You should be very, very glad I can’t jump out of the computer screen and convince you how phenomenal this recipe is, thereby giving you no good reason not to make it. Yes, these are exceptional pancakes (hands down, my favorite pancake recipe), but the best thing about this recipe is that the dry mix makes a lot and takes minutes to throw together. It stores indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer and these healthy pancakes are beyond simple to whip up on a busy morning before school, work…or just because you want pancakes.
I don’t know about you but my mornings are crazy. Crazy, crazy, crazy. Waking kids up, feeding a baby, helping children off to school, making up lunchboxes, on and on. I don’t have time to put together a full homemade pancake breakfast from scratch. But I like knowing my kids are getting a good, healthy breakfast in their tummies before their long day starts.
With this mix, which I’ve been making for what seems like forever, I pour a cup of mix into a bowl, followed by a cup of buttermilk, then an egg. Whisk it together and within five minutes my kids have hot pancakes to eat. And I feel like mother of the year. Which trust me, doesn’t last for long.
The texture of these pancakes is fantastic – I love the chewy oats and whole wheat flour (can we get a big hooray for fiber here??). I hope this mix does as much for you as it does for me and my family. We eat it at least two or three mornings a week and love it every time.
Note (added 3/2011): I’ve updated this recipe several times to reflect that I generally use 100% whole wheat flour (five cups total, instead of using 2 cups of all-purpose flour). I prefer white wheat flour, although red wheat could be used and will lend an even heartier taste to the mix. Also, I made it the other day and before I added the oats to the mix, I threw them in my blender (yep, blender) and pulverized them to a powder. We loved the result! Loved it. Although the texture with the unblended oats is fantastic in it’s own right, blending the oats lends a smooth texture to the mix and finished pancakes. I’ll be doing it that way from now on!
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
Directions
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). If desired, grind the oats in a blender or food processor before adding to the other dry ingredients for a smoother mix. With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (I’ve never had to add additional oil). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.
- To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1/2 to 1 cup buttermilk* (depending on how thick you want your batter), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don’t break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side. As a sidenote, buttermilk can be frozen indefinitely for future batches of pancakes, so it’s worth keeping it around!
Notes
Many people have commented that they have subbed plain yogurt or a mixture of lemon juice/milk for the buttermilk. Read through the comments to get the specifics - I always keep buttermilk on hand so I haven't made those substitutions myself.
Recipe Source: Adapted from King Arthur Flour The Baker’s Companion
I freeze leftover buttermilk in mini muffin tins. Also, you can find powdered buttermilk at some supermarkets. I always have this as a backup.
[...] Oatmeal Pancake Mix. Yet another breakfast idea involving wholesome oats…. I enjoy pancakes and strive to least make it as healthy and delicious way and yet splurge occasions. The recipe stores well in the fridge. kids love them. Fruits top well with these cakes… creative toppings is unlimited actually. [...]
[...] recipe for homemade pancake mix also came by way of Gina Smith, who got it here. It’s super healthy, super easy, and frequently requested by all members of the Ramsey [...]
Mel, why in the heck has it taken me SO long to try this recipe out?!?! Gone are the days of buying pancake mix, because this was AMAZING. Kids gobbled it up!
[...] Wheat & Oatmeal Pancake Mix Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café [...]
Hi, Mel. Your site has inspired me! I just got a wheat grinder for Christmas and am excited to try recipes using the flour. Being new to grinding my own flour, my question is what kind of wheat would you use in this recipe and how finely would you grind it? I have both hard white and soft white on hand – which to use, or doesn’t it matter? Would I grind it for bread or the finer pastry consistency?
I can’t wait to try these. Thanks!
Melanie do you ever make the pancakes in your blender? (when you add the mix, egg, and buttermilk)
Hi Jessica – I don’t use my blender because I don’t like to clean it when I can just whisk it together in a bowl…but I think it would work just fine if that’s your preference.
Hands down my favorite pancake recipe ever. SO good. Everyone loves it. Thank you for posting!
So I made these this morning and they were amazing! I’m 5 months pregnant and am stewarding for ways that I can keep my family happy and full after the baby is born without spending hours in the kitchen and these were perfect! I ground 1/2 cup walnuts and added into the flour along with the ground oats and the rest of the recipe and I had to add a tad bit more oil but omg these were so filling and satisfying! My 2 year old loved them as well. Definitely a keeper now, and after baby comes too! Thank you! And btwi did the milk and vinegar instead of buttermilk and they still were incredible!
Hi! I’m not new to your fabulous blog. I am just new to commenting. I found this recipe when I did a search for a whole wheat pancake mix with oats. I made this tonight and it was TERIF. We LOVED these pancakes. I will be making these regularly! thank you!
Quick question . . . I had to add much more oil than it seems anyone else had to (as far as I can tell) and then a FULL cup of buttermilk. They were delicious but still pretty thick (we poured WAY too much syrup on them. ha!). I milled the wheat flour myself, which really shouldn’t be any different but . . . do you know if that makes a difference? That is the only thing I did differently.
Megan – a lot of it can be how each person measures flour. I grind my own wheat flour for these as well. If I’m using it straight after grinding, I find that it has quite a bit of air in it after grinding and so I shake it into the cup to settle it a bit more. If it’s wheat flour I’ve had in my freezer (from grinding the week before or something), it’s more compact, so I gently fluff it up, scoop my cup into the flour and sweep it off. My guess is that you might need to use a lighter hand in measuring the flour, especially because I’ve never had to add more oil than the recipe calls for. Good luck!
OK! That’s great and very helpful. Thank you!
If anyone is curious, my math came out to about 228 cal. for 2- 4 inch pancakes.
I LOVE this recipe and was so excited to discover it here!! Our fam recently has started to try eating less cold cereal on school mornings in favor of heartier, healthier items. This is a big part of our week now! We’re already on our second batch. I use rolled oats (broken up in the food processor), whole wheat pastry flour, and oat flour in place of white. Also, I live in a crazy humid climate and 1 cup of oil makes this much too ‘wet” so I go with about 3/4 cup.
Mel, this recipe is as you say it is. Phenomenal. I use banana puree in place of buttermilk. It really does the trick. I also add ground cinnamon to the dry mix, and I use brown sugar rather than white sugar. And as a bonus, I only use organic ingredients. These pancakes are fantastic. IHOPs got nothing on this.
Can use I melted butter instead of the canola oil to make this mix? I realize that making this substitution means I’d have to store it in in the refrigerator or the freezer, but I’d be willing to do that if it means the flavor of the pancakes will be better, than with oil. thank you
Monica – I’ve never tried it with butter so you’ll have to experiment and see. You are right, though, the mix won’t be shelf stable with the butter like it is with the oil.
Hi Mel, its a birthday morning here tomorrow, and these are coming out with whipped cream and berries (yay spring farmer’s market!!!). Just had to let you know that your recipe is putting the “special” in special breakfast (along with the cream, of course!! Ha!).
Will be making these tomorrow.
Just a tip for all us Moms looking for convience. I make up a double or triple batch of either regular Pancakes or Finnish pancakes and freeze two at a time on a cookie sheet. When frozen I put them into a large freezer bags. Once frozen they do not stick together then I can take a couple out at a time. I will make these on the weekend then I have quick breakfasts for the kids for a couple of weeks. I have three pre-teen boys that are always hungry! Just take them out the night before and defrost in fridge or microwave for three mintues in the morning if you forget to take out lol.
Hey Mel, Great recipe! We are going camping this weekend and I was hoping to prep the entire mix ahead of time and put it in a bag and make it like a pastry bag – just squeeze right onto the griddle! No mixing needed. I know the buttermilk freezes and the mix freezes but do you think it would freeze ok all together? Thanks!!
Hi Jackie – I haven’t actually tried it that way (freezing the mix after it has been whisked together with the buttermilk) but I’m pretty sure it should work ok. You might need to do a bit of mashing of the bag after it defrosts to help the ingredients recombine but otherwise, it should be ok!