7 secrets to make boxed pancakes better + mistakes to avoid + recipe

Published on April 5, 2020 - Updated on January 9, 2021 by Chahinez 58 Comments

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Have you ever gotten boxed pancakes and were not satisfied with the way it turned out?! Well, me too! That’s why today I am here to share with you how to make pancake mix better. With these 7 secrets to making boxed pancakes better you will have homemade tasting boxed pancakes in no time!

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7 Pancake tips

Mistakes to avoid

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How to make boxed mix pancake better easily

Hi everyone!

Chahinez here, reporting from my house because well quarantine…

I specifically wanted to share this article on how to make boxed pancakes better with simple ingredients that you probably have at home because I have had a lot of time to experiment with all the boxed pancake mix I purchased a couple of months ago!

I have never really enjoyed boxed pancake mix because it does not compare to those you came delicious fluffy pancakes you can make from home. But hey, sometimes you just don’t have the energy or can’t go to the store to grab all the ingredients you need!

Below you will find the well hidden secrets to improve your store bought pancake mix.With these tips and tricks you will make the best breakfast staple and your family will not even know that you used box mix! Crazy huh…

Here are the 7 secrets to make pancakes from a box a whole lot better:

Sift the pancake mix
Use melted butter!
Use milk or buttermilk
Add eggs
Up the leavening
Add in vanilla or almond extract
Don’t forget to add toppings

I will go into more detail down below and explain all the box pancakes hacks to make your next pancake batch taste much much better!

More pancake mix recipes you will love!

Easy Vanilla Pancake Mix Cake

Slice of vanilla pancake mix with thick frosting

7 Tips on how to make boxed pancakes better

1. Sift the pancake mix

The first thing you are going to wanna to do make your pancake mix more fluffy is to sift the the dry mixture. By sifting your dry ingredients you are aerating them which will then result in a lighter pancake. A great tip to sift your pancake mix would be to hold the sieve at least 18 inches of 45 centimeters above your bowl.

How to make boxed pancake better overhead shot

2. Use melted butter

Often times pancake mix does not require the use of butter.But since we are trying to make this box pancake mix better, we will need to add a little bit of melted butter, both to make the pancakes extra fluffy as well as to give it that buttery pancake flavor. Adding melted butter to my pancake mix yields pancakes that remind me of ihop pancakes!

3. Use milk or buttermilk

All I have to say for this one is that you don’t always have to follow the box pancake mix instructions! Most traditional pancakes use buttermilk, hence why they are called traditional buttermilk pancakes. But one of my favorite secrets to making your store bought pancake mix taste homemade is to add some buttermilk or whole milk. The addition of milk or buttermilk will up the fat content of the pancake recipe and will yield more tender pancakes.

Add milk to boxed pancake mix to make them better

4. Add eggs

Some boxed pancake mixes already require you to add in a couple eggs, but if your pancake mix doesn’t you absolutely should! Adding eggs to your pancake mix will give the batter a better texture and flavor, more resemblant of homemade pancakes. Something I also like to do if I want extremely fluffy pancakes, is to whip up the egg whites and fold them into the pancake batter. This technique will make the final pancakes very light and fluffy, similar to a Japanese pancake.

5. Use more leavening

I noticed that after a while my store-bought pancake mixture doesn’t get as fluffy as it should and that is because the baking powder can get weaker overtime. By not adding the baking powder you might end up with flat pancakes. So next time you are working with boxed pancakes add a little baking powder or baking soda if using buttermilk or something acidic and watch your pancakes rise!

6. Add vanilla or almond extract

Boxed pancakes can often taste a little bland, but worry no more! We have the solution for that. Adding a little vanilla or almond exact to your pancake mix will take them from okay pancakes to incredible pancakes. You can also add some cinnamon, all spice, pumpkin pie spice or even some type of citrus zest.

7. Don’t forget to add toppings

When I think of homemade pancakes I think of Sunday mornings with my family, lots of bonding time… and what better thing to bond over than pancakes. To make this an even more incredible experience have a toppings bar. I always like to add fruits to my pancakes but some more ideas of what I put out for my pancake topping bar would be:

Fruits
Nuts
Chocolate Chips ( dark, milk and white)
Sprinkles
A variety of syrups
Yogurts
Bacon
Peanut butter and nutella

The choice is yours, you have the control on how boxed pancakes taste no matter what brand you use! These 7 tips will allow you to wow everyone during breakfast.

How to make pancake mix better — I topped my tasty pancakes with caramelized bananas and powdered sugar.

How to make buttermilk at home?

I understand that you might not have buttermilk at home. I also understand that with everything that is happening it can be a bit hard to get your hands on some buttermilk.

If you do not have a buttermilk here is how you can easily make it at home:

You will need 1 ½ cup of butter milk for this recipe so grab 1 ½ cup milk, while milk or low fat would work and 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or white vinegar.

Measure your milk
Stir the lemon juice or the vinegar into the milk. LEt the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. By now the milk shoul dbegin to curdle and become acidic.
Use it in place of the buttermilk in this recipe.

If you want to prepare your homemade buttermilk ahead of time, store it in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container of course.

Mistakes to avoid when trying to make your pancake mix better

Now that I shared the 7 tips on how you too can make your store bought pancake mix better, I want to share with you some common mistakes many of us often end up making.

Don’t over mix your batter

You might think it is a good idea to vigorously stir your pancake batter to break any residual lumps, but by doing so you can create other issues with your batter.

Why does over-mixing ruin pancakes?

The reason why I say that you shouldn’t over mix your batter is because it will deflate all the air bubbles that were created by the leavening agent. Another reason as to why over mixing is a no no when it comes to pancakes is gluten development. Gluten development is often something we want to have when want a certain foods to be chewy, but who wants chewy pancakes.

Solution :

After adding your wet ingredient to the dry mix, stir gently to maintain as much of the air bubbles created by the leavening agent as possible. Mix just until the ingredients are combined. Don’t worry if the batter stir has some small lumps. By doing this you will keep your pancake slight and airy and avoid developing gluten.

If you are a beginner baker, try counting your strokes. Aim for 8-10 strokes when you add in the wet ingredients. That should be enough to get everything incorporated without developing gluten or deflating the air bubbles.

Fork full of boxed pancakes to show texture

So next time you are wondering what to add to pancake mix to make it better, you will have this whole article to refer to!

How to make boxed pancakes better recipe

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