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Make these red velvet pancakes whenever you feel like having a special morning. A fun and simple twist on a stack of classic buttermilk pancakes.
We are all familiar with the red velvet cake. It’s the dessert you’d enjoy (or make) on very special occasions.
If you are like me and love the flavor and thought of something red velvet, make these pancakes and enjoy them whenever the cravings strike!
Why this recipe works
- Easy but impressive. Like most pancake recipes, this one is easy to make and comes out looking like a work of art!
- Perfectly fluffy. The buttermilk used in the batter provides extra height and fluffiness for the pancakes.
- A quick alternative to a red velvet cake. If you are craving a red velvet cake but don’t have the time to make it, these red velvet pancakes will be an easy alternative to it.
- Ready in 10 minutes. From prep to plate, this entire recipe comes together in no time!
What we love most about red velvet pancakes is just how easy they are to customize. Fold through some chocolate throughout or fold through some gorgeous red berries to intensity the color of them!
What are red velvet pancakes made of?
Contrary to popular belief, this recipe is very simple and uses the same sort of ingredients you’d find in pancakes, with a few special tweaks. Here is what you’ll need:
- Flour. White all-purpose flour is preferred, but you can use wholewheat if you’d like.
- Sugar. White, brown, or coconut sugar.
- Baking soda. To make the pancake batter light and fluffy.
- Buttermilk. To react with the baking soda and make thick and airy pancakes.
- Eggs. Room-temperature.
- Vanilla extract. To add depth of flavor.
- Red food coloring. To achieve the perfect red color for the pancakes.
- Salt. To balance all flavors.
- Cocoa (optional). To add cocoa flavor to the pancakes. Note that adding cocoa powder will affect their bright red color.
How to make red velvet pancakes
Besides making the actual pancake batter, there is very little effort put towards this recipe. In fact, the frying pan takes care of all the hard work! Ready to make a stack of pancakes?
Step 1- Make the pancake batter
Start by mixing the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. If you are using cocoa powder, add it too.
Make a well by pushing the dry ingredients against the sides of the bowl. Pour in the buttermilk and add the eggs. Whisk until all ingredients are fully combined, and you have achieved a thick batter.
Add the vanilla extract and red food coloring. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes.
Step 2- Cook the pancakes
Add a small amount of oil to a non-stick cooking pan and place it over medium heat. When the pan is hot, pour ¼ cup portions of pancake batter into the pan and cover it. Cook the pancakes for 2 to 3 minutes, flipping the pancakes halfway through. Repeat until all the pancake batter is used.
What does red velvet taste like?
Red velvet has a mildly acidic flavor because of the buttermilk used to make it. It is also sweet with notes of vanilla. If you add cocoa powder, red velvet will also have a chocolate flavor.
Tips to make the best recipe
- Serve with cream cheese icing. To achieve the ultimate red velvet cake flavor, serve these pancakes with a cream cheese glaze. To make a cream cheese glaze, you only need to beat the cream cheese with confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract. You can add a small amount of milk to thin out the glaze.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. Mix the pancake batter just until the dry and wet ingredients are fully incorporated. Over-mixing results in chewy and rubbery pancakes.
- Whip the egg whites separately for fluffier pancakes. If you want your pancakes to be extra fluffy, whip the egg whites separately until stiff peaks form. Add the egg yolks to the rest of the ingredients. Combine the whipped egg whites with the batter by gently folding it in.
Storage Info
To store: When the pancakes have cooled completely, put them in an airtight container or in a Ziploc bag and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze: Freeze the pancakes in an airtight container or bag. Put sheets of parchment paper in between the pancakes to prevent them from sticking to each other. Pancakes stored in the freezer last up to 3 months.
To reheat: Microwave frozen or refrigerated pancakes for 30 seconds before serving them.
More pancake recipes to try
- Keto pancakes
- Almond flour pancakes
- Coconut flour pancakes
- Oat flour pancakes
- Almond milk pancakes
- Savory pancakes
Red Velvet Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour sifted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder optional
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Make a well and add the buttermilk and eggs. Whisk until a thick batter remains. Stir through the vanilla and red food coloring.
- Let the batter sit for 10 minutes to thicken.
- Add oil to a non-stick pan and place over medium heat. Once hot, drop ¼ cup portions of the pancake batter and cover the pan. Cook pancakes for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Repeat the process until all the pancakes are cooked up.
This might be the ONLY way I can stomach (pun intended) beets! Well done.
Was wondering can I use beet powder instead of mashing the beets?
Hi there Heb! You most certainly can- Several other readers have! Just be sure to adjust the liquids 🙂
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays Party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you share next time!
-Cindy
Thank you for hosting, Cindy!
I’m Polish and beets are big in Poland. The cooked kind, not the tinned. I love it that in UK I can buy ready-cooked beets. Saves so much work and hand scrubbing!
The recipe sounds delicious and pictures look great too xx
#recipeoftheweek
Joanna- Thank you SO much for your kind words! Don’t even get me STARTED on cleaning beets- mum made me do it once and they still were gritty!
an inspired idea and i love beetroot #Recipeoftheweek
Thank you so much 🙂
We can’t buy unprocessed beetroots here unfortunately 🙁 Would vacuum-packed ones be okay?
P.S. Your cream cheese icing recipe is amaze, my lactose intolerance is crying right now.
I have a lactose free alternative if you like 🙂 The vacuum packed ones would be EVEN better! (I remember seeing them at Costa and being jealous!)
Er, yes please to lactose-free cream cheese frosting??!!
Amazed that the vacuum-packed beetroot would work so well, this is exciting news!
I only started using beetroot last year. It still shocks me sometimes how it makes everything blood red. I am a bit sensitive but that’s a totally different story… I love the idea to make red velvet pancakes with beet root instead of using artificial food coloring. I should give it a try. Until now I mainly juice them. It gives such an earthy and rich flavor to any juice. I quite enjoy that. But I see that earthy pancaces might not be a win. But I see nothing bad in using a big big batch of cream cheese frosting. YUM 🙂
You are NOT a twat! Ever. At all. No. You mentioned white and Labor Day. The old fashioned saying is: “Never wear white between Labor Day and Easter Sunday.” I live in steamy Charleston, South Carolina. We disregard the white rule. We say: “No white after the first freeze.” We had a freeze this past weekend. So no white til Easter! Street food…I’m not a big street food fan (we have some food trucks but not many street carts), but when I traveled in France, Paris had crépe carts on every corner. It was seriously like hotdog stands in New York. Everywhere you turned, there was a crépe cart. During my 2 weeks in Paris, I frequented a special crépe cart….daily….and ordered a plain crépe, slathered in Nutella, with an Orangina on the side. It was amazing. I loved watching the vendor make my crépe in front of me. It’s a small personal touch. But I loved it!
Haha thanks Mary! Oh wow. I LOVED the crepe van in Paris- I think I OD’d on the sugar and lemon ones!
Thanks to Irish friends I actually know beetroot and beets are the same. Otherwise, I would be confused. I LOVE beets!! And I would never think to have put them in pancakes. The only thing I do with beets is roast them. We don’t travel much so weird street foods aren’t something we encounter. Would you consider the hot dog truck in NYC weird or questionable? Possibly!
I will get a hot dog from those trucks next week and let you know…they do smell good though!
I love beets, they’re one of my favorite root vegetables, but my mom bought WAYYY too many last week and she is notorious for not eating 90% of what she buys. This is ok because I just do the clean up with my tornado appetite, but that also means I’ve been peeing (and…the other one I’ll spare you) red all week. I find it quite amusing. I think I am still 12.
Pass the pancakes, please.
LOL. You are 12. Inside. Maybe out.
we ate beet root every day in NZ. and uhh, we turned red, if you get my drift. Do they have burger fuel over there? if so, try the beet root burger. And then send me some pancakes.
Ohhh I don’t think we do- We have Grill’d which is pretty delicious!