I Make Pancakes Every Week and I Never Buy Pancake Mix—I Do This Instead

We have pancakes for dinner at least once a week in my house. My middle son has been going through a picky phase for, well, his whole life, and pancakes are one of the things he will always eat. To mix it up, I get creative by adding different purées, nut butters, or seeds into the batter in an attempt to boost the nutrition.

In an effort to save time, I've experimented with almost every brand of pancake mix over the years, but I've never been particularly impressed by any of them. I always found myself "fixing" the mix by adding a little of this or a little of that, which defeated the entire purpose of using a convenience product.

Why I Don't Buy Pancake Mix

A few years ago, I decided to start making my own homemade pancake mix. I knew the ratios of sugar, flour, and leavening agent I preferred, and it was just easier to mix up my own, so I always had some on hand.

Plus, as fellow parents of picky eaters will understand, consistency is key. Although my son loves pancakes, he will only really eat my pancakes. They have to look, smell, and feel the same—or else it's going to be a big "no." By creating my own mix, I know the result will be consistent, even if I sneak a few hidden veggies in occasionally.

Another benefit of making the mix from scratch is that you can control the batch size. Usually, on the back of a box of pancake mix, you have the option to make half a box or a whole box, which is always more than I need to feed my son, and let's be honest, leftover pancakes are just not that good. 

How I Make Pancake Mix

My mix consists of pantry staples that are probably already in your cupboard. There are no added stabilizers or preservatives, and it's low in sodium, which can be quite high in store-bought mixes.

The recipe calls for all-purpose flour (although I've had a lot of success using about half whole wheat flour for some added whole grains and fiber). I purchased a large locking container for storing the mix, but you can use any jar or airtight container you have on hand. I like to make a double batch, which makes 84 pancakes, but fits easily in my locking container.

When you're ready to mix, I highly recommend using buttermilk—it adds flavor and interacts with the leavener, creating those light and fluffy pancakes we all know and love.

If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can use regular milk, but you'll need to slightly adjust the recipe by adding a little acid to react with the baking soda. I find lemon juice works best. I've also used Greek yogurt, thinned out with a little milk, as a substitute for buttermilk. Any way you mix it, a tall stack is in order.