One of the best feelings that you can have in the kitchen is when you're craving something — then realize you have exactly what you need to make that recipe.
(Of course, the opposite is definitely true, too.)
If you're ever craving delicious, crispy, fluffy waffles, but only have pancake mix on hand, good news! There's a way to turn it into the perfect waffle mix. You'll need a few extra ingredients and steps, but it's actually pretty easy to do it.
Recommended: Get the Best Pancake Mix or Order the Best Waffle Mix
Here are some cooking tips to make mouth-watering waffles just from pancake mix.
Can't You Just Put Pancake Batter Into a Waffle Maker?
No, you can't. Although pancake batter and waffle batter are similar (both containing eggs, milk, flour, fat, and a raising agent), some important differences make a big change to the result.
Most of the time, pancake mix does not contain fat and will have significantly less sugar than waffle mix. On the other hand, waffle mix usually has oil or melted butter in it.
If you just put pancake batter into a waffle maker, chances are it will spill over the edges of the iron, burn, and create a mess. Also, they'll come out a bit flat and too crunchy, as opposed to having that fluffy soft center that you usually look for in a waffle.
So to create waffle batter, we'll just add the missing ingredients into your pancake mix.
Ingredients to Create Waffles from Pancake Mix
Here are the ingredients you need to create some fluffy waffles out of pancake batter:
- 1 cup of Lehi Mills pancake mix
- 2 tbsp of sugar
- 3/4 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp of baking powder
This will be enough to make about six waffles, depending on the size of your waffle iron. As you can tell, most of the ingredients to transform pancake batter into waffles are things most people have around the house!
Steps For Making Waffles from Pancake Mix
Now let's get cooking waffles! Here's what to do:
Step 1: Prep
Start preheating your waffle iron so it's ready to go when your mix hits it. You want to make the outside nice and crispy while keeping the interior fluffy.
Step 2: Separate Egg Yolks
Time to separate the egg yolks from the whites. There are many different ways that people do this, but I typically just use the broken shell to transfer the yolk back and forth.
Step 3: Combine the Other Ingredients
Next, we'll prepare the batter. Add your pancake mix into a large bowl along with the water, oil, egg yolk, and sugar. The water, oil, and sugar are key to helping caramelization happen, which results in a crispy exterior.
Whisk until the batter is combined, but not too heavily. A few lumps are fine. If you over-mix the waffles, you could end up with chewy, hard waffles from drawing all of the gluten out of the flour.
Step 4: Whisk the Egg Whites
Next, we'll whisk together the egg whites in another bowl until they form stiff peaks. Ideally, you can do this with an electric whisk so you can have really stiff egg whites that create a fluffy, almost pillow-like quality.
By doing this, you can create that fluffy center you're looking for. This isn't 100% necessary, but I highly recommend it. This is what will set your waffles apart from the herd.
Step 5: Fold Egg Whites into the Batter
After you've thoroughly whisked your egg whites into stiff peaks, fold them into the rest of the batter. Do this step gently so you don't deflate the egg whites.
Step 6: Make Some Waffles!
Once your batter is nicely combined, make sure your waffle iron is hot. Measure out half of a cup of your waffle mix and pour it onto your waffle iron directly at the center. It should fill in the rest of the grooves. You can then slowly shut the lid.
Let the waffle cook until steam stops exiting the top and lift the lid. You're looking for a golden top with no liquid batter left on the grill. This usually takes around 4 minutes, but everyone's waffle maker is different. Make sure you keep an eye on it.
When it's done, gently take the waffle off the iron and serve it on a plate. Repeat the process until you finish the batter, and enjoy your crispy, fluffy waffles!
Why Do I Need to Add Extra Ingredients to Get Waffle Mix?
Each of the ingredients we added has a special job in the waffle-making process.
The oil helps keep your pancake mix from sticking to the iron as well as allows the exterior to get crispy, which the sugar helps as well.
The egg whites and yolk helps to stiffen the batter so that it doesn't run off the iron.
Why Aren't My Waffles Fluffy?
The main reason why your waffles aren't fluffy enough is you probably didn't whisk your egg whites stiff enough.
Another reason why your waffles didn't get that pillow-like texture is you're using old pancake mix and the raising agent has gone stale. If this is true, try adding a pinch of baking powder to get that vital active raising agent into your batter. Otherwise, try to use the best pancake mix available to you.
Can I Use This Same Mix To Make Pancakes?
Sure! Although pancake mix won't work well on its own as waffle mix, you can definitely use this waffle mix as a pancake batter. Because of the sugar and egg whites, you might find your pancakes to be sweeter and fluffier than normal.
It might even have a little bit more crispiness than you're used to as well. To combat this, you can add a little more water to the batter and use a little less oil in the cooking pan.
Key Takeaways
That's all you need to know about making amazing waffle mix just from pancake mix and ingredients you probably have sitting around the house.
If you just try to throw some pancake batter into a waffle maker, you'll probably end up with a very sad waffle. But by adding some whipped egg whites, fat, and sugar, you might make the best waffles you've ever had.
Check out our baking mixes to start making other mouthwatering baked creations!
If you simply want to get the best waffle mix, you've got to order our Belgian Waffle Mix. Lehi Mills mixes starts with the best flour in every product and that means you're going to be getting the quality you're looking for in a convenient, delicious mix.
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