How to Make Pancake Mix

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Last Updated: November 3, 2022 Tested

After learning how to make your own “instant” pancake mix, you'll never need to buy the commercial kind again. Homemade pancake can round out your pantry or be given to a loved one as a creative gift. There are varieties of pancake mix you can prepare, and each is easy to customize and store. Here's how to do it.

Ingredients

Homestyle Pancake Mix^{[1]
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Makes approximately 50 oz (1450 g) dry mix

6 cups (1500 ml) flour
1.5 cup (375 ml) cornmeal
0.5 cup (125 ml) sugar
1.5 cup (375 ml) powdered milk
2 Tbsp (30 ml) baking powder
0.5 tsp (2.5 ml) salt

Dry Buttermilk Pancake Mix^{[2]
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Makes roughly 1 2/3 lb (600 g) dry mix

4 cups (1 liter) flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) dry buttermilk powder
2 tsp (10 ml) baking soda
4 tsp (20 ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5 ml) salt

Liquid Buttermilk Pancake Mix^{[3]
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Makes about 50 oz (1410 g) dry mix

6 cups (1500 ml) flour
1.5 tsp (7.5 ml) baking soda
3 tsp (15 ml) baking powder
1 Tbsp (15 ml) salt
2 Tbsp (30 ml) sugar

Sour Cream Pancake Mix

Makes roughly 1 2/3 lb (600 g) dry mix

4 cups (1 liter) flour
1/3 cup (80 ml) sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) dry sour cream powder
2 tsp (10 ml) baking soda
4 tsp (20 ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5 ml) salt

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing Homestyle Pancake Mix

1
Stir all the ingredients together. When preparing any of the home-style, dry buttermilk, liquid buttermilk, or sour cream pancake mixes, all the dry ingredients should be thoroughly mixed in a large mixing bowl.
- When making a pancake mix, you should only combine the dry ingredients. Each mix requires you to add liquid ingredients before cooking pancakes, but these liquid ingredients should not be included in stored mixes.
- For best results, sift together lumpy ingredients like flour and cornmeal before stirring them into the other ingredients.
- All-purpose flour is standard in these recipes, but you can also substitute it for fine-grain whole wheat flour if you want a healthier version.
- Stir the ingredients with a whisk, wooden spoon, or large plastic mixing spoon. Make sure the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
2
Alternatively, shake the ingredients together in a jar. If you have a large enough jar, you can combine the dry ingredients in the jar. After filling the jar, tightly secure a cap or lid to it. Give the jar a vigorous shake to mix the ingredients together.
- If you do not have a jar or container large enough to do this with the entire batch, you can cut the batch down to fit the jar you do have.
- Leave at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of empty space between the top of the mix and the top of the jar. This empty space is necessary to encourage easy movement within the jar, which is essential if you want to mix the pancake mix inside the jar.
Each of the home-style, dry buttermilk, liquid buttermilk, and sour cream pancake mixes can be cut into smaller amounts or multiplied into larger amounts. Simply make sure to maintain the current ingredient proportions.

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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Customizing Your Pancake Mix

1
Add chocolate or other baking chips. Prepare a chocolate chip pancake mix by combining 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup (60 ml to 125 ml) of mini milk chocolate chips for every 2 cups (500 ml) of basic dry mix.
- Similarly, you can create white chocolate pancakes by replacing the milk chocolate chips with white chocolate chips. Black-and-white pancakes can be made by combining 2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup (30 ml to 60 ml) of white chocolate chips with equal parts milk chocolate chips.
- Other baking chips you can consider combining with the mix include peanut butter chips and butterscotch chips.
- Mini baking chips work best, but standard-size chips can also be used. If these are too big for your liking, though, you can give them a rough chop with a sharp kitchen knife before tossing them into the dry pancake mix.
2
Use nuts. Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup (60 ml to 125 ml) of finely chopped, unsalted nuts to 2 cups (500 ml) dry pancake mix.
- You can use any sort of nut that appeals to you. Some variations worth trying include peanuts, pecans, walnuts, and macadamia nuts.
- To create crunchy peanut butter pancakes, add 1/4 cup (60 ml) of chopped unsalted peanuts and 1/4 cup (60 ml) peanut butter baking chips to 2 cups (500 ml) dry pancake mix.
- You can also combine milk chocolate chips with peanuts, pecans, almonds, and most other nuts to create pancakes reminiscent of chocolate-covered nuts.
3
Mix in dried fruit. Fresh fruit cannot be added to pancake mix you plan to store, but if you prefer fruity pancakes, you can add various types of dried fruit to the mix. Combine roughly 1/4 cup (60 ml) of dried fruit for every 1.5 to 2 cups (375 to 500 ml) dry basic pancake mix.
- Note that many types of dried fruit may be too large to include whole. In these instances, you should give the fruit a rough chop with a sharp kitchen knife before stirring the pieces into the dried mix.
- Raisins, dried cherries, dried blueberries, dried strawberries, and dried apricots are a few types of dried fruit that work well in pancakes even without the addition of other customized ingredients.
- You can create tropical pancakes by mixing in equal parts dried pineapple, dried mango, and dried kiwi.
- For a flavor with greater dimension, combine nuts and fruit. Chopped walnut chips go well with dried dates and dried cranberries, for instance.
4
Combine with cinnamon and other warm spices. A combination of ground cinnamon and dried nutmeg is a safe way to go. Add roughly 2 tsp (10 ml) of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) nutmeg for every 3 cups (750 ml) flour used.
- You can also add cinnamon to pancakes containing dried fruit like raisins or nuts like pecans.
Fresh fruit should be added to the mix immediately before you cook it, not before you store it. Do the same with other ingredients that have a limited shelf life, like flaked coconut.

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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Storing the Pancake Mix

1
Store the mix in a sealed, labeled jar. Each jar or container should have an airtight seal, and each needs to be labeled with the type of mix it contains and the date the mix was created. When stored this way, dry pancake mix can usually last for 3 months without any decline in quality.
- The safest option is to label the jar with a date range. The beginning date should be when the mix was created and the end date should be your “use by” date.
- Make sure that you check the expiration date of each ingredient used. If one of your ingredients expires sooner than 3 months, the entire batch of pancake mix will also expire with it.
- Use a glass jar or plastic container. Make sure the lid has a tight seal, and thoroughly wash and dry both the jar and lid before pouring your pancake mix in.
2
Include instructions. You should attach an index card with the preparation instructions written on it to the jar of pancake mix. This is true regardless of whether you plan on keeping the mix for yourself or giving it away to someone else.
- For the homestyle pancake mix, combine 1 cup (250 ml) water with 1 cup (250 ml) dry mix, stirring until the lumps disappear.
- For the dry buttermilk and sour cream pancake mixes, whisk together one egg, 2 Tbsp (30 ml) melted butter or oil, and 3/4 cup (175 ml) water for every 1.5 cups (375 ml) dry mix used. Stir the liquids together separately before whisking them into the dry pancake mix.
- For the liquid buttermilk pancakes, whisk together 2 egg whites and 2 cups (500 ml) buttermilk in a separate bowl. In another bowl, mix 2 egg yolks and 4 Tbsp (60 ml) melted butter. Combine the two egg mixtures thoroughly before whisking them into 2 cups (500 ml) of prepared pancake mix.
- Ladle the batter of each mix onto a hot, oiled griddle or skillet and cook for several until bubbles form and the edges dry. Flip once and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes or until done.
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Community Q&A

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Question

What kind of flour do I use?

Community Answer

Any kind of flour is fine. If you want healthier pancakes, go for wheat flour, but regular all purpose flour will work great too.

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Tips

Consider preparing pancake mix as a gift. You can divide your favorite mix into 1-pint (500 ml) jars. Include various preparation utensils, like a brightly colored spatula, measuring cup, or mixing bowl, and tie the instructions around the jar using decorative ribbon.

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