Which Frozen Pancakes Are Really Price Shopping for? We Style-Examined 6 Widespread Manufacturers

Each Sunday, my household enjoys a stack of freshly made pancakes with crisp, streaky bacon and loads of maple syrup. Whereas I all the time make pancakes from scratch after I’m cooking for my household of three, that is not sensible after I’m internet hosting a big breakfast or brunch gathering. I will whip up just a few make-ahead objects—assume sheet-pan bacon or a quiche Lorraine—then pop some frozen pancakes into the oven. The query is: Which of them are price shopping for? 

To seek out one of the best frozen pancakes, our editors taste-tested six extensively accessible manufacturers. We baked every in keeping with the package deal instructions, then sampled them in random order with out realizing which was which. We then tabulated the outcomes and topped an general winner, together with two different worthy contenders.

The Standards

Whether or not selfmade or store-bought, pancakes ought to be gentle and fluffy, with a young crumb—not dry, dense, or rubbery. They need to style balanced: A touch of sweetness is welcome, however they need to be impartial sufficient to pair with maple syrup, honey, whipped cream, or contemporary fruit. They need to even be well-seasoned however not noticeably salty. Although baking powder and/or baking soda are important for leavening, there should not be a lot of both ingredient that the pancakes style soapy or metallic.

Total Winner

365 by Entire Meals Buttermilk Pancakes

Our affiliate editorial director, Megan, was very keen about these pancakes. She liked that they had been “delicate however not overly candy,” and thought that they had one of the best texture of all of the pancakes we tasted. “Fluffy, nearly like selfmade,” she famous. Equally, our editorial director, Daniel, thought these tasted like “actual” pancakes—excessive reward for a frozen, ready-made product. These had been additionally our affiliate editorial director, Amanda‘s, favourite. “Good little butter style,” she famous. Our visuals editor, Jessie, thought these had been “on the dryer aspect,” however nonetheless first rate. Whereas these had been the clear favourite general, our former senior social media editor, Kelli, discovered them too dense for her liking, and our affiliate culinary editor, Laila, thought they had been plain and a bit dry. Nothing slightly maple syrup cannot clear up, although! 

Runners-Up

Cease & Store Buttermilk Pancakes

Everybody picked up on the sweetness right here, and it wasn’t unwelcome. “Good and maple-y, positively on the sweeter aspect,” Amanda wrote. “Fluffy with a touch of maple syrup,” Kelli famous. “I just like the sweetness, however they seem to be a contact salty.” They had been barely too sugary for Jessie, who acknowledged that these with a candy tooth would most likely take pleasure in them. Whereas Daniel and Kelli loved the feel of those pancakes (Kelli described them as “good and creamy”), different tasters, together with Laila, discovered them barely too chewy.

De Wafelbakkers Buttermilk Pancakes

“A touch of candy, a touch of salt. Very normal,” Kelli wrote. Jessie appreciated that these pancakes had some construction and weren’t mushy, with a gentle taste that may make it good for pairing with toppings. Amanda agreed: “A really good impartial style.” On the alternative spectrum, Laila discovered them a contact too salty. Total, although, our editors thought these pancakes had been balanced, properly seasoned, and, as Daniel famous, had “good” taste.

The Contenders

• 365 by Entire Meals Buttermilk Pancakes
• Bluey Pancakes
• De Wafelbakkers Buttermilk Pancakes
• Eggo Buttermilk Frozen Pancakes
• Cease & Store Buttermilk Pancakes
• Dealer Joe’s Silver Greenback Pancakes

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Most frozen buttermilk pancakes are made with related elements: water, flour, sugar, eggs, salt, baking powder and/or soda, and a few type of buttermilk, whether or not liquid, powder, or solids. When paired with an alkaline ingredient, akin to baking soda, buttermilk helps leaven baked items and pastries, giving them their fluffy texture. Buttermilk’s acidity additionally brings a pleasing tang and helps tenderize gluten, leading to flavorful pancakes with a softer chew.

Most of the frozen pancakes we tasted include excessive fructose corn syrup or invert syrup, sweeteners that assist hold baked items gentle and moist. De Wafelbakkers Buttermilk Pancakes and Cease & Store Buttermilk Pancakes—our two runners-up—include excessive fructose corn syrup and invert syrup, respectively. Our winner, nonetheless, doesn’t include both and is sweetened with cane sugar. 

Our winners and runners-up all include malted barley flour or malted barley extract. As I touched on in my simple scorching chocolate recipe, malting is the method of drying, sprouting, and toasting grains, which transforms the grain’s starches into extra complicated sugars and its proteins into amino acids. This provides malted merchandise—together with flour, milk powder, syrup, and extract—their wealthy, nutty flavors. When integrated into drinks or desserts, malt typically provides savory depth and earthiness, making for a extra scrumptious outcome than merchandise made with out. 

Total, our editors thought frozen pancakes made with malted merchandise had been extra flavorful, and most popular those who they deemed balanced and never cloyingly candy. Whereas the 365 by Entire Meals pancakes had been our clear winner, we would be very happy to heat up both of our runners-up in a pinch.

Our Testing Methodology

All style exams are performed with manufacturers fully hidden and with out dialogue. Tasters style samples in random order. For instance, taster A might style pattern one first, whereas taster B will style pattern six first. That is to stop palate fatigue from unfairly giving anybody pattern a bonus. Tasters are requested to fill out tasting sheets, rating the samples in keeping with numerous standards. All information is tabulated, and outcomes are calculated with no editorial enter to offer probably the most neutral illustration of precise outcomes potential.

October 2025