Look! We Found The Healthiest Pancake Mix

Who doesn’t love a stack of fluffy pancakes on a sunny morning? Or a rainy one? We all do!

Imagine replacing refined flour with a more nutritious blend. Whole grains, millets, lentils, perhaps? In our quest to find the best pancake mix in India, we ordered pancake mixes (ones that call themselves ‘better for health’)  from six Indian start-up brands- Millé, Slurrp Farm, Food Strong, Tots and Moms, True Elements, and Better Flour.

We ascertained the best- nutritionally and in terms of flavor and the following is our detailed review. 

The following table is a summary of our review. 

How did we choose these brands?

A chocolate-flavored pancake mix that is devoid of refined flour and is offered by a start-up created in India– we chose variants that checked all these boxes and found six contenders. 

How did we review these brands?

The batter and pancakes were prepared following the instructions and proportions specified on the pack. 

Before we proceed, some science behind your pancakes. 

It is crucial to note that these pancakes will NOT have the same fluffiness or soft, airy bite as those made with refined wheat flour. But WHY?

This is because refined wheat flour contains gluten. When wet and dry ingredients are mixed, gluten molecules activate and lend that ‘chewy’ texture to pancakes or waffles. 

With raising agents like baking powder or soda, these gluten proteins have an air-trapping property, making the cooked product softer, with a light, airy bite.  

How did we find the best healthy pancake mix?

We reviewed our contenders across parameters like taste, texture, and nutrition quotient- as the primary review-forming aspects. 

We also took into account the price, packaging, convenience, shelf life, etc. 

1. Taste

We were looking for a pancake mix that showcased a desirable flavor profile. Balanced sweetness, and inviting flavor of chocolate were the fundamental sub-parameters.

Did the base ingredient (flour- millet/grain) lend a prominent flavor? Was it fresh to taste? Were any industrial/synthetic flavors tasted?

2. Texture

As explained above, refined flour-free pancakes will NOT have the same fluffiness or soft bite that pancakes have otherwise. 

Of the six brands we reviewed, which resulted in the softest, light pancakes? 

We were looking for the least dense, most airy/fluffy bite. 

Who came closest to the texture of refined flour pancakes? We also tasted the contenders a few hours after they cooled down. 

3. Nutrition Quotient

The ingredients as well as caloric distribution were gauged under this parameter. The macronutrient distribution, the proportion of ingredients, and the kind of sweetener used were highlighted. What is the key fat source?

The next section answers such questions and more. 

4. Non-Taste-Based Parameters

The price, packaging, and shelf life was gauged here. How convenient was it to prepare the batter? How long does it take to cook them well?

Our detailed experience from preparation to tasting has been explained in this section. 

Our Experience

Millé Pancake Mix is our Top Pick, owing to its commendable nutrition profile. 

This is made with whole grains, millets, and plant-based, unrefined sweeteners. This also contains vegan-friendly protein from mungbean. It had the lowest carbohydrate content and maximum protein among all contenders. Easily the best macronutrient distribution among all six, this had a decent taste and texture too. 

These pancakes fluffed up fairly decently, considering they were made of millet and whole grains. As for the mouthfeel, these had a coarse texture with some grittiness. These pancakes surely took a little longer to cook.

Coming to the taste, the flavor of cocoa was mild. Despite being made with two sweeteners (jaggery and raw sugar), these pancakes had little to no sweetness. That said, no complaints about the low sugar content because this would give your toppings a chance to shine. 

Product Details

This pancake mix is offered in a resealable pouch pack. One pack holds 250 grams of content and is priced at Rs 275/- It has a shelf life of one year and the main ingredients are Multigrain blend (sorghum, oat, foxtail millet) 64%, Mungbean protein flour (12.5%), Jaggery (7%), Raw unrefined sugar (7%), Cocoa powder (4.5%), Natural and nature identical flavors, Baking powder, Baking soda and salt.

Our Experience

The taste and texture were a pleasant surprise, considering these are ragi pancakes. Slurrp Farm Millet Pancake Mix fared better on the taste-based parameters than the nutritional front. 

The pancakes did not have a smooth mouthfeel, they were grainy and coarse, as one would expect from a millet-based flour mix. No complaints here. When tasted warm, these had a soft, airy bite. The sweetness was not overpowering, it was delicate. This provides room to add spreads, fruits, yogurt, and other toppings you prefer. 

The innate earthy flavors of millet were not too prominent, which essentially added to the kid-friendly aspect of these millet pancakes.  The warming sweet notes of cinnamon were almost negligible. 

As compared to our Top Pick, the nutrition label was not as detailed. It lacked specificity in terms of quantities of ingredients. Next, this pancake mix contains sugar, along with jaggery. Unrefined, plant-based sweeteners are preferred over refined counterparts as the former is more nutrient-dense. That said, we appreciate the ragi + foxtail + sorghum blend. It is filled with micronutrients.

Product Details

A 150-gram pack is priced at Rs 149/- with a shelf life of one year. The main ingredients are Ragi (finger millet/nachni), Foxtail millet (Navane/Thinnai/kangni), Sorghum (Jowar), Jaggery, Sugar, Cocoa, Vanilla, Baking powder and Cinnamon.

Our Experience

Foodstrong Pancake Mix secured a place on the podium as the texture of these pancakes was unquestionably the BEST of all six we tried. 

While cooking, these fluffed up beautifully. When tasted warm, these had such a soft and airy bite. However, the flavors did not work. It had a bold flavor of chocolate that was not appetizing at all. Individually, the characteristic flavors (the earthiness of millet, the caramel-like sweetness of jaggery, fruity flavors of banana) were fresh. Somehow, these did not pair well as a bite.

The nutrition front was fairly impressive. This pancake mix is made with clean, nutritious ingredients and has a pretty good macronutrient distribution with sufficient calories.  

Product Details

This is packed in a red carton that holds 250 grams of the product, priced at Rs 50/- The shelf life is six months and Finger millet flour (19%), Oat flour (19%), Jaggery powder, Foxtail flour, Natural banana powder, Milk solids (skimmed milk powder), Cocoa solids, Nature identical flavor (chocolate), Raising agents (baking powder, baking soda), Salt are the ingredients used.

Our Experience

This pancake mix was neither the best, nor the worst. It had a decent performance across the three key parameters- nutrition, taste, and texture. 

The pancakes prepared with Tots & Moms Pancake mix did not rise like regular pancakes but had a very soft bite. We followed the instructions to the T, but it resulted in a flowy, crepe-like batter. Due adjustments were made here. 

What our taste buds said-

While the nuttiness of almonds was completely missing in the flavor profile, that of chocolate was too delicate, it could barely be tasted. And the sweetness of jaggery was equally as prominent. One would describe this as overwhelming.

Coming to the nutritional profile, this was the CLEANEST. It does not contain raising agents (baking soda/powder) making it the best pick for young kids. 

As for macronutrients, this pancake mix had the highest carbohydrate and fat content with the lowest protein, but the overall calories were similar to the contenders. 

Product Details

This certified organic pancake mix is priced at Rs 225/- for a 250-gram pack. It has a six-month shelf life and the ingredients are almonds (10%), natural cocoa powder (15%), oats (15%), wheat (30%), jaggery (30%). This is certified organic by USDA, Jaivik Bharat, and India Organic.

Our Experience

Some innovative uses of chickpeas include sweet and savory spreads. But chickpeas in your pancakes? We were curious to decode the texture. 

What we liked- texture and nutrition quotient

What did not work- the taste

Why?

After letting the batter rest for 20-30 minutes, we observed it developed a bhatura dough-like texture. This may be due to the reaction of udad dal and raising agents. Once cooked, these had a soft bite.

The taste was straight up unappetizing. The sweetness was mild but there was a certain metallic/astrinegent flavor that stevia lent which brought down the overall taste. The chocolate flavor was barely present and we noticed a prominent bitterness in the aftertaste. 

However, nutritionally, The Better Flour Pancake mix was left a mark, in a positive manner. It is sweetened with stevia which is lower in calories and glycemic index. A lower GI means a milder sugar spike, aka no sugar rush or crashes. Other ingredients like lentils and pulses are rich in fiber and other micronutrients, thumbs up. 

Product Details

A 150-gram pouch is priced at Rs 180/- This has a shelf life of eight months and the main ingredients are white chickpeas, sorghum, rice, urad dal, red lentils, cocoa powder, stevia blend sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla powder, salt. 

Our Experience

The pancakes made with True Elements Pancake mix had a lovely sync between sweet and chocolate flavors, these were mild. There were no undesirable aftertastes. The texture, on the other hand, was disappointing. The pancakes were not soft or light. They had a dense, cake-like bite. In addition to this, they did not fluff up while cooking either. 

As explained in our earlier review of True Elements Pancake mix, this texture may be due to the mix of ingredients used. Compared to natural cocoa powder, the alkalized counterpart has a higher PH level and reduced acidity. This leads to relatively drier cooked/baked products. 

Moving to the nutritional view of things, this pancake mix uses an iron-rich sweetener- jaggery. With over 60% of grain and millet flour mix, it is the only contender that uses alkalised cocoa powder. 

Though alkalises cocoa powder has certain benefits like a milder flavor and reduced acidity, it is also lower in antioxidants as compared to natural cocoa powder. 

Product Details

True Elements pancake mix is priced at Rs 195/- for a 250-gram pack. It has a shelf life of seven months and the main ingredients are flour (64.8%- oats and jowar), jaggery (27%), natural alkalised cocoa powder, lotus seeds, natural chocolate flavor.

After testing and tasting six brands of healthy pancake mixes, we crowned Millé Pancake Mix as our Top Pick. It fared better than other contenders on the taste, texture, and nutrition parameters. 

Though it contains millets, it fluffed up fairly well. The sweetness comes from unrefined sources and was mild, leaving enough room to load up toppings as desired. Yes, it does take longer to cook, but we think the few extra minutes are worth it. 

Here are some interesting FAQs on best healthy pancake mix

We reviewed six brands in our quest to find the healthiest pancake premix and we successfully found one that had an impressive flavor profile, bite, and commendable nutritional values too. It was the Millé Pancake Mix. 

Not that the other contenders were ‘bad’, but Millé Pancake Mix kind of nailed our three prime parameters.

Have you tried either of these pancake mixes before, how has your experience been?