The more time I spend in the kitchen, the more I realize that many of the old boxes of processed food I used to use can be easily made from scratch, like this homemade bisquick.
You see, for a long time, Bisquick was a staple in our house. From biscuits to pancakes to coating fried chicken – it all started with that yellow box and it was on our Costco must-have list.
Of course, those were the days when I didn’t pay any attention to the list of ingredients and thought cooking from scratch meant opening a box and “just adding eggs + water.”
Unfortunately, I’ve since learned that meals coming from “just adding [this]” to a box are probably not that healthy, including Bisquick. In fact, when I cleaned out the kitchen of hydrogenated oils, about half of the boxes I threw away were considered “health foods.”
Bisquick would have been tossed too, because it contains hydrogenated oils and artificial sweeteners – both of which are on my top list of ingredients to avoid.
The whole point of having Bisquick on hand was for convenience. One box made pancakes, biscuits and waffles and I didn’t have to spend a lot of time making any of those.
Even though I make most of our foods from scratch now, it’s still nice to have some shortcuts now and then.
Cooking every single meal from scratch is hard work, and every now and then I just want something easier. Faster. Something that requires a few less steps and less brain power so I can focus on other things.
Know what I mean?
That’s when homemade bisquick comes to the rescue.
Spent the day at the pool and forgot to put something in the slow cooker? Homemade bisquick.
Just finished baking 6 dozen cookies for a school party or holiday cookie exchange and can’t image standing on your feet any longer? Homemade bisquick.
Woke up to extra teenagers crashed on the living room floor and while you don’t think it’s physically possible they could still be hungry based on the amount of pizza they ate last night for dinner, you remember that a) teenagers are always hungry and b) you don’t have enough bacon and eggs to go around?
My sweet friend, you need a hug, extra coffee and homemade bisquick.
Why You Should Make Your Own Homemade Bisquick
One of the benefits of making your own baking mixes like homemade bisquick is the ability to substitute with ingredients you already have on hand. Here are just some of the ways you can customize homemade bisquick to fit your pantry and your family:
- Flour: Make your homemade bisquick whole grain by substituting white whole wheat flour for some or all of the all-purpose flour. You can use traditional whole wheat flour that’s made from hard red wheat, but the taste will be noticeably wheatier.
- Baking Powder: If you run out of baking powder, make your own with 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda + rounded 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. And if you run out of cream of tartar, you can make this substitution instead.
- Salt: This spice used for flavor, but you can leave it out if you’re on a low-sodium or salt-free diet.
- Butter: Butter is the most affordable fat at just 63¢ for the whole recipe. It’s also the most commonly available fat for most families. If you don’t want to use butter, you can also use organic vegetable shortening or coconut oil. As a general reference, palm oil shortening will cost around $2.28 in this recipe and coconut oil will cost about $2.
Cost Breakdown for Homemade Bisquick
- flour: $0.24
- baking powder: $0.09
- salt: $0.08
- butter: $0.63
Total cost for about 3 1/2 cups of homemade bisquick (about half of a 40 oz box) is $1.04. Compare this to buying a box of the processed baking mix for $3.43 and you’re saving 40%!
Watch How to Make Homemade Bisquick:
Homemade Bisquick
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
- 8 Tbsp butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, add flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the cold, cubed butter and using the paddle attachment, mix the ingredients together on low until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Alternatively, you can combine the ingredients using a pastry blender, two forks or your fingers.
- Store the baking mix in the fridge or the freezer, for up to 3 months.
Since you won’t be needing the big yellow box anymore, I don’t want to leave you hanging! Here are three of the classic recipes found on the yellow box.
Classic Biscuits Made with Homemade Bisquick:
- 1 1/2 cups homemade bisquick
- 1/2 cup milk
Combine ingredients together until a soft dough forms. Knead 10 times. Roll out dough to 1/2″ thick and cut into circles. Bake for 7-9 minutes at 450F.
Classic Pancakes Made with Homemade Bisquick:
- 2 cups homemade bisquick
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
Stir together milk and eggs until well blended. Add the homemade bisquick mix and stir until just combined. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto a hot griddle. Cook until the pancakes start to bubble and edges are slightly dry. Flip and cook until golden.
Classic Waffles Made with Homemade Bisquick:
- 2 cups homemade bisquick
- 1 1/3 cups milk
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp melted butter (optional)
Preheat the waffle iron and coat with melted butter, if necessary. Stir milk and eggs together until well blended. Add homemade bisquick and stir until just combined. Pour a small amount of batter onto the waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer directions.
Thank you so much for sharing this and the recipes for what to make with it. As far as l know Bisquick hasn’t made it to New Zealand yet but, as someone who finds a lot of meal inspiration on the net, l’ve often come across it and wondered what it was. Will definitely be making a batch as l love the idea of having scone (what we call biscuits), pancake and waffle mixes on hand.
this turned out great and it lasts a lot longer than you stated. I have been using mine for the last few months and it has not gone bad! Love it thank you for sharing this great idea!
★★★★★
You’re most welcome Naomi! 🙂
Excellent! Thank you for this. It makes great shortcakes for strawberry shortcake!
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That’s awesome Danielle! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
The best biscuits I’ve ever made!!!! Sooooo much better than using boxed mixes! Thanks!!!!
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You’re most welcome Sherri!
I too like to make as much as possible from scratch. I’m also a label reader. Homemade Bisquick is all I use, otherwise you are buying additives. I prefer buttermilk for my biscuits as well 😊
★★★★★
Hi Sharon, Buttermilk does sound delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
How long can you store the home made bisquick? Do you store in fridge or on shelf?
Hi Gloria,
It will keep for 4-5 days in the pantry!
If you don’t add the butter until you are making something, then it will last as long as flour last.
Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
½ Cup Baking Mix Bisquick
½ Cup Milk
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ cup butter – melted
½ cup sugar
1 15.9 oz can of sliced peaches drained
½ tsp real vanilla extract
¼ tsp real almond extract
½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375.
Stir together the baking mix, milk and nutmeg in a medium sized bowl then add the melted butter and mix some more. Use a 1 quart baking dish if making this dish for two people. Upgrade to a 9×9 pan if doubling to make for 4-6.
In a separate medium sized bowl, mix together the sugar, drained peaches, vanilla, almond and cinnamon. Mix well.
Pour the peach mixture on top of the batter mixture that you already put in the bottom of the 1 quart baking dish.
Bake at 375 for 40 minutes (if you double the recipe – bake a little longer). Its done when it is golden brown and bubbly and smelling like PURE heaven! Serve warm. Allow it to sit for a minute because it is like hot lava when it comes out of the oven
How would I use your bisquick recipe in this peach cobbler recipe and please provide measurements?
Just use it in place of the 1/2 of cup Bisquick above.
If you use this mix in a recipe with sour cream or buttermilk, do you add some baking soda?
Not if the recipe calls for it!
Will this recipe work for all the Bisquick Impossible Pie recipes? Thanks!
Yes!
what would be the sodium content for this mix Hopefully its lower than Bisquick thats why i want to make my own so it has lower sodium
I recently made pancakes with your Homemade Bisquick Mix recipe, and let me say, you’ve got yourself a winner! They actually taste like buttermilk pancakes. They remind me of the Eggo pancakes I sometimes buy, however, they’re thicker and not as fluffy as I expected. Mama Jane says they look amazing as well. I made enough to last 8 days, since even though I would usually have three pancakes in a serving since they’re small, I only made enough to have one at a time. I freeze the pancakes individually wrapped in plastic wrap. I’m planning to make more Bisquick mix so I can make more biscuits and pancakes. Mama Jane says she likes the recipe as well, and since Mama Jane likes dumplings, I wonder, is it possible to make dumplings with it?
If you can make dumplings with Bisquick, then you can with this homemade version!
How much milk or water do I add to make a chicken pot pie where you put all the ingredients in a pie dish and then pour the “bisquick” over the top and then bake?
Thanks!
I’m not sure Dianne – I always wing it!
FYI: The best pancakes and biscuits are made with WHOLE fat buttermilk. They rise beautifully and are delicious!!!
Thank you for the recipe. i want to make impossible quiche for a luncheon.. Also,i love your sense of humor..
You’re very welcome!