Mom and son baking pancakes

How Much Does It Cost To Make Pancakes?

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A plate of pancakes can feed you and your entire family for breakfast. All you have to do is combine the ingredients, whisk them together, then heat them up. But you might be wondering, how much does it cost to make pancakes?  Is it going to exceed your budget?

Pancakes are one of the cheapest options for breakfast. They’re easy to make and don’t cost a lot of money. A single pancake typically costs between 0.25 and 0.30 cents.

If pancakes are your go-to breakfast dish, you should definitely figure out how much money you are spending on them. It helps a lot in calculating your monthly expenses. Also, this will help you decide whether it’s a convenient breakfast option for you or not. So, to know more about all these facts in detail, please read the entire article. 

Are Pancakes Expensive? 

No, pancakes are really cheap when you think of the common breakfast dishes as a whole. Basically, it would help if you had flour, milk, oil, eggs, and baking powder to make a batch. The amount required is not much, and so it costs you less!

The whole of America can feed on pancakes for breakfast! In fact, it is the one dish that can be made at any time with all the common ingredients lying around. They cost you less, which is about 0.25 dollars per piece. So, they are fairly cheap and can be your go-to dish! Read the next part to find out in detail about this.

What is Your Purpose?

You may have concerns about how much these regular pancake breakfasts cost you to feed your entire family. Or, you could be a single person, living alone. Or you could be a student or a regular working person, living alone and bearing your own expenses. 

Typically, if these are your purposes, they won’t cost you much. However, if you wish to start a dessert shop, you may need to consider larger-scale expenses.

How Much Will They Cost Per Month?

Roughly, the items required are flour, eggs, milk, oil, and baking powder. All these are the items you always buy during grocery shopping. These can be found in any nearby department store, and you don’t have to drive far away, either. In fact, you can take a walk to the shop. So, you don’t have to pay extra for fuel!

Now, you need to make a rough estimate of how much each of these items will cost. Here, I have included the prices of all items possible. Take a look at the following!

ItemsAmountPrice
Regular All-purpose Flour4 to 5 pounds3$
Eggs204.49$
Baking Powder 1 can2.29$
Milk1 gallon3.88$
Butter16 oz./4 sticks3 18$

So, let’s break down the facts. These are just the costs of the whole quantities of the ingredients. If your purpose is to feed a small nuclear family or yourself alone, you don’t need this entire amount. In fact, these quantities will be enough for your whole month!

If you look at an easy pancake recipe, you will understand how many quantities you need. Ultimately, you will see that it costs so less! Grossly, it will cost you about 0.25 dollars to make one single pancake.

Now, if you eat two pieces per day, with a side of some maple syrup, it will cost around $0.50. If you have this for a whole month, the total cost comes to $15 per month.

And if you have a family of four people, your per-day cost will be $1. So, for a month, your cost for breakfast will be about $30! If expenses are too tight, I think this is the cheapest thing you can do for your whole family!

Also, a regular 7 or 8 inches non-stick frying pan will cost you about 10 to 12 dollars. Most people usually have such a pan lying around, so it’s better not to include this cost in your list. And if you do not have one, you can buy a good brand frying pan from any shop or even Walmart! Generally, these can last for years!

Are These Ingredients Perishable?

Actually, you can store the ingredients that you require for making pancakes. Most of these items are perishable, and they need to be kept in refrigerators to remain fresh. For example, butter, milk, eggs, etc., need to be stored in refrigerators. 

However, you must keep the dry items in an airtight container. Of course, you won’t be able to consume a five-pound flour bag in a day or a week! So, you need to store the items as necessary. Baking powder comes in big cans by itself. So, you don’t need different settings to store baking powder. 

If these items go bad or expire too soon, it can take a toll on your budget. For instance, you buy a gallon of milk every month or so. But it’s just been a week, and the milk has started to taste sour! Then it’s definitely bad news! 

In that case, you can buy milk in small and budget-friendly proportions. As milk can go bad quicker than any other ingredient, buy cautiously! However, whenever you want, the other ingredients are at your own disposal!

How To Make Your Pancakes Cost-Effective?

New home cooks are unaware of a lot of hidden tips and tricks in the kitchen that can save you time and money. If you follow the simplest pancake recipe out there, with no additional fuss, you can save some bucks too!

If you make your recipe more complex, the budget will increase. However, if you make the traditional pancakes, it won’t cost you much. Also, it would be best to be extra cautious so that you do not make such mistakes, inviting more expenditures. 

Usually, it can be hard if you are a beginner. But you will get the hang of it after about twenty or twenty-five pancakes. In fact, you will be able to create some clever tips and tricks yourself! Now, look at the following simple pancake recipe, which will save you money!

Ingredients Needed:

  • Flour- 1 cup
  • Milk- 1 cup 
  • One large egg
  • Baking powder/baking soda- 1 tablespoon 
  • Oil/Butter- 1 tablespoon
  • Sugar- To taste
  • Lime juice- 1 teaspoon

Here, make sure you have properly measured all the ingredients using a measuring cup. If you do not maintain the ratio properly, your pancakes won’t be fluffy or soft. 

Step 1: First, gather all the ingredients. Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature. Measure them correctly using the measuring cups. 

Step 2: Finish your job in one bowl. That way, too many dishes won’t get dirty, and you will not have to spend additional money on a dishwasher. They do it in different dishes in the YouTube videos to make the video nicer. It has nothing to do with your process of cooking.

Step 3: Put all your dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a hollow at the center using your finger or a spoon. Then, add the egg, oil, lime juice, and milk. Gently, whisk the mixture. However, don’t whisk too much, or your batter will thicken and activate the gluten. It will make the pancakes very tough and chewy.

Step 4: Let the batter sit for a while. Usually, it would help if you rested it for half an hour. By this time, you can finish your other household chores.

Step 5: Now, you do not want to make very big pancakes as not everyone has the same appetite. If you serve big-sized pancakes, chances are the food will be wasted a lot. So, grease the pan first with some oil or butter. Then, take 1/4th of a cup of batter. It will make a regular-sized pancake.

Step 6: Heat up the pancake. You do not want to fry it deep. So, just use a hint of oil or butter. Don’t use too much oil or butter unnecessarily. Flip the side once you see bubbles on top.

Step 7: Just heat the other side for a while, and then it’s ready! Take it on a plate and serve!

Now, maple syrup, whipped cream, and blueberries can increase your cost. If not every day, you can have these alternately. Have the regular pancakes one day, and the next day, try them with some whipped cream. 

You should keep a separate budget for buying these additional side items. Because having regular pancakes every other day can get boring at some point!

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