For your Christmas meal, choose a pancake mix that is explicitly labelled wholemeal, and check the pack to see which types of flour it contains. Also check the allergens and whether you’ll need to add milk, eggs and cooking fat. ‘Plain’ and ‘multigrain’ don’t automatically mean wholemeal.
Households making pancakes for Christmas breakfast, brunch or dinner and specifically looking for wholemeal flour. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholegrain cereal products contain more fibre than products made with refined white flour.
If you’re planning a big stack, you’ll want to know how many pancakes a pack makes and what else you need to add to the batter. Koopmans says its Pannenkoeken Volkoren mix makes 13 to 15 pancakes; PLUS’s 400 g mix calls for 1.000 ml milk and 4 eggs.
If you need to check ingredients, look at both the mix and anything added during preparation. PLUS lists wheat and oats in its wholemeal mix and warns that it may contain barley, egg and milk.
Start by choosing the type of flour you want, then check that the quantity, preparation instructions and ingredients suit your Christmas meal.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal flour | Look for the word ‘wholemeal’ and check which types of flour are listed in the ingredients. PLUS says its mix contains 75% wholemeal wheat flour and 20% wholemeal oat flour. | I want to choose wholemeal flour specifically for my Christmas pancakes, not just a mix containing several grains. For around 33% of consumers, this is said to be the main reason for choosing a product. |
| Quantity and preparation | Check the stated yield and what needs to be added to each pack; these vary by product. | If I’m cooking for several people, I want to work out in advance how many packs and additional ingredients I’ll need. For around 27% of consumers, this is said to be the main priority. |
| Product description | Check whether the chosen pack says wholemeal, multigrain or plain; these descriptions are not interchangeable. | I want to choose a suitable mix without mistaking a multigrain or plain mix for a wholemeal one. For around 20% of consumers, the exact product description is said to be the deciding factor. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients list and check whether it warns that allergens may be present. Remember to include any ingredients you’ll be adding to the batter yourself. | If the ingredients in the batter matter to my household, I want to check them before cooking. For around 20% of consumers, this is said to be the main concern. |
ALDI lists separate plain and multigrain mixes, while PLUS describes a mix made with wholemeal flour. The product names therefore don’t tell you the same thing about the types of flour used.
If you specifically want wholemeal, look for that description and check the ingredients list.
You may also need milk, eggs and cooking fat for the batter. For example, PLUS recommends 1.000 ml milk and 4 eggs for one 400 g pack.
Read the preparation instructions for your chosen mix and add any extras you need to your Christmas shopping list before deciding how many packs to buy.
PLUS gives nutritional values per 100 g of prepared product. These figures aren’t directly comparable with values per 100 g of dry mix.
Check whether the nutritional information refers to the dry mix or the prepared product, and only compare figures based on the same thing.
A product listing may include ‘wholemeal’ in the title even though the description refers to a multigrain mix. This can make it unclear which ingredients are in the pack being offered.
If the product information is inconsistent, check the description and ingredients on the packaging before choosing.
Koopmans offers a mix called Pannenkoeken Volkoren for anyone who wants to make their own pancakes.
PLUS lists a 400 g wholemeal pancake mix with specified types of flour.
Albert Heijn lists AH Mix voor pannenkoeken volkoren in a 300 g pack.
Jumbo lists a 400 g Mix voor Pannenkoeken Volkoren.
ALDI lists Albona pancake mixes described as plain and multigrain.
No, these descriptions aren’t interchangeable. For example, ALDI lists a multigrain mix, while PLUS specifies the types of wholemeal flour used in its wholemeal mix. Check the ingredients list if you’re specifically looking for wholemeal flour.
It depends on the mix you choose. For its 400 g pack, PLUS calls for 1.000 ml milk, 4 eggs and butter or oil; for its 300 g pack, Albert Heijn calls for 700 ml semi-skimmed milk, 2 eggs and margarine or oil. Follow the instructions on your own pack.
Read the ingredients list and check the current pack for any warning that allergens may be present. Also check what you’re adding yourself. PLUS lists wheat and oats in its wholemeal mix and warns that it may contain barley, egg and milk.
Only if the nutritional values are given on the same basis. PLUS gives values per 100 g of prepared product; don’t compare these directly with values per 100 g of dry mix. Also check which ingredients the preparation instructions tell you to add.
