Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <storage-lifetime><pancakes><batter>
Title: How long does pancake batter last in the fridge?
Question: I'm making a packet mix of pancake batter that doesn't lend itself to partial mixes - it's hard to split "1 egg" as an ingredient.  How long would pancake batter last in the fridge?  Even if it's a worst case of a day or two, I'd still like to know.

Answers:
sents: text: Bisquick-originated pancake and waffle batter lasts a day, two at the most.
text: Data: in college, I made pancakes or waffles every day for a year and a half, making the batter on day 1 and then cooking it on days 1, 2, and 3.
text: Once in that time I got sick on Day 3.
text: Based on that experience, more than 24 hours is getting sketchy, though 48 seems to work most of the time.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/5299/Cajunluke
score: 5
sents: text: Unless you're making flat "crepe" style pancakes, your batter will not really work properly later.
text: Once the baking powder is mixed with wet ingredients, you need to cook it as soon as possible or its rising power will start to be lost.
text: This will be true of any batter that has baking powder as its rising agent.
text: You're probably better off to make all your pancakes and then refrigerate the leftover pancakes.
text: You can toast them to reheat them later.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4504/Allison
score: 4
sents: text: I have no idea what type of pancake you're making, but I had answered your question for chemically leavened pancakes in case someone stumbled upon that question (even though the earlier question was specifically for crêpe like pancakes.)
text: If you're using baking soda as a leavening, it'll have already given its all by the time you cook it hours later ...
text: but you'd have to add baking powder to compensate when it's time, as there might not be enough acid left for baking soda.
text: Baking powder in the batter isn't as much of a problem if it's double-acting, where it'll give some leavening when it gets wet, and again as it gets warm.
text: Of course, you don't want to add too much baking powder, as it can give a metallic taste.
text: It's also worth mentioning that it is possible to halve an egg ; in this case, if you're going to be using the other half of the mix in a day or two, it might be easier to measure by mixing all of the wet ingredients together and then use half.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/67/Joe
score: 3
sents: text: I found this site looking for the reason my premade pancake batter is turning out super flat pancakes.
text: I have found without fail that the batter we make fresh everyday makes a fluffy pancake, without fail the next morning that same batter hits the grill and looks like a crepes.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/37432/user37432
score: 2
sents: text: Don't count on the batter lasting very long.
text: Just make all the pancakes and freeze them.
text: If you refrigerate them, they'll get pretty stale, pretty quickly.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/2832/Sean Hart
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Bisquick-originated pancake and waffle batter lasts a day or two at the most, so make all the pancakes and freeze them.
Pancake batter will last for 2 days at the most. If you want to keep it for longer, then make all the pancakes and freeze them.