Anything to make breakfast easy and quick is a win in our book, so these muffin mix pancakes with just 3 ingredient are a no-brainer. In only 10 minutes and with basic ingredients, you can cook up a fluffy stack of flapjacks in whatever flavor your family likes.
These are perfect for breakfast, dinner, or even dessert! And since pancakes from muffin mix are so deliciously fluffy and cake-like, you should probably plan on making a double batch because kids would love this.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- They turn out fluffier and more flavorful than the ones made with plain boxed mixes.
- An easy freezer meal idea.
This easy pancake recipe is easy to double, giving you an abundance of flapjacks for a heat-and-eat meal on busy mornings! - Easy to customize.
No matter what flavor you use, the sky’s the limit when it comes to add-ins and toppings for 3 ingredient pancakes. Keep things simple, or get creative and pile them high for a fluffy sweet treat for dessert!
Short on time? Check out our sheet pancakes with mix! You can eliminate the pouring and flipping over a hot griddle entirely.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Muffin Mix – You will notice the amount of mix varies in our recipe – between 6 and 7 ounces. This is because we generally try to use a whole package, and the amounts in a package vary per brand. That’s why it’s important to be flexible with the amount of liquid, too.
As for what flavor of muffin mix to use – any of them work, so use whatever your family will enjoy the most. Favorites of ours are lemon poppy seed, chocolate chip, banana, or our favorite – blueberry muffin mix. - Milk – Substitutes such as oat, almond, and soy milk all work wonderfully in pancake recipes! Water can also be used as a substitute, but the resulting flapjacks will not be as rich.
- Vanilla Extract – An optional ingredient, but one we believe makes a big difference! This small yet mighty ingredient will heighten the flavor of the milk as well as balance the flavor of the egg.
- Butter – We’re not taking back what we said about these being 3 ingredient pancakes! The butter is just for greasing the pan. Cooking spray is also fine to use.
Recipe Variations
Fresh or frozen fruit. We love our banana pancakes Bisquick recipe, so adding fruit to this easy pancake recipe is a fantastic idea! The batter is sturdy enough to hold up to their weight. The same goes for berries of all shapes and sizes–fresh or frozen!
Nuts add a welcome texture, with almonds, walnuts, and macadamia nuts being among our favorites. These all go great with the fruity flavors found in different dry mixes, too! We also love some banana nut flavor to it.
Seeds – Have you used chia seeds in your baked goods? They’re high in protein and fiber and also act as an egg substitute. Flax seeds behave similarly, and it’s actually common to use both. You can easily pack tons of nutritional value into your breakfast!
Cinnamon is also great if you are a fan of it.
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Easy Pancake Recipe Tips
- Avoid over-mixing the batter.
If you stir the batter too much, you’ll end up with tough, gummy muffin mix pancakes. Air bubbles will burst and cause the cakes to struggle to rise, so the final texture won’t be nearly as fluffy.
For the best results, incorporate the ingredients until just combined.
- Use a measuring scoop to ensure even cooking.
When they are too large, muffin-mix pancakes can be a struggle to flip. This is because of the heavier batter. We recommend using 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake for a nice, medium-sized flapjack. For reference, 3 tablespoons is slightly less than ¼ cup.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
To keep things quick and simple, use a 1/4 cup measure for the batter, but don’t fill it all the way.
- Wait for bubbles to appear before flipping.
It can sometimes be a challenge to get the perfect golden brown exterior on 3 ingredient pancakes because they cook a little differently than traditional flapjacks.
One of the easiest ways to know when pancakes from the muffin mix are ready to flip is visual. When you see bubbles across the surface of the batter, it’s time to flip them over!
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Waffle batter is naturally thicker, sweeter, and fattier than pancake batter, so this recipe works perfectly. We would just recommend using a bit less liquid so that the batter is thicker.
Muffin mix is sweeter, uses less milk, and results in a denser cake. This is because muffin mixes include fat and baking powder, whereas pancake mixes do not.
That’s a great question, because the process varies depending on the brand used, particularly when it comes to the amount of milk to use.
As a result, we recommend adding the milk in small amounts, stirring it in, and making the judgment call based on the thickness of the batter. For Martha White mix, you will likely need ⅔ cup of milk.
Excess batter can be refrigerated for 3 days or so, and any leftover pancakes can be stored in the fridge for up to a week (though they begin to dry out sooner than that.)
When it comes to saving muffin mix pancakes, we actually recommend freezing them! Cook them all up and let them cool. Then, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
They reheat well in a toaster or microwave–and it isn’t necessary to thaw them first! After warming them through, they’re fantastic as-is, or with a drizzle of strawberry French toast on top.
More Easy Breakfast To Love…
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3 Ingredient Muffin Mix Pancakes
Ingredients
- 6-7 ounces dry muffin mix any flavor *see Notes below
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup milk or less *see Notes below
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1 tablespoon butter or non-stick cooking spray (for greasing skillet)
Instructions
- Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat.
- To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the dry muffin mix, egg, milk, and extract (if using). Combine ingredients with a balloon whisk or fork until no lumps remain and no dry mix is visible.
- Grease the preheated skillet with butter or non-stick cooking spray. When butter melts and begins to bubble, place 3-tablespoon portions of batter onto the preheated skillet, leaving some space between each.
- Cook the pancakes for 2-4 minutes on the first side, then use a spatula to flip pancakes over; cook on second side for 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
- To keep cooked pancakes warm while you cook the remaining batter, place them on a wire rack in an oven set to 150°F. (or its lowest setting). Add butter and pour on maple syrup before serving.
Notes
- About the muffin mix: Betty Crocker muffin mix has 6.9 ounces per package, while other brands like Martha White have 7 ounces. If using Betty Crocker brand, you may need slightly less than 2/3 cup of milk.
- Mix-ins: Depending on the muffin mix flavor you use, free to add mix-ins to your batter such as bananas, fresh or frozen berries, chocolate chips, nuts, chia seeds, flax, etc.
Pamela Klemp says
I’m ready and have all the required ingredients, however, I was wondering if I could also add a bit of Vanilla Bean Yogurt instead of using Vanilla Extract. If so, how much Yogurt and do I need to reduce the amount if Mike used? If so, how much Milk would be best for this slight change up?
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
Hello Pamela! We haven’t tried using vanilla bean yogurt for this recipe. But you are free to try and experiment with this easy and forgiving recipe. We’ll be happy to know your progress.