For pancakes at breakfast or with your coffee, first choose a mix whose organic certification you can check on the packaging. Then compare the type of flour, allergens and ingredients you’ll need to add yourself. If you want to bake a cake, choose a cake mix instead: pancake mix is designed for batter cooked in a frying pan.
Natural-looking packaging isn’t the same as verifiable organic certification. The European Commission describes the EU organic logo as a way to identify certified organic products. Also check the inspection code and the origin of the agricultural ingredients on the packaging.
For pancakes at breakfast, brunch or with your coffee, you can choose a wheat, multigrain or buckwheat base, for example. Check the preparation instructions too: with the mixes reviewed, you’ll often need to add milk and eggs yourself.
Organic or buckwheat-based doesn’t automatically mean gluten-free or free from other allergens. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre stresses the importance of food labelling for people with food allergies, so check the ingredients and warnings on the pack you buy.
First check the organic certification, then compare the type of flour and the preparation instructions. That way, you can choose a pancake mix to suit the breakfast or coffee break you have in mind.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Organic certification | For a prepacked organic product from the EU, check the EU organic logo, inspection code and origin of the agricultural ingredients on the label. The European Commission explains how these details relate to the organic logo. | For breakfast, I want to be able to see whether the mix is certified organic, rather than relying on natural-looking packaging. For around 42% of shoppers, this is the most important question when buying. |
| Type of flour and allergens | Compare the ingredients list and read both the allergen information and any warnings about possible traces. Don’t assume a product is gluten-free just because it’s labelled organic or contains buckwheat. | Anyone looking for a particular type of flour or avoiding allergens will want to know exactly what’s in the pack. For around 33% of shoppers, choosing by ingredients and allergens comes first. |
| Preparation and serving occasion | Check which ingredients you’ll need to add and how to prepare the mix. Make sure you want to cook pancakes, rather than needing a cake mix. | If I want to serve pancakes with coffee, I want to know in advance what I’ll need to buy. That’s why preparation and serving occasion matter most to around 25% of shoppers. |
Albert Heijn and Koopmans organic multigrain mixes list cereals containing gluten, among other ingredients. Even buckwheat mixes and products labelled gluten-free may carry warnings about other allergens.
Check the full ingredients list, allergen information and any warning about possible traces on the current packaging of the variant you choose.
The preparation instructions for the organic mixes from Jumbo and Smaakt that we reviewed, among others, call for milk and eggs. So the certification on the mix doesn’t tell you which ingredients you’ll ultimately add to the pancakes.
Check the preparation instructions before you go shopping. If you also want to choose organic ingredients to add, check their packaging separately.
The mixes reviewed are designed for pancake batter cooked in a frying pan. They’re not a direct substitute for a cake recipe.
Serve pancakes with coffee if that’s what you have in mind; choose a separate cake mix when you want to bake a cake.
Compare the exact variants: the ingredients and warnings listed here apply to the mixes described, not necessarily to every product from that brand.
The 400 g organic multigrain mix is an own-brand option for anyone looking for a blend of different grains.
The 400 g organic own-brand mix is made with wheat flour.
The 400 g organic multigrain variant is designed for anyone looking for a mix made with several types of flour.
The 400 g organic buckwheat pancake mix is an option for anyone specifically looking for a buckwheat base.
This brand offers both a standard organic pancake mix and separate gluten-free variants.
For a prepacked organic mix from the EU, check the EU organic logo, the inspection body’s code and the origin of the agricultural ingredients. According to the European Commission, the organic logo may only be used on products certified as organic by a recognised control authority or control body.
No. The organic multigrain mixes from Albert Heijn and Koopmans described here contain cereals with gluten, among other ingredients. If necessary, look for a variant explicitly labelled gluten-free and check the allergen warnings on the current packaging too.
No. Jumbo’s product information for Smaakt Bio Buckwheat Pancake Mix states that it may contain nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds and soya. So check the allergen information on the specific pack rather than relying on the type of flour in the product name.
Not as a direct substitute for cake mix. The pancake mixes described are designed for batter cooked in a frying pan; choose a separate cake mix if you want to bake a cake.
The organic certification on the mix applies to the product in that pack, not automatically to the ingredients you add yourself. If you also want to use organic milk, eggs, cooking fat or toppings, check those products separately.
