DIY Pancake Mix and Buttermilk Substitute

With the holidays upon us and the weather cooling down, there is nothing better than spending a leisurely morning making homemade pancakes. The days leading up to the holidays call for cozy sweaters, Dark Hot Chocolate, and a kitchen that smells of light and fluffy pancakes being flipped.

Making homemade buttermilk pancakes is something that is easy to do, yet it leaves an impression on your family and guests that other breakfasts just can’t. The smell of butter and flour coming together in your kitchen, the sizzling of the griddle, and the plop of homemade whipped cream being topped onto a large stack of buttermilk pancakes is what the holidays are made of.

But what happens when you start to prepare ingredients for homemade pancakes, only to find that you are out of buttermilk—a key ingredient needed to make most nostalgic pancakes? No worries, you just make your own homemade buttermilk in less than 5 minutes. Then, you continue to make everyone’s favorite breakfast. Jump to a two-ingredient homemade buttermilk recipe.

The only thing that could make homemade pancakes even easier would be to have a homemade pancake mix ready to go. And today I am going to show you how to make a DIY pancake mix. This easy DIY pancake mix can be stored in your pantry or package it with a holiday ribbon to give as gifts to friends and family. You can even bring it to your host if you are going to be a houseguest this holiday season!

How Do You Make Homemade Pancake Mix?

Pancake mix is easy to make. It starts by adding all the dry ingredients of a pancake recipe together, just as if you were making the pancakes! Once you mix them up well, then you package the mix. Homemade pancake mix can be stored in the pantry for up to three months.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make DIY Pancake Mix

3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cane sugar
1 teaspoon ground vanilla bean
¼ teaspoon cinnamon or cloves
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Things You’ll Need to Gift Pancake Mix

• Tin tie bags (or a mason jar).
• Holiday ribbon.
• Click on the instruction card and print.
• Hole punch.
• Organic Valley Salted Butter.
• Organic Valley Buttermilk (or homemade buttermilk).
• Organic Valley Large eggs.

Homemade Pancake Mix in 15 Minutes

You can make a homemade gift in 15 minutes and even your children can help! This DIY homemade pancake mix is sure to be enjoyed during the holidays. Make pancake mix with these easy steps.

Step 1
In a large bowl, add the flour, cane sugar, ground vanilla bean, cinnamon or cloves, baking powder, and fine sea salt. Whisk it together until the mixture is uniform.

Step 2
Spoon the mixture into a tin tie bag, but don’t close it yet!

Step 3
Print out the instruction card, cut along the dotted lines, and fill out the “to” and “from.” Using a hole punch, punch a hole in the top corner. Cut a piece of ribbon that is 22 inches long.

Step 4
Start to fold over the bag and place the ribbon into the fold. Continue folding over the bag and sealing it shut. Place the card through one end of the ribbon, and tie the ribbon together on top of the bag with a bow.

Step 5
Deliver homemade pancake mix to your friends and neighbors for an easy and thoughtful holiday gift. Make it extra special by including a carton of Organic Valley Buttermilk or Organic Valley Salted Butter!

Make Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes

Follow these simple instructions to make homemade buttermilk pancakes with the pancake mix above.

Melt 1 cup of Organic Valley Butter.

Add 3 cups of Organic Valley Buttermilk, 2 large Organic Valley eggs, and the melted butter to the pancake mix.

Whisk to combine completely.

Put a large skillet over low to medium heat—grease skillet well with canola oil cooking spray. Use a 1/3rd- cup measuring cup to drop the pancake batter into the skillet. Wait for the top of the pancake to start bubbling, about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook until done, about another 1 to 2 minutes on the second side. Repeat until batter is gone.

Serve with maple syrup, homemade whipped cream, or fresh fruit.

Homemade Buttermilk With 2 Ingredients

Run out of buttermilk? If you reach for the pancake mix and realize you are out of buttermilk, your morning doesn’t have to take a turn. You can make homemade buttermilk with just two ingredients: Organic Valley Whole Milk and a lemon!

What is Buttermilk?

Buttermilk was traditionally a byproduct of making butter. When cream was churned into butter, the leftover liquid was what is traditionally known as buttermilk.

Buttermilk is a slightly sour milk that can add a nostalgic flavor to pancakes and other baked goods. Buttermilk gets its sourness from acids. The proteins in buttermilk are curdled and this makes it slightly thicker than regular milk, though it is not as thick as heavy whipping cream.

When making homemade buttermilk, the acids in lemon juice will do the trick to curdle the milk just enough to act as buttermilk. This easy buttermilk recipe is made with two simple ingredients.

How to Make Buttermilk

1 cup Organic Valley Whole Milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Mix together and let sit for about 5 minutes.
Store in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Note: You may see the milk curdle or appear somewhat separated at the top. But, even if you don’t see these physical signs, the acid is still in the milk, and it will work as buttermilk in a recipe.