A Baker Tried 12 Store-Bought Pancake Mixes & This Was The Best One
If you've always wondered what the absolute best pancake mix is, you're not alone. There's a wide variety of premade pancake mixes on the market, and identifying which product is the best choice for making a delicious Sunday morning breakfast (or any day of the week, really) can be difficult. To help guide you on your next trip to the grocery store, I tested — and ranked — a number of popular premade mixes to determine which brands rival restaurant-quality, ultra-fluffy hotcakes.
To keep things fair, I followed the precise directions listed on the box for each brand. I used the same size scoop for each pancake, as well, to compare how much the batter spread and rose while cooking. Moreover, I kept the skillet on medium heat and gave it occasional breaks to prevent it from getting too hot or affecting how the pancakes cooked or browned. I also made sure to enjoy the finished flapjacks while they were still warm since that's how they're best enjoyed.
After taste-testing each of these pancakes (both with and without syrup), I learned each brand's strengths and weaknesses. While I was surprised to discover not all premade pancake mixes are as similar as one might assume, one stood out as a clear winner. After considering taste, convenience, and price (among other factors), here is the ultimate ranking of store-bought pancake mixes.
12. Pillsbury Funfetti
Though I hadn't used this particular mix beforehand, I had worked with other Pillsbury products and had high hopes. Unfortunately, the Pillsbury Funfetti buttermilk pancakes didn't fare well in my taste test — and it was an easy decision to rank this mix last.
Now, let me clarify: I don't have anything against fun foods, and the colorful candy bits are not to blame for this item's poor performance. Rather, the batter itself was unpleasant for several reasons. The dry mix smelled sickly sweet when I opened the box — like a frosted cupcake — and the batter was super thin after mixing. Of course, you can adjust this by adding less water, but that's not something a person following the directions would know ahead of time. However, the real issue arose during the cooking process. The pancake was weirdly shiny while cooking, and no bubbles appeared. If you're a pancake enthusiast, you know bubbles indicate a hotcake is fluffy and ready to flip.
Given this, when it came time to try the pancake, I wasn't surprised by the lack of a typical pancake texture. I found it overly cakey and somewhat dense, while flavor-wise, the sweetness was much too artificial. The rainbow candies may give Pillsbury Funfetti complete pancake mix a whimsical feel, but it isn't enough for me to buy the mix or eat these pancakes again.
11. Great Value
Like the Pillsbury Funfetti mix, Walmart's Great Value premade pancake mix also tasted quite artificial. The desire to have some level of sweetness in a flapjack may be understandable, but a mix shouldn't be so sweet that adding maple syrup makes the pancakes unpalatable. Still, compared to Pillsbury, the consistency of the batter and final product was slightly better, which helped Great Value avoid last place.
The batter was quite thick and did not spread on its own, so I had to use a spatula to manually (and gently) spread it on the skillet after pouring. Otherwise, I would've had a mound in the center of the pan. Additionally, once they had cooked, I found the crumb was dense, which made the pancakes feel almost gummy when chewing.
Although the taste and texture was underwhelming, Great Value ranks above the Pillsbury Funfetti pancake mix because the Walmart brand is cheaper. It can be great when you're on a budget (though it's not better than the brands ranked higher).
10. Signature Select
Signature Select is a grocery store brand you might've seen when shopping at Safeway, Vons, or Albertsons – and its premade pancake mix costs almost twice as much as Great Value. While it was slightly better in terms of quality than the bottom two pancake mixes and didn't have an artificial sugary taste, these hotcakes were also quite plain. There was a slight sweetness, but it only came as an aftertaste, and there was something off that didn't satisfy my taste buds.
Though the pancakes were soft, the crumb could've been much fluffier (as you would desire in a flapjack). The batter did puff up to some degree during the cooking process, which was better than the lower-placed mixes, and I didn't notice any gumminess.
Overall, this pancake mix wasn't exceptional enough to rank higher than 10th place, but it wasn't the worst I tried. If you enjoy putting a lot of toppings on your short stack, the lack of flavor here may not be as noticeable or bothersome. I'm sure Signature Select complete pancake mix would be better if you transformed the mix with an easy blueberry pancake recipe or added some chocolate chips to the batter.
9. Simple Mills
Simple Mills markets its pancakes as nutritious, non-GMO, gluten-free, and made with no artificial ingredients — which may be why it was among the more expensive pancake mixes on this list. Now, while the pancakes weren't terrible by any means, the high price (and smaller box) hurt it overall. Additionally, a couple of other factors contributed to Simple Mills coming in ninth place.
First, the brand's hotcakes require milk and eggs in addition to water, which removes the convenience factor many consumers look for in a boxed mix. Frankly, if you're already going through that much effort for a costly pancake mix? It might be better (and potentially cheaper) to simply make a batch of pancakes from scratch. You can even make almond flour yourself to match the Simple Mills version.
I felt the texture of the pancakes was good — particularly for a product marketed as healthy — though they had a slight graininess since the mix is made with almond flour. The flavor wasn't bad, but the pancakes had a distinct earthy taste, which may not be everyone's preference. At the end of the day, Simple Mills might be worth the money for someone looking for a gluten-free alternative since those are hard to come by. But it's definitely not the ultimate pancake mix or the best choice for everyone, so it ranks in the bottom half.
8. Kodiak
Kodiak is similar to Simple Mills in that it caters to people who desire more nutritional value in their pancakes. Specifically, this flapjack mix is protein-packed, with 15 grams of protein in each serving (plus 100% whole grains). These pancakes had a more favorable and lighter texture than the Simple Mills product, and the mix is likely more affordable depending on where you purchase a box. Since the pancake batter had a nice consistency and visibly rose while cooking with Kodiak flapjack mix, I can say I enjoyed it slightly more than the lower-ranked pancake mixes.
When I took a bite, the flapjacks had a pleasing texture. However, the taste of the protein concentrate was noticeable. While this may not be a significant problem to some — especially if that's what you expected — I was determined to find a pancake mix that had the classic diner taste and texture. Unfortunately, this mix doesn't come close to producing those ideal pancakes. Still, it only required water, making a batch convenient to whip up. I can see the appeal of this product, so it comes in at number eight. But it missed the mark for me in terms of taste and price.
7. Pearl Milling Company
I grew up eating pancakes and syrup from Pearl Milling Company (though the food brand was known as Aunt Jemima before famously changing its name in 2020). I was curious to see whether the product lived up to my childhood memories. Unfortunately, this pancake mix wasn't quite as amazing as I remembered, and ends up in the middle of the ultimate pancake mix rankings as a result.
The pancakes are simple to make and only require water, and there was nothing noteworthy about the batter when I mixed it; it was neither too thick nor too thin. They did have a noticeably sweet flavor, though it wasn't overpowering, so there was room to add as much syrup as I wanted, or other toppings like quick and easy homemade jam.
On the other hand, while the hotcakes were soft, I felt they could have been fluffier. The texture was slightly springy, but they were still heavy and had a cakey mouthfeel — an issue I'm sure can be fixed by playing with the amount of water added to the mix. Although I'd certainly eat pancakes made with Pearl Milling Company mix again if someone made them for me, I wouldn't necessarily choose it myself while grocery shopping. There are more impressive options, so this average pancake mix ranks in seventh place.
6. Bob's Red Mill
A product that's on the pricier side, Bob's Red Mill pancake mix is made with organic wheat flour. Now, I immediately noticed how well the batter was lifting while the pancakes cooked, so I knew how fluffy they would be — and I was quite impressed by the texture of this product. However, despite tasting pleasant initially, the pancakes had a slightly off-putting aftertaste, which kept Bob's Red Mill from cracking the top five.
To be fair, this delayed flavor might be less noticeable if you include fresh fruits, whipped cream, or other creative pancake toppings known to elevate your morning. Unfortunately, I ate the pancakes with just syrup, which didn't help this mix in the rankings. The flavor could be due to the whole wheat flour (which is different than white flour), or the mix may just need an adjustment on its raw sugar amounts.
Additionally, this mix calls for oil and eggs to make pancakes, which makes it a bit less convenient than the higher-ranked options. When I consider everything, the fluffy consistency of Bob's Red Mill pancake mix made it slightly better than average overall, so it comes in sixth place.
5. Bisquick
Bisquick is a household name when it comes to pancakes — one I've tried before. In fact, I was fairly confident it was a quality product for its price, and it turned out to be almost exactly that. While this pancake mix requires milk, oil, and eggs to make, I could let that aspect slide because it's such an affordable product. More than that, the need for additional ingredients was the only major drawback and, in general, Bisquick had a pleasing flavor worthy of a fifth-place ranking.
These pancakes weren't too sweet or bland; rather, they were somewhere in the middle. When enjoyed with syrup, the texture of the pancakes was light and fluffy, as it should be. However, when I ate one without syrup, it had a somewhat tacky or chalky mouthfeel. This is something to consider if you like to enjoy your flapjacks plain or with fewer accompaniments, but I assume most people like to dress up their hotcakes one way or another.
Since Bisquick was both better-tasting and considerably less expensive, it easily outranked Bob's Red Mill. It might not have bested the top four pancake mixes, but it's a great option (and Bisquick is the secret to nostalgic chocolate chip cookies in a pinch, too).
4. Dolly Parton's
Dolly Parton's pancake mix is one of the products in her baking line, and I was eager to try it. I had previously tried her chocolate cake mix and it was quite delicious and impressive. Now, I detected a strong sweet smell upon opening the box, which gave me flashbacks to the Pillsbury Funfetti mix. Thankfully, any initial hesitance was ameliorated when the batter whipped up smoothly and instantly formed a perfect circle (and spread on its own to the right thickness) when poured into the pan.
These pancakes were quite airy, as well, and I was impressed by the pillowy soft consistency with or without syrup. I must say the flavor was a bit too sweet for my liking when I added syrup. Then again, the sweetness wasn't synthetic-tasting, and the finished product didn't have any bizarre aftertaste. I do wish this pancake mix contained a smidge less sugar, but it was memorable overall, and I would 100% purchase it again. Since it was also easier to make than Bisquick and sold at a very affordable price point, Dolly Parton's pancake mix comes in the number four spot.
3. Hungry Jack
Hungry Jack is another well-known brand in the world of pancake mixes. It was my first time trying this product, and I was amazed at how silky the batter looked. It may have looked a bit on the thin side when I mixed it, but that wasn't an issue because it didn't spread too much in the skillet. More than that, when I performed the taste test? The final product was nothing short of decadent.
This product held a classic pancake flavor that the lesser-ranked brands seemed to lack in some capacity. Additionally, the sweetness level of Hungry Jack pancake mix was nearly perfect, and I had zero complaints about the taste. The reason it's at number three (and below the top two pancake mixes) is that the texture was somewhat deceiving. While the hotcakes looked quite fluffy, they weren't as tender as I hoped. If they had been a tad airier, they might've earned the number two spot. But considering the remarkable taste, affordability, and ease of use, Hungry Jack is well placed in third.
2. Birch Benders
The Birch Benders product is an organic pancake mix that's also vegan-friendly. The packaging states that the Colorado-based company was founded with "the purpose of making restaurant-quality pancakes that use the best ingredients" — and I was happy to see it met that goal. Making the batter was a breeze, and it appeared to be the right thickness. Consequently, the cooking process didn't produce any red flags for this mix.
When I finally took a nice bite of the finished flapjacks? I was taken aback by how incredible they were. If you had told me Birch Bender's pancakes came from a restaurant, I would've believed you. They just had that pancake-y taste that's almost too hard to describe. Their texture was also spectacular: cloud-like but with an enjoyable chewiness. It undoubtedly surpassed the lower-ranked pancake mixes, and the only factor that set this brand back was its hefty price tag. Birch Benders was both more expensive and smaller than most other pancake mixes, which kept it from the top spot. Still, even if it's more of a splurge, it's worth it when you want higher-quality hotcakes.
1. Krusteaz
Coming in first place is Krusteaz buttermilk complete pancake mix. Not only does it taste phenomenal, but you also get the most value for your money, as it was one of the cheaper options I purchased. The batter was thick but spreadable and cooked effortlessly on the skillet, with the pancakes growing in height and creating many bubbles. More importantly, one bite of these hotcakes made me feel like I was enjoying a perfect diner-style pancake.
I could taste the malted barley flour in them (which provided a toasty, caramel-like undertone), and the mix contained just the right amount of sugar. The end result was essentially what you dream of when thinking of a fresh buttermilk pancake.
The most mouthwatering part was the texture: soft and pillowy inside with a crispy, golden brown outer crust. Although the other pancakes had nice browning, they didn't form the same type of crust — so I suppose "Krusteaz" lives up to its name. With a classic pancake flavor and the convenience of just adding water, you really can't go wrong with this mix. Krusteaz produced a truly irresistible pancake, and this mix comes out on top in every way.
Methodology
I chose these specific pancake mixes based on both popularity and availability, and ranked them primarily by the flavor and texture of the finished product. I was on a mission to find a light, fluffy pancake with just the right amount of sweetness — like the soft, buttery hotcakes you might enjoy in an old-fashioned breakfast joint. If a premade mix can replicate those types of flapjacks, what else could you ask for?
I also took price and convenience into consideration when ranking pancake mixes. The whole point of purchasing something premade is that it's simple to prepare, after all, and a top-notch pancake mix should provide good quality for the price you pay, as well.