Red Velvet Pancakes Recipe

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Red Velvet Pancakes can be a romantic breakfast or an all around delicious pancake for your family. Drizzle some cream cheese glaze on top and add a few berries, and you have a beautiful romantic treat. Red velvet pancakes are buttermilk pancakes with cocoa powder, a little vinegar and red food coloring in the batter, finished with a cream cheese glaze instead of syrup.

A tall stack of red velvet pancakes with cream cheese glaze drizzled down the sides.

If you’re a fan of the red velvet cupcake, then you need this pancake in your life. If you enjoy the sweeter side of breakfast, you will love these.

These pancakes are a show stopper, but still easy to make and have a slight cocoa taste. The cream cheese drizzle adds a little something to the pancakes, and this way, you really don’t need any syrup. You can even make the pancakes into hearts, which is always fun.

Quick Look

🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
⏳ Total Time: 25 minutes
🍽️ Serving: 3 servings
⚡ Calories: 865kcal per serving, glaze included
🌶️ Flavor Profile: Light cocoa and buttermilk tang under a sweet cream cheese glaze
✋ Difficulty: Easy, one bowl of batter and one bowl of glaze

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Quick Answer

How do you make red velvet pancakes?

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl: cocoa powder, baking powder, both sugars, flour and salt. Add the wet ingredients, the vinegar, vanilla, milk, buttermilk and eggs, and stir until the clumps disappear. Add the red food coloring. Heat a griddle over medium high heat with a little butter, ladle on the batter and flip when the edges start to lift away from the pan. Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk into a glaze, drizzle it over the pancakes and add berries if you like.

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Quick Look
Quick Answer
Why This Recipe Works
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Key Ingredients
Variations & Substitutions
How to Make Red Velvet Pancakes
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Red Velvet Pancake FAQs
Bake and Share More Valentine Treats
Other Recommended Breakfast Recipes
Red Velvet Pancakes

Why This Recipe Works

Click to see the technique science

Vinegar and buttermilk are what make it red velvet. The acid reacts with the baking powder for lift and keeps the crumb tender, and it is the traditional pairing behind every red velvet recipe.
Only a tablespoon of cocoa. Red velvet is not chocolate. One tablespoon gives the slight cocoa taste without turning the batter brown and fighting the color.
Two sugars, on purpose. Granulated sugar sweetens the batter, and the sifted confectioners sugar softens the crumb the way it does in a cake.
Room temperature eggs blend in evenly. Cold eggs seize the batter and leave you overmixing to smooth it out.
Stop mixing when the clumps disappear. Every extra stir develops gluten, and gluten is what makes a pancake chewy instead of fluffy.
Flip on the edges, not the clock. When the edges set and start lifting away from the pan and the bubbles on top begin to burst, the underside is done.
The glaze replaces syrup. Cream cheese thinned with milk carries the tang of the batter through to the plate, where maple syrup would bury it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

They are a show stopper. A red stack with white glaze running down it does not need any help on the plate.
Still easy to make. Two bowls and a griddle, and it is on the table in 25 minutes.
No syrup needed. The cream cheese drizzle is so delicious that you will not reach for it.
You can make them into hearts, which is always fun, and makes them a Valentine’s breakfast without any extra work.
It is the cupcake, at breakfast. If you love red velvet, this belongs next to my red velvet cinnamon rolls and red velvet cheesecake brownies.
The batter can be made the night before, which makes a slow weekend morning a lot slower.

Key Ingredients

Labeled red velvet pancake ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, sugars, eggs, milk, buttermilk, vanilla, vinegar, red food coloring, cream cheese and melted butter.

Pantry ingredients with three that carry the whole recipe: buttermilk, vinegar and the coloring. Quantities are in the recipe card below.

Cream Cheese. I prefer Philadelphia full fat cream cheese for the best taste and fewer lumps.
Powdered Sugar. Sift it first for a smoother glaze.
Butter. For the skillet, to cook the pancakes.
Buttermilk. I prefer buttermilk. If you need to substitute, use whole milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Real Vanilla Extract. Making your own is so delicious.
Red Food Coloring. Use sparingly, one teaspoon at a time, until you get the color you prefer.
Eggs. Large and at room temperature.
White Vinegar. A common ingredient among red velvet recipes, and it is doing real work here.

See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.

Variations & Substitutions

Everything here is a swap I have actually made.

Skip the food coloring. You can skip it if you aren’t a fan of using it, they just won’t be the classic color.
Use beet juice instead. You can substitute a little beet juice for red food coloring.
No buttermilk? Substitute milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice and let it sit five minutes until it thickens.
Berries on top. Mixed berries cut the sweetness of the glaze and look beautiful against the red.
Make them hearts. Pour the batter into a heart shaped ring on the griddle, or free hand it with a squeeze bottle.
Want a different pancake? My lemon ricotta pancakes, pumpkin oatmeal pancakes and gluten free pumpkin pancakes use the same method with a different flavor.

How to Make Red Velvet Pancakes

Cocoa powder, baking powder, sugars, flour and salt in a glass mixing bowl.

Place the first six dry ingredients into the bowl: the cocoa powder, baking powder, both sugars, flour and salt.

The dry ingredients whisked together until evenly combined.

Whisk them all together.

Eggs, milk, buttermilk, vinegar and vanilla added to the dry ingredients.

Add the eggs, milk, buttermilk, vinegar and vanilla and stir until the clumps disappear.

The pancake batter whisked smooth and turned red with food coloring.

Add the red food coloring, a teaspoon at a time, until you get the color you prefer.

Red velvet pancake batter bubbling in a buttered skillet.

Heat the skillet to medium high and add butter to the pan. Using a ladle, add the pancake batter.

The pancake flipped, showing its cooked red surface.

Flip when you see the edges start to lift away from the pan.

Cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl for the glaze.

Mix the cream cheese with the powdered sugar, the vanilla and a small amount of milk.

The cream cheese glaze beaten smooth with a hand mixer.

Beat until you get the consistency you like, adding more milk or powdered sugar if needed. Drizzle the glaze on top of the pancakes and add mixed berries if you prefer.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

Keep your pancakes fluffy by not overmixing the batter. You want to incorporate all the dry ingredients just until smooth.
Use the freshest baking powder. This will keep the pancakes light and airy.
If you don’t have buttermilk, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to your whole milk and let it set for about 5 minutes until it thickens like buttermilk.
You will not need to add syrup to these pancakes. The cream cheese drizzle is so delicious.
Wipe the griddle between batches. Browned butter left in the pan will speckle the next pancake and dull the red.
Keep them warm in a 200 degree oven on a rack while you finish the batch, so everyone eats at the same time.

Serving Ideas & Suggestions

Serve them hot off the griddle with the glaze still running, berries on top, and coffee. For a full breakfast spread, add my crustless spinach and feta quiche for something savory, my french toast recipes for a crowd, or my breakfast scones.

For Valentine’s Day they start a day that can finish with my red velvet Oreo poke cake, Valentine cake cookies, Valentine’s Day sugar cookies, mini brownie bites or strawberry cheesecake brownies. There are more ideas in my red velvet desserts collection and my 25 gourmet cupcake recipes.

A stack of red velvet pancakes with a bite on a fork and a glass of milk behind.

Red Velvet Pancake FAQs

Can I substitute regular milk for buttermilk?

You can substitute buttermilk with regular milk by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice for every cup of milk, and let it sit for 5 minutes before using it in the recipe.

How do I know when the pancakes are done?

When the edges are set and the top is bubbly and the bubbles start to burst, it’s time to flip the pancake. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes on the other side.

Can I freeze leftover red velvet pancakes?

Yes, you can freeze leftover pancakes in an airtight container or zip top bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, you can microwave for 30 seconds or warm them in a toaster.

Can I make the batter and glaze ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the batter and glaze the night before and store them covered in the refrigerator. Allow the batter to come to room temperature before cooking the pancakes.

Do I have to use red food coloring?

No. You can skip the food coloring if you aren’t a fan of using it, they just won’t be the classic color. A little beet juice works as a natural substitute.

Why are my pancakes flat or chewy?

Almost always overmixing, or baking powder that has lost its lift. Stir only until the clumps disappear, and replace baking powder that has been open for more than six months.

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite times to bake and share. If you love having everything in one place, I created the Bake • Share • Love Valentine eBook, which includes 14 Valentine-inspired recipes you can save or print and bake anytime. It also comes with printable Valentine gift tags, making it easy to turn homemade treats into meaningful gifts.

👉 Find the Valentine eBook here:

Other Recommended Breakfast Recipes

I hope you enjoy this Red Velvet Pancakes recipe! If you make it, please leave a ⭐ star rating in the recipe card below, and come say hello on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. I love seeing your tea time treats.