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stack of heart-shaped red velvet pancakes on a black plate with a heart cookie cutter in the background
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5 from 5 votes

📋 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)!
Course Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine American, southern
Keyword beets, healthy, pancakes, red velvet
Special Diet Vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 10 people
Calories 387kcal
Author Terri Gilson

Equipment

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 large 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.
  • Sift all dry ingredients together,  except granulated sugar.  
  • In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk mixed with vinegar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and pureed beets.
  • 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 nonstick pan or electric griddle– add about ¼ cup of batter for each pancake.
  • Cook over medium heat, flipping when the first few bubbles start to break on the surface of the pancake. Repeat with remaining batter.
  • 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. *If you try to add it all at once it will end up all over your kitchen counter.

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 maple syrup, if desired.

Notes

Recipe Tips:
    • Perfect Pancake Texture. When mixing the batter, don’t overmix! Overmixing activates the gluten in the flour, making your pancakes tough instead of light and fluffy. A few lumps in the batter are perfectly fine.
    • Let the Batter Rest: Allow the batter to sit for 5-10 minutes before cooking. This gives the baking powder and vinegar time to react, creating air bubbles that make the pancakes fluffier. But don't let it sit any longer or they won't cook up as fluffy due to the baking powder losing its potency.
    • Extra Fluffy Pancakes. Add an extra egg for fluffier pancakes!
    • Keep Pancakes Warm. Place cooked pancakes on a baking sheet in a 200°F (93°C) oven while you cook the remaining batch. This ensures all pancakes stay warm and ready to serve together.
    • Clean Cuts: For neat heart shapes, press the cookie cutter straight down through the pancake without twisting. Clean the cutter between each use for sharper edges
    • Don't Skimp on Whipping Time. Whip the butter and cream cheese for the time recommended - it's what creates the luscious texture of the chocolate cream cheese.
    • Make It Ahead. You can prepare the Sweet Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter up to three days in advance and store it in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before spreading, for easy application. You can also make the pancakes 3 days in advance.
 
🌡️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

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 430IU | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 2.4mg
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