I grew up on Eggo waffles. They are quick, easy and all you have to do is pop them in the toaster. It’s great. I can understand the appeal of buying frozen waffles because not everyone owns a waffle iron but frozen pancakes? Yes, they sell those too!

This got me thinking:  is it actually worth buying frozen pancakes that you pop in a toaster instead of making them yourself? I can understand the need to buy frozen waffles, but most people can make pancakes since it requires no special equipment.

A couple of friends and I decided to get together to do a taste test involving buttermilk pancakes. We decided to try out frozen pancakes as well as pancakes made from a mix,  and then see how well they stacked up against pancakes made from scratch. Is it worth buying the convenience versions or are you better off making them from scratch?

The Contenders:


1. Aunt Jemima Frozen Buttermilk Pancakes
Previously cooked and then frozen, making them the fastest to prepare in a toaster, microwave or oven. 

2. Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Pancake Mix
Convenience plus a bit of DIY.  The recipe on the back of the box calls for:
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups pancake mix

Pour the pancake mix into a mixing bowl. Add the egg and milk (for extra tender pancakes add 1-2 Tbsp of vegetable oil). Stir with a wire whisk until large lumps disappear. Let stand 1-2 minutes to thicken.

3. Buttermilk pancakes made from scratch
Recipe from: The Joy of Cooking

Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Combine in another bowl:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 eggs
(1/2 tsp vanilla extract)

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Ignore lumps. Rest the batter. (Note: It’s recommended to cover, refrigerate and rest the batter for 3-6 hours or longer for superior results.)

To cook the pancakes:
Pour slightly less than 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto a greased skillet or frying pan. Turn when pancakes bubble and bottoms are golden brown. Continue to cook for approximately 1 minute or until second side is golden brown.

The Results 


The Aunt Jemima frozen buttermilk pancakes were definitely the easiest to prepare. They were perfectly circular and uniform in shape and size. They looked perfect!  However, they tasted the worst out of the three. “Flat,” “dense,” “tough” and “tastes like cardboard” are all comments that were made by the taste testers.

The homemade pancakes and the ones prepared from the mix tasted very similar. Some people preferred the taste of the homemade pancakes, some preferred the taste of the pancakes made from the mix, while others couldn’t taste any difference between the two. However, the pancakes made from the mix came out slightly more fluffy and because of the lighter texture, the taste testers preferred these ones overall. What a huge upset!  Although I usually prefer the homemade versions of things, in this case Aunt Jemima buttermilk pancake mix wins from a convenience standpoint.

Bottom Line


It's worth buying the pancake mix for the convenience and the taste. It does cost a bit more but it saves the time and effort of having to measure out the dry ingredients. For people who don't bake a lot or have all the ingredients on hand, Aunt Jemima pancake mix is the way to go.

But if you want to go the extra mile...
Homemade pancakes call for very simple ingredients so if you have the ingredients on hand go ahead. And if you have the time and patience to allow the batter to rest for at least 3 hours more power to you! This works out to be the most economical way as well.

One thing is for certain though: who doesn’t love having pancakes for breakfast?

*Tip: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, a quick trick is to add 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup milk.

All Photos by Jane Lee of butteredup.blogspot.ca

Lisa is a dietitian, food lover and blogger. Check out her other taste tests on confessionsofadietitian.com