Whole Grain Buttermilk Pancakes — A Better Alternative to Boxed Mixes

Packaged pancake mixes are meant to save time, but often they only shave off a few small steps while adding preservatives and limiting ingredient quality. Making pancakes from scratch can be just as quick, far more nutritious, and gives you complete control over flavor and texture. This recipe shows how to make light, tender whole grain pancakes without a boxed mix, plus simple variations for gluten-free diets and make-ahead convenience.

Why Make Pancakes from Scratch?

When you use boxed mixes you still measure liquids, crack eggs, stir batter, and cook on a greased griddle — in other words, you pay extra and give up control over ingredients like leaveners and preservatives. Homemade pancakes let you choose whole grain flours, use real butter and maple syrup, and avoid unnecessary additives. Whole wheat pastry flour, for example, is milled from the whole grain but is lighter than standard whole wheat, so you keep fiber and nutrients without a heavy texture.

Gluten-Free and Buttermilk Substitutions

If you need gluten-free pancakes, you can substitute a combination of oat flour, brown rice flour, and buckwheat flour for the wheat flour. The result is just as tasty and familiar; note that buckwheat can give a slightly darker or lavender-tinged batter. If you don’t have buttermilk, use an equal blend of plain yogurt and milk, or use milk with additional leavening as noted in the recipe notes below.

Make-Ahead and Freezing Tips

Pancakes don’t have to be a weekend-only luxury. The batter can be mixed the night before and stored in the refrigerator; I tested 12-hour-old batter and found it rose just as well as freshly mixed. If weekday cooking is impractical, make a large batch on the weekend and freeze pancakes in stacks separated by parchment or wax paper. Reheat in a toaster oven or skillet rather than the microwave for best texture.

Customizing Pancakes for Everyone

Pancakes are a great family breakfast because everyone can personalize their own. After spooning batter onto the griddle, let it set slightly before adding mix-ins so the batter doesn’t spread too thin. Popular choices are raspberries, diced strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and mini chocolate chips. Waiting a minute or so lets the surface hold the add-ins and keeps pancakes thick and tender.

Make Your Own Pantry Mix

If you fall in love with these pancakes and plan to make them regularly, mix up a larger batch of the dry ingredients and store them in a glass jar in the pantry. Label the jar with the amount of mix to use for the recipe (for example: “Use 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon of mix for the pancake recipe”)—that gives you the convenience of a boxed mix without questionable additives.

Update 1/30/12: I mismeasured the buttermilk one day and used 2 cups instead of 1 3/4 cups, and then used 2 cups of flour to balance it. The pancakes were still light and fluffy but a bit more substantial. If you prefer a heartier pancake, feel free to adjust the flour to buttermilk ratio slightly.