Store-bought pancake mix is handy. Here’s how to make it even better.

If my 5-year-old daughter had her way, she would eat homemade pancakes every morning. But flipping a pile of from-scratch flapjacks on a busy weekday is not a reality in my home. (And try as I might, I cannot jump on the sheet pan pancake trend – rectangular pancakes just don’t compute for me.) Instead, a couple of times a week I reach for a bag of pancake mix that allows me to whip up one or two pancakes for her in about the same time it takes to toast a frozen waffle.

The best thing about pancake mix is the convenience. The second best thing is that the mixes’ formulas are so perfectly calibrated, you can easily modify them with simple pantry ingredients, no recipe required. Here are some of my favorite, fuss-free ways to glam up store-bought pancake mix, including adding spices and other mix-ins for extra flavor and nutrition. Our family’s current go-to is Birch Benders Organic Classic Pancake & Waffle Mix, a just-add-water mix that griddles up pillowy and tender. But these tips will work with any store-bought pancake mix you prefer.

Enhance the flavor

Plain pancakes drizzled with maple syrup are wonderful on their own, but they also offer a canvas to experiment with flavor. Whenever I have a half-empty can of pumpkin puree in the refrigerator, I stir a heaping tablespoon into my pancake mix along with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and ginger for instant pumpkin spice vibes. Swirling in a spoonful of peanut butter or almond butter lends comforting flavor and richness. Try topping the nut butter pancakes with raspberry jam or strawberry compote for a PB&J effect.

A bit of grated orange or lemon zest brightens up a morning pancake stack with minimal effort. Some mornings I quickly grind up a tablespoon of poppy seeds in my coffee grinder (I am already taking it out for my coffee beans), and incorporate them into my pancake batter along with a packed teaspoon of lemon zest. Lemon-poppy seed pancakes in minutes? That is my kind of morning.

Expand your mix-ins

When it comes to pancake mix-ins, blueberries and chocolate chips are popular, but why stop there? Back in college, I frequented a diner that made delicious granola pancakes. These days I re-create them in my kitchen using my favorite coconut, pecan and pumpkin seed granola. I also love stirring in soft fruits such as peaches, plums and crushed canned pineapple, or grated zucchini, apple or carrot. When using these wet ingredients, be sure to drain or squeeze out as much liquid as possible before mixing it into the batter.

Regardless of what I am adding, I follow a few rules. Most importantly, I don’t overload my pancakes with mix-ins. To maintain the pancakes’ structural integrity, mix-ins shouldn’t be more than about 25% of the volume of the batter. I give larger mix-ins, such as strawberries or dried coconut flakes, a rough chop, since big pieces can make the pancakes hard to flip. And I always stir the ingredient directly into the batter, rather than dropping it onto the uncooked side of the pancake in the pan. (The latter method can create too much surface contact between the hot pan and the ingredient, and can lead to scorching.).

Sneak in nutritious

seeds

Adding a couple of teaspoons (or more for larger batches) of hemp seeds or ground flaxseeds to pancake batter is all it takes to significantly boost their nutritional profile. These seeds add healthy fats, minerals such as magnesium and potassium, B vitamins, and fiber. They help aid digestion and can make you feel fuller for longer. Most importantly (at least according to my 5-year-old), they do not impact the pancakes’ overall flavor. The one exception is chia seeds, which have a gelatinous texture she does not like. Honestly, I am not a fan either, but if you like them, go for it.

Pack in the protein

Protein gets a lot of hype these days, arguably more than it deserves. But while we may not need to consume our body weight in protein every day, enjoying protein-rich foods at breakfast can satiate hunger better than pancakes alone. Some pancake mixes already include whey-based protein powder, pea protein isolate or vital wheat gluten to up their protein bona fides. But since these added ingredients can have a chalky texture or unwelcome flavor, I prefer to add my own protein sources to a standard mix.

Try stirring a generous dollop of Greek yogurt, well-drained ricotta or small-curd cottage cheese into your pancake batter. For a dairy-free protein boost, add a scoop of nut butter or almond flour. (If you increase the amount of dry ingredients in the mix, you may have to add a bit more water to thin it out before it is ready to scoop into the hot frying pan. Similarly, adding wet ingredients, such as Greek yogurt, may require a bit more dry mix.)

Make fruit-stuffed pancakes

Frying up fruit-stuffed pancakes is one of my favorite hacks for getting more produce into my daughter’s breakfast. I stir up just a bit of pancake mix, then dip ½-inch slices of banana or strawberry in the batter to coat both sides. After one minute per side in the frying pan, the pancakes are tender and cooked through and the fruit inside turns sweet and melty. My daughter likes to dip the silver dollar-sized stuffed pancakes in Greek yogurt mixed with maple syrup – and so do I.