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Home » Recipes » Courses » Breakfast and Brunch Recipes » Pancakes, Waffles & French Toast

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

Published: Feb 1, 2021 by Terri Gilson · Modified: Jan 14, 2022 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

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Pinterest pin with white text on red background in the middle and 2 photos of healthy red velvet pancakes on top and bottom

These Healthy Red Velvet Pancake recipe 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~!

stack of 6 healthy red velvet pancakes on a black plate with a fork on the side, heart-shaped dish with chocolate cream cheese butter and white syrup container with heart shaped cookie cutter leaning against it, in the background

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, I make them all year 'round. 

Jump to:
  • 💭Beets in Red Velvet Pancakes
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 📖 Variations
  • 🍽 Equipment
  • 🌡️Storing
  • ⭐ REVIEWS
  • 📋 Healthy Red Velvet Pancakes Recipe (with Sweet Cream Cheese Butter)
  • 🍳More Healthy Breakfast Recipes!

I LOVE the Loveless Cafe's Red Velvet Pancake Recipe so much so that they inspired me to create this recipe and make healthier red velvet pancakes! They are 8 WW points on the blue plan (without the chocolate cream cheese butter) so they are clearly an indulgence. But they are a lot healthier than the original! And I'm not a big fan of dye in my food, so I replaced it with beets. And that is also the reason they are not red.

💭Beets in Red Velvet Pancakes

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.  You can read more about the nutritional value of beets HERE.

2 heart shaped red velvet pancakes on a black plate, one with chocolate cream cheese butter and the other with red sparkling sugar and powdered sugar

🥘 Ingredients

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!

For this recipe, you'll need:

  • whole wheat flour
  • all-purpose flour
  • cocoa
  • eggs
  • pureed beets (canned, for convenience),
  • powdered sugar/icing sugar
  • baking powder
  • salt
  • low-fat milk
  • vinegar
  • white granulated sugar
  • vanilla
  • cream cheese (I use light or fat-free
  • unsalted butter
  • red sparkling sugar (optional)

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

stack of 6 healthy red velvet pancakes on a black plate with a fork on the side, heart-shaped dish with chocolate cream cheese butter, in the background

📖 Variations

Heart Shaped Pancakes

Sometimes breakfast is all you have with loves ones on Valentine's Day. And heart shaped pancakes are a great way to to share a special breakfast or brunch with your loved ones. If you're really lucky, it falls on a weekend or a day off and you get brunch! But whether you save your celebration for the weekend or celebrate on the actual Valentine's Day, these red velvet pancakes are ideal because they are quick OR you can make them ahead and freeze.

Sweet Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter

You can eat these red velvet 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.

WW friendly: You can use light/low-fat cream cheese or fat free cream cheese to lighten them up. 

🍽 Equipment

All you need is a non-stick frying pan and a heart shaped cookie cutter (affiliate link).! 

2 heart shaped red velvet pancakes on a black plate, one with chocolate cream cheese butter being cut into and the other with red sparkling sugar and powdered sugar

🌡️Storing

REFRIGERATOR: Store these 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.

So, if you are searching for red velvet pancake recipes, breakfast ideas for Valentine's Day, Valentine's brunch ideas or special breakfast that will make your love one(s) swoon, look no further than these Healthy Red Velvet pancakes!

And if you like healthy Red Velvet Recipes, check out my Healthy & Natural Red Velvet Cookies !

Healthy Red Velvet Cookies | no red dye

⭐ REVIEWS

Did you make this recipe? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

Please SUBSCRIBE  (get my FREE E-cookbook) and be sure to FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST!

stack of heart-shaped red velvet pancakes on a black plate with a heart cookie cutter in the background
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📋 Healthy Red Velvet Pancakes Recipe (with Sweet Cream Cheese Butter)

These Natural and Healthy Red Velvet Pancakes with Sweet Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter have no dye/no food coloring, but pureed CANNED beets instead. They are quick, easy and healthy. And although they are perfect any time of the year, if you use a heart shaped cookie cutter, they make the perfect Valentine's Day Breakfast or brunch (and can be made ahead and frozen)!
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine: American, southern
Keyword: beets, healthy, pancakes, red velvet
Servings: 10 people
Calories: 387kcal
Author: Terri Gilson
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
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Ingredients

Pancakes:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ cups low-fat milk
  • 2 teaspoon vinegar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 -398 ml/140z can sliced beets, drained and pureed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Sweet Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 4 oz light cream cheese (½ 8 oz package) softened * or use fat-free cream cheese to further reduce fat and calories
  • 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup cocoa

Garnish:

  • cocoa
  • powdered sugar
  • red sparkling sugar
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pancakes

  • Preheat griddle/frying pan (preferrably non-stick teflon) 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.
  • Stir vinegar into milk and set aside.
  • Puree beets in food processor and set aside.
    Healthy Red Velvet Pancakes| Puree beets in food processor
  • Sift all dry ingredients together,  except granulated sugar.  
  • Mix eggs, milk mixed with vinegar, granulated sugar, vanilla and pureed beets in a separate bowl.
  • Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in thirds, just until it is combined (will still be a little lumpy). Do not over-mix.
  • When frying pan is hot, add pancake mix to pan – add about ¼ cup mix for each pancake.
    Red Velvet pancakes with beets - pour ¼ cup
  • Flip when the first few bubbles start to break on the surface of the pancake.
  • When the other side is soft and pillowy to the touch, it’s done. Cut into heart shapes, if desired.

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.
  • Add vanilla extract and the powdered sugar and cocoa a little at a time until blended.

Assemble

  • 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 (as in photo). Serve with syrup, if desired.

Notes

🌡️STORING
REFRIGERATOR: Store 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.
My Amazon Recommendations (affiliate links)

Nutrition Facts
📋 Healthy Red Velvet Pancakes Recipe (with Sweet Cream Cheese Butter)
Amount Per Serving (1 pancake)
Calories 387 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 66mg22%
Sodium 346mg15%
Potassium 302mg9%
Carbohydrates 63g21%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 39g43%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 430IU9%
Calcium 95mg10%
Iron 2.4mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 387kcal (19%) | Carbohydrates: 63g (21%) | Protein: 7g (14%) | Fat: 14g (22%) | Saturated Fat: 8g (50%) | Cholesterol: 66mg (22%) | Sodium: 346mg (15%) | Potassium: 302mg (9%) | Fiber: 4g (17%) | Sugar: 39g (43%) | Vitamin A: 430IU (9%) | Calcium: 95mg (10%) | Iron: 2.4mg (13%)
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!
Rate this Recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sue

    December 28, 2018 at 9:36 am

    These look delicious and interesting reading about the history of the use of beets. I can see it would be a great Valentine treat or anytime for that matter.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 29, 2018 at 6:08 am

      Thanks, Sue! My kids love these pancakes so the heart-shaped cookie cutter comes out a lot! )

      Reply
  2. Dawn

    January 07, 2019 at 10:16 am

    How fun are these for Valentine's Day? Plus, they sound delicious! A big stack of these and plenty of coffee and I'm set 🙂

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      January 11, 2019 at 8:26 am

      That's how I eat them too, Dawn :)!

      Reply
  3. Jo Vanderwolf

    January 07, 2019 at 2:06 pm

    Definitely pinning these to try for Valentine's! Love the use of beets for coloring.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      January 11, 2019 at 8:24 am

      Thanks, Jo! Hope you enjoy 🙂

      Reply
  4. Leanne | Crumb Top Baking

    January 08, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    I love that you added a whole can of beets to these pancakes! Gorgeous colour. These would absolutely be perfect for a Valentine's Day breakfast!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      January 11, 2019 at 8:24 am

      Thanks, Leanne 🙂 Yes, we always eat them on Valentine's Day and my son's birthday (he requests them)!

      Reply
  5. Fouzia Husainy

    January 08, 2019 at 10:18 pm

    I am sure my grand kids would love these beautiful red velvet pancake hearts. Using beet juice is such a healthy choice which makes them visually appealing as well. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      January 11, 2019 at 8:22 am

      Yes, it's my kids' fave, Fouzia! I hope your kids enjoy it too 🙂

      Reply
  6. Denise feom Urbnspice

    January 09, 2019 at 9:56 am

    What fun! I love your recipe idea for Valentines Day, Terri, and it is so appealing to have “chocolate anything” for breakfast, isn’t it? Thanks so much for sharing your Red Velvet Pancakes with that dreamy creamy chocolate cream cheese filling. ?

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      January 11, 2019 at 8:22 am

      Thank you, Denise! Yes, and I agree - love being able to justify eating chocolate for breakfast!

      Reply

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I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer and a busy working mom that is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

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