Gluten-free food can be confusing and inconsistent, especially when using pre-made mixes. Oven pizzas, often made with cauliflower crust, tend to be floppy, while toaster waffles have a strange, foamy texture reminiscent of a sponge. Generally, gluten-free replacements lack distinct flavors and fail to replicate the original versions. Thankfully, these flaws have been circumvented by pancake mixes.
Whether through science, an abundance of possible ingredients, or simply because they don’t need to come out of the freezer, gluten-free pancakes actually taste good, making for a great start to the day. Made in various ways, allergen-free pancake mixes are a surprisingly common sight at grocery stores. But out of the many available options, a few stand out above the rest.
Before delving into the reviews, it is important to note that for all of these pancakes, I altered the recipes by adding ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract per cup of mix. I highly recommend that you do the same when making them.
#5 – Miss Jones Baking Original Oat Pancake and Waffle Mix (Miss Jones)
43 cents an ounce
Miss Jones oat pancakes are one of the most common gluten-free mixes, but were disappointingly bland. The batter ended up dark and watery, the most watery out of any I made, and it spread out when added to the pan, creating wide pancakes. They don’t fluff up much, but you will know when to flip them when the batter on top begins to bubble.
Texture-wise, Miss Jones misses the mark. The outside was slightly crunchy with a soft interior. They weren’t fluffy or dry but were almost gummy, leading to an unpleasant chew. The taste was decent, earthy and sweet, but lacked the oat flavor I was hoping for.
#4 – Birch Benders Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Mix (Birch Benders)
43 cents an ounce
Birch Benders are a reliable choice, but taste artificial and have a difficult texture. Preparing the mix only required water. They cooked fast and tolerated the heat well, although air bubbles caused some small holes in the pancakes. There was only one hiccup during the cooking process: on the first flip, the cakes were pretty firmly stuck to the pan. This led to one pancake losing some of its surface, but it was not a major setback.
The pancakes were fully cooked after about three minutes on each side. However, once they were done cooking, I noticed how the pancakes’ toughness made them difficult to cut with my butter knife. Despite this, the exterior was not crisp and was hardly any more solid than the middle.
These pancakes turned out dense instead of fluffy, and pretty solid and chewy to eat. They were sweet and maintained the taste of the vanilla extract well, to the point that it almost dominated the flavor profile. The cake flavor was muted, and the main taste of the batter was its rice flour base. They were not similar to gluten pancakes, but were firm and made good vessels for syrup.
#3 – Simple Mills Original Almond Flour Pancake and Waffle Mix (Simple Mills)
65 cents an ounce
Simple Mills almond flour pancakes were the best looking, although this can be partially due to my getting lucky when flipping them. The mixture was dark, even more so after adding vanilla, and had a strong buckwheat-like smell. The thin Simple Mills batter spread out when it entered the pan, but puffed up as it cooked, creating a nice, soft texture on the inside. They cooked easily and fast, browning after just two minutes on each side. While not quite fluffy due to most of the air being lost when they were flipped, the pancakes were still very soft and smooth.
The exterior was not crispy at all, being just as soft as the inside. The taste of the pancakes wasn’t mild, but it also wasn’t very sweet. I could hardly taste the vanilla, as the main source of flavor was the batter, which had a whole-grain taste. There were some hints of almond, but these were overpowered by the earthy taste. These were not reminiscent of typical pancakes, although they were pretty close to those made with buckwheat, and were too savory and grainy for my liking.
#2 – Arrowhead Mills Organic Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Mix (Arrowhead)
42 cents an ounce
Arrowhead’s pancakes were pillowy and tasted like a real buttery pastry. The mix came out very liquid and light. They cooked interestingly, not browning at all, but having some sear marks on each side. They fluffed up a good amount but remained pretty flat due to the wet batter spreading out in the pan.
A crisp exterior combined with a soft and fluffy inside made these pancakes very satisfying to eat, as the first crunch gave way to a soft interior. They had a hint of lemon zest in each bite, which was surprising but welcome. While they weren’t sweet, the flavor was almost bready and very tasty. These were similar to normal pancakes in a lot of aspects and absorbed toppings very well.
#1 – Kodiak Original Gluten-Free Flapjack and Waffle Mix (Kodiak)
49 cents an ounce
These were the best gluten-free pancakes I’ve ever made myself. Their batter is watery, but doesn’t spread out too much in the pan, keeping the flapjacks tall. They flipped easily and browned fast. I was able to get the exterior dark and crispy without overcooking the interior, which is uncommon among these mixes.
Kodiak products are high in protein, with one batch of pancakes containing seven grams, and they taste like they do in the best possible way. The texture was good, soft, and chewy with a noticeable bite. They cut cleanly with just a butter knife. The flavor was unique: It was meaty while not tasting at all like meat, similar to a dense and strong oatmeal. I also picked up nutty accents and an eggy aftertaste. Kodiak pancakes combine the expected flavor of a breakfast sweet with a deep umami to create an astoundingly well-balanced taste.
I would rank Kodiak’s pancake mix as the best overall, a good breakfast even for those who can tolerate gluten. It’s a great food, more savory and fulfilling than an ordinary pancake, while still maintaining a sweet profile. For everyday purchasing, I would prioritize Kodiak as my first recommendation, followed by Arrowhead at number two, and then Birch Bender’s at number three. Simple Mills, while good, is not tasty enough to justify its price. Miss Jones is outclassed by the others and mixes and falls short overall.
When you try these mixes at home, be creative. Add fruits, spices, chocolate, peanut butter — anything you want. Just because your pancakes are gluten-free, dairy-free, or even sugar-free doesn’t mean they can’t taste excellent.
