Vegan Red Velvet Pancakes
This recipe for how to make red velvet pancakes is a perfect breakfast for Valentine’s Day, or any day!
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Red velvet is a classic cake flavor that’s become incredibly popular. So popular in fact, that the original red velvet cake flavor has expanded beyond just cakes. Nowadays, you can find red velvet pancakes, red velvet ice cream, red velvet cookies, red velvet cupcakes, you name it! Vegan red velvet pancakes are a perfect breakfast to make for Valentine’s Day, or any day of the year!
If this is your first time trying out a red velvet dessert, pancakes or otherwise, read on to learn more about what red velvet flavoring really is and what it tastes like!
What does red velvet taste like?
This probably isn’t a surprise to the well-seasoned red velvet lovers out there, but despite being red, red velvet is actually flavored using cocoa powder! The color of the cake may throw you off, but yup, red velvet is essentially just chocolate. When you taste a red velvet cake, this may not be obvious since the chocolate flavor isn’t obvious (and the cake is red).
That being said, I personally think red velvet deserves a special category of its own since it’s a special kind of flavor all on its own!
How do these red velvet pancakes get their color?
Traditional red velvet cake got its red coloring from the natural reaction between vinegar and non-processed cocoa powder. That chemical reaction would cause the cake to turn red, and it also provided a delicate taste and fluffy texture to the cake.
However, the majority of commercially-sold cocoa powder these days is processed, thus that natural reaction between the vinegar and cocoa powder is not possible. Because of this, red velvet cake is now usually colored with red food dye. Here is a link to the gel dye that I use - it is richly pigmented and a little goes a long way!
Tip: gel food dye is also wonderful for making macarons, since a water-based dye may interfere with the quality of the macaron.
Other options for red coloring include beetroot extract, which I have not experimented with before. If you give it a try, let me know how it works out!
How do you make red velvet pancakes?
Making red velvet pancakes at home is SO. EASY. It couldn’t be any easier than this.
All you have to do is mix together some flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
Next, add in some non-dairy milk that’s mixed with apple cider vinegar and vanilla. Add one drop of red gel food coloring. Mix this all together until smooth, then scoop the batter into a buttered non-stick pan. Allow each pancake to cook 2-3 minutes before flipping. You’ll know it’s time to flip once the surface starts to bubble.
Once flipped, cook the pancakes for one minute more before transferring to a plate. Repeat until all batter is used.
What are your tips for perfect pancakes?
Pancakes were one of the very first recipes I dedicated time to perfecting back when I started my cooking journey, so you may be able to say I’ve been making pancakes for a long time! In fact, the very first recipe I ever published on salt n sprinkles was for buttermilk pancakes!
Here are my top tips for pancakes that come out perfect every single time:
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in your non-stick pan. Once it’s melted, the pan is hot enough. Turn down the heat to medium-low. You don’t want the pan to get so hot that it burns the pancake.
Scoop the batter using a 1/4c measuring cup. Pour the batter directly in the center of the pan, and continue pouring in the center of the pancake. You want the batter to spread out evenly from the center - this give you a nicely round shape.
You’ll know it’s time to flip the pancake once small bubbles form across the surface. Don’t flip until you see a bubble or two form in the center pancake. This is your signal that’s cooked through, and time to flip.
Once flipped, the pancake will cook much quicker on this second side. Just cook it for about one minute more.
Melt more butter in the pan each time before adding your batter. You want each pancake to cook in some buttery goodness!
Keep a close eye on the temperature as you’re cooking the pancakes. You may need to lower or raise the temperature each time.
And my most important tip… sacrifice the first pancake. This first one will really be your temperature check so you’ll know how long to cook each pancake for. It also will let you know if your heat is too low, or too hot. This is your test pancake so don’t get too attached to it - but do be sure to eat it after!
Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 10 minutes / Yield: 6 pancakes
INGREDIENTS
Pancakes
1 c flour
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 c non-dairy milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Vegan butter, for cooking
Icing
1 c powdered sugar
2 tbsp non-dairy milk
DIRECTIONS
Pancakes
Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Add the liquid ingredients and stir until just combined. I added just one drop of gel food coloring during this step, but you can use as much food coloring as you need to get the color you desire. It’s ok if there are a few lumps in the batter - just don’t overmix.
Melt 1 tbsp vegan butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Pour 1/4 c of batter into the center of the skillet and heat until the surface is covered with bubbles, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook for about one minute more. Repeat until all batter is used.
Icing
To serve, mix the icing ingredients together in a small bowl and drizzle over the pancakes.