If you are health conscious, chocolate pancakes may not seem like a sensible breakfast choice. Made with flour, fried in fat and drizzled with sugar, they do not compare in health benefit to cereal, whole-grain breads or protein shakes. Knowing the exact nutritional content of chocolate pancakes will help you decide how frequently to include them in your diet, and in what quantity.
Chocolate Pancakes Nutritional Information
Chocolate pancakes contain flour, baking soda, whole milk, eggs, salt and cocoa powder. Traditionally, pancakes are fried in butter. One pancake that is 3 inches in diameter contains approximately 70 calories, 1.1 grams of fat, 14.2 mg of cholesterol, 90 mg of salt, 31 mg of potassium, 13.7 grams of totally carbohydrates, 7.1 grams of sugar and 1.6 grams of protein. It also contains trace amounts of vitamins B and D, calcium and manganese.
Low-Fat Chocolate Pancakes
To make low-fat chocolate pancakes, substitute low-fat or fat-free milk for whole milk. Instead of frying the pancake in butter, spray the griddle lightly with cooking spray. Use a non-stick griddle for ease of flipping with this method. Substitute low-fat egg substitute for eggs. A combination of these methods can bring the fat content of the pancake down to .5 grams per 4-inch pancake, or lower. If frying the pancakes in butter, do not set the griddle on low heat -- the longer the pancakes need to cook, the more fat they will absorb from the butter. Cocoa powder is low in fat, and does not need to be altered for low-fat recipes.
Low-Carb Chocolate Pancakes
Substitute a carb-controlled flour mixture for regular white flour. You may need to use extra butter to prevent this flour mixture from sticking to the griddle. You may wish to add an additional egg, which will not affect the carb content, but may create a fluffier pancake. Instead of syrup or fruit sauce, top the pancake with butter or scrambled eggs. Alternately, make a topping of fresh chopped berries and whipped cream. Cocoa powder is naturally low in carbohydrates, but you may need to use a mix of non-nutritive sweeteners, such as sucralose, stevia and aspartame, to offset the bitterness of the cocoa.
Health-Conscious Chocolate Pancakes
Subsitute whole wheat flour for white flour and honey or agave syrup for sugar. Use organic cocoa powder along with soy or rice milk. Fry the pancakes in coconut oil instead of butter, being careful not to allow the oil to smoke on the griddle. Use free-range eggs and sea salt to complete extra-nutritious version of chocolate pancakes. Top with fresh fruit, ricotta cheese or naturally sweetened jam.
Chocolate Pancake Mix-ins
Though chocolate pancakes are delicious with no additions, you may wish to add extra nutrition in the forms of tasty mix-ins. Add chopped bananas to the batter for extra potassium. Boiled, mashed and unflavored sweet potatoes can be mixed into the batter, adding fiber and B vitamins without significantly altering the taste of the chocolate. A scoop of protein powder, either whey or soy, will may this breakfast more balanced -- chocolate to enhance the flavor, or even vanilla or strawberry to contrast it.
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