7 Clever Ways To Use Bisquick Mix Beyond Biscuits And Pancakes

Pancake mix is the perfect salve for when you need to whip up breakfast in a hurry. All you need to do is grab the Bisquick from the kitchen pantry, add some eggs and milk, and whisk away to create the perfect pancake batter (just be careful not to rest it for too long). If you've got time to fry up some sausage links and sunny-side-up eggs, even better. 

Cooking on the fly is the name of the game in our modern world, and Bisquick reduces the time spent measuring out dry ingredients like flour and baking soda. But it's useful for far more than fast, fluffy pancakes or muffins — in fact, Bisquick can help produce tasty results after breakfast time in both sweet and savory dishes. The pre-made baking mix contains enriched bleached flour, corn starch, vegetable oil, leavening, dextrose, sugar, salt, and monoglycerides, as well as properties that come in handy in a variety of cooking applications. On top of that, it's readily available and has a long shelf life, which means it's an ideal pantry staple for quick cooking or baking.

Not convinced yet? Look, we understand — how exactly can pancake mix translate into, say, brown gravy or tempura vegetables? Well, we're here to tell you. Grab your box of Bisquick and get ready to use it in these clever ways.

Achieving the right consistency on your chicken pot pie crust without it cracking or turning out too flat can be a real challenge. Fortunately, there's a hack — after chopping your vegetables and shredding your chicken, forget the rolling pin and turn to Bisquick to simplify the process.

After mixing Bisquick with milk, oil and, an egg to form a pourable batter, spread the mixture over the chicken, creamy broth, and vegetables. As it bakes in the oven, the batter forms a golden crust on both the top and bottom that is light, fluffy, and evenly cooked. The shortening already included in Bisquick helps create a delicate texture while enhancing flavor, eliminating the need for additional fat.

Beyond savory pies, Bisquick also works well as a crust base for sweet desserts such as peach cobbler or apple pie. However, due to its biscuit-like texture, it is particularly well-suited for savory dishes like quiches and "impossible pies," including cheeseburger pies and coconut custard pies, where the crust layers naturally form during baking without the effort of a traditional pastry crust.

Pastry items including muffins, cornbread, and banana bread are typically referred to as quick breads because they are made without yeast. In the same way these breads rely on baking soda or powder, flour can be swapped with Bisquick to make a flavorful loaf of banana bread. Grab those brown bananas that have been sitting on the counter and a box of the pancake mix to whip up an easy loaf — not unlike you'd use cake mix to make banana bread.

Using Bisquick in breads, especially banana bread, helps add moisture and enhances flavors while serving as an easy alternative to flour. There is no need to mix separate dry ingredients, saving both time and effort. The shortening already mixed thoroughly into the Bisquick helps bring out rich flavors and contributes to a soft crumb. Not only will the banana flavor come through, but your optional and personal mix-ins of chocolate chips and walnuts will also shine. The same benefits apply when using Bisquick in pumpkin or zucchini bread, making it a reliable shortcut for home bakers.

Think chocolate chip cookies can't get any easier? Replace the dry ingredients including the flour, baking soda, and baking powder, with a few cups of Bisquick mix for a simple time saver. Mix all of the wet ingredients together first, and before adding the chocolate chips, stir in the Bisquick mix to form the dough. Using Bisquick in chocolate chip cookies creates a fluffy yet thick texture similar to Bisquick biscuits. 

Bisquick has a high water absorption rate, which helps the cookie stay intact rather than spreading flat onto the baking sheet. In addition to its water absorption rate, the pre-incorporated fats and leavening agents help the cookies rise, forming a perfectly puffy cookie. However, due to the leavening agents, the taste can come across as tangy, which might deter some, but it does not overpower the classic chocolate chip cookie flavor. 

Similar to a quick and easy Bisquick biscuit, making simple dumplings with merely Bisquick, milk, and the optional fresh herbs is the ultimate combination of ease and comfort food for a hearty dinner on a cold winter night. After a quick spoon mix of the ingredients, dropping a spoonful of the dumplings into the pot of beef or chicken broth (preferably homemade, but we don't judge) simmering on the stove allows them to cook without being baked. This hack saves plenty of time from rolling out the dumplings — just add the mixture to a spoon and drop it in!

Pro tip: Be sure not to over-mix as the dumplings will become more dense instead of light and airy. Herbs like parsley and chives, as well as other savory ingredients like cheese, help enhance the flavors of the Bisquick dumplings and the soup in turn, creating an even tastier and more layered final result.

We all run out of breadcrumbs from time to time, and rarely do we notice before we actually need them to coat some delicious, crispy fried chicken. But if you've got a box of Bisquick at the back of your cupboard, you can skip the trip to the store. Simply mix the Bisquick with your favorite seasonings like paprika, pepper and garlic powder to create a savory breading. From there, dip the Bisquick-coated chicken into some egg wash before frying.

If you want to skip the mess that comes with frying, secretly-baked Bisquick fried chicken is the way to go. Here, the mix (along with seasonings) is applied after marinating chicken in buttermilk, ensuring both a a crunchy coating and tender chicken waiting within. Bisquick's fats and leavening agents — which aren't in regular old flour — add flavor to the coating, but also manage to keep it light. Between that and making post-dinner cleanup a breeze, what more can you ask for?

Perfecting gravy is always a battle in the kitchen, especially during overly-busy cooking holidays like Thanksgiving. Due to one gravy mistake or another, it feels like it's never quite thick enough or comes out clumpy. Cooking a proper roux – equal parts of flour and fat that thickens your gravy — is one of the problems people most often encounter. Next time the holidays roll around, instead of adding flour to the roux, Bisquick can make things a little easier.

After removing the turkey (or chicken) from its pan, add the drippings to a pot on the stove top and add Bisquick. Because it's already got a bit of fat incorporated, the Bisquick is less likely to clump than regular flour, helping to keep things smooth while thickening the gravy along the way. The result is a balanced gravy without the added worry of unwanted clumping, burned butter, or other roux-related issues. 

Tempura vegetables are always a welcome sight, whether on their own as an appetizer, added as a side to mains, or even serving as a garnish. Almost any vegetable works with tempura, though naturally some are better than others. In an interview with Chowhound, Sadaku Udon's Billy Wang mentioned mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins due to their moderate moisture content. And while the batter is easy enough make, Bisquick offers an easy alternative if you've got some extra lying around.

Once again the Bisquick takes on the role of the flour, plussed up by its already-incorporated ingredients, including fats. While it likely won't be the purest tempura you've had, you'll still achieve an airy texture similar to that of a proper tempura fry. And as you might imaginable, Bisquick tempura batter would also work wonders on other fried favorites like shrimp or crab tempura.

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