This is hands down the BEST Homemade Pancake Mix from scratch that makes delightfully fluffy, light pancakes with a hint of sweetness that taste so much better than what you get with store-bought instant pancake mixes. BUT, even better, this same mix also doubles up as a Homemade Waffle Mix to give you perfectly crispy, super light, scrumptious waffles too! 🙂
The best Homemade Pancake Mix from scratch that’s better than store bought!
Why make a Homemade Pancake Mix?
How many weekends do you crave for a stack of pancakes, but have to make the batter from scratch, measuring out each ingredient? Or you have to rely on that store bought pancake mix that doesn’t taste all that good! And as you know, those instant pancake mixes are the furthest thing from ideal.
Well, good news! This one is for all the pancake and waffle fans out there! 🙂
Whether it’s a busy weekday or a lazy weekend, I’d never say no to a deliciously fluffy pancake or a light, crispy waffle. Thanks to this homemade pancake mix there’s a quick and easy to way get my pancake fix on busy days and on weekends! Plus you know exactly what is in the homemade pancake mix that you made.
Why this homemade pancake mix is the best out there
So after A LOT of testing, I FINALLY made my own HOMEMADE PANCAKE MIX that easily doubles up as a HOMEMADE WAFFLE MIX too! 🙂 How awesome is that? This is easily the best homemade pancake mix recipe and it goes without saying that it’s better than anything store-bought.
It makes light, fluffy pancakes with a hint of sweetness that you absolutely couldn’t resist.
Plus, this homemade mix has just one extra ingredient, that makes pancakes that are lighter and fluffier than other mixes out there.
Not only pancakes though – it also makes deliciously crispy waffles with the same batter mix too!
Yes, I am a pancake and waffle purist of sorts, and I know that the batters for pancakes and waffles are different from each other. Pancakes need to puff up, but waffle batter needs more fat and is lighter so that you get light, crispy waffles. My favorite waffle recipe is a yeasted waffle recipe (coming on the blog soon), but it requires some planning ahead.
But what about those frenetic Mondays when you want perfectly crispy and light as feathers waffles for breakfast? 🙂 That’s where my Homemade Waffle Mix (Homemade Pancake Mix) becomes a life-saver! 🙂
So there’s no reason why week days (or afternoons or after hours) can’t mean pancakes and waffles too!
In this post, I’ll show you how to make homemade pancake mix from scratch, and how to make waffles AND pancakes from the same mix. So that you can enjoy from scratch waffles or pancakes whenever you like!
Usually store-bought pancake mixes have a chemical after-taste that comes from preservatives. But that’s obviously not the case with this homemade pancake mix. These pancakes are made with all the regular ingredients that you use to make pancakes or waffles, so that you get deliciously fresh and scrumptious results, every time.
What’s so great about using homemade pancake mix from scratch?
- Store-bought pancake mixes have preservatives which make pancakes and waffles taste a bit “artificial”. This homemade pancake mix (homemade waffle mix) uses the same ingredients that you’d normally use to make pancakes or waffles, so they ALWAYS taste delicious and you know exactly what goes in.
- This pancake mix is just a matter of measuring the ingredients into a blender and then blend to mix well, and then transfer the mix into an air-tight container. Once you have a full jar of this mix, you can easily make a batch of fluffy pancakes or crispy waffles anytime you want!
- It saves you time from having to measure each ingredient into a bowl to make pancakes or waffles from scratch the regular way. You only need to measure one ingredient here – the pancake mix, and then just add eggs, butter and milk (all in one bowl).
- This homemade pancake mix uses cornflour or cornstarch. This lightens up the mix resulting in a lighter batter that gives you fluffier pancakes, and crispier and lighter waffles.
- If rubbery pancakes are a problem, then this mix is the solution! Rubbery pancakes happen because you over-mix the batter, and the flour forms too much gluten. The addition of cornstarch helps reduce the gluten formation as well. Just make sure to mix the ingredients only until they are just combined, and you will NEVER have rubbery pancakes again.
- Instead of using regular sugar, I use confectioner’s sugar to sweeten this DIY pancake mix recipe. I find that when I use regular sugar, it sinks to the bottom of the mix, even after blending it. But with confectioner’s sugar, you won’t have that problem. It distributes well with the flour and cornstarch.
- No baking soda – I actually do like baking soda in my pancakes or waffles. It’s a great leavening agent. BUT for this pancake mix recipe, I decided not to include baking soda. If you’re using buttermilk, baking soda is easily neutralized, but not everyone has buttermilk readily available at home. So I wanted to make an easy to make homemade pancake mix that will work with buttermilk OR milk. So there is no risk of your pancakes having a “soapy” taste because of the baking soda.
I LOVE using this pancake mix. It’s easy and makes perfect pancakes every single time. But if you have the time to make even fluffier pancakes, there is one extra step you could do. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and whisk the egg whites until they are fluffy. Then the fluffy egg whites are folded into the batter, which results in an even fluffier pancake or lighter waffle.
When I make waffles with this homemade waffle mix, I add extra oil to the batter. You can still get great waffles using the same recipe as the pancakes (really!), but I find adding that extra oil, makes your waffles crispier and taste better.
Making perfect waffles with this homemade waffle mix
- Since waffles are made in a waffle maker, you have high heat coming from both sides, unlike pancakes.
- The goal with pancakes is to make them fluffy and almost cake-like in texture. The goal with waffles is to make them crispy on the outside, and light and fluffy on the inside. So the heat from both sides helps achieve that crispiness.
- Extra fat in the waffle batter is crucial. The extra fat helps the waffle develop that crispy surface. Extra sugar helps with the caramelization of the waffle surface too. However, this batter is perfectly sweet, so I didn’t want to add any extra sweetness.
- The extra oil also makes the waffle batter runnier than the batter for pancakes. A looser batter makes for lighter waffles. This batter will expand in the waffle maker as it heats up, and the result will be crispy, light, waffle perfection!
Want even fluffier waffles? You can separate the egg whites and whisk them to fluffy, soft peaks and then fold it into the batter. Do not over-mix the egg whites into the batter.
So now you know how incredibly easy it is to make your own homemade pancake mix from scratch (or your own homemade waffle mix). 🙂 So there’s NOTHING stopping you from enjoying delicious pancakes or waffles whenever you feel like it, no matter what time of the day!
Even your weekend breakfasts and brunches just got easier with this time saving DIY pancake mix!
RECIPE VIDEO FOR THE HOMEMADE PANCAKE MIX
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Homemade Pancake Mix / Homemade Waffle Mix
Ingredients:
Homemade Pancake Mix / Waffle Mix (makes enough for 4 batches)
- 100 g confectioner's sugar about 1 cup
- 750 g flour 6 cups
- 300 g cornstarch 2 cups
- 75 g baking powder US - 5 tbsp 2 tsp
- 2 tsp fine salt I ground coarse kosher salt for this recipe
Measurements for just ONE batch of pancake or waffle mix
- 187 g flour 1.5 cups
- 25 g confectioner's sugar 1/4 cup
- 75 g cornstarch 1/2 cup
- 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Batch of Pancakes - feeds 4 people (about 10 - 12 pancakes)
- 310 g homemade pancake mix / waffle mix (1 batch) 2 ⅓ cups + 1 tbsp (please see recipe notes)
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk or full cream milk (+ 1 tsp vinegar)
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ½ tsp vanilla
1 Batch of Waffles - feeds 4 people (about 5 large, round waffles)
- 310 g homemade pancake mix / waffle mix (1 batch) 2 ⅓ cups + 1 tbsp (please see recipe notes)
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk or full cream milk (+ 1 tsp vinegar)
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- ¼ cup oil a neutral oil like vegetable oil
- ½ tsp vanilla
Instructions:
Homemade Pancake Mix / Waffle Mix
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse to blend well.
- Alternatively, SIFT all the ingredients into a very large bowl. Use a whisk to thoroughly mix the ingredients.
- Place all the ingredients in an air-tight jar or container. Store in a cool, dark place until needed.
- Print the label (click here for the label), that you can stick on your Pancake Mix / Waffle Mix jar.
1 Batch of Pancakes
- Place the pancake mix in a bowl. Create a well in the center. Add the milk, vanilla, butter and eggs.
- Stir just until you get a smooth, thick batter. DO NOT OVER-MIX.
- Heat a griddle or non-stick pan over medium heat. Add some oil to the heated pan. When the pan is hot, place ¼ cup of the pancake mix on the hot pan. Cook for a few minutes, until the edges are set, and you can see the bubbles on the surface.
- Carefully flip the pancake over and cook for a further few minutes until cooked through and they are dark golden brown in color.
- Serve with butter and maple syrup or anyway you prefer.
1 Batch of Waffles
- Place the waffle mix in a bowl. Create a well in the center. Add the milk, vanilla, oil, butter and eggs.
- Stir just until you get a smooth batter. DO NOT OVER-MIX. Add up to 2 tbsp of extra water if the batter is too thick.
- Preheat waffle iron, and brush the iron with vegetable oil.
- Once heated, fill ¾ of the waffle iron with the waffle mix. Cook according to the waffle iron instructions.
- Serve with butter, maple syrup, or anyway you prefer.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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Carol says
Tried the waffle version. It came soft and light…May I ask how if I can adapt the same recipe to create liege waffles.
Dini says
Hi Carol
Liege waffles are completely different from these waffles.
Liege waffles are made with yeast leavened dough and have a light bread-like texture with caramelized pockets.
You can find a recipe for yeast waffles here – https://www.theflavorbender.com/best-overnight-yeasted-waffles/
They are still not liege waffles but are lighter than the buttermilk waffles.
NANA says
I used the GLUTEN FREE baking flour instead and it still turned out so good! Thank you!
Donna Robertson says
This a great recipe. We tried the waffles, they were excellent. Next the pancakes. Thanks for sharing
Debbie says
Hi this looks great but i have never put cornstarch in my pancakes. What does that do? I will be tying it. Ty
Dini says
Hi Debbie
As written in the post, the cornstarch makes the batter mix lighter, therefore making fluffier pancakes.
Hope that helps
Judy says
What is with these people don’t they read you put the grams then you put the cup size and teaspoon and tablespoon size they need to go back and reread plus you said you used Course salt but it says grind it. PEOPLE YOU NEED TO READ BEFORE YOU GIVE NEGATIVE ANSWERS I’M 80 YEARS OLD AND I READ IT RIGHT (COME ON) with things going on like they are in this world I don’t know how some people are going to make it because they have no Street smarts or sense
K Bee says
We made pancake and waffles. Both were absolutely the best!!! Added to Faves!!
MJ Dow says
The recipe looks great but I am not familiar with metric measurements. Perhaps you could provide both metric and English information?
Thank you.
Dini says
Hi Mj Dow
I’m not sure what English measurements are unfortunately.
If you do mean ounces, then google is great at converting grams into ounces.
Hope that helps!
KAIROS says
Made this recipe this morning, it was a hit with the whole family. We live on a boat and only had a small amount of cornstarch so used about 1/2 a cup and the rest AP flour, the pancakes were still fluffy and delicious!
Lindsey says
Confused. I made the bulk recipe so I could use it for just my hubs and I. You give no instructions as to how much of the mix I should use for just two servings of waffles. One cup mix to 2/3 cup water? I need help please.
Dini says
Hi Lindsey
As you can see in the recipe section ” 1 Batch of Pancakes – feeds 4 people (about 10 – 12 pancakes)”, that is the amount for 4 people. For 2, you need to halve the amount.
I also do not use water, and recommend using buttermilk or a buttermilk substitute.
I hope that helps!
Star says
i would just use regular salt and not the course salt next time since i didnt like biting into the salt pieces that were in my waffles
Meg says
Makes great waffles! I usually just use the recipe for 1 batch, but decided to make the larger mix. I noticed that the label version of waffle instructions say 1/4 C melted butter, but the instructions above have 3 Tbs melted butter. Which one is correct? (Wasn’t sure if the extra tablespoon of butter would make it too runny)
Jas says
I made the pancake version and substituted for the cornstarch and buttermilk with alternatives to compensate. I also added chocolate chips yummy. I found them very thick and added a little water at the end. I was careful not to over mix. They turned out very thick (like waffles) and filling, each of us could couldn’t eat 2. My husband loved them.
Jane P says
I have finally found a waffle recipe that works. I have tried so many and none were quite right. Tonight my kids asked for waffles and I cringed. I normally avoid making them but being home I thought I would try and found your recipe. They were perfect, crisp, fluffy, light and just the right amount of sweetness. Best off all I have 3 kids with smiles in their faces.
Madeleine Ong says
Notice that the recipe for 1 batch waffe mix requires 4 1/2 teasp baking powder.May I confirm this is correct. TQ
Dini says
Hi Madeleine
Yes, that’s correct. the size of 1 tsp i use is 5mL
Jen says
Your recipes never fail me! (so far I’ve tried chocolate chips <– the best!) and this recipe. They are amazing! Thank you 🙂 I'm glad Google recommended your blog to me.
Dini says
Thank you so much for your lovely words Jen! I’m so happy you liked the recipes! 🙂
Ruth says
Amazing! Loved everything about these waffles.
Jordi says
Dear Dini,
Do i have to melt the butter before adding it to the waffle mixture?
Dini says
Hi Jordi
As stated in the ingredient list, you do need to use melted butter. You can use oil instead if you like too. If you don’t melt the butter, it won’t mix into the batter smoothly and you may end up with chunks of butter in your batter.
Jordi says
Thank you very much Dini!
I tried this recipe and the chunks of butter happened to me. I just used it and already was the best of all the waffle recipies i tried before. Will try with melted butter next time, quess it will be even better. Thanks!
Kimberly says
I came down to check out if it needed to be melted butter also. Just a heads up the ingredient list for waffles does not mention melted just butter. Can’t wait to try these waffles. Making them now.
Dini says
Thank you so much for letting me know Kimberly! I missed that one. I’ve corrected it now. I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Brenda Marie Freeman says
I loved both pancakes and WAFFLES!! So easy and perfect!!
Thank you so much
Alamoth says
Are these good to reheat? I think ideally I am looking for a pancake recipe that I can oven bake, add some bacon (or whatever) on top and reheat each day for a quick breakfast before I run to work.
E
Dini says
Hi Alamoth
Unfortunately I can’t be certain if these would work that way. Freezing them would be better than refrigerating though. These oven-baked pancakes are drier than regular pancakes, so they would become drier than regular pancakes when reheated too.
Daniel says
My kids absolutely adore having this easy homemade pancake mix in the pantry for weekends and holidays! We discovered this recipe last summer holidays and it made lazy mornings so fun for the kids.
Manasa says
Hi
When I make these pancakes, the edges are crisping up.. how can I avoid the crisp?
Dini says
Hi Manasa
The pancakes made with this shouldn’t crisp up at the edges. It would crisp up if there’s too much oil/butter on the pan and the pancakes are “frying” in the pan. You can try using less oil/butter or reducing the temperature.
Katie says
Can I double the recipe for 8 batches?
Katie says
Also, can when I make the pancakes, can I double the amounts to make enough for 8 people?
Dini says
Hi Katie
You can double the pancake mix to 8 batches, but I do highly recommend making each batch separately to make sure the ingredients are mixed uniformly.
You can also make pancakes for 8 people at one go by doubling the amount of pancake mix too. I hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
Vans says
Hi there! Can I use cornmeal instead of corn flour? If yes, can I use the cornmeal using the measurements above? Thanks!
Dini says
Hi Vans!
Unfortunately you can’t substitute corn meal for cornflour as they have completely different textures. The cornflour is added to make the pancake mix light, which will give lighter, fluffier pancakes. And the corn meal will make the batter heavier and add the flavor of corn meal as well, which will interfere with the classic flavor of pancakes.
You can substitute the cornflour with rice flour, or potato starch instead of cornflour if you like. I have had some readers who have replaced the corn flour with regular AP Flour, and have had good results too (just a tad heavier batter).
I hope that helps!
Aimee Shugarman says
LOVE this pancake mix. Added some berries, turned out delicious!
Milisa says
Our family loves pancakes and waffles anytime of day. Having this mix on hand is the best idea ever!
Loni Willis says
I used your recipe to make waffles, but I used my gluten free flour blend and added fresh nutmeg. OOHHH MMYY!! Great job on a pretty universal recipe!
Sarah says
Any idea how long the dry mix lasts in a glass jar? I’m thinking I should double the recipe (4 boys!) but I’m thinking we would make once/twice a week and am unsure if it would last 2-3 months ‘safely’. Thoughts? Thanks you!
Dini says
Hi Sarah!
I have made pancakes with my mix that I’ve kept for about 1.5 months, once. They could last up to 2 months too, but my mix usually is over in 1 month because I only make single batches.
If you keep the mix in an air-tight container, and all the ingredients you use (baking powder, flour, confectioner’s sugar etc) are not expiring within those 2 months either, then the mix should be fine! Make sure it’s in a cool, dry place too 🙂
I hope that helps!
Regina says
My husband loved the waffles. They were great and easy to make. Thanks.
Dini says
Yay, I’m so glad, thanks so much for letting me know Regina!
Becky Overstreet says
Hi Dini,I love your site! I noticed in one of the comments to the question of how long you can hold a mixed up batter in the fridge that you like to make each batch up totally ,because baking powder and baking soda will not stay fresh and will result into less fluffy pancakes.In your recipe I only saw baking powder no baking soda.I read that you didn’t add it so ppl that didn’t use buttermilk would be able to have fluffy pancakes with the soapy taste that baking soda can have.But you replied that both bk soda and bk powder together produces the fluffiest pancakes.I always use buttermilk,so if I wanted to add baking soda to my homemade mix how much would I use ? Your recipes look soooooo good I’m sure I will be visiting your site very often! I plan on making up a batch of this mix to have on hand for making some pancakes for my Grandchildren on Monday!
Dini says
Hi Becky!
I don’t use baking soda in this recipe, but I have had some readers who made it with a little baking soda too. I still prefer the recipe without baking soda, so you can follow the recipe as stated here 🙂 Baking soda OR Baking powder are needed to make the fluffiest pancakes, so you don’t need both. You can use buttermilk instead of the milk without making any other changes too. I have used buttermilk before with this recipe as well and get fantastic results! I hope that helps 🙂
Sofia says
Hi! How would you change the recipe if you wanted to use milk powder instead of milk?
Thanks
Dini says
Hi Sofia!
I haven’t used milk powder for this recipe, but I would follow the package instructions to make milk from the powder and use that instead of the milk in the recipe.
I hope that helps!
Laura Fortino says
can you add pumpkin filling to this mix to make these pumpkin pancakes? How would you change the rest of the recipe if so?
Dini says
Hi Laura!
You can adapt this to make pumpkin pancakes easily!
Instead of 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk, you can add 1 1/4 cup of buttermilk and 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree. Plus I add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger powder, 1/4 tsp cloves and 1/8 tsp nutmeg to the flour mix as well (or 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice).
I hope that helps!
Justin Jacobson says
Hi I just wanted to know if the waffles are crispy I tried another homemade waffle recipe and it not crispy it would help if you respond thanks
Dini says
Hi Justin,
This mix doesn’t make the crispiest waffles (unfortunately). To get crispier results with the waffle batter, you can whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, and fold them in at the end (separate from the egg yolks), and add a little extra milk or buttermilk to thin out the batter (about 1/4 – 1/2 cup). Usually, the lighter the batter, the crispier the results.
However, the crispiest waffles are always yeasted waffles, which is a little more work.
I hope that helps!
YD says
Thank you for a great recipe! I made these last weekend and they were delicious! I made some into “apple pie” pancakes, with cooked apples, cinnamon, brown sugar and maple syrup.
I will make these into waffles next time.
Dini says
Thank you so much for letting me know YD! Those “apple pie” pancakes sound super delicious! 🙂
Tessa says
Hi, thanks for the great recipe! Just one quick question: can i store leftover batter in the fridge? If yes, for how long?
Dini says
Hi Tessa!
Thank you! 😀
I usually try to only make one batch at a time because the baking powder and baking soda will lose their freshness after a while, and you won’t get the fluffiest pancakes. The most I have left my batter in the fridge was 12 hours, and the pancakes weren’t as fluffy as when freshly made.
I hope that helps!
YD says
I made only 1 batch but even that was too much for my family of 3. I made the batter Friday night and used it 3 times, from Friday night (apple pie pancakes as dessert) to Sunday morning and they seemed to be fluffy and delicious. I used the “folding in egg whites” method. But I wouldn’t let it sit in the fridge for any longer than 2 days. I just cooked up all the batter and put the uneaten pancakes in the freezer for later consumption.
Carolyn says
I can’t wait to try making these!
Cheryl @ Pook's Pantry says
This is awesome! What a great post!
Robin Gagnon says
These pancakes look fantastic. Now I am craving some.
Dana DeVolk says
I love that this is a two for one recipe! Thanks so much for all the info!