When choosing an organic pancake mix, first check its organic certification, then pick the flour base that suits your Christmas table: wheat, multigrain, buckwheat or a mix explicitly labelled gluten-free, if needed. If you’re catering for dietary restrictions, check the allergen information too, and see which ingredients you’ll need to add before you go shopping.
You’re looking for pancakes for Christmas breakfast, brunch or an informal Christmas dinner, and want to check that they’re labelled organic. Skal Biocontrole states that the EU organic logo is compulsory on prepacked food produced in the EU and sold as organic.
You need to distinguish between a different flour base, a product explicitly labelled gluten-free and warnings about possible traces. Product information from brands including Albert Heijn and Ekoplaza shows that multigrain mixes and gluten-free options differ in this respect.
You want to know how many pancakes you can make and what else you’ll need besides the mix. Check the yield and recipe on the pack you choose before shopping for several guests.
First, decide which organic certification and dietary requirements matter for your Christmas table. Then compare the flour base and preparation instructions.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Organic certification | Look for the EU organic logo, the control code and the organic ingredients statement on the packaging. | If you want to serve a mix labelled organic at Christmas, you’ll want to be able to identify this on the packaging. For around 33% of consumers, this would be their top priority. |
| Gluten and allergens | Read the ingredients and any warnings about possible traces. If gluten must be avoided, look for a product explicitly labelled gluten-free. | If a guest needs to avoid gluten or has a food allergy, suitability comes before the flavour of the grain you’d prefer. This would be the main consideration for around 27% of consumers. |
| Flour base and flavour | Compare the first ingredients and decide whether wheat, multigrain or buckwheat will suit your planned toppings. | If you’re serving sweet or savoury pancakes, it’s worth choosing the flour base carefully rather than relying on the product name alone. Around 20% of consumers would make this their main priority. |
| Preparation and yield | Check how many pancakes each pack makes and whether you’ll need milk, eggs or cooking fat according to the instructions. | If you’re cooking for several guests, you’ll want to make enough pancakes without running short of ingredients partway through. This would be the most important consideration for around 20% of consumers. |
AH Biologisch Multigrain contains spelt, rye and wheat. The name buckwheat also doesn’t tell you whether a whole mix is explicitly labelled gluten-free or which other allergens it may contain.
If gluten must be avoided, choose a mix explicitly labelled gluten-free, and also read the ingredients and warnings about possible traces.
Preparation instructions and yields vary. For example, Koopmans says its organic multigrain mix makes 13 to 15 pancakes per pack when prepared according to the instructions.
Count your guests, check the yield of the mix you’ve chosen, and add the milk, eggs and cooking fat you’ll need to your list too.
The packaging you receive is the definitive source for that product’s ingredients, allergen information, organic certification and preparation instructions.
Read the label again before use, especially if a guest needs to avoid an allergen.
Voedingscentrum warns that raw flour can also contain harmful bacteria.
Don’t taste the batter raw, and cook the pancakes through before serving.
Jumbo offers a 400 g organic pancake mix made with wheat flour.
The 400 g organic multigrain mix combines spelt, rye and wheat.
The organic multigrain version contains wheat, oats, maize and buckwheat.
The 400 g organic buckwheat pancake mix is for anyone looking for buckwheat as the main flour base.
Ekoplaza lists an organic mix containing wheat and buckwheat, as well as a separate gluten-free option.
Check the organic certification on the packaging, including the EU organic logo and control code. According to Skal Biocontrole, the EU organic logo is compulsory on prepacked food produced in the EU and sold as organic.
No. AH Biologisch Multigrain, for example, contains spelt, rye and wheat, while the word buckwheat in a product name tells you nothing about the full ingredients list or possible traces. If gluten must be avoided, choose a mix explicitly labelled gluten-free and read the allergen information too.
It depends on the mix you choose: check the recipe on the packaging to see whether you’ll need milk, eggs and cooking fat. Albert Heijn also describes a way to prepare its organic multigrain mix using a plant-based drink, with apple purée or an egg replacement as optional additions.
Don’t taste pancake batter raw. Voedingscentrum warns that raw flour can contain harmful bacteria. Cook the pancakes through before serving.
Store the mix in a cool, dry, dark place in a tightly sealed container, as advised by Voedingscentrum. Also follow the storage instructions and use-by date on the packaging of your mix.
