You have no reason to panic if you do not have any pancake mix at home. You can still make your breakfast favorite in many alternative ways. Let’s see how.
Can you use muffin mix to make pancakes? Yes, pancakes can turn out perfectly fluffy and tasty with muffin mix. All you need to do to your muffin mix is add an egg and some milk. Since pancakes are not as dense as muffins, they need some source of extra fat, such as oil or butter, to become fluffy.
Muffin mix can be a great substitute for pancake mix because you can enjoy a wide array of flavors when using muffin mix.
Why is Muffin Mix a Great Substitute for Pancake Mix?
Muffin mix has a long history tracing back to 1930 when the first corn muffin mix appeared on the market. The ingredients of pancakes and muffins are comparable, which makes muffin mix a more than adequate substitute.
Muffin mix contains multiple types of flour instead of just the finely milled variety because this is what gives muffins the pleasantly crumbly consistency they are known for. Besides flour, muffin mix consists of a leavening agent (typically baking soda) and corn starch.
We can find lard or oil among the ingredients because they act as stabilizers and lead to faster browning. Corn syrup is also added as a texture enhancer. The mix is sweetened by either sugar or artificial flavors. Depending on the type you purchase, there could be additional ingredients and additives.
When substituting muffin mix for pancake cake, all you need to add is an egg and some milk. Since pancakes are not as dense as muffins, the mixture will need some source of extra fat such as oil, butter, or shortening to become fluffy.
Make sure the batter is not too runny though. If it is, you can add some flour to thicken it. Whisking the batter for pancakes longer than for muffins prevents lumps and results in a perfect breakfast. The smaller pancakes you make, the easier you can flip them.
If you prepare a large batch of your uniquely flavored, muffin-based pancakes, you might want to save some for later. In that case, you could even freeze pancakes for up to 3 months.
Advantages of Using Muffin Mix to Make Pancakes
You may find that using muffin mix for your pancakes has advantages because of the flavor variety. Prepare your pancakes with a twist! You do not have to compromise at all. They can be topped with literally any fruit or syrup as if they were made with pancake mix.
Muffin Mix Has Many Flavors
There are lemon poppy seed, cinnamon apple, banana nut, blueberry, mixed berry, cranberry orange, and pumpkin-flavored options to select from. All of them can make delicious pancakes.
If you are a fan of chocolate, you could enjoy double chocolate or chocolate chip pancakes. You can even find strawberry cheesecake-flavored muffin mix.
If you want to enhance the flavor, add either fresh or frozen fruit, chocolate chips, or nuts to your muffin mix. Lemon zest can give it a boost as well.
Muffin Mix Can Be Healthy
There are dairy-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free kinds to choose from. Muffin mix made with flax meal or almond flour is excellent for gluten-free pancakes.
If your goal is to get more fiber, opt for a fiber-rich, bran muffin mix with its slightly sweet and nutty taste.
What Other Alternatives Can Be Used for Pancakes?
Pancake mix is quite easily replaceable because it consists of ingredients that other dry mixes may include.
As their name indicates, pancakes are cakes. Therefore, you can make pancakes with cake mix. Cake mix tends to be a little sweeter so do not add any sugar or sweetener to your batter.
Just like muffin mix, waffle mix has similar ingredients to what you need for pancakes. How come waffles are thicker and crunchy if the contents are identical? Besides the different method of preparation, there is another explanation: waffle mix has a higher sugar and fat content.
Both of these have a remedy. If you avoid adding extra oil or butter to waffle mix, your pancakes will be fluffy. You can decrease the sugar content by diluting the batter with some water.
Making pancakes on your own is not as complicated as it might seem. There is an advantage to it so that you could control the sodium and sugar content. Flour made of oats, almonds, coconut, or chestnuts can be put in any basic pancake recipe. Just mix any of these with milk, eggs, baking soda, a dash of salt, and a sweetener of your choice for healthy pancakes.
If you want to make your pancake batter from scratch, you do not need to follow this classic recipe. Here are a few replacement ideas in case you are out of basic ingredients:
- You can swap milk with yogurt.
- Flaxseed mixed with water can replace eggs.
- Applesauce can be used in place of eggs.
- If you have no sugar, vanilla extract will work.
- You could use vanilla sugar made of granulated sugar mixed with vanilla flavor because this could significantly enhance the taste.
- Add a banana instead of flour. Banana pancakes are gluten-free. You can expect a dense texture so if you are a fan of thicker pancakes, you can try this alternative.
- You can make your pancakes vegan by adding coconut or almond milk instead of dairy. Add applesauce in place of eggs.
How Do You Store Muffin Mix & Pancake Batter Properly?
Be careful once you prepare your batter. Both pancake mix and muffin mix can go bad easily because they contain milk and eggs. Look for the tell-tale signs of spoilage such as an odd odor or taste. If you want to prepare a large batch, you might want to consider keeping it in the freezer instead of the fridge.
There is another reason why keeping your batter in the fridge is not recommended: it contains baking soda which absorbs scents from all the other food stored in the fridge. Thus, your batter could taste unpleasant after refrigeration.
Most dry mixes have a shelf life of 2 years. Unopened muffin mix lasts for several months beyond its expiration date if stored properly. Discard it if its odor, color, or consistency seems off.
Final Thoughts
Now that we know muffin mix is so suitable for pancakes, we can make all of our favorite flavors. As long as you have a leavening agent, flour, sugar, and oil or butter in your replacement, you can expect fluffy and moist pancakes.
Fortunately, pancakes are based on basic ingredients so you can savor your breakfast whether you use pancake mix or one of its substitutes.
