chocolates! I’ve never been to an M&M store but I sure would love to visit one someday. I’ve heard they’re four floors full of M&M’s. Wow! What a childhood paradise to be in!

So, since unfortunately I can’t visit an M&M store anytime soon, these Chocolate M&M Pancakes will just have to do! I’d love to make these pancakes playing around with all the options they must sell at the M&M stores, but here I had a package of classic M&Ms. Fun fact: I’ve actually never tried peanut M&M’s before. But I hear they’re all the rage! That’s on my must-try list now!

These chocolate M&M pancakes brought back so many memories of enjoying M&Ms and I had a great time adding them to my pancakes for a nostalgic and indulgent meal.

A Cocoa Delight!

I love these pancakes because there’s so much chocolate! These pancakes are nice and fluffy because of the cocoa powder in the batter. I made the pancake batter chocolate to go all-out with the chocolate goodness for this pancake, as I don't imagine M&Ms being paired with anything other than chocolate!

Tools Needed

• Large bowl
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Nonstick pan
• Spatula
• Measuring cups
• Baking sheet

How to Make Chocolate M&M Pancakes

These pancakes are really quick and easy to prepare, no matter your cooking level! To begin, you’ll combine the dry ingredients in one large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and whisk well, but not too much or else the pancakes will become dense.

Then, heat a skillet on medium heat and add butter or oil. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop out some batter and pour onto the pan. Add your M&M’s and wait until you see bubbles appear, about 1-2 minutes. Then, flip your pancake and cook for another minute or two, reducing the heat to medium-low. When the pancake has finished cooking, transfer to the oven to keep the pancake warm. Repeat these steps with the remaining batter.

When all the pancakes have cooked, stack them one on top of another on a plate. Top with your favorite toppings. I recommend more M&M’s, whipped cream, and maple syrup. Serve hot and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

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Tips for the Best M&M Pancakes

For the fluffiest M&M pancakes, whisk the all-purpose and whole wheat flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into the wet ingredients (the egg, honey, and water or milk) just until combined — overmixing the batter makes the pancakes dense. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto a hot, lightly buttered pan or griddle, then sprinkle the M&Ms straight onto the wet top. Flip once bubbles appear and the underside is golden, then cook another 1-2 minutes on medium-low. Keep the finished pancakes warm in a 200°F oven while you cook the rest of the batter. Love the chocolate flavor? Swap the M&Ms for chocolate chips, or pile on both, and finish with whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.

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Easy Swaps and Variations

Half the fun is switching these up:

• No M&M's? Chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, or Smarties all work; fold them into the batter or scatter them on top.
• Swap the milk for buttermilk for extra-fluffy pancakes, or use any dairy-free milk.
• Make them all whole wheat or all all-purpose, depending on what you have on hand.
• Finish with whipped cream, a drizzle of maple syrup, or a handful of fresh berries.

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Storage, Make-Ahead and Freezing

Keep cooked pancakes warm in a 200 degree F oven while you finish the batch. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for two to three days, or freeze them in a single layer and then stack with parchment between each one. Reheat in a toaster, microwave, or warm oven. To get ahead, whisk the dry ingredients together the night before.

Why These From-Scratch M&M Pancakes Are a Kid Favorite

There's a reason these end up on the table for birthdays, weekend breakfasts, and after-school surprises: they're made completely from scratch, so you know exactly what goes into them. The chocolate batter comes together from simple pantry staples — all-purpose and whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, one egg, and a little honey for sweetness — with no boxed mix required. Kids love pressing the colorful M&M's into the batter themselves, and it's an easy recipe to make your own: reach for M&M minis so the candy tucks into the pancakes more evenly, add a pinch of salt to the dry ingredients if you like a little contrast to all that sweetness, or set out extra M&M's and whipped cream so everyone can build their own stack. It's as much a fun activity as it is breakfast.

The Flour Blend, and Turning These into Chocolate Chip Pancakes

The dry side of this batter is half a cup of all purpose flour plus a quarter cup of whole wheat flour, and the split is doing real work. A quarter cup of cocoa powder is a lot of cocoa for three quarters of a cup of flour, and cocoa has no gluten in it, so a batter made on all purpose flour alone goes slack and bakes up closer to cake than pancake. The whole wheat gives it enough structure to hold. If all purpose flour is all you have, use three quarters of a cup of it and expect a softer, more delicate pancake that needs a gentler flip.