Homemade Pancake Mix Recipe - Skip the Box and Make Your Own! (2024)

FAQs

What can I use if I run out of pancake mix? ›

If you run out of pancake mix, you can make pancakes at home with just a few simple ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and a bit of sugar. Once you mix those dry ingredients, you'll add the milk, an egg, and butter to create a terrific pancake batter.

It's easy to find boxed pancake mix on sale for just a few dollars. So, if you use organic flour and organic sugar, your homemade pancake mix will cost you more. However, if you buy flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder in bulk, the cost per pancake is cheaper than a boxed mix.

There are actually a lot of ingredients in most generic pancake mixes. Usually it has flour, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and/or even added flavors.

Measurement Adjustment: When substituting pancake mix for flour, you need to adjust the measurements. For every cup of flour required in the recipe, reduce it by 2.5 tablespoons to account for the leavening agents and sugar already present in the pancake mix [3].

Vegetable Oil, Baking Powder, and Water: Pancakes are basically a quick bread, and this substitute is a good choice if you need to replace the eggs! Use 1 ½ tablespoons of vegetable oil, one teaspoon of baking powder, and 1 ½ tablespoons of water to equal one egg. Just add the combination to your wet ingredients.

But if they're so beloved, why do most people resort to using box mixes? I realize these mixes are supposed to be faster and easier than cooking up a batch of homemade pancakes, but honestly, from-scratch pancakes just taste much better than anything you can make from a box mix.

Homemade pancake batter won't have additives, preservatives, and dry milk and eggs, many would consider that to be beneficial.

Pancake lovers' biggest complaint when adding water instead of milk is that the flavor seems to change. Pancakes aren't as richly flavored with water. There are a few ways to improve your batter when you've used water, including: Add extra butter.

Despite their tasty profile, these comfort foods are often made with refined white flour and topped with butter and syrup, which is essentially pure sugar. This means that pancakes and waffles are high in calories, fat, and sugar, yet lacking in protein and fiber.

Pancake mix usually requires you add eggs. Eggs provide flavor, structure, and leavening as well as richness from fat in the yolks and color to the final baked product. The height of the pancakes and their tenderness comes from the eggs. You can, however, make pancakes without eggs.

What is pancake mix made of? ›

Pancakes are really simple. Flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, eggs, oil and a liquid will get you there. Boxed mixes use cheap oil, like soybean oil and dehydrated buttermilk.

Beat two eggs with 4 tablespoons of sugar and about one teacup (or 3/4 of a cup) of milk. Add 4 teacups of flour and mix in another teacup of milk "as required" Mix in 3 teaspoons of cream of tartar and 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate soda (baking soda) Fold in 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

The aeration in the pancake batter makes the eggs light, tender, and fluffy without adding any obvious flavor, so the egg dish is both hefty and light at the same time. Pancake batter also gives the eggs enough body and structure to hold together over the meaty, cheesy fillings.

Tips for the Perfect Pancakes

Baking soda should be no more than six months old. Stir the batter only until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated; overbeating will make pancakes tough and chewy instead of fluffy. No Buttermilk, No Problem!

Can you use milk instead of water for pancakes? You sure can! Instead of water, you can use any kind of milk, including almond milk and coconut milk, to mix up the pancake batter.

Expert Home Tips says that pancake batter containing dairy and flour should last two to four days in the refrigerator. This depends, of course, on the expiration date of the eggs and milk used to make the batter. Pancake batter is best stored in an airtight container or resealable bag to retain freshness.

If your pancake mix simply calls for water, substitute the same amount of milk and enjoy an airier texture. For guaranteed moisture and richness, add some melted butter to your batter. A few tablespoons of Greek yogurt or ricotta cheese will give your pancakes a richer flavor.