The Viral McDonald's Hotcakes Copycat That Features A Popular Soda
McDonald's hotcakes have been a beloved breakfast item on the chain's menu since 1977. Though they're not cooked fresh to order, their golden brown color and fluffy, spongy texture have made them an iconic breakfast classic nonetheless. Like most McDonald's menu items, the real recipe isn't exactly public, but the ingredients list is — and it's a doozy. Most people don't exactly have monocalcium phosphate or soy lecithin on hand, so copycat recipes have generally stayed close to traditional pancake formulas. However, a recent viral TikTok video mixes things up by adding a popular soda into its recreation of the hotcakes.
The video claims you only need "2 ingredients" for the copycat hotcakes. The TikToker begins with 1 ⅓ cup of Bisquick pancake mix, which is straightforward enough. Then comes the surprise ingredient: Sprite. He adds a ½ cup of the soda and finishes off the mix with ½ cup of water, whisking it all together. Next, he greases a heated griddle with a bit of vegetable shortening and ladles out the batter in five-inch disks. The cooking time is very short — just one minute on the first side and 40-50 seconds on the second side. When they're done they will be cooked through and fluffy to the touch. Any toughness or dryness means the pancakes are likely overdone.
It might not be for everyone
After flipping one of the hotcakes, the TikToker proclaims it looks "exactly like a McDonald's pancake," though the copycat version does look substantially lighter in color than the real deal. He concludes that the cakes are "fluffy but doughy" and very close to the original in texture and flavor. Topped with sugary syrup and real butter, they do look pretty tempting.
Still, many commenters were doubtful of the copycat recipe. "Yoooo! Sprite in pancakes?!" one user wrote. Others knocked the use of Bisquick and another commenter claiming to be a former McDonald's employee said that the franchise doesn't actually make their hotcakes like this, which isn't exactly a surprise.
@raphaelgomesx so easy you can download it to your brain instead of your camera roll 😉
Other viewers were more supportive, offering up their own positive experiences with citrusy, fizzy pancake hacks. Someone wrote of their own citrus-forward twist: "Yeah, I've always used lemonade instead of water." Others had theories on the science behind using soda in a pancake recipe. "Normally you put fizzy water in pancakes to get them more fluffy so the sprite does the same effect," one viewer wrote. This is said to work by increasing the production of bubbles in the mixture, which aerate the batter as the pancake cooks (via Delish). The citric acid in Sprite may also react with the ingredients in Bisquick to increase fluffiness-producing chemical reactions. Those turned off by the sugary soda's inclusion can always go the more traditional route and add water, buttermilk, or milk and lemon juice.