How to make easy homemade pancake mix from scratch with step by step instructions. Whip up a towering stack of perfectly light and fluffy pancakes with simple ingredients in 5 minutes or less!
I used to use a lot of grocery store baking mixes, but anymore I just make my own homemade biscuit mix, and I even make a homemade cake mix for an easy dessert. I’ve made pancakes for a weekend treat all my life, but I’d never made a homemade pancake mix ’til I made this recipe. Boy, am I glad I did; it’s so much more convenient to have this homemade baking mix on hand for a Saturday morning treat!
There’s nothing better than a stack of hot cakes fresh off the smoking hot griddle. Top them off with a lathering of maple syrup and blueberry sauce, and with your own homemade pancake mix you can enjoy the best hot breakfast or brunch no matter what day of the week it is!
Why You’ll Love This DIY Pancake Mix
- You can make this easy homemade pancake mix in 5 minutes or less, and it uses only 4 simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen pantry.
- This recipe makes deliciously light and fluffy pancakes with perfectly crispy edges that serve up well with a lathering of maple syrup for the ultimate hot breakfast or brunch that the whole family will love.
- DIY pancake mix makes a perfect gift in a jar for a birthday or Christmas gift swap. Don’t forget to hang a little gift tag off the side with instructions on how to make the hot cakes!
- While as I wouldn’t necessarily call pancakes “healthy”, homemade pancake mix is way healthier than grocery store box mixes. You can actually pronounce the names of all 4 ingredients!
Ingredients & Substitutions Notes
This recipe uses pretty simple ingredients, so may already have everything you need…
- All-Purpose Flour – I just use white all-purpose flour for this recipe. If you want to make a gluten free homemade pancake mix, just swap out the flour with a cup for cup gluten-free all-purpose flour. If you go this route, I recommend adding a little bit of xanthan gum to the mixture. Of course, you can also just make my gluten-free American pancake recipe instead.
- Cane Sugar – I use pure cane sugar, but you can also use regular granulated sugar.
- Baking Powder – Baking powder is the secret ingredient for making light and fluffy pancakes. Believe it or not, I know from experience that baking powder can go bad, usually after about 12 months. For best results, use fresh ingredients!
- Sea Salt – You can use regular table salt, but I really like this “real” Redmond sea salt!
How to Make Homemade Pancake Mix
This is a pretty easy recipe to make. It usually takes me no more than about 5 minutes!
How to Make the Pancake Mix
To make DIY pancake mix, simply whisk together the dry ingredients, including the flour, sugar, baking powder and sea salt in a large bowl until well combined. That’s it!
You can store your pancake mix in an airtight container or in a large glass jar with a lid until you’re ready to cook up the best pancakes ever! Stored at room temperature in your kitchen or pantry, it should keep for up to 3 months. You can also store it in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 12 months, but this is usually not necessary.
How to Make Homemade Pancakes with Homemade Pancake Mix
In my opinion, pancakes are best when cooked up on a smoking hot cast iron griddle. Before getting started, lightly oil your griddle or large skillet with cooking spray, and then set it on the stovetop over a medium heat to preheat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together one full batch of pancake mix with the wet ingredients, including 1 whole egg, 3/4 cup of milk or buttermilk, and 2 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil, only until well combined.
- Using a ladle, scoop around 1/4 cup of your pancake batter onto the hot and lightly oiled griddle, and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium-low heat, ’til the batter has bubbled through and the bottom side is a deep golden brown. Although it’s not necessary, a pancake dispenser is really handy for this step!
- Use another spatula to flip your pancakes, and let them cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. I like to store my cooked pancakes on a baking sheet in the oven at 170ºF until I’m ready to eat.
How to Serve Homemade Pancakes
I like to serve my pancakes with a lathering of pure maple syrup and a big dollop of homemade whipped cream or melted butter. You can also add a sprinkling of fresh strawberry slices, sliced bananas or fresh blueberries on top. Pair with a piping hot cup of coffee or tea, and you’ve got breakfast fit for a king!
Looking for other foods to serve a batch of pancakes with? We usually serve ours with scrambled eggs and bacon, but you can also fry up (or bake) a batch of pork sausage. If you’re looking for a healthier side option, you can never go wrong with the fresh fruit in this mixed berry fruit salad with a simple honey dressing!
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
Assuming that you’re using fresh baking powder, this is usually caused by over-mixing the pancake batter. It’s important to whisk the ingredients together only until well combined. It’s okay if it’s a little bit lumpy, just so long as everything is mixed together. Over-mixing will weaken the structure of your pancake batter and cause your pancakes to fall flat as soon as you pull them off the griddle.
Yes, there are actually quite a few substitutes that you can use in place of eggs. To replace 1 egg, my favorite substitutes include 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter, 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce, or even 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt. You can also learn how to make your own flax egg to use in place of real eggs.
Yes, you can actually use baking soda instead of baking powder. You will need 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda for every tablespoon of baking powder called for. Since baking soda needs an acid to react, it’s best to add 1 1/2 teaspoons of cream of tarter, or around 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to your pancake batter along with the baking soda. If you go this route, I also recommend using buttermilk in place of the regular milk.
You can definitely freeze leftover pancakes. Once cooked, let them cool completely before transferring to an airtight container or freezer bags and into the freezer. Stored this way, your flapjacks should keep for up to 3 months.
Recipe Variations
If you’re looking for ways to switch things up, here are a few ideas as to what you can add to your pancake mix…
- When mixing up your pancake mix, this is a great time to add your favorite spices. Think cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and even DIY apple pie spice for the most delicious pancakes!
- I like to add about a teaspoon of vanilla to the wet mixture for extra flavor.
- Try adding fresh blueberries, chopped walnuts or mashed banana to your pancake batter. My kids LOVE it when I throw in a few chocolate chips to make chocolate chip pancakes!
- Did you know that you can also make homemade waffles with pancake mix? Yep, you can also make homemade crepes with pancake mix.
More Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
If you like homemade pancakes, you’ll love my other breakfast & brunch recipes…
- These freezer-friendly French toast sticks are so easy to make and great for the kiddo’s!
- This overnight French toast casserole is one of the easiest make-ahead breakfast recipes I know. I also make a cinnamon apple French toast casserole, and sometimes I make French toast casserole in the CrockPot!
- My kids always love these homemade banana and Nutella muffins!
- I love homemade biscuits, especially these easy drop biscuits– No rolling, cutting or shaping necessary!
- If you’re expecting company, whip up a batch of homemade glazed donuts!
- My oldest son loves this blueberry coffee cake with a cinnamon streusel topping, served up with hot coffee.
- Who doesn’t love muffins for breakfast? I love a good zucchini muffin, lemon poppy seed muffin, and even these bakery style blackberry and strawberry muffins. If you like pumpkin spice, you’ll love these soft and fluffy pumpkin muffins.
- You can’t go wrong with classic banana bread or zucchini bread lathered with butter for breakfast. My kids love it when I make chocolate chip banana bread!
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. And subscribe to my email list too!
Homemade Pancake Mix
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon Cane Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
How to Make Homemade Pancake Mix
- Start by whisking together the flour, sugar, baking powder and sea salt in a medium mixing bowl until well combined.
- Transfer your pancake mix to an airtight container or glass jar with a lid, and store it at room temperature for up to 3 months, or in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 12 months. That's it!
How to Make Homemade Pancakes with Homemade Pancake Mix
- Before getting started, lightly coat a griddle or skillet with cooking spray, and then set it on the stovetop over a medium heat to preheat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together one full batch of pancake mix with the wet ingredients, including 1 whole egg, 3/4 cup of milk or buttermilk, and 2 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil, just until well combined.*
- Use a ladle to scoop around 1/4 cup of your pancake batter onto the hot and lightly oiled griddle, and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium-low heat, 'til the batter has bubbled through and the bottom side is a deep golden brown.
- Then flip and let your pancakes cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes, 'til golden brown.
- Pull your pancakes off the griddle, and lather them with butter and maple syrup. Add a dollop of whipped cream on top and serve immediately!
Hi! this is just what I was looking for but I have two questions:
1. Have you tried this with Spelt flour?
2. Do I need to do anything different to make it into waffles?
Thanks so much!!!
8 perfect pancakes! My daughter and I wanted to try out her electric griddle and decided to make pancakes. We followed the recipe except for the oil; we were out of vegetable oil and substituted 2 tablespoons melted butter. The pancakes were golden brown, light, and delicious! The measurements were for a perfect amount of pancakes for one meal for the 3 of us.