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Homemade Bisquick comes together in less than 5 minutes and can be used in any recipe that calls for Bisquick mix or all-purpose baking mix. It’s perfect for things like pancakes, biscuits, and diner-style muffins.
Most of the time I’m all about baking and cooking from scratch – until I’m not. Like those Sunday mornings when I don’t set an alarm and the whole family sleeps in until 10:00.
I know that sounds pretty blissful, but…
The problem is, I’m a creature of habit and sleeping in always throws me off my game in a big way.
I love waking up early and sipping coffee at my desk in complete silence. It’s when I make lists and online shop for things I don’t need – like lipgloss and mason jar cocktail shakers.
And when I don’t get that time? I feel flustered and out of sorts.
Eric and Elle love a late breakfast with all the fixins’, like pancakes drenched in maple syrup, bacon and fresh berries. This kind of Sunday morning feast is their jam and ranks almost as high as their love for chocolate glazed donuts.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a stack of Homemade Banana Pancakes or biscuits with jam and butter as much as the next guy. But sometimes, Mama needs a shortcut – especially when she wakes up 3 hours later than usual. And that shortcut is Homemade Bisquick.
WHAT IS BISQUICK?
Bisquick mix was a staple in our household growing up. If you’ve never had it, Bisquick is simply a premade baking mix made of flour, fat, leavening, and salt.
It’s traditionally used to make pancakes or waffles, biscuits, and muffins. But you’d be surprised at all of the ways you can use an all-purpose baking mix like this.
Now, I have no problem buying the original Bisquick now and then. But honestly, I often forget to add it to my shopping list.
Luckily, Homemade Bisquick comes together in a food processor in less than 5 minutes and requires 4 ingredients that I’m betting you already have in your pantry. And it keeps within the refrigerator for up to 3 months!
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BISQUICK MIX
Homemade Bisquick is so easy to make. Go take a look in your pantry – you probably have everything you need already:
- All-purpose flour
- Vegetable shortening
- Baking powder
- Salt
That’s it! All you have to do is add everything to your food processor and pulse until it’s combined and resembles cornmeal.
Pop it into an airtight container and it’ll keep in the fridge for 3 months.
CAN I MAKE HOMEMADE BISQUICK WITHOUT A FOOD PROCESSOR?
Technically, yes. You could whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and use a pastry blender to cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until well combined.
But be warned that the large volume of flour and the need to get the shortening really well blended makes this really tiring work.
If you’re up for the arm workout, go for it, but I highly recommend using the food processor instead.
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE BISQUICK
Don’t forget about keeping your homemade baking mix in the fridge.
Homemade Bisquick doesn’t have the added chemical stabilizers to make it safe for keeping in the pantry. It’ll go rancid quickly if left at room temperature – which won’t hurt you, but it won’t taste good either.
HOW TO USE HOMEMADE BISQUICK
Use Homemade Bisquick to whip up a stack of amazingly fluffy Bisquick pancakes or in any recipe that calls for Bisquick or all-purpose baking mix.
The uses don’t stop there, though!
From Potato Quiche and Banana Coffee Cake to those Cheddar Bay Biscuits that we all devour by the basketful – this homemade baking mix is going to become one of your favorite cooking shortcuts.
Homemade Bisquick
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable shortening cubed
Instructions
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse ingredients for about 15 seconds.
- Add in the vegetable shortening and pulse the processor until the mixture resembles cornmeal.
- Place homemade Bisquick into an airtight container and store within the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Bisquick makes the best strawberry shortcake (recipe on box), topped with chopped/mashed berries and fresh whip cream. It is so easy and so tasty. So I will keep this recipe handy for the times I don’t have Bisquick on hand.
@Kelly, That shortcake recipe is also great for making cinnamon rolls!
Random question but where did you get the container to put this in? I love it and the label!
Lisa-
Helo! I picked it up at Target about 2 weeks ago. I love it!
-Jamie
Could you sub coconut oil for shortening?
Karen-
I haven’t tried this recipe with coconut oil, so I am not sure how it will perform. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
I decided to try this recipe today, was out of Bisquick, and glad I did.
It was really good, and I did use *refined* coconut oil. Refined is a grade lower if you compared to unrefined, which you can easily eat, unrefined also has that coconut flavor too, which won’t work. Refined acts just like shortening, and I use it in my baking. I compare it to lard, only better, and without all those extra ingredients we’re trying to omit from our diet.
I did also mix it all by hand, that worked out just fine as well. I cut the recipe in half to make sure I would like it first, the pancakes I made turned out great! They rose nicely, and had a great flavor. Will use this again! I can also guess too the coconut oil will become hard being stored in the fridge. Just let it set out a minute, it will warm quickly to room temperature.
Thanks, Suzy!
I sift the dry ingredients, then, since I don’t own a pastry blade or pastry blender, I use a fork to cut in the shortening or butter. This has worked for years. In fact, when asked what I really want for my birthday or for Christmas, I ask for a pastry blades or blender (just the stainless steel, inexpensive “by hand” blades kind) and still NOTHING YET, and this has gone on for years. I guess I’m still hoping…
Linda, sounds like it’s time to treat yourself to a pastry blender.
And what if one doesn’t have a food processor, the best I can do is either a hand mixer or blender.
Nara-
I’d sift the dry ingredients a few times and then cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until it resembles corn meal. I hope this helps!
-Jamie
Sooo, I’m going to try and use the milling blades on my crappy bullet haha.
Do you know of I could use Sweetex (a high ratio shortening), instead of regular shortening?
Jennifer-
I’m not sure as I’ve never tried that product. If you give it a shot, let me know how it goes. Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jamie
Hi, I have all the stuff to make your bisquick flour mix, no problem there. I’m not a seasoned cook, so where is the recipe on how to use your prepared flour, and make it into pancakes? Sorry don’t see it
Dolores-
You can actually use this mix in any recipe that calls for Bisquick. Here is a simple recipe to get you started. I hope this helps!
-Jamie
Yes, beautiful pancakes but I am surprised that in this day and age you would utilize hydrogenated oils (transfats) in any recipe. It is my understanding that neutral lard is even preferably to vegetable shortening because are bodies know how to process it. I too make pancakes, biscuits, waffles, etc from scratch and I have premade the flour mixture and then added either vegetables oils or butter as the recipe required. Sadly, I bet your pancakes are to die for delicious :)
@Nicole, Crisco vegetable shortening has no transfats.
Your pancakes look so perfect, like from a magazine, love this recipe for homemade bisquick, the store one is good, but OMG with crazy ingredients.
Thanks so much, Katalina! :)
Ooh, way easier than I thought! Customizable, too. Saving this one, thanks a lot.
Thanks so much, Erin!
This is an awesome quick recipe to have on hand! Whenever I’m making pancakes, recipes frequently call for bisquick and I’m left trying to find a different recipe! Not any more :)