Chocolate Pumpkin Pancakes

One of my favorite things about fall (and Halloween in particular) is all the fun goodies we allow ourselves to indulge in. We have lots of fun Halloween-themed lunch and dinner ideas, but noticed breakfast was getting a bit shortchanged. I am happy to be partnering with Kemps to bring you this fun and tasty Halloween-themed breakfast idea!

I love everything pumpkin for Fall and chocolate is a favorite ALL year-round. I have to admit, I haven’t combined the two before that I can recall. These Chocolate Pumpkin Pancakes use Kemps chocolate milk to give just a hint of chocolatey goodness to the pumpkin pancakes. 

If you follow me here and on Instagram, you’ve seen me talk about Kemps before. Made up of local family farmers, Kemps has been providing the freshest and most natural dairy products since 1914! Their chocolate milk has all the great things their white milk does – calcium, protein, etc. – with a great chocolate taste as well.

In addition to the vitamins and calcium from milk in the recipe, pumpkin packs quite a nutritional punch as well. Pumpkin is known for being a great source of vitamin A and antioxidants such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. Pumpkin also contains vitamin C, iron, vitamin E and folate, all which help to support your immune system. Add potassium and fiber to the list of good things in pumpkin as well. Both of these are beneficial for heart health.

While pancakes are fun all by themselves, you can make these even more whimsical by adding a little stem to them and then creating a Jack-o-Lantern face with candy for a special treat.

How to make Chocolate Pumpkin Pancakes

Gather your ingredients. You will need pumpkin puree, flour, an egg, butter, baking powder, baking soda, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, Kemps chocolate milk, sugar (optional), syrup (optional), whipped cream (optional), candy (optional). For exact measurements, see the recipe card below.

What to do. Start off by whisking together the pumpkin puree, egg and melted butter. 

Separately, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, spices and sugar if including that. Personally, I love these pancakes without any added sugar, However, if your family has a sweet tooth or skips the syrup on their pancakes, you might want to include it.

Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and slowly add the Kemps chocolate milk a little at a time, stirring in between to avoid creating lumps. Check the consistency of the batter and add more milk if some thinning is needed. The thicker the batter, the thicker your pancakes will come out.

Grease your griddle and set to medium heat. Pour the batter onto the griddle once hot. I find that ¼ – ⅓ cup of batter makes a good sized pancake.

Cook until you begin to see bubbles forming on the top side of the pancake. Poke the edges gently to see if they have firmed up. If so, carefully flip your pancakes over and continue cooking the other side. This should go a bit faster than the first side did.

Serve while hot and top with your favorite syrup or even some whipped cream. And be sure to enjoy with a nice cold glass of Kemps chocolate milk to wash it all down!