Out of Flour, one case
Can you use pancake mix as a substitute for flour?
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Regular pancake mix
1 cup for every cup of flour
Yes, in sweet quick bakes: use 1 cup of pancake mix for each cup of all-purpose flour, leave out the recipe's baking powder, baking soda and salt, and cut the sugar by about 1 tablespoon per cup. Pancake mix is flour with leavening, salt and sugar already in it. It works in muffins, waffles, quick breads and cobbler, and it does not work in yeast bread, pie crust or savory sauces.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Leave out the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the sugar by about 1 tbsp per cup of mix, then taste the batter.
- Best for —
- muffins and sweet quick breads
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full flour card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup flour | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regular pancake mixmuffins and sweet quick breads | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Complete pancake mixmuffins and snack cakes | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Bisquickbiscuits and dumplings | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Self-rising flourbiscuits and scones | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| Not a swap | Pancake mix in yeast bread, pie crust or gravy | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Regular pancake mix
sweeter, and some brands taste of vanilla or malt
The kind you add milk, egg and oil to. It is mostly flour, with baking powder or soda, salt and sugar mixed in.
- Best for
- muffins and sweet quick breads, waffles, cobbler and coffee cake topping, soft, cakey cookies
- Prep
- Leave out the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the sugar by about 1 tbsp per cup of mix, then taste the batter.
- Contains
- gluten
- Where it fails
- Anything that should be chewy, crisp or flaky. The leavening makes cookies puff and brownies turn cake-like.
Brands differ in how much sugar and leavening they carry, so read the ingredient list and treat the first batch as a test.
Complete pancake mix
sweeter and milkier
The just-add-water kind. On top of the flour, leavening, salt and sugar it holds powdered milk and often dried egg and oil, so it changes more of the recipe.
- Best for
- muffins and snack cakes, funnel cakes and fritters, sweet batters for frying
- Prep
- Leave out the baking powder, baking soda and salt, cut the sugar by about 1 tbsp per cup, and hold back a little of the milk until you see how thick the batter is.
- Contains
- gluten, dairy
- Where it fails
- Recipes for someone avoiding milk or egg: check the label, because both can be in the mix. It also browns faster, so check the oven 5 minutes early.
Bisquick
slightly salty, with a biscuit flavor
A baking mix with less sugar than pancake mix and shortening already in it. It is the better choice of the two for savory cooking.
- Best for
- biscuits and dumplings, savory muffins and quick breads, dredging before frying
- Prep
- Leave out the baking powder, baking soda and salt, and cut the butter or oil by 1 tbsp per cup.
- Where it fails
- Yeast bread, pie crust and pasta, for the same reason as pancake mix.
Self-rising flour
the same as plain flour, slightly salty
Flour with only baking powder and salt added. No sugar, no fat, no milk, so it is the closest of these to plain flour.
- Best for
- biscuits and scones, pancakes and quick breads, savory batters
- Prep
- Leave out 1 ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt per cup.
- Where it fails
- Yeast bread, pie crust and chewy cookies.
Pancake mix in yeast bread, pie crust or gravy
These three need plain flour.
Bread rises on yeast and gluten, a pie crust has no leavening, and a gravy should not be sweet.
- Best for
- nothing in this case: use plain flour or a starch
- Where it fails
- Bread turns out dense and sweet with a baking-soda taste. Pie crust puffs and loses its flake. Gravy and white sauce come out sweet and foam as they cook; thicken those with cornstarch at 1 tbsp per 2 tbsp of flour.
Tips for substituting flour
5 tips- For each cup of pancake mix, take out the recipe's baking powder, baking soda and salt, and about 1 tbsp of sugar.
- Mix only until combined and bake right away. The leavening in the mix starts working as soon as it is wet.
- Pancake mix browns faster than flour because of the sugar. Start checking 5 minutes before the recipe's time.
- As a coating for frying, pancake mix suits sweet or mild foods: corn dogs, onion rings, apple fritters. Fry at 350°F and expect a puffy, golden shell.
- If you only need 1 or 2 tablespoons of flour to dust a pan or roll out dough, pancake mix does that job with no changes.
Questions
5 questionsHow much pancake mix replaces 1 cup of flour?
Use 1 cup of pancake mix for 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Leave out the recipe's baking powder, baking soda and salt, and cut the sugar by about 1 tablespoon per cup, since all of those are already in the mix.
Can I use pancake mix in place of flour in cookies?
Yes, with a different cookie as the result. Swap it cup for cup, skip the baking soda, baking powder and salt, and reduce the sugar a little. The cookies come out soft, puffy and cake-like, not chewy.
Can I use pancake mix to fry chicken?
It works as a dredge or a batter, but the sugar makes the crust slightly sweet and quick to brown. Season the mix well with salt, pepper and paprika, fry at 350°F, and turn the pieces before they get too dark. Bisquick or cornstarch gives a less sweet crust.
Can I use pancake mix to thicken gravy or soup?
It will thicken, but it is a poor choice: the gravy tastes sweet and foams from the leavening. Use cornstarch stirred into cold water, 1 tablespoon for every 2 tablespoons of flour the recipe calls for.
Can I make bread or pizza dough with pancake mix?
Not a yeast dough. Pancake mix makes quick breads such as banana bread and muffins, which rise on baking powder. A yeast loaf or pizza base made with it is dense, sweet and tastes of baking soda.