One morning, I woke up in a “I don’t want to be the adult today” mood, so instead of making breakfast as I normally would, I decided we would have cereal for breakfast. When my daughter woke up and realized there wasn’t any breakfast prepared, she went back to sleep… When she woke up again, she was incredibly offended that I offered cereal for breakfast, so much so that she declared, “cereal isn’t breakfast.” The child in me hmphed while adult me realized I’d created a terrible habit.

No, providing homemade meals isn’t a bad thing to do, but not preparing for days when I don’t want to make homemade meals was a mistake. One thing that made our non vegan life so easy was the convivence of having “just add water” mixes readily available or popable cans of delights on stand-by. While you can find plant-based alternatives in store or online, the prices are simply unrealistic for a family of five on top of the unwanted added ingredients to store bought mixes.

So, how did I fix this problem? I started making my own dry mixes. They aren’t “just add water” mixes, but they still make a huge difference in the mornings. Most of the recipes require plant-based buttermilk, which can also be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to one week.

At this moment, there are five dry mixes I like to prep in bulk every other week or so. Over time, I know I will have more and will either update this post or create a new one to share with you all, for now, you can check out the dry mixes currently in my rotation.

Fluffy Vegan Pancakes

Pancake dry mix

• 1 cup – flour
• 1 tbs. – baking powder
• 3 tbs. – sugar
• pinch of salt

When you are ready to make your pancakes, all you have to do is mix your dry ingredients with 1 cup of plant-based vanilla buttermilk. You can make your own buttermilk by mixing 1 cup of plant-based milk (use a milk like oat or soy for more calories), 1 tbs. of apple cider vinegar, and up to 1 tbs. of vanilla. Your buttermilk can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

When I prep pancake mix, I actually double the amount, so when I make the pancakes, we have enough to last two days instead of one. See the full recipe here.

Easy Vegan Drop Biscuits

Biscuit dry mix

• 2 cups – flour
• 1 tbs. – baking powder
• 1/2 tsp – baking soda
• 3/4 tsp – salt

When you are ready to make your biscuits, all you have to do is mix your dry ingredients with 5 tbs. of cold plant-based butter and 1 cup of plant-based buttermilk. You can make your own by mixing 1 cup of plant-based milk (I use oat milk) and 1 tbs.. of apple cider vinegar. Your buttermilk can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. See the full biscuit recipe here.

This biscuit mix is the base for my blueberry and chocolate chip biscuits.

Simple Vegan Muffins

Muffin dry mix

• 2 1/3 cups – flour
• 3/4 cups – sugar
• 1 tbs. – baking powder
• Pinch of salt

When you are ready to make your muffins, all you have to do is mix your dry ingredients with 1/2 cup of oil and 1 cup of plant-based vanilla buttermilk. You can make your own by mixing 1 cup of plant-based milk (I use oat milk), 1 tbs. of apple cider vinegar, and up to 1 tbs. of vanilla. Your buttermilk can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. See the full recipe here.

This muffin mix is a great base mix that can be used to make a variety of muffins like blueberry, lemon poppy seed, cinnamon apple, and so much much. Use this mix to have fun with different flavors!

Banana Oat Bread

Banana oat bread dry mix

• 1 cup – oats
  • rolled oats provide a nutty texture, quick oats are not as noticeable
• 1 1/2 cup – flour
• 2 tbs. – baking powder
• pinch of salt

When you are ready to make your oat bread, you will need to add 2 ripe bananas, 1/2 cup of oil, 6 tbs. of nut butter, 3/4 cup of milk, 1 tbs. of vanilla, and 1/4 cup of sweetener. You can also mix in other ingredients like blueberry, nuts, or (my personal favorite) chocolate chips. See the full recipe here.

Better Than the Box Cornbread

Cornbread dry mix

• 1 cup – corn meal
• 1 1/4 cup – flour
• 1/4 cup – sugar
• 1 tbs – baking powder
• 1 tsp – salt

When you are ready to make your cornbread, you will need to add 1 1/4 cup of plant-based milk and 1/3 cup canola oil. See the full recipe here.