You're probably better off making the batter yourself. That's what I do and they seemingly turn out perfectly every time (except the first one, which always breaks up and goes a bit wrong).
this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2025
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The off-the-shelf mix has the advantage of somehow being vegan. Technically it isn't because it advertises "buttermilk pancakes" but in practice buttermilk is the last ingredient and there's so little of it that I don't count it. I admit that I'm not sure whatever alchemy produced it is good for me.
You kind of buried the lede. Obviously the pancakes are going to turn out differently than traditional pancakes if you sub out like half the usual ingredients.
I won't deny that vegan baking is quite limited. These pancakes are not going to taste just like traditional pancakes (and to the extent that they're different, they're probably worse) but they can still be round, golden-brown, and cooked all the way through without being burned. I'll be happy if I get to that point.
Minimalist Baker has some delicious vegan (and gluten-free, etc.) recipes, although I admit that I haven't tried any of their pancake recipes yet: https://minimalistbaker.com/best-vegan-pancake-recipes/
Most of those are incredibly solid. I'm not a vegan but I actually prefer standard pancakes made with oil and almond milk instead of buttermilk and butter with a little touch of coconut sugar. They tend to come out better and I like the almond milk flavor.
I have used off the shelf vegan mix. The one I had needed milk (substitute) added to it. Maybe you need to do that rather than add water?
I mean, apple sauce instead of egg works wonders. (Or banana if you like the flavor. Or pumpkin. Or plenty of things. Bob’s red mill makes an egg substitute that works fine too.) Make sure if you’re using baking soda you add some lemon juice or some acid of some kind to activate it (apple sauce generally does that but other egg subs won’t.)
Do you not add an egg to it? I've tried using mashed banana instead which sort of works but still isn't as good.
The instructions said to just add water, although the alternate recipe for waffles did have an egg.
Are there any ingredients in there that would substitute for egg as a binding ingredient? Pancakes with just flour salt and baking powder have problems.
It's this stuff.
INGREDIENTS: Enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, dextrose, leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate), salt, food starch-modified, soybean oil, buttermilk.
So I think that's a no, but I don't know what the "food starch-modified" does.
Supposedly starch can work as a binding agent, so that might be what does it.
I guess so, because what I cook looks like a pancake (when I don't burn it) and is actually a little gummier than I consider ideal (which is why I need to try cooking them longer with lower heat) rather than crumbling.
Not Milk or Next Milk sub in well for regular milk
The first one always sucks
I went to a cooking science lecture some years ago, and learned that the key to nice fluffy pancakes is to not over-stir the batter. Leave it lumpy.
I grew up with my mom making pancakes for 8 in a blender. So my preference is dead flat pancakes loaded with oil I guess...
I do appreciate fluffy pancakes but not dry ones.
Congrats, man. Pancakes are deceptively hard to cook. There are a lot of little variables involved to make them really good.
For anyone that might need some help:
- The batter should be barely thicker than housepaint.
- Some lumps in your batter are fine, if you develop too much gluten, then the end product will be tough(secret tech: Let your batter rest for 15 minutes before cooking to better hydrate)
- Don't use too much fat to cook them, they'll end up oily with a splotchy surface
- Your pan should be egg-frying temperature
- Flip when the edges are dull and you have bubbles on the top.
- Dont worry about flipping the thing more than once and letting it get darker on a side you've already cooked. That advice comes from getting attractive grill marks on things, and does not apply when cooking on a flat top or skillet
I heat the pan or griddle, run water on my fingers, and splash a tinyy bit on the cooking surface. Should sizzle for a few seconds. Temperature is tricky. Somewhere in the internet there's a great picture guide for temp. Sometimes i like thin ones, sometimes i add a bit of lemon juice and baking powder to get more lift when i flip. The number one pancake rule is one flip only.
For the insides I just put them in the toaster oven on low to finish
I suck at baking.
I treat it as science.
Got Pancake mix and a food scale. 180g of mix, 1 egg, 7.5oz of a milk/water split then a pinch of salt.
My wife prefers my pancakes over her own.
Took me a dozen tries tweaking it. Then getting feedback from her.
You might like Lessons in Chemistry. That’s only one part of the premise, but she approaches baking like a scientist.
Thanks!
If you want to try your hand at sourdough pancakes, they're super simple (and vegan, if you care)
though you need to have an active starter.
Little water, salt, sugar (or banana), neutral oil, starter, baking soda. Add spices (cinnamon , nutmeg, vanilla) if you like. No need to measure anything out, just use your judgement.
Fast, easy, and pretty tasty!
If you're willing to use a non-stick frying pan, they're dirt simple. The only variables are temp and time. Lower temp (medium or medium-low) for thicker pancake batter, and longer time (till the edges are dull and bubbles form), if you like thick pancakes. Or, you can make the batter thinner, then it's hotter (medium or medium-high) and faster (they're ready to flip faster). Either way works.
No matter what, the first one is a dud, I don't know why, but the rest are perfect.
I like my pancakes greasy, so I make them in a cast iron skillet with what most people would call "too much butter". I don't know what that means.
Hell yeah man. Being able to make good pancakes is one of those back-of-your-pocket skills that I want to have. Maybe my batter is too thin, too -- mine are also usually burnt on the outside and uncooked on the inside. (I'm also trying to make them somewhat healthier with whole what flour, which seems make them burn quicker. Maybe because whole what flour has some of the oils from the wheat in it? I dunno.)
Burnt outside and raw middle is too thick not too thin. Add a little milk/liquid. And try a little lower temp.
Doh, yes I meant too thin. "Same as OP," I should say. Does anyone here know if whole what flour absorb more liquid than white flour? Seems like any time I use whole wheat flour when a recipe calls for white flour, the mixture doesn't look like it has the right consistency.
Yes, bran is thirsty. I'm not sure how much exactly but I bet you could start with 5 to 10 percent more liquid, and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Pancake mix?
You are already lost.