Homemade pancake mix (let's not stop there, we have a homemade muffin, biscuit, and instant oatmeal mix recipe below too!) ensures you can always get a hot breakfast on the table no matter how busy your morning is. This pancake mix is easy and whips up fast for delicious light and fluffy pancakes!
Plus making your own homemade quick mixes means you can control the ingredients, which means you can avoid GMOs, eliminate preservatives and other unhealthy ingredients and avoid excessive amounts of salt and sugar too.
Quick mixes like homemade pancake mix, biscuit mix, muffin mix and instant oatmeal are also incredibly easy to make and batch all at once. On busy mornings all you need to do is dump out the jar and add your wet ingredients.
Having all of the dry ingredients measured out and mixed up already can really cut down the time it takes to prepare these items at home. This means you’re also more likely to make these items and avoid resorting to sugary cereals and other unhealthy processed treats instead.
Batching your homemade pantry mixes
Just as you would batch prepare anything else (whether you’re canning food for later, freezer cooking or meal prepping for the week), you can batch prepare a bunch of different quick mixes in a single session and then have them ready to go in jars whenever you need them.
These quick homemade pancake and pantry mixes call for the same basic dry ingredients, so that makes it easier to just pull out all of the raw ingredients and make large batches of each item at the same time.
Portion out your quick mixes. I like to pre-portion my mixes out in Mason jars so when I’m ready to cook or bake, all I need to do is dump the jar in a bowl, add the wet ingredients and mix them up.
I use my canning funnel to easily funnel all of the ingredients into each jar to avoid making a mess. A regular funnel should also work.
Store your quick mixes in Ziplock bags or any other container they’ll fit in. I find Mason jars work great, and since you’re storing dry ingredients that don’t need to be canned, you can use old lids that can no longer be used for canning.
You don’t need to sterilize your jars beforehand, clean and dry is fine.
Ingredients for Homemade Pantry Mixes
Flour- all-purpose is the most versatile and what most of us have on hand. You can use bread flour for the biscuits if you wish. I don't recommend using fresh ground flour for make-ahead mixes as that really defeats the nutritional purpose of using fresh-ground flour.
Baking powder and baking soda- baking powder/soda is your leavening agent (makes them rise and creates a light and fluffy texture).
Salt- ya need a little salt to bring out the flavor
Sugar- these DIY pantry mixes use minimal sugar, you can substitute monk fruit or powdered erythritol straight across for sugar-free variations.
Storing and using your quick mixes
You can store your jars of homemade pancake mix and the other quick mixes in your pantry just like you would store your baking ingredients or your jars of home-canned food. When you’re pressed for time and need to feed your littles, or you just need to get some food or a snack on the table really quickly, you can grab a jar of quick mix and your wet ingredients (ie. eggs, milk, butter, water, etc.) and you’re all set!
To make life even easier, I’ve created some printable recipe cards that you can print out and tie onto your jars of quick mixes (or keep in your recipe box) so you don’t waste any time searching for the ingredients or the cooking instructions when you're ready to make them.
You can download the printable recipe cards from the Kitchen & Pantry Resources section of my Free Resource Library.
So break out your Mason jars and your baking ingredients and start batch preparing the following homemade quick mixes so that no matter how busy you are or how many mouths you have to feed in the morning, you can always get a hot, homemade breakfast on the table in no time flat:)
How to Make Homemade Pancake Mix
Mix together all dry ingredients into your Mason jar and store it on the shelf. When ready to make your pancakes (Saturday morning is always a great time), mix in the wet ingredients and heat your lightly greased skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in approximately 1/4 cup batter at a time for pancakes.
When small bubbles appear, flip the pancake over and brown the other side (1 to 2 minutes). Serve warm with your favorite toppings like syrup, 1930s chocolate gravy, applesauce, or this fabulous low sugar strawberry jam without pectin.
Homemade quick mixes for breakfast (and beyond!)
Print all of these recipes below with the printable recipe tab!
Buttermilk Biscuit Mix
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Dump the jar of biscuit mix in a mixing bowl and cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or fork. Add your buttermilk and stir with a large spoon until all the dough starts to stick together.
- Dump biscuit dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over a few times with your hands, being careful not to handle it too much (you don’t want the cold butter to melt, so don’t overhandle the dough). Pat dough out into a thick disc, about 1 to 1½ inches thick.
- Cut out your biscuits with a biscuit cutter and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes.
Need to learn how to make flaky buttermilk biscuits? Try this Easy Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits Ready to Eat in 20 Minutes
Whole Wheat Muffin Mix
- Preheat oven to 400ºF
- Mix all ingredients together until well combined
- Spoon into a greased or lined muffin tin, filling each cup until about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake for about 20-22 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
Instant Oatmeal Mix
- Dump one portion of instant oatmeal mix into a small pot and cover with 1½ cups water.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until water has absorbed and oatmeal is cooked through.
- Serve warm as-is or with a knob of butter and/or a little fresh cream.
Other Breakfast Favorite Recipes
- Homemade Pop Tarts From Scratch (Hand Pies)
- Overnight Pancake Recipe from the 1920s
- Homemade Granola Bars (Copycat Nature Valley Granola Bars)
- Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
- Peach Buttermilk Muffin Recipe
- Cranberry Muffins Recipe – Cranberry Nut Everything Muffins
More Mixes in a Jar
More Gift in a Jar Ideas
- Homemade Spice Mixes and Herb Blends + Free Printable Tags
- Homemade Cake Mix Recipe
- Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix 3 Ways (From Scratch!)
- DIY Homemade Brownie Mix in Jar- Best Ever Fudge Brownies
- DIY No-Knead Bread Mix Recipe in a Jar
Homemade Pancake Mix
Ingredients
- Ingredients per 16 oz./pint-size jar
- 1½ cups flour
- 3½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
Cooking instructions
- Ingredients
- 1 jar of pancake mix
- 1¼ cup milk or cream or non-dairy milk of choice
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbsp. butter melted (or substitute coconut oil)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Mix together all the ingredients until well combined.
- Heat a lightly greased skillet over medium high heat and pour batter in, approximately 1/4 cup at a time to make your pancakes.
- Brown on both sides and serve warm.
Notes
Homemade Biscuit Mix
Ingredients
- Ingredients per 16 oz./pint-size jar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
Cooking instructions
- Ingredients
- 1 jar biscuit mix
- ½ cup cold butter cubed
- 1 cup buttermilk*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Dump the jar of biscuit mix in a mixing bowl and cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or fork. Add your buttermilk and stir with a large spoon until all the dough starts to stick together.
- Dump biscuit dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over a few times with your hands, being careful not to handle it too much (you don’t want the cold butter to melt, so don’t overhand the dough). Pat dough out into a thick disc, about 1 to 1½ inches thick.
- Cut out your biscuits with a biscuit cutter and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes.
Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own by combining one cup of full-fat milk or cream with one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let sit for about five minutes and it will curdle and be ready to add to the rest of the ingredients! (I use this in place of real buttermilk all the time and it works great!)
- No milk? You can use plain yogurt in place of the buttermilk.
Homemade Muffin Mix
Ingredients
- Ingredients per 32 oz./quart-size jar
- 2 cups whole wheat flour or substitute all-purpose flour or a 50/50 mix
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
Cooking instructions
- Ingredients
- 1 jar muffin mix
- 1 cup milk or cream or non-dairy milk of choice
- 1 egg
- ½ cup butter melted (or substitute avocado oil or melted coconut oil)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries or fruit of choice or chocolate chips, pecans, walnuts, etc., optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF
- Mix all ingredients together until well combined
- Spoon into a greased or lined muffin tin, filling each cup until about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake for about 20-22 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
Homemade Instant Oatmeal Mix
Ingredients
- Ingredients Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and then portion into 8 oz./half-pint jars
- 6 cups quick cook oats
- 2 cups dried fruit raisins, cranberries, dried cherries, dried blueberries, chopped apricots, chopped dried apples, etc.
- 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. cinnamon optional
- * Mix everything together in a big bowl and either store in a large jar or portion out one cup each individual portions into jars or small Ziplock bags.
- Cooking instructions
- Ingredients
- 1 jar or cup instant oatmeal mix
- 1½ cups water
Instructions
- Dump one portion of instant oatmeal mix into a small pot and cover with 1½ cups water.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until water has absorbed and oatmeal is cooked through.
- Serve warm as-is or with a knob of butter and/or a little fresh cream.
Notes
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This site was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something that helped me.
Kudos!
How do I convert the Muffin Mix to a gluten free oat or rice bran mix?
How long do these last in mason jars? What is the shelf life?
– Mel
The pancakes came out great! It’s out new favorite pancake mix.
Melissa, thank you so much for your sweet giving heart. I love, love, love the hot cocoa mix. Converted it to dairy free for my twin granddaughters in love! I bought your new book and forced myself not to look at it while gift wrapping it as a gift from my hubby. (He always tells me to buy something I want and christmas wrap it from his). Can’t wait to read it, study it and use it!!
Love and thank you for all your teaching skills Merry Christmas!!
Debbie Sykes