A delicious, healthy and gluten free recipe for Red Velvet Pancakes. Made with no artificial colourings, just beetroot!
Beetroot…. it isn’t exactly the sexiest of vegetables is it. We’re probably more used to seeing it in jars, languishing at the back of the fridge so I thought it was time the poor old beetroot got a bit of a makeover. And with such an incredible vibrant colour then there’s no better time than just before Valentine’s Day!
“Why the heck are you adding beetroot to pancakes” you may be asking. Well firstly pureed beetroot makes a incredible all-natural food colouring. No artifical dyes or chemicals needed. And secondly it’s a great way to sneak some extra veg into you and your family’s diet. Beetroot is high in fibre, is a good source of iron and folic acid and is also anti-oxidant rich. Recent studies have even shown that regular consumption of beetroot can also help lower blood pressure. So this is one vegetable that we definitely should be eating more of.
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With both Valentine’s Day and Shrove Tuesday coming up this month there’s never been a better time to get creative with the kids in the kitchen. The bright vibrant colour of these pancakes are sure to spark their imagination and get them excited about cooking.
This recipe does require a little bit of prep as the fresh beets do need to be roasted and then pureed. I haven’t tried the recipe with pre-cooked beetroot, but I imagine it would work just as well. Just be sure to get the plain pre-cooked beetroot (usually in a packet) and not the pickled kind in a jar.
This recipe isn’t completely set in stone. I used gluten free flour but normal flour would work perfectly too. If you find the batter a little too thick then feel free to add another splash of milk. You could also customize it to your liking, maybe adding some raisins or chocolate chips. I made thick American style pancakes with my batter but you could also make thin crepe style ones too.
One tip I would urge you to follow is to keep the heat quite low on the pan. If the heat is too high the pancakes will burn and turn a charred black colour on the outside. They may take a little longer to cook on a low heat but the pancakes will keep that lovely vibrant red colour.
Please do let me know if you try this recipe. I’d love to hear your feedback! Enjoy!
Healthy Red Velvet Beetroot Pancakes
Prep Time: 10 mins- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4
Category: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
A delicious, healthy and gluten free recipe for Red Velvet Pancakes. Made with no artificial colourings, just beetroot!
Ingredients
- For the pancakes:
- 2 small beets
- 200g / 1.5 cups plain flour (gluten free or regular)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 2-3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250ml / 1 cup milk
- For the drizzle:
- 2 tbsp cream cheese
- 1 tbsp plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200c / 400f. Peel two small beets and chop each one into 4 or 6 pieces. Place the chopped beetroot in a baking dish, together with a couple of tablespoons of cold water. Cover the dish with a lid or foil and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until they are cooked through. Check the beetroot a couple of times, adding more water so that they don’t dry out.
- Meanwhile measure out the other ingredients. Add the flour and baking powder to a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug mix together the eggs, honey and vanilla extract.
- Once the beetroot are cooked through, transfer them to a blender. Add the milk and blitz until the beets are completely blended with the milk and you have a puree consistency. Add this puree to the egg mixture and whisk until combined.
- Finally, add this mixture to the flour and baking powder. Mix with a hand whisk until you have a classic pancake batter consistency.
- Melt some butter or oil in a frying pan over a low heat. Add some of the batter (the amount will depend on how thick or thin you want your pancakes to be) and cook for 2-3 minutes either side for thick pancakes or 1-2 minutes either side for crepes.
- To make the drizzle simply mix together the cream cheese, plain yogurt, milk and vanilla extract. You can either drizzle this on top of the pancakes or serve as a scoop on the side.
Notes
This recipe makes 12 American style pancakes.
It is important to cook the pancakes over a low heat. On a high heat the outside of the pancakes will burn and char, making them black.
I do love your recipe, my son also. I made one part without chocolate, one with vanilla and last plain.
What a super alternative pancake recipe. Must confess that I did burn the first batch as I didn’t properly heed your warning about the heat but the second batch were awesome!
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Saved this post, love to try this, it looks amazing
Thanks Emma!
I am excited to try these. I love red velvet but I don’t like the idea of using so much food coloring all at once. The only problem I have is that red velvet has cocoa powder in it, and this recipe is missing it. To me it wouldn’t be red velvet without it!
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What a unique recipe! Thanks for the idea.. always looking for healthy pancake recipes to whip up.
Hi, these look amaze! Can i double or triple the recipe to make a big batch? Do you know if i can use can beets intead? Not the pickled .
Do you know if these freeze well? Would love to make a big batch for my family and freeze some if possible 🙂
I haven’t frozen them myself so I don’t no for certain. But I don’t see why they wouldn’t freeze. Maybe wrap them individual in parchment paper and then pop into freezer bags or containers. And yes it needs to be fresh beets, no pickled.
Thank you
Can I double the recipe? Someone had mentioned that they may have used too much beet, do you know approximately how many cups or ounces we should be using for the batch you listed ?
These are so tasty! I decided to knock up a batch for my toddler while he was napping and made 3 pancakes (I intended to feed them to my son), but somehow managed to eat them all myself! I had tried making beetroot pancakes before but I wasn’t a fan even though my son ate them but these are delicious! I used one big beetroot instead of two small ones and I steamed them rather than bake them and I’m so impressed! Thanks a million x
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Hi Emma, I’m so glad you liked the recipe and thank you so much for coming back and letting me know what you thought. I’m so chuffed!
What can I say except a huge thank you! I have an incredibly fussy eater, all of two years of age, who hates all vegetables and fruits!! Practically the only things she eats without a ruckus are yogurt and cheese.
She ate five of these! Thank you again so much.
That’s amazing! So glad to hear it!!
Hi there, just made a batch of these awesome looking pancakes. BUT: My ones were not that awesome. 🙁 1. The taste was really beetrooty… maybe the beetroot I used was too big? How do I know? 2. The dought did not get air bubbles while being cooked. (Might this also happend because there was too much beetroot in it?)
Hi Maggie, I;m sorry this recipe wasn’t quite right for you. Perhaps it was too much beetroot. Next time I make them I will actually weigh and measure the beetroot which might be more helpful.
My 4 year old picky eater actually said “I can’t get enough of these!” Great recipe. Thanks!
Oh wow, now that’s a compliment! Thanks so much!!
Would maple syrup instead of honey work?
Yes it will work just fine!
This looks SO yummy! I bought some beets the other day and will definitely be using them for this recipe. Thank you and have a delicious week!
Thanks Cindy. I hope you like them!
My family loves beetroots in smoothies and salads so as soon as I saw this recipe yesterday I knew I had to try them for breakfast this morning… And Yup! It was a success, my husband and children loved them! I added some yogurt chips. Very yummy, thank you!!!
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Thanks Nohelia. So glad your family enjoyed them. There’s no way I could get my lot to eat beetroot otherwise!!
Just wondering if anyone has made these egg free and if so what did you sub them with? I would love to make these for my son to take to daycare but his centre is egg free. Thanks!!
Hi Katie, I haven’t tried this method so can’t say how it will turn out but flaxseed is supposed to be a good replacement for egg. You could also maybe try some mashed banana and applesauce. Hope that works!
These look gorgeous! #tastytuesdays
Thanks Stacey! x
What awesome pancakes, my kids would love these with their funky pink colour:-)
Thanks Camilla! x
I love beetroot in baking, chocolate and beetroot cake is awesome. Love these pancakes and will be making them. Have pinned too. Thanks for linking up to #tastytuedays x
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Ouuu yes chocolate and beetroot is amazing!
These look so amazing, I’m definitely going to give them a try! I’m in awe of your perfectly round pancakes too – mine always come out so wonky!
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I may have had some help from a mould!!
I love using beetroot and these sound delicious x #tastytuesdays
Thanks Kirsty. I’m looking forward to using beetroot more in baking!
What pretty looking pancakes, the red really works well
Thanks Alison. I definitely plan to use beetroot more in baking now!
Its crazy to think its all natural!
This look amazing! I love the colour #tastytuesdays
Thanks Megan. It really is incredible how bright the colour is considering its all natural!
I’d completely forgotten about shrove Tuesday coming up. What a fab idea for pancakes these look brilliant! xx
Thank you Amy!
I love beetroot and pancakes so I have to try this recipe! #TastyTuesdays
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Thanks Emma. Hope you enjoy them! x
They look great and they’ve kept their colour really well.
I love beetroot but I’ve never baked with it, I really should give it a go sometime. The trouble is I stress about it staining everything!
I don’t think it actually stains that bad. If you wash your hands and chopping board, utensils straight away then it washes straight out!