Why You Should Never Add Baking Soda to Pancake Mix

Americans love a fluffy stack of pancakes, whether it’s Sunday brunch at home or a quick stop at the diner. But if you’re tempted to sprinkle baking soda into your store-bought or homemade pancake mix, think again. Here’s why that extra scoop could be ruining your breakfast.

1. It Throws Off the Flavor

Overly Bitter or Soapy Taste

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a strong alkaline. If your pancake mix isn’t formulated with enough acidity (like buttermilk or lemon juice) to balance it out, you’ll end up with a bitter or almost soapy taste.

Masked Sweetness

Most American pancake mixes are mildly sweet. Adding extra baking soda can override that subtle sweetness, giving your pancakes an off-putting aftertaste instead of a light, fluffy flavor.

2. It Can Mess Up the Texture

Excess Air Bubbles

Pancake mixes already include the right amount of leavening, often baking powder. Adding baking soda on top of this can create too many air bubbles, leading to a strange, uneven crumb or even deflated pancakes once they cool.

Rubbery Consistency

When there’s too much leavening, the structure of the pancake can collapse. You might find your pancakes turning tough or rubbery, far from the melt-in-your-mouth texture you expect.

3. Pancake Mix Is Already Balanced

No Need for More Alkaline

Commercial pancake mixes are designed with specific ratios of flour, sugar, and leaveners. Baking soda is usually paired with an acid (like cream of tartar) to create the bubbles for lift. Throwing in extra soda upsets that delicate balance.

Perfectly Fine as Is

The joy of ready-to-use pancake mix is convenience and reliability. By following the package instructions, you’re already set to get a golden, fluffy result. Tweaking the recipe can do more harm than good.