Nothing says weekend better than a tall stack of warm and fluffy pancakes, right? As much as I love to have pancakes every day, they do take quite some time to prepare, so they are usually a weekend affair at our place. I have been trying to simplify this process, however, using as little ingredients as possible, so I could make them more often. I am very happy to report that I have finally found a super simple recipe that comes out great every time, with only 3 wholesome ingredients, which you might have seen or even tried if you’ve been with me for a while.

As I bought a beautiful bunch of red beets from the farmers market last week I realized it was time to reinvent the red velvet pancake recipe I made 2 years ago for Valentine’s day. Even though the old recipe is vegan and gluten-free, it still has almost 10 ingredients. So I rolled up my sleeves and started experimenting to find the easiest red velvet pancake recipe for all you busy peeps who are looking for quick and simple solutions like me!

I’m glad to say the experiment was a success as you can see below. These red velvet pancakes, made of only 4 basic ingredients, turned out fluffy with a beautiful all-natural red color coming from the beets. In the original recipe, I added 2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder to the batter, which makes the color darker, but adds a delicious chocolatey taste to the pancakes. I didn’t add the cacao powder to this recipe to make it as simple as possible. But feel free to try it out if you like and let me know how it works.

Topped it with a tangy and delicious dairy-free cream cheese dressing that was left over from my red velvet slices recipe. So tasty! But feel free to use coconut yogurt and maple syrup instead if you’re feeling lazy 😉

As always, if you make this recipe, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me @nutriholist or #nutriholist in your photos on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see and share your creations! Enjoy!

Red Velvet Pancakes w/ “Cream Cheese” Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients

Pancakes

  • 1 cup gluten-free steel-cut or rolled oats (or buckwheat), ground into flour {See Notes}
  • 1 small banana, fully ripe
  • 1 small beetroot (I used roasted, but raw also works if you have a strong blender)
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk (such as coconut, almond, cashew, hemp, etc.)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • Optional: Vanilla powder or extract, cinnamon
  • 2-3 teaspoons coconut oil for cooking

“Cream Cheese” Sauce

  • 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours or more (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup coconut yogurt (plain yogurt also works if dairy is not an issue)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (could substitute with water)
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1-2 tablespoon(s) lemon juice

Directions

  1. For the Pancakes: Throw the oats, banana, beetroot, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon into the blender and blend until smooth. Add the baking powder and vinegar and mix into the batter with a spatula
  2. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil to a large pan over medium heat, pour about 2 tablespoons of the batter onto the pan and cook until bubbles have formed on top (around 2-3 minutes)
  3. Flip the pancakes and cook an additional 1-2 minutes on the other side. Add more oil to the pan for the next batch if necessary
  4. For the “Cream Cheese” Sauce: Wash the blender. Rinse and drain the cashews, add them to the blender along with the rest of the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth
  5. Assemble: Top the pancakes with plenty of cream cheese sauce and other toppings of choice such as this warm apple compote and enjoy!

NOTES:

  • If you use a high power blender like Vitamix or Blendtec, you can use oats or buckwheat groats instead of flour and the batter will still turn out smooth
  • If the batter it too thick towards the bottom of the blender, add a tiny splash of water or milk and blend for a thinner consistency and easier pouring
  • You can skip the soaking step for cashews, but you will most likely get a sauce with small bits and pieces of cashews in it. If you like to have a smooth sauce, make sure to soak!
  • Finally, if you want to make this even easier, skip the sauce and top with a dollop of coconut yogurt (or other non-dairy yogurt of choice) sweetened with maple syrup to add some tang