If you’re mainly looking for a wholegrain base for your lunch, choose a mix whose ingredients clearly include wholegrain flour. If you’re only making a few pancakes, compare the stated yield of a small pack or shaker bottle with that of a standard pack. Also check what you need to add and how to use the prepared batter; the mix alone doesn’t determine the nutritional value of your lunch.
You’re looking for a change from your usual lunch and want to know which grains the mix contains. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises replacing white grain products with wholegrain alternatives as much as possible. Also consider the filling and toppings when assessing the meal as a whole.
You only need a few pancakes and don’t want to be left with lots of batter. So compare the stated yield on the pack: according to Albert Heijn’s product information, a pack of Koopmans Wholemeal makes 13 to 15 pancakes, while PLUS says its 175 g Koopmans shaker bottle makes 4 to 6.
You can’t rely on words such as wholegrain, complete or gluten-free alone. Before buying, check the ingredients and allergen information for the specific variant on the current packaging.
First decide which grain base and quantity suit your lunch, then check what’s involved in preparing the mix. If you need to avoid an allergen, check the current label before weighing up your options.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is it relevant to? |
|---|---|---|
| Wholegrain base | Check which flours are listed in the ingredients. Only compare fibre values if the nutritional information is given on the same basis, for example, per 100 g of prepared product in both cases. | If the grain base is my main priority for lunch, I want to be able to see whether the mix actually contains wholegrain flour. Around 50% of consumers prioritise this. |
| Quantity | Compare the pack weight with the stated yield and read the instructions for prepared batter. | If I’m only making a few pancakes, I want to choose a quantity I can use. Around 30% of consumers prioritise this. |
| Ease of preparation | Check whether you need to add water, milk or eggs, and how many pancakes the recipe makes. | If I don’t have many ingredients at home, what matters most to me is what else the mix needs. Around 20% of consumers prioritise this convenience. |
For a complete mix, the term refers to what you need to add to prepare it, not to the composition of your whole lunch.
Look separately at the ingredients and nutritional information. Only compare fibre values when they’re based on the same preparation method.
A smaller pack of dry mix may be a better fit if you’re making just a few pancakes, but you could still have batter left over. PLUS says that batter made from its 200 g bottle should be used straight away.
Compare the stated yield with how many pancakes you want to make, and read the instructions before mixing the batter.
Variants can differ in the allergens they contain and the possibility of traces. Information about the grain base doesn’t replace allergen information.
Read the current ingredients and allergen information on the packaging of the exact variant you’re choosing.
Half a loaf is a bread pack; a small pack of pancake mix is a different product, with its own preparation method and yield.
If you want to make pancakes, compare the quantity of mix and the number of pancakes it makes. If you’re looking for bread for a small household, assess bread packs separately.
Compare specific variants within each brand: wholemeal, complete and shaker-bottle mixes don’t answer the same buying question.
Offers wholemeal, complete and shaker-bottle variants for different preparation preferences, based on the products reviewed.
Its online category includes own-label variants alongside pancake mixes from other brands.
Offers own-label variants reviewed here, including a 200 g complete mix and a 400 g organic mix.
Offers a wholemeal mix and a smaller bottle, so you can compare options for different quantities.
ALDI describes a 400 g Albona multigrain mix.
Lidl describes a 400 g Belbake Original pancake mix.
Start with a mix whose ingredients clearly list wholegrain flour. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises replacing white grain products with wholegrain alternatives as much as possible. Also consider the filling and toppings as part of your lunch as a whole.
Compare the stated yield, not just the pack weight. Albert Heijn says that a pack of Koopmans Wholemeal makes 13 to 15 pancakes; PLUS says that the 175 g Koopmans shaker bottle makes 4 to 6. Also read what the packaging says about prepared batter.
Albert Heijn says you only need to add 700 ml of water to Koopmans Complete to make around 10 pancakes. That relates to preparation, not allergens: check the ingredients if you need to avoid milk, egg or wheat.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging of the variant you’ve chosen. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains which allergens must be listed on the labels of pre-packed foods; a general product name is no substitute for this information.
Not necessarily: organic and wholemeal describe different characteristics. For the organic mix reviewed, Jumbo lists wheat flour, while PLUS lists wholemeal wheat and oat flour for its wholemeal mix. Check the ingredients on the specific pack.
