The 6 Healthiest Pancake Mixes, Taste-Tested and Dietitian-Approved (2024)

There's no doubt that a fresh batch of homemade pancakes is a great way to start your morning. But sometimes we don't have the time (or the ingredients) to whip them up from scratch. Enter boxed pancake mix, an accessible convenient option that gets the job done in a fraction of the time.

Pancakes aren't exactly known for their stick-to-your-ribs staying power, though. With this in mind, we analyzed nutrition labels for protein and fiber and polled our editors for their favorite brands that will fill you up. Check out the six that were our absolute favorites out of them all—plus, get advice on some nutrition numbers to look for on the package.

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Our Healthy Pancake Mix Recommendations

• Best Overall: Bob’s Red Mill Organic 7 Grain Pancake & Waffle Mix
• Also Great: Long Table Blue Corn Pancake & Waffle Mix
• Best Buttermilk Pancake Mix: Kodiak Buttermilk Power Cakes Flapjack & Waffle Mix
• Best Protein Pancake Mix: Krusteaz Buttermilk Protein Pancake Mix
• Best Gluten-Free Pancake Mix: Simple Mills Almond Flour Pancake & Waffle Mix
• Best No-Added-Sugar Pancake Mix: Birch Benders Keto Pancake & Waffle Mix

Best Overall: Bob's Red Mill Organic 7 Grain Pancake & Waffle Mix

​​What we like: Organic ingredients and a flavor that pairs well with various toppings and mix-ins.

What to know: The texture is a bit heavier than traditional pancakes made with all-purpose flour.

Bob’s Red Mill is known for its extensive line of whole grains and baking ingredients. The company produces several pancake mixes, but we especially love the 7 Grain Mix for its versatility and nutrition. The ingredients are 100% organic and contain a blend of whole wheat, rye, spelt, corn, oat, Kamut wheat, quinoa and brown rice flours.

With only a touch of added sugar and no added flavorings, these pancakes are mild in taste and make an excellent blank canvas for mix-ins and toppings. The finished product isn’t as fluffy as pancakes made with all-purpose flour, but that’s to be expected with the added protein and fiber from whole grain flours.

Nutrition Info for Bob’s Red Mill Organic 7 Grain Pancake & Waffle Mix, per ¼ cup:
140 calories, 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 2 g total sugar (1 g added sugar), 7 g protein

Also Great: Long Table Blue Corn Pancake and Waffle Mix

​​What we like: Cornmeal, rye, buckwheat and hazelnut flours create a unique sweet-and-savory taste.

What to know: Cooks up with a blue-gray hue from the blue cornmeal.

If this cornmeal based mix sounds familiar, you might have seen Long Table presenting its pancakes on “Shark Tank.” The brand's blue corn pancake mix won over Hannah Freedman, EatingWell’s Director of Commerce Content Strategy. “I grew up in New Mexico, and this blue corn mix transports me home while delivering the perfect savory sweet breakfast bite,” says Hannah.

The unique blend of flours in this mix includes organic blue corn, rye flour, buckwheat flour and hazelnut meal. These pancakes have a unique, rich corn flavor that works with both sweet and savory toppings. They’re a little more intensive to prepare than other mixes that only require water, but the addition of milk and egg increases protein to 11 grams per serving once prepared.

Nutrition Info for Long Table Blue Corn Pancake and Waffle Mix, per ⅓ cup:
160 calories, 4 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 480 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 3 g total sugar (2 g added sugar), 5 g protein

Best Buttermilk Pancake Mix: Kodiak Buttermilk Power Cakes Flapjack & Waffle Mix

​​What we like: Made with 100% whole grains and whey protein for a protein-packed stack.

What to know: Get 21 grams of protein per serving by following the directions for adding milk and an egg.

Katie Tuttle, one of our EatingWell Commerce Editors, is a big fan of this pancake mix. “Not only is this mix stupid-easy to make, you get whole grains and 15 grams of protein per serving,” she says. “Pro tip: Serve with peanut butter instead of maple syrup for a very filling breakfast (or dinner, I'm not here to judge).”

This mix is made with a blend of whole-wheat and oat flours, which have a slightly nutty taste that balances out the tangy buttermilk flavor. This mix is also a higher protein option; it contains whey protein and milk protein, with 15 grams of protein per serving when prepped with just water. Kodiak includes directions for increasing the protein by prepping the pancake batter with milk and/or egg.

Best Protein Pancake Mix: Krusteaz Buttermilk Protein Pancake Mix

What we like: Made with higher protein ingredients, including whole wheat flour, wheat protein and whey protein isolate.

What to know: It's higher in added sugar than we’d like, but the buttermilk taste is a winner.

The addition of wheat protein and whey protein isolate pack this pancake mix with more than double the protein of most of our other picks. When mixed with just water, this mix delivers 15 grams of protein, and Krusteaz includes instructions to boost protein even more with the addition of milk and/or eggs. Using milk in place of water increases the protein per serving to 17 grams and using both milk and an egg gets you 20 grams of protein from one stack, which is comparable to three large eggs.

Although this mix has more added sugar than we'd like, the pancakes have a classic buttermilk taste that’s worth the splurge. Our advice: Let the buttermilk flavor shine by skipping the syrup and serving with less-sugary toppings.

Nutrition Info for Krusteaz Buttermilk Protein Pancake Mix, per ½ cup:
220 calories, 2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 600 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 8 g total sugar (7 g added sugar), 15 g protein

Best Gluten-Free Pancake Mix: Simple Mills Almond Flour Pancake & Waffle Mix

What we like: Cooks up softer and not at all gummy compared to other gluten-free mixes.

What to know:

Nutty almond and coconut flours puff these grain-free pancakes up without the gumminess other gluten-free mixes tend to have. Pancake mixes made with these alternative flours are a healthier choice for everyone, regardless of gluten status, since they’re higher in filling protein and fiber than traditional all-purpose flour.

Add a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans, or top with nut butter, to hit our protein recommendation. If you’re looking for even more protein, Simple Mills also makes a gluten-free protein pancake mix. In addition to almond flour, it also contains chickpea protein and has 11 grams of protein per serving.

Nutrition Info for Simple Mills Almond Flour Pancake & Waffle Mix, per ⅓ cup:
170 calories, 8 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 240 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 5 g total sugar (5 g added sugar), 4 g protein

Best No-Added-Sugar Pancake Mix: Birch Benders Keto Pancake & Waffle Mix

​​What we like: Mixes with just water, so it’s easy to scale pancakes for one or a crowd.

What to know: Contains erythritol, a calorie-free sugar alcohol, which can give some people digestive upset.

One trick to finding a filling pancake mix is to check options labeled paleo, low-carb or keto, even if you don’t subscribe to any of those eating styles. These pancake mixes won’t contain any added sugars, since they’re a no-no on those diets, and are typically made with flours higher in protein and fiber.

Birch Benders Keto pancake mix contains almond flour, tapioca fiber and pea fiber, which packs 9 grams of fiber into each serving. Whey protein concentrate and eggs help bump up the protein content to 6 grams per serving.

We were shocked by how closely these pancakes smelled, looked and tasted like their added-sugar counterparts. They browned evenly, cooked quickly, had a light and fluffy texture and tasted lightly sweet and buttery.

Nutrition Info for Birch Benders Keto Pancake & Waffle Mix, per ⅓ cup:
140 calories, 8 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber, 1 g total sugar (0 g added sugar, 4 g sugar alcohol), 6 g protein

The Bottom Line: The Best Healthy Pancake Mix

If you’re looking for a pancake mix that’s made with 100% whole grains and low in added sugar, Bob’s Red Mill Organic 7 Grain Pancake Mix (view at Amazon) is a great choice. For higher protein pancakes with a classic buttermilk flavor, we love Krusteaz Buttermilk Protein Pancake Mix (view at Amazon).

Choosing a Healthy Pancake Mix

Go for Whole Grains

Bolster your defenses against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and weight gain—all before lunch? Yes, please! Opt for a whole-grain mix over refined. But don't just pick up any box claiming whole grains on the front. Look for the word "whole" in the ingredient list and make sure it's listed first. Another clue: If fiber is very low (0-1 gram), the product is probably not whole-grain.

Added Sugar Is OK (Within Reason)

A little bit of sugar can help balance out the natural bitterness of whole grains. But if you're also adding syrup to your stack, finding the line between lightly sweetened breakfast and dessert is tricky. Considering the American Heart Association caps added sugars at 25 grams for women a day (36 grams for men), limiting your pancakes to 5 grams per serving lets you have some syrup too. Just keep in mind: 1 tablespoon of maple syrup adds 12 grams of sugar.

Forgo the Flavored Mixes

Blueberry, chocolate chip, pumpkin spice—as tempting as these flavors sound, they aren't usually made with whole grains and can be higher in sugar—we found several with 11 grams of sugar per serving. A better bet is to pick a standard mix and add your own mix-ins or toppings, like our recipe for Blueberry-Ricotta Pancakes.

Focus on Fiber

Seeking out a version of a healthy pancake mix with 3 or more grams of fiber will help stave off hunger and help you reach the minimum suggested intake of 25 to 38 grams daily. Mixes made with 100% whole grains and/or with added seeds like chia and flax tend to have the highest amounts of this nutrient. When choosing grain-free, opt for blends with almond or coconut flour to get a fiber bump.

Pick Protein

Most pancake mixes have between 2 and 4 grams of protein per serving. For a little extra oomph, scan the ingredient list for buckwheat or chickpea flour, vital wheat gluten, seeds and pea or whey protein and choose a brand with at least 5 grams of protein per serving of dry mix.

Numbers to Look For:

(dry, unprepared mix)

Fiber: ≥ 3g

Protein: ≥ 5g

Added Sugar: ≤ 5g

Our Search for the Best Healthy Pancake Mixes

To find the best healthy pancake mixes, EatingWell editors, directors and contributing writers shared their go-to store-bought pancake mixes and researched the latest offerings on the market. We analyzed the nutrition facts and ingredients of each pancake mix to find those that deliver fiber (≥ 3g per serving) and protein (≥ 5g per serving) while keeping added sugars low (≤ 5g per serving).

The pancake mixes that fit our nutrition criteria were then taste-tested by members of our team and those that were easy to prepare and tasted great made our final list.

Common Questions

What makes a boxed pancake mix healthy?

There are two considerations that make a boxed pancake mix healthy: the amount of added sugar per serving and the type of flour it contains.

Added sugar provides flavor to pancake mix, but a little goes a long way, especially if you’re going to be adding maple syrup, jam or other sweet toppings to your stack of pancakes. The most recent version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting intake of added sugars. Choosing a pancake mix that's lower in sugar (hint: they’re usually the unflavored mixes) can help you cut back on calories and added sugar.

Healthy pancake mixes also contain whole grain flours or alternative flours, like almond or coconut flour. These flours contain more fiber and protein compared to all-purpose flour, making them more filling choices. The more fiber and protein in a pancake mix, the more likely you are to feel satisfied after eating.

Can you make boxed pancake mix healthier?

You can make boxed pancake mix healthier by using nutritious add-ins and toppings. A tablespoon or two of ground flax seed, chia seeds or hemp seeds mixed into pancake batter adds extra fiber, protein and heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Most pancake mixes call for mixing with water, but you can replace the water with reduced-fat milk, which adds extra protein and calcium.

As for toppings, butter and maple syrup are classic and delicious, but not exactly filling ingredients. Opt for nutrient-dense toppings, like fresh or frozen fruit and drizzling with peanut butter for added fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Are boxed pancake mixes high in sugar?

Some, but not all, boxed pancake mixes contain a good bit of added sugar. If you like to top your pancakes with maple syrup, what appears to be a simple breakfast can end up packing enough added sugar to rival dessert. Our rule of thumb is to avoid flavored pancake mixes, since they often contain the most added sugars, and look for a mix that contains 5 grams or less of added sugar per serving.

Can you use pancake mix to make other baked goods?

Yes! The main ingredients in pancake mix are flour, sugar, salt and leavening agents, which are found in most baked goods.You can use pancake mix to make waffles, as well—in fact, most packaged pancake mixes include directions for prepping waffle batter. Pancake mix can also be used as the base for crepes, biscuits, muffins and cakes.The ingredients you add and the amount of liquid you need will vary depending on what you’re making, though, so it's good to consult a recipe before baking.

What is the healthiest flour to use in pancakes?

Any flour made from whole grains is a healthy choice for pancakes. Whole grain flours contain more fiber and protein than all-purpose wheat flour. One cup of whole wheat flour contains 16 grams of fiber, compared to 3 grams of fiber in one cup of all-purpose flour.

Other whole-grain flours, such as oat flour or buckwheat flour, provide different, nutty flavors that also work well for pancakes.

Our Trusted Expertise

Maxine Yeung, RD, is the original author of our pancake roundup. A former pastry chef turned registered dietitian and nutrition writer, Maxine is a contributing writer for EatingWell and helped research pancake mixes that deliver both nutrition and taste.

This article was updated by Sharon Lehman, RD, a registered dietitian with over six years experience researching and writing about cooking, food and nutrition. She tested several of the pancake mixes on this list, including our picks from Bob’s Red Mill and Birch Benders. Our team of EatingWell editors also shared their favorite pancake mixes and provided notes on taste, ease of preparation and why they love them.

This article was edited by Kayleigh Drake, a former full-time baker and current EatingWell commerce editor and contributor to publications such as Food & Wine, The Spruce Eats and Simply Recipes.