You’ve been dreaming all night about the irresistible aroma of banana bread, and you wake up full of determination to bake a rich loaf.
You know you have the bananas and everything in your pantry. Unfortunately, one of the main ingredients is missing; Flour! But you have something else!
So can you make banana bread using pancake mix? Actually, you can make an amazing loaf with that substitution. Read on for the full details of 3 delicious recipes.
Why Using Pancake Mix in Banana Bread Works?
It does seem like an odd thing to throw in pancake mix into the banana bread batter. However, it works like a charm, and you can get a brilliant loaf of tasty banana bread with that magic mix.
You might be wondering now, but why does it work? That’s exactly what we’ll talk about in this segment.
What Is the Pancake Mix Made From?
The pancake mix is basically flour, with a bunch of supporting ingredients. Most commercial brands come with some sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Some add a few more ingredients that come a bit closer to the basic pancake mix, and these are often labeled as a ‘complete mix’. These products usually have eggs, buttermilk, and some fat. Thus, they only need water to become usable.
You can work with either the basic or the complete mix, and adjust the rest of the ingredients accordingly.
What Does the Pancake Mix Substitute?
The basic mix is mostly sweetened flour, thus, it can only replace flour. Most of the time you’d need to add more sugar, as pancakes don’t require the same amount of sweetener that cakes do.
The basic mix also has some salt and baking powder, so you should be cautious while adding extra amounts of these. You can actually forego these ingredients or just add a bit more baking soda.
In contrast, the complete mix is rather rich in ingredients. It comes ready with eggs, buttermilk, flavoring, and other batter improvements. In most cases, you’d only need to add water and bananas to get your tasty banana bread.
Would That Mix Affect the Original Banana Bread Taste?
Whether you use the basic mix or the complete mix, the banana bread would still taste amazing. That is, of course, as long as you use the right recipe.
How to Make Banana Bread With Pancake Mix
Depending on the time and ingredients available to you, you can make a quick loaf of banana bread or an absolutely glam one.
The Traditional Recipe
This recipe is as close as possible to the original banana bread recipe. The pancake mix is used pretty much as regular flour. That is, you’d be using all the ingredients that you normally put into a traditional banana bread loaf.
Here’s what you need:
- 1 ½ cups of any pancake mix
- 2 medium-sized eggs
- 1 stick of soft butter
- ¼ cup sugar (brown or regular)
- 3 browned bananas
- A generous dash of vanilla extract
The prep time is about 10 min, mostly taken up in mashing the bananas.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F
- Prepare a rectangular oven pan, lined with buttered parchment paper
- Whisk the soft butter by hand, or use a food processor, till it becomes light
- Add the sugar and keep blending. Just don’t overdo it.
- Crack the eggs and mix them in. Keep whisking/blending
- Mash the bananas using a fork, and add them to the mixing bowl
- Now is a great time to add the vanilla
- Gradually add the pancake mix, and combine everything. \
- Pour the batter into the baking pan and let it cook for 45-50 min
- When the top becomes golden brown, then it’s time to take it out.
The Quick and Easy Way
If you don’t have a ton of time at hand, you can use this ridiculously simple recipe. Here, you’d utilize the ingredients in the pancake mix fully. This is as easy as instant coffee or tang. Just pour water!
The ingredients are as follows:
- 2 cups of ready complete pancake mix
- ¾ cup water
- 4 ripe bananas
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Prep time is around 5 minutes, which is a huge advantage when you don’t have time.
The steps are just as easy:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F
- Mash the bananas in a bowl, and keep it a little chunky
- In another bowl, add water to the pancake mix till the batter becomes soft
- Mix in the mashed bananas and add the vanilla
- Spray some oil on a rectangular bread pan and pour in the batter
- Pop the pan into the oven for 45-60 min
- After 45 min, dip a toothpick into the bread, if it comes out clean, then the bread is ready.
The Glam Recipe
To get an epic loaf of banana bread, just use the traditional recipe, with a bunch of extra flavors. Here are some of the best additions that go famously with bananas:
- Chocolate chips
- Pecan nuts
- Walnuts
- A pinch of cinnamon
- A dash of ginger and cloves
- Candied fruits
- Dried dates
- Shredded coconut
- Roasted butter
Naturally, you wouldn’t toss all these ingredients into the batter. You can use just one or two of these at a time. Later on, you can experiment with a different flavor.
Some Extra Tips to Get the Best Banana Bread
Banana bread is among the easiest recipes to do, yet, many people get ‘unexpected’ results. The most common is getting a dense part at the bottom, and a dry part at the top.
To avoid such matters, and get the best banana bread ever, here are some extra pro tips.
- Bananas should be as ripe and brown as possible, but they should be naturally so. Baking or microwaving the bananas rarely gives you the same taste or texture.
- Use half a spoon of baking soda along with the baking powder included in the pancake mix. The batter of the banana cake is rather heavy, and the added baking soda should help in lifting it up. This makes the banana bread airy and soft.
- Brown sugar is sometimes mentioned in banana bread recipes instead of regular sugar. If you have some, then by all means use it. It gives extra taste, moisture, and appeal. It’s that je ne sais quoi that really takes pastries to the next level.
- It’s best to let the banana bread loaf rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. This should keep it from crumbling, and let the flavors develop further.
- Banana bread is served in many ways. Among the best of them, is hot, with a dash of butter on it.
- To keep the banana bread fresh, you can put it in an air-tight plastic container, with a little napkin lightly wrapped around it. This can stay on the counter for 3 days. As an alternative, you can put it in a flat dish, with plastic wrap all around it.
- You can freeze the banana bread for about three months. To get it back to its normal state, just let it thaw overnight.
Final Thoughts
Making banana bread using pancake mix is such a brilliant idea!
Quite often, we crave a hot and flavorful loaf of banana bread, only to find that we don’t have all the ingredients. Using the pancake mix is a lifesaver in such situations.
Another perk is the reduced prep time when you use the complete mix. In that case, you can get delicious hot banana bread by just adding water and a couple of ripe fruits.
Bon appetite!
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.