Waffles are popular breakfast items that many people enjoy eating. They’re crispy, flakey on the outside, spongy on the inside, and incredibly delicious throughout. The best thing about waffles is that they can be enjoyed with any topping. Be it chocolate sauce, honey, fruit, or fried chicken—anything goes well with these golden delights!

While many know that making waffles requires having a waffle iron at home, many are unaware that waffle mixes are not an absolute requirement. Pancake mixes can be used to make waffles, provided you adjust the recipe a little.

In this blog post, I’ll address the critical differences between waffles and pancake mixes, how you can make waffles with pancake mixes, and tips on cooking the perfect waffles.

According to a report by Statista, “frozen waffles, pancakes, and french toast were consumed by 163.89 million Americans in 2020. In 2024, it is anticipated that this number would rise to 165.42 million.”

Waffles vs. Pancakes, which is better, is a hot topic of discussion, but what if I tell you that you can have the best of both worlds – Pancake Mix Waffles!

The Main Differences Between Waffle Batter and Pancake Batter

Sure, pancake mix can be used to make waffles, but they require a thick waffle batter, which, unfortunately, pancake mix lacks.

Pancake batter has a runny or thin consistency which works fine for them. This is because the pan will hold the batter in place, but a runny batter may just run out of the waffle maker and create a major mess.

If you use pancake mix to make waffles, you may have to add some more mix to thicken the batter.

How to Make Waffles Using Pancake Mix?

To make waffles using your pancake mix, simply improvise by increasing the quantity of fat and sugar in the recipe. You may also add extra ingredients to ramp up the flavor and texture.

 Let me teach you how:-

1. Increasing the Sugar

To give your waffles that crisp and golden color, add 2.5 times the amount of sugar you added to the pancake mix. So let’s say your pancake batter has a tablespoon of sugar. To convert it into a waffle mix, add 2.5 tablespoons of sugar to the mixing bowl and stir.

2. Increasing the Fat

For adding the flakey texture to your waffles, double the quantity of fat in the mixture. Supposing you used 3 tablespoons of butter in the pancake batter, compensate by adding 6 tablespoons instead.

This differs from recipe to recipe. In some pancake recipes, the oil may be used as the primary fat instead of butter. You would have to compensate by adding extra oil. I recommend adding 2 tablespoons of oil to every cup of dry pancake mix.

3. Thicker Consistency

Making your pancake mix thicker is simple. All you have to do is add a greater ratio of dry mix to the wet mix and fold until you achieve a thick batter. The ratio may vary depending on the recipe but on a general note, add half a cup of extra batter for every cup of wet mix.

Be careful not to overmix the batter; otherwise, you’ll end up with chewier waffles. Keep a gentle hand and stir the batter until it resembles cake mix.

4. Extra Ingredients

You can add more milk to the batter to get more golden brown waffles. In some countries, waffle mixes contain leavening agents like baking powder or soda to spike their flavor and fluffiness.

You can add these ingredients for an enhanced visual appeal; however, they are unnecessary.

More Tips for Making Great Waffles Every Time

Here are some hacks you can try to get perfect pancake mix waffles each time.

1. Keeping the Waffle Iron HOT

A hot waffle iron vs. semi-hot iron can make a world of difference to your waffles. The hotter the iron, the crispier your waffles will turn out.

Once you pour in the batter, the preheated waffle maker will immediately cook up the waffles and keep the exterior crispy. A waffle iron that has not been heated up properly will likely produce soggier and “pale” waffles, a common concern for many first-time waffle makers.

While the heating time for each iron differs from model to model, I recommend giving 5 to 10 minutes for the iron to heat before adding the mix. And also, don’t keep opening the iron to check on the waffles!

2.  Bake Them Further

Prepping the waffles and then placing them in the oven may seem like a chore, but they’re a great way to retain the crisp in the waffles and to get delicious waffles without burning them.

All you have to do is to preheat your oven to 250℉ or 121℃ while making the waffles in the iron. Then, remove the waffles from the iron and place them on the oven rack for a while. This will help them keep their crispness while you can cook up some more.

3. Use Oil instead of Butter

Opting for oil can be more beneficial for waffles because oil does not have water content. On the other hand, butter has water, which can add moisture to the recipe and lead to soggier waffles. So for a crisp outer crust, use vegetable oil instead of melted butter.

4. Separate the Yolks and Egg Whites

The best way to fluff the waffle batter is to combine the yolks and egg whites separately. To do this, split the egg whites and yolk and only add the yolk to the batter.

Keep the whites aside and whisk them until they turn a little stiff. Next, fold the egg whites into the batter using a rubber spatula.

5. Add Cornstarch

Another way to keep the waffles flaky is to add cornstarch to your mix. This is only effective if your battery contains leavening agents like baking soda or powder.

Since all mixes differ, it’s best to start little by little. Add ¼ of a cup of cornstarch and keep increasing the quantity (preferably up to ½ a cup) until you achieve the desired crispiness.

Here is a simple recipe for how to make waffles with boxed pancake mix:

Ingredients Required

You will only require 2 ingredients to make your waffle batter:

• Melted Butter or Oil (any type of cooking oil) – I prefer using oil because it makes your waffles crispier.
• Pancake Mix – You can also add eggs, vanilla extract, and milk to the pancake mix.

Instructions

Always allow your waffle maker sufficient time to reach temperature before cooking waffles. A waffle iron that isn’t hot enough will quickly ruin your first batch of pancakes.

1. Start by preheating the waffle maker. You should preheat it for about 5-10 minutes before adding the waffle batter.
2. Mix in all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until there are no big lumps in the batter. Let your batter sit for at least 4-5 minutes.
3. Grease the hot waffle iron with oil.
4. Pour your waffle batter into the waffle maker. Cook both sides until you get the perfect golden brown waffles. Many waffle makers only have an on/off switch, while others need a temperature setting. If your waffle maker has a temperature setting, cook the waffles at 400°F until the outsides are nicely browned.
5. When done, remove the cooked waffle and repeat the process until all the batches are cooked.
6. You can add toppings such as syrup, Nutella, ice cream, nuts, yogurt, honey, etc.

Storage

Waffles can only be kept fresh in storage for a limited amount of time. They won’t be worth eating once a few days have passed.

Your homemade waffles should ideally be refrigerated within 2 hours of being prepared.

You can store your waffles for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh and, when reheated, will be good to consume.

1. To store them in the freezer, simply allow the waffles to cool a bit on a wire rack. After they have cooled, put about 2 waffles in each baggie.
2. Seal it. Then, place every single sealed baggie you have into a sizable freezer storage bag. Simply remove a waffle from the freezer and toast it in the toaster when you’re ready to enjoy one.

Reheating Waffles

Single waffles can be heated through and crisped to your preference in the toaster or toaster oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and gently spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray to heat more waffles.

Bake waffles for 10 minutes after transferring them to the prepared baking pan. Keep a close eye on them because they burn easily.

What Pancake Mix To Use To Make The Waffle Batter?

There are some mixes available in the market that act as pancake and waffle mixes.

I highly recommend using Aunt Jemima Pancake and Waffle Mix, Buttermilk Complete, which makes excellent pancakes and waffles.

Your mixture will be ready to use as soon as you add water. It contains no milk, so if you are lactose intolerant, this is an excellent choice.

Another great mix to make waffles is Bisquick Original Mix. It is a simple mix and can be used for both waffles and pancakes. The Bisquick waffle recipe also has a gluten-free option, so you can try that too.

Aunt Jemima’s waffles recipe is another great mix that you can use to make waffles. This mix makes fluffy waffles and is simple to cook.

Additional Tips

Here are some tips that will help you in making delicious waffles with pancake mix:

• You should store unused waffle batter in the refrigerator for 2 days. Before storing it, make sure to transfer the batter to an airtight container.
• Pour the batter only after your waffle maker is hot. Sometimes when your waffle maker isn’t hot enough, the waffles will turn out a little light and mushy. You need to preheat for at least 5 minutes.  Also, wait a few minutes between batches to allow the iron to reheat.
• If your batter is runny, add a tablespoon of pancake mix and mix. Continue until you have achieved the desired thickness. Same way, if you want to thin the batter, add water and mix.
• Do not overmix the batter. It should be a little lumpy.
• Use oil (preferably vegetable oil) instead of butter. Using oil makes your waffles crispier than using butter.
• Add caster sugar to the batter. Waffles are sweeter than pancakes, and adding sugar will leave behind a caramelized, crispy exterior in your waffle.

FAQS

The Bottom Line

Making waffles from pancake mix is 100% possible and pretty easy. All you have to do is adjust the recipe a little until you have the perfect mix. Remember, however, that all recipes differ, so the adjustments may take a few trials and errors before you get the perfect waffles.

To get crispy and fluffy waffles every time, cook them a little differently by adding extra ingredients like milk or cornstarch. You could also substitute the butter by using oil or simply change the method of preparing the waffles by baking them. Also, give your iron ample time to heat for tasty waffles each time.