For a packed lunch, start by choosing a mix explicitly labelled gluten-free, then check the ingredients, allergen information and any additions needed on the pack. A larger pack suits batch cooking for several lunches if you can refrigerate the pancakes according to the storage instructions. A smaller shaker can help reduce leftovers, but it isn’t automatically suitable if you need to avoid eggs or milk.
You’re taking pancakes for yourself or a colleague and don’t want to mistake a regular mix for a gluten-free one. Start by checking that the pack is explicitly labelled gluten-free, then check the latest ingredients and allergen information.
You want to make several portions at home for one or more lunches. Check what you need to add, how much you’ll make and how to store the cooked pancakes.
A gluten-free label doesn’t tell you whether the mix contains or may contain eggs or milk. Also check whether you can make it using the additions you want to use.
First, check the gluten-free label and allergen information on the pack. Then decide how much you want to make in advance, how you’ll store the pancakes and which ingredients you’ll add yourself.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free label and allergens | Look for an explicit ‘gluten-free’ label on the pack and read the ingredients and allergen warnings. | If the lunch is for someone with coeliac disease, I don’t want to mistake a regular mix for a gluten-free one, and I want to know which other allergens are listed. Around 50% of consumers prioritise this check. |
| Making ahead and storage | Compare the quantity you’ll make and the additions needed; follow the storage instructions for the cooked pancakes. | For several lunches, I want to be able to cook at home and then refrigerate the portions as instructed. For around 30% of consumers, this planning is the most important factor. |
| Eggs, milk and preparation options | Check whether the mix contains eggs or milk, or lists them as possible allergens, and whether the preparation instructions suggest alternative additions. | I want a recipe that also works if eggs or milk need to be avoided; a gluten-free mix alone doesn’t tell me that. This additional restriction is a priority for around 20% of consumers. |
‘Multigrain’ or ‘buckwheat’ on a pack is no substitute for a ‘gluten-free’ label. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, that label may only be used if the food, as sold to the end consumer, contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten.
Use the explicit gluten-free label as your first selection criterion, then read the pack you’re buying.
Product information varies by mix: PLUS says that Koopmans may contain eggs and milk, Albert Heijn says that AH Glutenvrij ‘may contain oats’, and the Consenza shaker contains egg powder.
Before choosing how to prepare the mix and what to add, check the ingredients and the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ information on each pack.
Even packs in the same product range can differ. Albert Heijn lists a 300 g Koopmans mix, while the PLUS listing is for a 400 g pack.
Before buying, check the weight, ingredients, allergen information and preparation instructions on the pack of the version you’ve chosen.
A dry mix still needs additions and cooking time. For a packed lunch, you also need to check that you can store the cooked pancakes as instructed and take them with you chilled.
Choose a pack size to suit the number of portions, check the storage instructions and allow time for the pancakes to cool after cooking.
Koopmans makes a gluten-free pancake mix in packs that differ in weight and preparation quantity, according to the listings from Albert Heijn and PLUS.
Albert Heijn’s product page describes a 400 g gluten-free pancake mix and suggests plant-based drink and egg replacer as preparation options.
The 230 g gluten-free Pancake Shaker listed by PLUS is a smaller pack option if you want to prepare less mix at a time.
Albert Heijn listed a 300 g gluten-free pancake mix with preparation instructions using egg replacer and soya milk.
Jumbo listed a 400 g gluten-free pancake mix featuring the Crossed Grain symbol on its product page.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the term ‘gluten-free’ may be used if the food contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten when sold to the end consumer. If you’re choosing a mix for someone with coeliac disease, don’t rely on words such as ‘multigrain’ or ‘buckwheat’ alone. Check that the pack is explicitly labelled gluten-free.
Ask for the allergen information before choosing unwrapped pancakes. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says consumers must be given this information for non-prepacked food, though it doesn’t have to be provided on packaging. Also check which mix and additions were used to make the pancakes.
Only if the specific mix and preparation method are suitable. For AH Glutenvrij Pancake Mix, Albert Heijn suggests plant-based drink and egg replacer as possible additions, while the Consenza Pancake Shaker listed by PLUS contains egg powder. Read both the ingredients and the preparation instructions on the pack.
The PLUS listing for Koopmans Gluten-Free Pancake Mix, 400 g, advises keeping the pancakes covered in the fridge for up to two days after they’ve cooled, or frozen for up to three weeks. For a different mix, follow its storage instructions and keep your packed lunch chilled until you’re ready to eat.
No. The shop name tells you nothing about whether a specific mix is labelled gluten-free. ALDI’s listing for its Albona multigrain mix doesn’t make a gluten-free claim. Always check the pack of the mix you want to buy.
