I tried 4 store-bought buttermilk pancake mixes. My favorite was also the cheapest.

• I tested four national brands of buttermilk-pancake mixes.
• The mixes I tried were Hungry Jack, Krusteaz, Pearl Milling Company, and Birch Benders.
• Hungry Jack's buttermilk-pancake mix was classic, but my favorite was the affordable Krusteaz brand.

Pancake mix is a pantry staple in most American households, but which one is the best?

I set out to determine which boxed pancake mix is the best value based on flavor, texture, and price.

To do so, I compared the buttermilk flavor of four different pancake-mix brands: Hungry Jack, Krusteaz, Pearl Milling Company, and Birch Benders.

Here's how I ultimately rated the pancake mixes, from worst to best.

I tried the buttermilk flavor from four different pancake mix brands: Hungry Jack, Krusteaz, Pearl Milling Company, and Birch Benders.

For each mix, I followed the recipe on the back of the box for the most basic pancakes and the fewest pancakes.

Many of the recipes required the same mix-to-water ratio, but one required oil, milk, and an egg. I cooked all the pancakes for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, using about half a tablespoon of butter to grease the pan as needed. I also used about a quarter-cup of batter for each pancake.

To keep things as fair as possible, I also served all the pancakes the same way, with a half-tablespoon of butter and a drizzle of Maine maple syrup.

My least favorite brand I tried was also the most complicated.

The 32-ounce box cost $4.99 at my local Stop & Shop in New York City. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup mix
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 egg

Unlike the other pancake mixes, this batter called for milk, oil, and an egg.

Pearl Milling Company has another complete buttermilk pancake mix that only requires adding water, but this kind requires a few extra steps.

After I mixed the ingredients, I noticed the batter was slightly thicker than the batter from other pancake mixes I've tried.

It took a little extra effort to remove all the clumps and make sure the egg was fully incorporated into the batter.

The pancake puffed up slightly and thickened while cooking.

It looked almost cake-like in texture, and it turned a nice golden brown.

This pancake was thicker and more cake-like than the others.

The texture was slightly stodgy and crumbly, but also a bit dry. The pancake had a nice, crispy outer layer, but it desperately needed butter and syrup to add some moisture.

My third-favorite brand was the Hungry Jack buttermilk complete pancake mix.

The 32-ounce box cost $3.99 at my local Stop & Shop in New York City. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup mix
• 3/4 cup water

The batter was slightly runnier than the others.

However, it was extremely easy to work out the clumps and create a smooth batter.

The pancake browned easily in the pan.

The pancake was slightly thinner than the others I made, even though I used the same amount of batter for each pancake.

The pancake had a sweet, buttery flavor. I thought it was the most classic of the mixes I tried.

It tasted like something I'd get in a diner, or even a frozen pancake you'd heat up in the microwave.

While the flavor on its own didn't blow me away, I thought it was a great vehicle for maple syrup and butter. It took me back to my childhood.

My second-favorite was the organic Birch Benders buttermilk pancake and waffle mix.

The 16-ounce bag cost $6.99, making it half the size and double the price of the other brands I tried. I also thought the packaging was beautifully designed and easy to reseal after each use.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup mix
• 1/2 cup water

The batter was slightly thicker, and I could practically smell the buttermilk.

For a recipe that only required mixing the powdered pancake mix with water, it looked strikingly similar to the Pearl Milling Company buttermilk pancake mix, which also required an egg, milk, and oil.

The delicious smell of the buttermilk pancake wafted through the kitchen.

The pancake puffed up slightly, becoming about an inch thick, which I thought was the perfect thickness.

I thought the Birch Benders buttermilk pancake had the right balance of sweet, buttery, and savory flavor.

The pancake had a good balance of flavor for a "just-add-water" pancake mix, and it is arguably the mix I would reach for again over the others, based on flavor.

However, for half the amount of pancake mix of the other boxes and at double the price, I couldn't say it was the best value compared to the others. I'm simply not convinced it's so much better that it warrants the higher price tag.

My favorite was the Krusteaz buttermilk-pancake mix.

The 32-ounce box cost $3.59 at my local Stop & Shop in New York City, making it the cheapest brand I tried.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mix
• 2/3 cup water

The batter was perfectly smooth without being too watery.

It was a perfect balance between thick and runny, and it spread easily in the pan.

The pancakes turned a delicious-looking golden brown in the pan.

The pancakes were slightly thicker than the Hungry Jack-brand pancakes, but not as thick or cake-like as the Pearl Milling Company pancake.

The pancakes had a tasty buttermilk flavor and were the perfect thickness.

The outside was crispy, but the pancakes themselves were still moist and slightly crumbly on the inside.

Not only did this pancake mix have great flavor and texture, but it was also the cheapest among the brands I tried. This is hands-down the brand I would purchase again.

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