Chocolate Churro Pancakes

If you love anything churro-related, this Churro Pancake is about to become your new favorite breakfast. Instead of a basic cinnamon sugar swirl, this version hides a molten chocolate center inside fluffy, cinnamon-dusted pancakes so every bite tastes like a freshly fried churro crossed with a dessert you would order at a café.

Our churro pancake recipe was built for people who always reach for the chocolate filled option. Inspired by our obsession with churros and chocolate desserts, these chocolate churro pancakes bring together crisp cinnamon edges and a soft, rich middle that melts as you cut into it. If you love chocolate stuffed pancakes that feel indulgent without being heavy, this stack delivers that warm, bakery style experience right at home.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

This Churro Pancakes works because it gives you the real churro experience, not just cinnamon sugar on top. The batter is lightly spiced and cooked until golden on the outside, so you get that crisp, churro-like edge while the inside stays soft and fluffy. When the chocolate melts in the center, it creates the same contrast you get from biting into a freshly filled churro.

What sets this churro pancake recipe apart from regular pancakes is the way the filling is sealed inside. Instead of melting away into the batter, the chocolate stays rich and gooey, turning these into true chocolate stuffed pancakes, a technique that works just as beautifully for our breakfast jam-stuffed pancakes.

What Goes Into Churro Pancakes

This Churro Pancakes batter is built to stay fluffy while holding a gooey chocolate center, with just enough cinnamon to give that classic churro flavor without overpowering the chocolate filling.

• Self Raising Flour: This gives the pancakes their soft, cake-like lift so they stay thick enough to wrap around the chocolate without leaking.
• Ground Cinnamon: The key to that warm churro flavor, baked right into the batter instead of just sprinkled on top so every bite tastes like a real churro.
• Chocolate Chips: These melt into the center to create that signature molten filling, turning these into true chocolate stuffed pancakes instead of regular pancakes with chocolate mixed through.
• Butter: Melted butter adds richness and helps the edges brown beautifully, giving your churro pancake recipe that lightly crisp exterior you expect from chocolate churro pancakes.

Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients with measurements.

On the stove

1. Whisk The Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir until evenly combined and free of lumps.

1. Mix The Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg, vanilla, and milk until smooth and fully blended.

1. Combine Batter: Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk gently until a smooth batter forms, making sure no dry flour remains.

1. Heat The Pan: Lightly grease a nonstick pan and warm it over low to medium heat so the pancakes cook through without burning.

1. Pour And Fill: Spoon under 1/4 cup of batter into the pan, then drop chocolate chips into the center and cover with a little more batter.

1. Cook And Flip: Let the pancake cook until the bottom is golden, then gently flip and cook the other side until set and lightly browned.

1. Coat In Cinnamon Sugar: Place each hot pancake into a dish of cinnamon sugar, turning it so both sides are evenly coated.

1. Stack And Serve: Transfer the coated pancakes to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter before serving warm.

A stack of warm chocolate churro pancakes pairs especially well with something lightly creamy or fruity on the side. Honey Lime Fruit Salad adds a bright, juicy contrast that cuts through the richness of the melted chocolate.

For a cozier brunch spread, serve your churro pancake recipe with Nutella Hot Chocolate for a double chocolate moment that still feels balanced thanks to the cinnamon notes. The warm drink echoes the chocolate filling inside these chocolate stuffed pancakes and turns the whole plate into a café-style treat.

Kitchen tip

• Let the batter rest for a few minutes before cooking so your Churro Pancake stays thick and fluffy. We usually use this time to get our pan and cinnamon sugar ready so nothing feels rushed once cooking starts.
• Keep the heat on low to medium so the chocolate churro pancakes cook through without burning. If the pan is too hot, the outside will brown before the chocolate inside has a chance to melt properly.
• Stick to smaller pancakes when making chocolate stuffed pancakes because they are much easier to flip and keep sealed. We learned the hard way that oversized ones love to leak chocolate all over the pan.
• Roll each pancake in cinnamon sugar while it is still warm so it coats evenly and sticks beautifully. This step is what gives your churro pancake recipe that bakery-style finish everyone loves.

Recipe FAQ's

Because this Churro Pancake batter is thicker and filled with chocolate, it does not bubble the same way. Always check the edges and underside for a golden color before flipping instead of waiting for bubbles.

Make sure the chocolate is dropped into the center and fully covered with batter before cooking. Sealing the edges properly is what keeps these chocolate stuffed pancakes neat and gooey inside.

Chocolate chips, buttons, or chopped chocolate all work well for this churro pancake recipe. Use something you enjoy eating on its own since it becomes the molten center of the pancakes.

What you need

• 1 1/2 cups self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder heaped
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter melted and cooled slightly
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or buttons
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

1. Combine together flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large-sized bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the melted butter, egg, vanilla and milk. Slowly whisk well until smooth. Set aside.
2. Melt a small amount of butter in a nonstick pan over low-medium heat. Pour less than 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan and spread out gently with the back of your ladle. Drop chocolate chips/buttons onto the centre of the batter, and then gently pour a little pancake batter evenly over the top to cover completely.
3. When the underside is golden, gently flip and cook until golden. Repeat with remaining batter and chocolate chips. (Please note: no bubbles will form on top like normal pancakes, so check the corners before flipping).
4. Prepare a wide shallow dish with the cinnamon and sugar. Immediately place each pancake onto the cinnamon sugar while they're still warm. Evenly coat both sides and place onto a serving dish.
5. Serve with fruit, ice cream or frozen yoghurt, or enjoy as they are.