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Let's be real, you can only eat so many nutritious grown-up breakfast meals — slices of toast topped with avocado, veggie-filled omelets, oatmeal sprinkled with berries — before your inner-child starts screaming for something nostalgic and sweet.
One way to feel like a kid again and still get your fill of key nutrients? Grab a healthy pancake mix and whip up a batch of protein- and fiber-rich flapjacks. Reminder: Protein is a macronutrient that helps build and repair cells, tissue, and muscle; ensures proper growth and development; and assists in body processes such as blood clotting, fluid balance, and more, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Fiber is the part of plant foods your body can't digest, and, as such, helps normalize your number twos and keep your blood sugar steady, according to the Mayo Clinic. Since protein is digested slower than carbohydrates and fiber increases satiety, a stack of nutritious flapjacks may also help you feel full and satisfied long after you've finished eating.
FTR, there's nothing wrong with satisfying your hankering for a fluffy flapjack with traditional and tasty mixes, such as Bisquick or Aunt Jemima. But if you're on the hunt for a no-stress way to hit your nutritional goals for the day — specifically, 46 grams of protein and 28 grams of fiber for adults on a 2,000-calorie diet, per the USDA — without overhauling your breakfast plate, these healthy pancake mixes are here to help. (Related: How to Make Healthy Pancakes That Actually Taste Good)
Healthy Pancake Mixes
Kodiak Buttermilk Power Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix
The OG healthy pancake mix, Kodiak's flapjack base is concocted with whole grain wheat flour, oat flour, wheat protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, and milk protein concentrate, among other ingredients. All you need is water to whip up a batch and score 14 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. You can also swap the H2O with milk and whisk in an egg to jack the protein content up to 20 grams per serving. Even with muscle-building and digestion-supporting nutrients, one pancake aficionado says this healthy pancake mix is the crème de la crème. "I have made hundreds of different recipes from scratch trying to find a perfect mixture and I have tried nearly every brand out there…None of them have even come close to the quality and taste of Kodiak Cakes!" they wrote. (No time for a grocery run? Use this recipe to make your own Kodiak mix.)
Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Pancake & Waffle Mix
Rather than adding whey powders to up the protein content in its healthy pancake mix, Bob's Red Mill turns to whole grains and seeds, including whole wheat, corn, rye, triticale, oat, millet, barley, brown rice, and soy flours and flaxseed meal. As a result, you'll nab 6 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per serving. While reviewers note these ingredients do create a thicker batter, the flapjacks won't end up like hockey pucks. "I was a little worried the pancakes would be super-dense, but I was pleased that they were lighter than expected, not particularly grainy or gritty, and very flavorful," wrote one Amazon shopper. "I loved 'em!"
Birch Benders Protein Pancake and Waffle Mix
When you're fresh out of your post-workout protein powder, refuel with a batch of Birch Benders' pancakes, which provide a whopping 16 grams of the macronutrient per serving. The mix features a base of wheat flour, whey protein concentrate, cane sugar, and vital wheat gluten, and according to one reviewer, the pancakes taste "absolutely magical." "Without a doubt, incredibly filling pancakes," they wrote. "The consistency behaves perfectly in the pan every time and I'm not clawing around looking for more food within two hours of eating these…I run 4x a week and weight lift 4x a week, these are unquestionably my breakfast staple every single day!"
Unlike other healthy pancake mixes on this list, however, this blend runs short on fiber, providing just 1 gram per serving. To increase your intake, consider topping your flapjacks off with fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, or a combo of all three. (Better yet, make these mini banana pancakes that went viral on TikTok.)
Simple Mills Almond Flour Pumpkin Pancake & Waffle Mix
Thanks to this healthy pancake mix, you can enjoy pumpkin season year-round. The flapjack base consists of almond flour, arrowroot, and coconut flour — making it free of gluten, corn, and grains — and is flavored with pumpkin, coconut sugar, and warming spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. The result: gluten-, corn-, and grain-free pancakes that offer 4 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per serving and make your kitchen smell like autumn. "We LOVED the wholesome flavor and soft texture of these pancakes," wrote one reviewer. "The whole room was perfumed with the fragrance of fresh fall spices. Exceptional." (Related: This Oatmeal Pancake Recipe Calls for Just a Few Pantry Staples)
Arrowhead Mills Organic Buckwheat Pancake & Waffle Mix
Made with just five simple ingredients (buckwheat flour, whole grain wheat flour, soy milk powder, baking powder, and sea salt), this healthy pancake mix is a blank canvas that allows you to get creative with your morning meal — and snag 7 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber. For a sweeter mix, whisk in some honey, brown sugar, or chocolate chips. Or stir some fresh berries or roasted nuts into the batter to jazz up the texture. But this mix does more than flapjacks, and one Amazon reviewer calls it a "waffle mix for the gods." "This waffle mix is so superior in texture and taste, it is a challenge to describe it," they wrote. "When ground pecans are added to the mixture, the result will stun your guests." (ICYMI, Thanksgiving stuffing waffles are a thing.)
Purely Elizabeth Grain-Free Protein + Collagen Pancake & Waffle Mix
In addition to almond and coconut flours, this grain-free healthy pancake mix features flour made from tiger nuts, which are actually tiny root vegetables that have a sweet, nutty flavor. The grass-fed collagen, combined with the chia seeds and flaxseeds, help up the protein content, creating flapjacks that provide 11 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per serving. "Delicious and healthy pancakes!" wrote one reviewer. "The batter smelled so good (love that it already has cinnamon in it). I cooked it in coconut oil and served with organic maple syrup and thought the pancakes were as tasty as restaurant pancakes." (Next up: These Protein-Packed Sheet-Pan Pancakes Will Keep You Fueled All Week Long)
Otherworld Original Plant-Based Pancake and Waffle Mix
Simply put, this healthy pancake mix is good for you and the planet. The original mix is sweetened with date powder and features a base of whole wheat flour, as well as barley, apple, and zucchini powders that are upcycled, meaning the ingredients otherwise would have been sent to the landfill, according to the company. Thanks to those whole grains, fruits, and veggies, the flapjack mix — which is packed in a recyclable metal container, not plastic or cardboard — provides 4 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per serving. Plus, they're delicious enough to turn one reviewer who was initially indifferent about the breakfast food into a pancake fanatic. "They're also incredibly easy to make (just add water) and don't require me to use one of my precious free-range eggs," they wrote. "If you are seeking out a healthy and quick breakfast option, look no further." (While you make a batch, put these tricks to reduce your food waste into action.)
