This chocolate chip pancake ice cream is basically your favorite breakfast in a frozen scoop! It has a no-churn maple ice cream base loaded with chocolate chunks and real pancake pieces. Scoop it into a waffle cone, add a healthy glug of maple syrup, and enjoy your new go-to Summer treat.
When I was thinking of unique ice cream flavors to make this Summer, I was kinda feeling like everything had already been done. I'm always inspired by the foods I grew up eating, and my sister is an absolute brunch fiend. I'm pretty sure her favorite food is chocolate chip pancakes, which inspired this chocolate chip pancake ice cream!
Now, I know there is already a pancake-flavored ice cream made by a very popular brand, but does it have chocolate chips? No. And can you make it at home without eggs or an ice cream maker? Definitely not!
Ingredient Notes
Heavy whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk: This is the standard pair of ingredients for making homemade no-churn ice cream. I use the same combo in my peaches and cream ice cream and Oreo ice cream cake. The heavy cream is whipped to stiff peaks, then the condensed milk is folded in. Sweetened condensed milk sweetens the ice cream and helps keep it creamy, essentially replacing the custard base traditional ice creams have.
Maple extract: I really wanted to make this recipe with real maple syrup, but when I was testing, I realized that maple extract was the way to go. It adds a strong maple flavor without making the ice cream too sweet. I used your basic McCormick maple extract that you can find at most supermarkets.
Plain Greek yogurt: This ingredient is in the pancake batter, and it helps add a little acidity and thickness to make the pancakes soft and bouncy. You can use sour cream if you don't have yogurt.
A Few Testing Notes
The main challenge of this chocolate chip pancake ice cream idea was figuring out how to keep the pancakes from disintegrating in the whipped cream base. Pancakes easily soak up liquid, so I knew putting them in directly would make them soggy. The solution was freezing the pancake pieces for about 30 minutes! Frozen pancakes don't soak up liquid. After thawing the ice cream for about 15 minutes, the pieces soften to a nice chewy texture.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the pancake batter. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk, melted butter, egg, Greek yogurt, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and salt until no dry streaks remain.
Step 2: Cook the pancakes. Scoop the batter onto a preheated greased nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until bubbles begin to form on top and the edges look set, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown.
Step 3: Cut the pancakes and freeze. Cut the cooled pancakes into bite-sized pieces. Spread them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate and freeze for 30-45 minutes.
Step 4: Whip the heavy cream. Beat the heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
Step 5: Fold in the condensed milk. Gently fold the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, maple extract, and salt into the whipped cream, be careful not to deflate the mixture.
Step 6: Assemble and freeze. Spoon about ½ of the ice cream base into a deli container or large loaf pan. Sprinkle some of the frozen pancake pieces and chocolate chunks on top. Repeat until all of the ice cream base and mix-ins have been used, finishing with a few extra chocolate chunks on top if desired. Swirl the layers together with a butter knife.
Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before scooping for the creamiest texture.
More Ice Cream Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Pancake Ice Cream
Equipment
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Ingredients
Pancakes
- 120 grams whole milk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter cooled
- 1 large egg
- 75 grams plain Greek yogurt room temperature
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 80 grams all purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Ice Cream
- 480 grams heavy cream cold
- 397 grams sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon maple extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 120 grams semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
Instructions
Pancakes
- Whisk together the milk, melted butter, egg, Greek yogurt, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until smooth.120 grams whole milk, 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter, 1 large egg, 75 grams plain Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fold in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until just combined. The batter should be thick with a few small lumps.80 grams all purpose flour, ⅛ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Heat a lightly buttered nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 scoop of batter to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface and the edges begin to set. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Cut the cooled pancakes into bite-sized pieces. Arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate and freeze for 30-45 minutes until firm.
Ice Cream
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cold heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. The whipped cream should be thick enough to hold its shape but still smooth and creamy.480 grams heavy cream
- Gently fold the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and maple extracts, and salt into the whipped cream until the streaks disappear.397 grams sweetened condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ teaspoon maple extract, ½ teaspoon salt
- Pour half of the ice cream mixture into a freezer-safe deli container or loaf pan. Sprinkle with about half of the frozen pancake pieces and chocolate chunks. Repeat, then gently swirl everything together with a knife.120 grams semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- Cover tightly and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight. Let the ice cream soften at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before scooping and serving.
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