Have you ever wondered about the difference between pancake mix and flour? Good news, this comprehensive post will cover everything you need to know about pancake mix vs flour!
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When you want to make pancakes for breakfast you probably use either pancake mix or flour. Some swear by a pancake recipe using all-purpose flour, while others are convinced that pancakes made with Bisquick pancake mix are superior. No matter your stance, both ingredients offer their culinary advantages and disadvantages depending on their application and intended use.
In this article, we'll compare and contrast, in detail, these two ingredients to help you decide what's the best move for you and your cooking adventure!
quick answer
Pancake mix is a combination of flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. While flour is just ground wheat. Because of this, flour can often be substituted with pancake mix as long as you also omit the recipe's baking powder or soda. But, pancake mix can't be substituted for flour. It's better to make your own pancake mix using these simple ingredients using the recipe at the end of this post!
Jump to:
what is pancake mix?
Pancake mix is a mixture of flour, a leavening agent, salt, and sugar. The first record of it is in 1889 where it's labeled as a self-rising pancake mix. This original recipe would later go on to be Aunt Jemima's pancake mix.
types of pancake mix
There are so many kinds of pancake mix on the market now. Everything from traditional buttermilk, protein mix, gluten-free, and paleo mixes. Within the variety of pancake mixes, there are two kinds.
- "Just Add Water" or "Complete": these mixes only require you to add water, as the name suggests.
- Standard mix: these mixes require you to add some amount of eggs, oil, and water.
Here are some of our favorite store-bought pancake mix brands:
- Hungry Jack Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix
- Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix
- Bob's Red Mill Buttermilk Pancake Waffle Mix
- Bisquick Original Pancake and Baking Mix
- Pearl Milling Company Buttermilk Complete Pancake Mix
- King Arthur Gluten-Free Pancake Mix
- Simple Mills Almond Flour Pancake and Waffle Mix (Gluten-Free)
- Kodiak Cakes Buttermilk Power Cakes (high-protein)
- Birch Benders Paleo Pancakes
how to make your own homemade pancake mix
If you want to make your own pancake mix, here are the super simple steps and ingredients to do it! You can find the full quantities at the bottom in the recipe card.
Ingredients:
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Sugar
- A pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Mix everything together in a large bowl.
- Store in an airtight container or portion out to gift to friends so they can make homemade pancakes!
what is flour?
Flour is milled wheat that is ground very finely. It can be found in all different varieties that vary in protein content. All-purpose is the most used type of flour for pancakes.
types of flour
The most commonly found different types of flour are:
- All-purpose (sometimes labeled as plain flour)
- Bread flour
- White flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Self-rising flour (the most similar to pancake mix because it also has leaveners mixed in)
Some more unique, alternative flours that can be used to make pancakes are:
- Buckwheat flour
- pastry flour
- 00 flour
- Cake flour
- Oat flour
primary differences between flour and pancake mix
The primary difference is that four is a single ingredient while pancake mix is a mixture of ingredients. Flour is the base ingredient of pancake mix but the mixture relies on the additional ingredients for it to come alive!
when to use each
Pancake mix should be used to make pancakes and waffles. But, it can also be used to make muffins or bread. This is because it has baking soda and baking powder mixed in, so it's a great way to shortcut a recipe.
Recipes using pancake mix
- 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Pancakes
- 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Waffles
- 3-Ingredient Greek Yogurt Pancakes (one of my personal favorite pancake recipes!)
- Bisquick Apple Cobbler in the Dutch Oven
Recipes using flour
can I use one for the other?
You can use pancake mix in place of flour in recipes that also call for a leavening agent like baking soda or baking powder. But, it can't be used in place of flour in something like gravy where it's used to thicken the sauce.
You can use flour to replace the pancake mix as long as you add the appropriate baking soda and baking powder. For this reason, I recommend substituting it by first making your own pancake mix using flour. You can use the recipe at the bottom of this post or your own favorite recipe!
more helpful cooking resources
Recipe
Homemade Pancake Mix
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour (all purpose)
- 2 tablespoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Before you start!
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Instructions
- Combine everything together in a bowl.
- Store in an airtight container or portion out into individual containers to gift to a friend. You can deliver it with labels to your favorite pancake recipes or the directions below.
How to make pancakes
- In a large bowl mix 1 cup of milk of choice, 1 egg, and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add 1 cup of pancake mix and stir until combined. Cook on your pan of choice over medium heat.
Notes
- 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Pancakes
- 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Waffles
- 3-Ingredient Greek Yogurt Pancakes (one of my personal favorite pancake recipes!)
- Bisquick Apple Cobbler in the Dutch Oven
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
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