How to Freeze Pancakes

September is National Better Breakfast Month! And September 26th just happens to be National Pancake Day. Coincidence? Maybe not.

I believe in having a good, hearty breakfast every morning. Because I don’t know about you, but if I don’t eat breakfast I’m a monster to be around. I hate the word “Hangry”, but it describes me so well.

And Allison’s favorite breakfast is pancakes (Unless they’re too dark, or too “white”), so I try to give them to her a few times a week. One way I make that happen is by freezing pancakes ahead of time!

Some of you have asked me how to freeze pancakes. Don’t they stick together? Are they soggy after being reheated? Too hard? Let me give you a rundown on how I freeze my pancakes:

Choose your favorite recipe

There are SO many different pancake recipes out there. I’ll admit to having 4-5 in my recipe library! Your first job, though, is to choose one and make those pancakes. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Carrot Pancakes
• Greek Yogurt Pancakes
• Pumpkin Pancakes

Make your pancakes according to the recipe. I use a griddle that I absolutely love because I can fit 6 pancakes at once! The pancakes also cook pretty quickly so I’m done in less than 25 minutes.

One thing I’ll warn: Some pancake recipes have a delicious sauce to pour on top. One that comes to mind is a cinnamon roll pancake, with the cinnamon icing. I would avoid freezing that because I don’t know how good it will be when thawed; instead, I suggest making the sauce the day you plan to eat the pancakes.

Lay pancakes on cooling racks and freeze

Once you finish flipping all your pancakes, lay them flat on cooling racks. I also place a cookie sheet underneath for stability.

The purpose of the cooling racks is so your pancakes don’t freeze together! I’ve had that happen and it’s super annoying. And I have two different kinds of racks- one lays really flat, and the other has legs so it can be propped up on top of the flat one. That way I can fit more pancakes in the freezer at once!

Once your pancakes have completely cooled, you can carefully put the cooling racks in the freezer. This method of freezing is called “flash freezing”, where you freeze items individually before sticking them in a bag. I do this with everything- chicken, breads, berries, etc.

If all of my pancakes don’t fit in the freezer at once, I’ll put the rest in a container and stick them in the fridge. Then I’ll transfer them to the freezer once the others are frozen.

Transfer to a freezer bag

After a couple hours, your pancakes should be fully frozen. You can then transfer them to one or two gallon-sized freezer bags. We usually buy ours in bulk at Sam’s Club because we use so many! Make sure you label your bag with the contents and the date you froze them. Pancakes typically stay fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer, although they’re still safe to eat after that.

You can reheat your pancakes in a few different ways:

• Thaw what you need overnight in the fridge, then microwave
• Put frozen pancakes in the microwave and defrost some before fully microwaving
• Defrost pancakes in the microwave and toast in the toaster oven for a more crispy pancake

Any of these methods work just fine!

I usually cook my pancakes on Sunday afternoons during my meal prep sessions. Or on the nights we have pancakes for dinner. Either way, I’ll sometimes make a double batch so we can eat some for the next couple days, and have some in the freezer for later!

See: How to Meal Prep in One Hour

Having a good stock of pancakes in your freezer can be a lifesaver on those busy mornings. It can help you and your kids actually sit down and have breakfast together; plus, you know you have something to pull out in case of an emergency. What an easy way to celebrate National Pancake Day!

What is your favorite kind of pancake? Do you regularly freeze pancakes as well? Leave a comment and let me know!