Healthy Red Velvet Pancakes (with Sweet Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter)

These Healthy Red Velvet Pancakes (with Sweet Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter) have no dye but use pureed beets instead. And no, you don't have to cook and peel beets (do you think I'd do that to you?!) This recipe uses CANNED BEETS so it's super quick, easy, healthy and so delicious! My kids LOVE this recipe~!

You may be thinking of ways to show your sweetheart(s) how much you love them this Valentine’s Day. Well, this heart-shaped breakfast will definitely send that message. If you make one recipe for Valentine’s Day, make it this one! Use a cute heart-shaped cookie cutter and you are sure to win them over. And although this recipe is great for Valentine's Day or special occasions, I make them all year round. 

🥘 Ingredient Notes

The use of beets in red velvet became commonplace when foods were rationed during the Second World War. Bakers used boiled beet juices to enhance the color of their cakes and beets were also found in some red velvet cake recipes, where they were used to retain moisture. But beets also add lots of nutrients to a dish; they are an especially good source of folate and vitamin B. 

Healthy red velvet pancakes from scratch are made with low-fat milk and vinegar instead of buttermilk. This, along with baking powder, makes the pancakes both light and fluffy. These pancakes are quick and easy to make, with wholesome ingredients!

You won't miss the extra fat or red food coloring!

For this recipe, you'll need:

• Whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. I use a combination because using only whole wheat flour creates a denser pancake.
• Pureed beets. I use canned beets for convenience. You can use whole or sliced canned beets. It doesn't matter because you are pureeing them anyway. I also use canned beets in my Healthy Red Velvet Cookies.
• Low-fat milk (1%) and a little vinegar. This combination is an excellent low-fat buttermilk replacement.
• Cream cheese. I use light or fat-free to keep it lower fat.
• Powdered sugar. Powdered sugar is also known as Icing Sugar or Confectioners Sugar.
• Unsalted butter. I use unsalted butter because I like to control the salt in my recipes.

*Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.

📖 Variations & Substitutions

• Canned Beets: If canned beets aren't available, you can use pre-cooked vacuum-packed beets or roast and puree fresh beets in advance. Be sure to cool the beets before pureeing to avoid affecting the pancake batter's consistency.
• Milk: You can use skim milk instead of 1% milk or whole or 2% milk.

🔪How to Make Healthy Red Velvet Pancakes

PREP: Preheat the griddle/frying pan (preferably non-stick ) to medium and spray with non-stick cooking spray. * Do not cook these too high heat or they will burn. You have to watch them closely.

Step 1: Stir vinegar into milk and set aside.

Step 2: Puree beets in food processor and set aside.

Step 3: Sift all dry ingredients together,  except granulated sugar.  

Step 4: In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk mixed with vinegar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and pureed beets.

Step 5: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in thirds, just until it is combined (will still be a little lumpy). Do not over-mix.

Step 6: When the frying pan is hot, add pancake mix to a nonstick pan or electric griddle– add about ⅓ cup of batter for each pancake. * I use an 8-inch frying pan

Step 7: Cook over medium heat, flipping when bubbles start to break on the surface of the pancake and the edges start to brown

Step 8: When the other side is soft and pillowy to the touch, it’s done. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Step 9: Cut into heart shapes with a large heart-shaped cookie cutter, if desired. *If you cut them into shapes, you can keep the leftover pancake to eat (it still tastes great! )

Step 10: Make Sweet Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter: With an electric mixer, whip butter and cream cheese together for 3-5 minutes until smooth, scraping sides to ensure proper blending.

Step 11: Add vanilla extract and the powdered sugar and cocoa a little at a time until blended. *If you try to add it all at once it will end up all over your kitchen counter.

Step 12: Stack one pancake on a plate and spread on a layer of Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter spread. Repeat with remaining pancakes, dividing cream cheese butter evenly between pancakes.

Garnish: Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar or powdered sugar mixed with cocoa and red sparkling sugar.

Alternatively, you can make the pancakes smaller and cook more at once if you know you want to cut them into heart shapes.

🥗 What to eat with Red Velvet Pancakes

You can eat these fluffy pancakes without the sweet chocolate cream cheese butter, but trust me, you don't want to! The sweet chocolate cream cheese butter is the crowning glory. It's similar in taste to cream cheese frosting.

But you can reduce the calories and ww points by using Chocolate Cream Cheese Spread instead. These pancakes are also delicious topped with fresh strawberries, whipped cream and maple syrup!

I serve turkey bacon, air fryer turkey sausage, or Old Fashioned Fruit Salad (shown) with these Red Velvet Pancakes!

👪 Serving Size

This Healthy Red Velvet Pancake recipe makes 10 pancakes. However, it can be halved, doubled or tripled. * ALL MY RECIPES HAVE ADJUSTABLE SERVINGS- just click on the servings amount and select the number of servings you'd like, and the ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly.

🔢WW Points

This recipe is 8 WW points (without the chocolate cream cheese butter) so they are clearly an indulgence. But they are a lot healthier than the original!

You can use light butter and fat-free cream cheese to lighten up the Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter. You could also reduce the ww points by using Chocolate Cream Cheese Spread instead.

🌡️Storing

REFRIGERATOR: Store these fluffy red velvet pancakes and sweet cream cheese butter in separate sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

FREEZING: Both the red velvet pancakes and chocolate sweet cream cheese butter will freeze well for up to 3 months. Cool pancakes, then stack and freeze in a zip lock freezer bag. Chocolate cream cheese butter can be frozen in a freezer-friendly plastic container.

REHEATING: Reheat pancakes in the microwave for 20–30 seconds or in a toaster oven at 350°F (175°C) for 3–5 minutes. For larger batches, you can reheat them in the oven, covered with foil, at 300°F (150°C) for about 10 minutes.

❔Recipe FAQ's