If there’s two things that don’t go well together it’s the morning rush and a batch of homemade buttermilk pancakes? Scrambling to get ready for work is not conducive to mixing and flipping, hence why pancakes tend to be synonymous with slower weekend vibes. But the good news is, with one simple hack, your weekdays could get a lot more exciting.
You could buy store-bought frozen pancakes, and they’d probably work fine, but making an extra batch on the weekends to freeze yourself is even more delicious and cost effective. So next time you’re cooking pancakes, triple the recipe, cook up some extras, and then place them in a freezer bag (with parchment paper between them so they don’t stick). They should stay fresh for a month or two.
And cooking them is even easier. Avoid the microwave: It will destroy all your crispy fluffy pancake efforts, replacing them with an almost gummy consistency that no amount of maple syrup could hope to salvage. Step away from the microwave and use the air fryer instead, cooking them for three to four minutes at 330 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use your air fryer to create a custom pancake morning with minimal effort
And the air fryer isn’t just for reheating your frozen pancakes, you can use it as your secret weapon for even more elaborate pancake customization before they even get put in the basket. Try brushing them with a little melted butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar mixture for a sweet and crispy topping, or top them with banana slices and syrup, which caramelizes into a really decadent treat.
And for the kids, get creative with stuffed pancake pockets by spreading some homemade nut butter and chocolate between two pancakes and pinching the edges together. The filling will melt as it cooks, and they’ll have a gooey center to enjoy. You could even make your pancakes savory by limiting the sugar content in the original batch then sprinkling with grated cheese before air frying. Serve these with bacon, and you’ve quickly turned your frozen pancakes into a breakfast-for-dinner situation. There are many unexpected upgrades for delicious pancakes so find the right ones for you.
The air fryer’s rapid circulation is perfect to reheat your pancakes with the crispy edges you want while retaining their fluffy centers, a texture combo that’s nearly impossible to achieve with other reheating methods. And it’s so easy to customize multiple pancakes simultaneously, satisfying everyone’s preferences with minimal effort. Everyone gets to choose what they want for breakfast, with no time wasted.
