Pancake Muffins

Pancakes always seem like a great breakfast idea—until you’re the one standing at the stove, measuring out individual hotcakes from a seemingly endless bowl of batter. Instead of cooking pancakes one at a time, divide the batter into smaller portions to make several pancake muffins all at once.

This recipe utilizes store-bought pancake mix for speedy prep, and the batter gets poured into paper-lined cups for easy cleanup. Maple syrup is mixed right into the batter, so the baked muffins have the classic flavor without the classic stickiness. Serve them on the breakfast table alongside eggs and bacon or other 30-minute breakfast recipes, or enjoy them with one of these healthy smoothie recipes during your morning commute or mid-morning break.

Ingredients for Pancake Muffins

• Pancake mix: Pancake mix contains flour, baking powder, sugar, milk powder and often spices in the box, so there’s no need to measure individual ingredients. Use any of the best pancake mixes for this recipe.
• Milk: Pancake mix instructions often read “just add water,” but we recommend using whole milk instead to make pancake mix taste better. This is especially true in pancake mix muffins because the milk makes them softer and more tender.
• Maple syrup: Syrup adds sweetness and flavor, so don’t skimp when you’re choosing at the grocery store. Pure maple syrup and pancake syrup differ in their ingredients, so scrutinize the syrup bottle label. Maple syrup has a richer natural flavor and bakes better in these muffins.
• Canola oil: Neutral-tasting canola is one of the most popular cooking oils, and is ideal for baking. It keeps these muffins moist and light, with a less crispy exterior.
• Egg: Always bake with room-temperature eggs, which blend more easily than fridge-cold ones. For less clumping, let the milk come to room temperature, too.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare to bake

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Step 2: Mix and pour the batter

In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, milk, syrup, oil and egg. Whisk the ingredients until they’re smooth.

Fill the prepared muffin cups three-fourths full.

Step 3: Bake and cool the muffins

Bake the pancake muffins until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 11 to 13 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Serve them with additional maple syrup, if desired.

Editor’s Tip: When muffins cool in their pans for a few minutes, they firm up slightly and are easier to lift free, even those encased in paper cups. When they finish cooling on racks, the paper dries out, instead of trapping steam and making the muffin bottoms soggy.

Pancake Muffins Variations

• Turn on the tang: To replicate the full flavor of scratch-made buttermilk pancakes, replace the whole milk with cultured buttermilk. Even when you use a pancake mix that includes buttermilk powder, the real thing takes the muffins to another level.
• Use applesauce: Applesauce is a great alternative to butter and oil in muffins and other quick breads because it makes them soft and light and cuts their fat content. Replace just half of the canola oil with unsweetened applesauce. A full swap would drastically change the texture of the muffins.
• Spice up the batter: Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice add even more flavor to these muffins. Sprinkle in homemade pumpkin pie spice or gingerbread spice mix for a single-scoop flavor pop.
• Add berries: Muffins made with pancake mix welcome fruit just as readily as stovetop pancakes and scratch-made muffins. Fold 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries, cranberries or huckleberries into the muffin batter after mixing in the dry ingredients. For truly decadent muffins, use 1/2 cup of berries and 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips. Add frozen fruit without thawing it to keep the juices from bleeding into the batter, and bake them a few minutes longer if needed.

How to Store Pancake Muffins

Store pancake muffins at room temperature. Pack them in an airtight container once they’ve cooled completely, and leave them on the counter. (Muffins dry out quickly in the refrigerator.) Pancake muffins last for three to five days when stored at room temperature.

Can you freeze pancake muffins?

Pancake muffins freeze well. Let them cool completely, then line them up on a baking sheet and freeze the muffins solid before you seal them in a freezer-safe bag or container. It will keep them from getting squished before they fully freeze. Keep muffins in the freezer for two to three months.

Pancake Muffins Tips

Can you make pancake muffins without paper liners?

When you bake muffins in paper liners, they rise more neatly to lofty heights like the best bakery-style muffins. They also slip easily from the baking tin. To make pancake muffins without paper liners, grease the muffin tin well with cooking spray or coconut oil. After they’ve cooled for a few minutes, use a butter knife to loosen them around the edges before carefully lifting them from the pan and transferring them to a rack to finish cooling.

Can you make pancake muffins with homemade pancake batter?

Homemade pancake batter usually has a different dry-to-liquid ratio than muffin batter, so results will be unpredictable if you try to bake our best pancake recipes in muffin cups. But you can make them with homemade pancake mix, which contains the essential flour and leavener without the additives often found in commercial brands.