I think I’ve talked about pancakes before on this site. I don’t want to bore anybody but I love pancakes. They seem to add an order to my world. Pancakes are a great solution to an age-old problem: “What am I going to eat this morning?” Certainly there are other solutions to this problem, but none fits quite as well in extraordinary circumstances as pancakes. One thing that is also clear is that just because you’re on a gluten-free diet, it doesn’t mean you have to give up your pancakes.
Here’s the package and about everything you need to make some pancakes. I’ve made these twice now. Inside this purple bag is a plactic bag with the mix in it. The mix is not only gluten-free, but is also free of peanuts, tree nuts, milk & dairy, soy, and corn. So these are pretty seriously allergen free. Ingredients: sweet brown rice flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, rice milk powder, cream of tartar, xanthan gum, baking soda, sea salt, ground vanilla bean .
Today’s photos are going to feature cumquats. That’s because I ran out of lemons and oranges. The mix is really easy to use. You just throw the wet ingredients into a mixing bowl, stir them up, and then add in the contents of the bag and mix well. You have to add more or less water depending on how thick you want the pancakes to be. Once you get the hang of pancake batter, you’ll know the right consistency. I like my batter thin enough to pour.
The griddle temperature is important. You can test the heat by flicking some drops of water on the griddle. If the drops don’t sizzle, then it’s too cold. If the drops jump around and sizzle, it’s too hot. You cook pancakes on the first side until you have a good amount of bubbles coming up to the top, and then you flip them. Your first pancake will almost never turn out right. As the chef, it is your duty to eat this pancake and thus not cause suffering to others.
You might think that it’s time to throw some pancakes on a plate and either eat them or give them to your guest, but don’t forget to stop and heat up the plate first. To do so, run the plate under hot water for a while and then dry.
Ah here they are. What can I say? The pancakes are good. For flavor and texture, I think I like the packaged kind better (see my packaged gluten free pancake review.) These end up being more economical and are fun to make (if you’re into cooking things.) If I had to complain about something it would be that the pancakes end up tasting very much like they’re made from refined flours. They would be more entertaining and hearty if they had some more texture and flavor.
If you’re going to take the trouble to warm your plates, you should also bump it up a notch by making some orange butter beforehand. Here’s my recipe for Orange Butter at the bottom of the other pancake review.
We want to know: Which pancakes do you think are better? Have any suggestions on how to make the pancakes more flavorful? Let us know!
Times we have made them: 2 (So we feel pretty good about our rating.)
Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Price compared to “regular”: At $2.99, it’s very reasonable.
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I use Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix and I LOVE it! My husband doesn’t even notice the difference and you can usually find it on amazon in three packs for cheap! (and no ship. charges!) I had been wondering about the TJ’s stuff though, so thanks for the review! :)
We’ll have to check out the Pamela’s mix. Thanks for letting us know. I also just picked up a Bob’s Red Mill corn cake mix and am going to try being creative with it. Thanks for stopping by!
I use Pamela’s too, and the pancakes and waffles are approved by the gluten-tolerant. The mix stands up well to additions.
I also recommend the Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe on the back of the Pamela’s bag. Well-received even by non-family members.
Wow now we’ll definitely have to give it a try. Thanks for letting us know.
Hmmm… I bought this mix once and hated it. Won’t be buying it again. Pamela’s are a LOT better and actually pass the glutenoid test. I get it in bulk from Amazon and the price isn’t too bad. Trader Joe’s might be cheaper, but falls into the “why bother” category for me. Only reason to buy it is if you have extremely restrictive allergies… and in that case, I think Namaste mixes are better. (Although I am not sure if they have a pancake mix.)
Thanks for the comprehensive review! :)
-Sea
I like Pamela’s Pancake and Baking mix as well. I make really great waffles from the recipe on the package. They are loved by all my big kids and taste wonderful.
I haven’t liked any of the Trader Joe’s mixes.
I do love the Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Brown Rice Pasta which I am quite sure are made by Tinkyada for them. Not mushy and taste great!
I love Pamela’s mix too…it makes amazing waffles (and everything else…can’t live without it). But if I’m having a group over for waffles, I use the Trader Joe’s mix because it makes so much more…it’s economical…and it has passed the non-gluten test and then some. I just used the Trader Joe’s mix to make carrot cake pancakes for a group of gluten eaters, and they got rave reviews.
I am a Pamela’s fan. The panckae mix has a much better texture than the TJ one. The Pamelas uses different flours, thus giving it a more satisfying taste and texture. I find the TJ one to taste very bland, I think it has a higher content of rice flour (although their mix actually turned out a decent crepe!).
This mix sucks. I used it this morning. I hate the taste of the tapioca flour, it tastes exactly like bad breath! Gross! Also the mix is way to starchy, so the pancakes end up being too light and junk-foody. No substance. Pamela’s mix is way better, Or even better yet, make your own mix.
We buy this mix regularly. I used soynog and my BF will only eat this mix now. Second favorite is Bob’s Red Mill, which I prefer. But these cakes do come out rather on the thin side, which is why we like them. It’s a personal preference. Also, you can use the mix to make a coffee cake which is super yumm if you substitute cookies crumpled up for the topping.
Wow! soynog pancakes. Now there’s an awesome idea! I just happen to have some eggnog in the fridge right now…
wow- am i the only one who can’t stand this mix? I am new to gluten free products, having just been diagnosed gluten intolerant, but i just couldn’t eat the pancakes I made from this mix. It has a really strong flavor, like other flour mixes that contain bean flour. I’m not sure what it is, but I definitely did not like it.
Gluten-free flours are funny. There are flour mixes that taste OK to me that Sienna thinks are nasty. Bean flavors are especially troublesome.
I don’t like the Trader Joe GF mixes…they used to be in a bigger bag and have organic sugar now they don’t but the price is higher…I like Pamalas Waffle Pancake way better love the texture and taste!! There are so many choices out on the market now it is also easy to make your own….
I thought the TJ’s mix tasted okay–the mix was super thin and made for flatter pancakes than I’m used to… But it made me very ill. I’m not GF, I’m wheat-allergic–so they should’ve been fine–but I had all the symptoms of my wheat allergy after eating them.
FOr wheat-free folks: Bob’s Red Mill has a recipe for homemade WF oatmeal pancakes that are, IMO, the best pancakes around–better even than wheat flour recipes.
Just made the TJ mix for my family. Everyone pretty much gave it a thumbs down. I took one bite and couldn’t eat any more of it. I’m really disappointed since our son can’t have milk, potato starch or egg yolks right now . . . The Gluten Free Pantry mix received better reviews than the TJ version. The search goes on!
I really like this mix but I like flat pancakes. For thicker ones with more texture Bob’s Red Mill is better. A good but more expensive alternative is Cherrybrook Farms Gluten-Free Dreams pancake mix which I get at Stop and Shop of all places or any health food store. It makes the really thin, white flour-like pancakes I love.
So far, this Trader Joes brand is our family’s very favorite besides Kinnickinick (HUGE price difference there and compares to Kinnickinick…..if not BETTER) Big THUMBS UP on this team’s opinion!!!! Pamela’s are just “OK” to us…….not our favorite.
A little late to this review, but Bisquik started making a pancake waffle mix that is pretty good too. Although, it is more expensive than the TJ mix. Something to check out. Also, I have been able to find it at almost all grocery stores.