Whole Grain Pancake Mix
This recipe was originally published in March 2011. It was retested with reader feedback, rephotographed, rewritten, and republished for your enjoyment in March 2018.
 

Let me tell you about my perfect Sunday morning. Iโ€™d wake up while the rest of the house is still asleep. Iโ€™d make myself a pot of the strongest French press coffee known to man, then curl up on the couch and watch the sun come up out our living room windows while reading a good book. There would definitely be dog snuggles involved. And maybe kitty snugglesโ€”depending on her mood.

Then, once the rest of the family is up, weโ€™d turn on NPR, and then Juni and I would get started making fluffy, dense, nutty whole grain pancakes slathered in butter and dripping with our own homemade syrup. Because Sunday mornings are made for pancakes.

Whole Grain Pancake Mix - Pancakes
Whole Grain Pancake Mix - Packaged

Sunday morning pancakes became such a routine in our family that a few years ago, I decided to streamline the work and started making my own homemade whole grain pancake mix. I prepare the mix in large batches, freeze it, and then the morning we want pancakes, it is as simple as mixing together one cup of mix, one egg, and one cup of buttermilk.

Pre-making the mix saves a boatload of time (so much time that pancakes can even become a weekday morning thing), and it saves a boatload of moneyโ€”no more shelling out $5 a box for whole grain pancake mix that makes barely more than two servings.

Whole Grain Pancake Mix - Ingredients
Whole Grain Pancake Mix

I do recommend using buttermilk or soured milk when youโ€™re making your pancakes from my mix. It adds such a wonderful texture and flavor to the final flapjacks! Donโ€™t usually have buttermilk kicking around in your house? No worries, me either. Hereโ€™s a couple of tricks:

  • You can sour milk (cowโ€™s, goatโ€™s, almond, coconutโ€”any milk!) easily by taking a scant cup of milk and adding in one tablespoon vinegar (white vinegar works, but I prefer apple cider vinegar). Let it sit for about five minutes, and thenโ€”boom!โ€”an excellent buttermilk substitute.
  • If you do happen to purchase buttermilk, get the biggest container you can find and then freeze it. I put one cup of buttermilk into plastic freezer bags or wide mouth pint Mason jars (which are freezable) and freeze. Once they are solid, you can stack them in your freezer and they are ready for whenever you want to make pancakes. They defrost easily in the microwave or a bowl of hot waterโ€”or if you’re on top of things, you can take one out the night before youโ€™re going to make pancakes and defrost it in the fridge.
Whole Grain Pancake Mix - Mixing

Alright, back to the whole grain pancake mix! The base of the mix comes from ground up oats and whole wheat flour (with a touch of white flour). The mix results in a fluffy thick pancake that I absolutely adore!

When youโ€™ve made your mix, store in an airtight container (again, we use Mason jars), and it’ll live indefinitely in your freezer. Each recipe of the mix makes 10 cups, which turns into two big brunch-sized servings or four smaller servings.

Also, you can definitely tie a bow around it and give it as a gift (or serve up the pancakes as Santa pancakes for the holidays!). Who doesn’t like the gift of pancakes? Enjoy!

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

Yield: 10 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Having this wholesome mix on hand makes whipping up delicious, healthy pancakes a snap! You may want to double the recipe so you have plenty for gifting and some to keep for yourself. Adapted from King Arthur Flour.

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups (325 grams) old-fashioned oats
  • 4 cups (535 grams) whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup (115 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (30 grams) baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) sea salt
  • 1 cup (250 milliliters) vegetable oil (or avocado oil)

Instructions

  1. Grind the oats in a food processor until finely chopped, but not completely powdered. Pour the oats into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
  2. Add the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low until thoroughly combined.
  3. With the mixer still on low, pour in the oil slowly and continue to mix until well incorporated. Store the mix in an airtight container in the freezer.

To Make Pancakes:

  1. Whisk together 1 packed cup pancake mix (145 grams), 1 cup buttermilk (250 mililiters), and 1 large egg (60g weighed out of shell). Let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes (the oats will absorb some of the liquid).

  2. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. When hot, add enough butter or oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add about 1/4 cup of batter to the hot pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles appear on the top and the outer edges of the pancake begin to look dry. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the second side. Transfer the pancake to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.

  3. Repeat for the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan whenever it looks dry. Serve pancakes hot with desired toppings.

Notes

You can sour milk (cowโ€™s, goatโ€™s, almond, coconutโ€”any milk!) easily by taking a scant cup of milk and adding in one tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for about five minutes before adding to the mix.

You can also store this at room temperature for about a month, if you'd rather not freeze it.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 cups Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 314Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 61mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 8g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

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10 Comments

  1. Hello Cassie,
    this recipe sounds amazing! i want to try them out. Only thing is I dont have a stand mixer, so wanted to know if i can sift the flour’s and mix all the ingredients. And also how many calories does each pancake have or the serving is? Really like your sour milk trick, (will remember that one). Thank you!

  2. Iโ€™d love to send this to a friend for her birthday but it would need to go through the postal mail. Would it work to mix all the dry ingredients then have her add the oil with the buttermilk and egg? Or would the mix as written be okay at room temp for a few days while it travels cross country?

    1. The mix can be at room temp for about a month, so it should be okay to ship it as-is, and instruct her to freeze it when she gets it!

  3. Do you have to add the oil in the beginning? Id like to find a way that makes it optional to keep it in the freezer. Especially for gift giving

  4. Do you have any suggestions on the best flour substitute to make this gluten free? Love the idea of making your own mix! Thanks.

  5. As far as the buttermilk goes, you could also just make a shit-load of pancakes and freeze those. Just sayin. =)