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Yes, you can absolutely use pancake batter as a batter for other foods or recipes that call for a batter. Pancake batter is a versatile ingredient that can be used in many different ways beyond just making pancakes. The basic ingredients in pancake batter – flour, eggs, milk, leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda, salt, sugar, oil or butter – make it a handy batter to have on hand for frying up all kinds of foods.
Using pancake batter for other recipes can save you time and effort since you won’t have to make multiple batters from scratch. Pancake batter can easily be tweaked or modified to work well as the coating for fried chicken, fish, vegetables, and more. The proportions of flour, eggs, and liquids in pancake batter make it an ideal thick, adhering batter for frying. So don’t limit your use of pancake batter to just breakfast foods – it works great as a versatile base batter for all kinds of fried foods and batters.
Benefits of Using Pancake Batter as a Base Batter
There are several benefits to using leftover pancake batter or whip up a batch of pancake batter to use specifically as a base batter for other recipes:
- Saves prep time – Pancake batter comes together quickly and easily with just a few pantry staple ingredients. You can skip multiple steps of measuring and mixing different batters.
- Uses up extra batter – Got leftover pancake batter? Put it to use as batter for other foods instead of letting it go to waste.
- Versatile ingredient – Pancake batter works well as the coating for fried chicken, fish fillets, fritters, tempura vegetables and more thanks to its adhereing texture.
- Easy to modify – Pancake batter can be tweaked to work for sweet or savory recipes by adjusting the level of sugar or salt or adding different herbs and spices.
- Good batter consistency – The proportions of flour, liquid, eggs, and leavening in pancake batter make it an ideal thick dipping batter that adheres well to foods.
Using pancake batter is an easy shortcut that takes an already multi-purpose pantry staple to the next level. Having a batch of pancake batter prepared makes whipping up perfectly battered and fried foods simple any night of the week.
How to Modify Pancake Batter for Use as a Base Batter
While plain pancake batter works fine on its own as a coating for many fried foods, you can also modify it to better suit sweet or savory recipes. Here are some easy ways to tweak pancake batter to use it as a base batter:
For savory recipes:
– Increase salt and pepper or add freshly grated black pepper or herbs
– Add grated parmesan, shredded cheddar or other cheeses
– Mix in crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for spicy batter
– Add spices like paprika, garlic powder, onion powder or cumin
– Mix in chopped fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, thyme, rosemary
– Add hot sauce or Worcestershire sauce for flavor
For sweet recipes:
– Increase amount of sugar or use brown sugar
– Add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg or other baking spices
– Fold in chocolate chips, nuts or shredded coconut
– Mix in crushed cookies like Oreos or graham crackers
– Swirl in fruit purees like mashed banana, applesauce or pumpkin puree
– Substitute milk for flavored milk like coconut or almond milk
The basic pancake batter recipe is endlessly adaptable. Play around with the flavor additions or spices to create the perfect batter coating for any type of food you want to fry up.
Best Foods to Fry in Pancake Batter
Here are some of the best options for foods that work perfectly fried in pancake batter:
Proteins
- Chicken breasts, tenders or nuggets
- Fish fillets like cod, tilapia, haddock or sole
- Shrimp, scallops, calamari
- Pork chops
- Meatballs
Pancake batter makes an ultra crispy and flavorful coating on proteins. For chicken, most people dredge in an egg wash first before dipping into the batter to help it adhere. Batter fried proteins are delicious served on their own, in tacos or sandwiches, or with dipping sauces.
Vegetables
- Zucchini sticks
- Eggplant
- Asparagus spears
- Green beans
- Carrots
- Onion rings
- Cauliflower florets
From veggie fritters to tempura vegetables, pancake batter makes veggies irresistibly crispy and delicious. Try batter frying a variety of vegetables using thinly sliced, crinkle cut or spears.
Fruits
- Apple slices
- Bananas
- Pineapple rings
- Peach slices
Using pancake batter to fry up fruits like bananas, apples or pineapple rings makes for amazing treats. The batter gets crispy and golden brown while the fruit inside turns warm, soft and caramelized. Dust with cinnamon-sugar or dip in chocolate sauce.
Other
- Ravioli or tortellini
- Mac and cheese bites
- Mashed potato balls
- Hushpuppies
- Fritters
You can also use pancake batter to coat and fry up all kinds of other foods like bites of mac and cheese, mashed potato balls, ravioli and more. Let your imagination run wild!
Tips for Batter Frying with Pancake Batter
Here are some top tips to ensure your batter fried foods turn out perfectly crunchy using pancake batter:
- Use very hot oil between 350-375°F for frying
- Dry foods well before dipping into batter to help it adhere
- Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and lowering oil temp
- Let excess batter drip off before frying
- Fry until deeply golden brown, turning to evenly cook
- Drain fried foods on a paper towel lined plate
- Sprinkle with salt immediately after frying
Using hot enough oil and frying in small batches is key for achieving perfectly crispy batter fried foods. Letting battered items sit for a few minutes before frying also helps set the coating so it stays on better while frying up crispy.
Batter Fried Recipes to Try
Here are some delicious recipe ideas for putting pancake batter to use for batter frying all kinds of tasty foods:
Batter Fried Chicken
Buttermilk soaked chicken dredged in seasoned flour, dipped in egg wash, then pancake batter and fried yields next-level crispy fried chicken. Serve with waffles, biscuits or slaw.
Coconut Shrimp
For coconut shrimp, mix shredded coconut into the pancake batter along with spices. Dip shrimp in batter then fry until golden. Serve with pineapple salsa.
Cauliflower Bites
Tender cauliflower florets dipped in spicy cayenne pepper kicked pancake batter and fried make a great veggie snack or appetizer. Ranch dressing pairs perfectly for dipping.
Fried Ravioli
Pancake battered ravioli fries up with a crispy outer shell and melty cheese inside. Marinara sauce is the perfect pairing for dipping these cheesy bites.
Banana Fritters
Slices of banana dipped in a cinnamon sugar laced pancake batter fry into crispy, caramelized fritters. Top with ice cream for an impressive dessert.
Let your creativity run wild coming up with fun foods to try frying up in pancake batter. It opens up a whole new world of quick, easy and delicious batter fried recipes.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Batter
Have some leftover pancake batter you want to save for later use? Here are some tips on storage and reheating:
Storage:
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days
- Make sure batter is covered or sealed to prevent drying out
- Add a piece of plastic wrap directly on surface of batter to prevent skins forming
Reheating:
- Stir well before using again
- For thicker batter, add a splash of milk or water to thin out
- Microwave batter in 30 second intervals, stirring between each
- Heat batter on stove over medium heat, stirring constantly
- Add extra milk, eggs or flour if batter seems too thick
- Discard batter if it smells bad or has mold
With proper storage and reheating, you can get multiple uses out of leftover pancake batter. It saves having to whip up batter from scratch each time.
Conclusion
Pancake batter is a handy kitchen staple that can do double duty for so much more than breakfast foods. With its thick, adhering texture and ability to get perfectly crispy and golden, pancake batter excels at frying up delicious battered foods. From fried chicken to tempura veggies or fruit fritters, put that spare batch of pancake batter to creative use. With a few tweaks and modifications, pancake batter can transform into the ideal base batter for frying up sweet or savory recipes. Keeping some prepared batter in the fridge means crispy battered foods are only ever minutes away. So next time you make pancakes, cook up a double batch of batter and save half to use for easy batter frying later on.