Ice Cube Tray Pancakes Are Here to Make Mornings Easier

While eating fresh pancakes on a weekday morning sounds dreamy, it also sounds like a lot of time, effort, and dirty dishes. Good news: We found the solution with a brilliant hack for making fresh mini pancakes in a snap, all thanks to the ice cube tray. We're talking easy prep, easy clean-up, and ready in as much time as it takes to make your morning toast.

We love finding new uses for an ice cube tray (sushi, anyone?), but this kid-friendly hack might take the top spot on our list of brilliant uses. We tried this seemingly too-good-to-be-true trick from KaleJunkie and couldn't believe how well it worked. By freezing pancake batter in an ice cube tray, you can have fresh pancakes in minutes without dirtying up a single bowl or whisk.

Sure, you can always make a large batch of pancakes ahead of time, freeze, and reheat later, but let's not pretend that thawed-out pancakes are in any way comparable to hot, fluffy, fresh-off-the-griddle mini pancakes.

To make ice cube tray pancakes, simply pour prepared pancake batter (store-bought or our favorite homemade recipe) into the sections and cover the tray before freezing. We'd highly recommend customizing your pancake tray with whatever mix-ins you (or your kids) prefer — think: mini chocolate chips, blueberries, chopped nuts, or rainbow sprinkles. Once frozen solid, you can transfer the pancake cubes to a zip-top bag for easier storage. They'll last in the freezer for up to a month.

When you're ready to eat, just place a few, still frozen, pancake cubes onto a well-greased skillet over medium heat. Cover with a lid — this is a must, as you want to trap as much heat in the pan as possible to cook the frozen batter evenly — and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side.

The frozen cubes were so thick that we initially feared the outside of the batter would melt and burn before the inside had the chance to thaw out. However, the batter cooked and fluffed up just as much as it would have if made fresh.

Square-shaped ice cube trays will work best for rounder, silver dollar-sized pancake bites, but rectangular molds work just fine as well. So, pull out that old ice cube tray and prep your pancake cubes on a Sunday night for an entire week of easy, no-brainer breakfasts.