5 Healthiest Frozen Pancakes—and 3 To Avoid
Let's face it, making a home-cooked breakfast every morning isn't always realistic. When you're rushing to get yourself and the family out the door, whipping up a stack of pancakes from scratch just isn't happening.
So, what's the alternative? Frozen pancakes! They're a quick, heat-and-eat breakfast that even the pickiest eaters will enjoy. We know you want to eat healthily, but convenience matters too. To help you get a nutritious breakfast on the table fast, we've scoured the frozen food aisle for the healthiest options—and a few to avoid.
Read on to discover the guidelines we adhered to to make our picks, as well as the healthiest and unhealthiest options. And if you're curious about the best-tasting options, don't miss I Tried 6 Frozen Pancakes & the Best Ones Taste Homemade.
How we chose the healthiest frozen pancakes
We used the ingredients list and Nutrition Facts Label to choose the healthiest frozen pancakes, focusing on these criteria:
- Simple ingredients. The ingredients list is a good place to start when evaluating packaged foods. We looked for a simple and straightforward list of familiar ingredients like wheat flour, eggs, milk, and baking soda. We also looked for products that used whole grains as one of the main ingredients since most frozen pancakes use refined flour.
- Low in saturated fat. Pancakes contain eggs and milk, which are sources of saturated fat, an unhealthy fat linked to high cholesterol. The Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat to no more than 10% of calories, or 22 grams of saturated fat a day on a 2,000-calorie diet. We looked for frozen pancakes that provided less than 10% of the daily value for saturated fat.
- Limited added sugar. Most people add syrup, jam, or fruit to their pancakes, making it a sugar-packed meal, which is why it's important to limit sugar in your frozen pancakes. The Dietary Guidelines say to limit added sugar to less than 10% of calories, or no more than 50 grams of added sugar a day, on a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Balanced nutrition. We considered calories, protein, and fiber, selecting pancakes that offer a reasonable calorie count, some protein, and fiber per serving.
5 Healthiest Frozen Pancakes
Kodiak Buttermilk Power Flapjacks
- Nutrition (Per 3 flapjacks):
- Calories: 190
- Fat: 2.5 g (Saturated fat: 0.5 g)
- Sodium: 370 mg
- Carbs: 30 g (Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 6g)
- Protein: 14 g
Kodiak Buttermilk Power Flapjacks tick all the boxes. The list of ingredients is straightforward and features 100% whole-grain wheat flour and 100% whole-grain oat flour as the main ingredients. They're low in saturated fat, at 3% of the daily value, and low in added sugar, at 6% of the daily value.
The whole-grain frozen flapjacks are high in fiber, meeting 14% of the daily value for fiber, and pack in a whopping 14 grams of protein. Fiber and protein are satiating nutrients, so eating these pancakes for breakfast may keep you feeling full until lunch.
Earth's Best Frozen Mini Blueberry Pancakes
- Nutrition (Per 2 pancakes):
- Calories: 40
- Fat: 1 g (Saturated fat: 0g)
- Sodium: 15 mg
- Carbs: 7 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 2 g)
- Protein: 1 g
Yes, they're made for toddlers, but all ages can enjoy Earth's Best Frozen Mini Blueberry Pancakes. The frozen pancakes are made with organic, whole food ingredients, including organic whole-wheat flour, organic blueberry bits, organic cane sugar, and organic eggs.
The serving size (two mini pancakes) is for toddlers and may not make a filling meal for anyone over the age of three. But eating more than one serving of these flapjacks won't put you over budget for calories, fat, or sugar. Four servings, or eight pancakes, has 160 calories and 4 grams of fat.
However, the frozen mini cakes are high in sugar, and four servings equals 8 grams of added sugar (16% DV). The blueberries add a natural sweetness to the pancakes, so you may not need any syrup. You can also spread nut butter on the hotcakes for a little protein, fiber, and healthy fat.
Feel Good Foods Buttermilk Pancake Bites
- Nutrition (Per 2 pancake bites):
- Calories: 170
- Fat: 11 g (Saturated fat: 1 g)
- Sodium: 130 mg
- Carbs: 17 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 3 g)
- Protein: 2 g
We like Feel Good Foods Buttermilk Pancake Bites because the ingredients list includes many familiar items like buttermilk, eggs, and rice flour. Though not made with whole grains, these pancakes are gluten-free and safe for people who need to follow a gluten-free diet or have a wheat allergy. However, they are made with milk and eggs, so they're not suitable for people with allergies to cow's milk or eggs.
Gluten-free bread products, like these pancake bites, use flours that are lower in protein and fiber than wheat flour. They also tend to have more fat and sugar. These pancake bites are low in protein and fiber but provide less than 5% of the daily value for added sugar.
Van's Power Grain Protein Original Pancakes
- Nutrition (Per 2 pancakes):
- Calories: 180
- Fat: 4.5 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
- Sodium: 260 mg
- Carbs: 25 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 5 g)
- Protein: 9 g
Van's Foods only offers frozen pancakes and waffles, but aims to make products that are wholesome and delicious. They have several frozen pancake options, but we like the Power Grain Protein Original Pancakes because of its higher protein content, with 9 grams per serving. The other frozen pancakes from Van's have about 5 grams of protein per serving. The extra protein in these frozen flapjacks comes from pea protein and sprouted whole wheat flour.
The pancakes are also made with enriched wheat flour (flour with added vitamins and minerals) and provide 10% of the daily value for iron and trace amounts of calcium and potassium. The frozen pancakes also meet our added sugar threshold, meeting 8% of the daily value.
Premier Protein Protein Pancakes
- Nutrition (Per 3 pancakes):
- Calories: 210
- Fat: 3.5 g (Saturated fat: 0.5 g)
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Carbs: 27 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 5 g)
- Protein: 15 g
In addition to protein shakes, Premier Protein has a line of cereals, pancakes, and waffles to boost protein intake. Premier Protein Protein Pancakes have 15 grams of protein per serving, providing more protein than any of the other products on our list. The protein comes from added whey protein concentrate, casein, and whey protein isolate, milk proteins that support muscle protein synthesis. Though anyone can eat Premier Protein's Protein Pancakes, they make a good option for people with higher protein needs, like athletes and bodybuilders.
Made with enriched wheat flour, Premier Protein's frozen pancakes are a decent source of vitamins and minerals, providing 10% or more of the daily value for iron and thiamin and small amounts of riboflavin, potassium, and calcium. Although the pancakes contain added sugar, they're also sweetened with stevia, a natural calorie-free sweetener, keeping the added sugar to 8% of the daily value.
3 Frozen Pancakes to Avoid
Worst: Funfetti Mini Buttermilk Pancakes
- Nutrition (Per 11 pancakes):
- Calories: 250
- Fat: 5 g (Saturated fat: 1 g)
- Sodium: 540 mg
- Carbs: 45 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 14 g)
- Protein: 5 g
From a line that specializes in sweet and colorful frosting, doughnuts, and brownies, Funfetti Mini Buttermilk Pancakes are more like a dessert than a healthy, well-balanced breakfast. High-fructose corn syrup and confetti candy bits (sugar and corn syrup) are the second and third ingredients listed, which is why each serving of the hotcakes meets 26% of the daily value for added sugar.
The Funfetti frozen pancakes also have artificial colors and additives. But it's not all bad; the sweet hotcakes are made with enriched wheat flour and have added vitamins and minerals, so they're an excellent source of calcium, iron, B vitamins, and vitamin A, meeting 10% or more of the daily value.
Worst: Trader Joe's Dutch Griddle Cakes
- Nutrition (Per 2 griddle cakes):
- Calories: 350
- Fat: 21 g (Saturated fat: 2 g)
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Carbs: 34 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 15 g)
- Protein: 6 g
According to the description on the Trader Joe's website, Trader Joe's Dutch Griddle Cakes are a little thicker and fluffier than pancakes, which may explain the higher calories, fat, and carbs in their Dutch Griddle Cakes. These frozen pancakes are the highest in calories, fat, and saturated fat (10% DV). One serving also supplies 26% of the daily value of added sugar.
The ingredient list for Trader Joe's Dutch Griddle Cakes is short and simple, but wheat flour is the main ingredient, followed by oil, eggs, and sugar, which explains the nutrition profile.
Worst: Hungry Jack Frozen Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Nutrition (Per 3 pancakes):
- Calories: 250
- Fat: 6 g (Saturated fat: 1.5g)
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Carbs: 43 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 14 g)
- Protein: 5 g
Hungry Jack is known for its hearty breakfast meals, which include pancake and waffle mixes, frozen pancakes, and syrups. The Hungry Jack Frozen Chocolate Chip Pancakes landed on our list of products to avoid for a few reasons. First, the ingredients list is long and includes many unfamiliar items like mononitrate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and mono- and diglycerides,
Though not too high in saturated fat (8% DV), the Hungry Jack pancakes are loaded with added sugar, meeting 22% of the daily value. On the plus side, the flapjacks are made with enriched wheat flour and have added nutrients, supplying 15% or more of the daily value for many essential nutrients like calcium, iron, vitamin A, and several B vitamins.
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