Red Beet Pancakes came to me courtesy of my husband.
My better half has discovered a passion for cooking. For me, this newfound culinary obsession of his is both a blessing and a curse. While on one hand it’s a huge relief because I don’t have to cook, it can also be a total pain in my tush (and not just because of the potential mess I likely find afterwards) because while he is completely focused on his latest creation, I am left in charge of two cranky, hungry kids.
It’s hard for me to get upset though. Hubby gets so excited about the whole process and the two hour mental voyages he takes while focussed on a new dish are kinda hilarious to watch. It’s like witnessing a 4 year old trying to finish a 50 piece jigsaw puzzle for the first time. Plus, I love watching how jazzed the kids get seeing Daddy work in what they consider to be Mommy’s turf.
One recent Saturday morning, Daddy decided to make a beet pancake recipe he had seen in Good to the Grain, a fabulously gorgeous book by Kim Boyce. As soon as Kenya heard the words “beet” and “pancakes” he said, “no way, that’s gross”. It didn’t take long for Chloe to jump on the “yucky” bandwagon. It seemed like this experiment was going to leave two out of four of us with empty tummies, but as soon as the kids got into helping Daddy stir, mash and measure, they apparently forgot all about their initial aversion. By the time the beautiful ruby discs finally came off of the griddle and onto everyone’s plates, the kids downed about five a piece.
My favorite part of this story though, came later on when my husband asked Kenya why he was so resistant at first to the beet pancakes. Kenya just looked at him and said, completely matter of fact, “who knew they were going to be that good!”
I’ve simplified Boyce’s recipe here, adding some whole wheat flour, more pureed beets to further brighten the color and some Greek yogurt too, making these red beet pancakes a breakfast that will make everyone’s eyes as big as their stomachs when you set them on the table.
He may make a bit of a mess and take a while finding his way around the kitchen, but I have to say it’s unbelievably charming watching hubby take over what I usually think of as my kitchen….and make it more of ours!
If you make these Red Beet Pancakes I would love to see them! Take a picture, post it on Instagram and tag Weelicious. I can’t wait to see your creation!
Red Beet Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 Cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 Cup whole wheat flour
- 3 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
- 2 medium beets, roasted and pureed (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 1/4 Cup milk
- 1/3 Cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Sift the first 5 ingredients into a bowl.
- Place the rest of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined (you don’t want to overstir the batter — some lumps are good).
- Drop about 2 tbsp of the pancake mixture onto a greased griddle or pan over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
- Serve with desired accompaniments.
- * To freeze: Place the pancakes in labeled zipper bags and freeze for up to 3 months
Could I add 2 cups of spinach (or more) and just turn these into green pancakes? I see you have a spinach recipe already on this site and its a bit different. I havent tried it but wanted to know, is there a reason you add different ingredients to that one? Is it just preference or do the spinach pancakes need the baking soda and buttermilk to work? Thanks in advance!
Great question! Beets have a different texture and volume than spinach, so I would recommend following my Spinach Pancakes recipe if you would like to make green pancakes. If you don’t have buttermilk, there are some tips for making your own in the FAQs on the Spinach Pancakes post. Hope that helps!
Our family is okay eating wheat, dairy and sugar. These were delish! Thank you!
I’m happy to hear you loved them! They’re some of our favorite pancakes too!
Lots of great feedback and comments, but I can’t seem to find anything about how these can be made for those with gluten sensitivities or Celiac. We’ve made these in the past and the kiddos all love our “pink pancakes”, but we now are dealing with gluten issues and I’d love to replace the whole wheat flour. Any suggestions?
I have made these countless times over the last couple years for my toddlers. I absolutely love them and so do they! I make a batch and freeze them, just popping them in the toaster for a quick breakfast. I eat them plain like pieces of bread, yum! I especially loved them when I was pregnant.
My children love them and love the bright red colour. My two year old will eat 4-6 in a sitting; I make them thinner than the picture.
I use only regular flour instead of whole wheat. And if I don’t have time for roasting beets I buy a bag of frozen ones and steam them for 10 mins then purée, they are still bright red and delicious. I also skip sifting sometimes and still turns out great.
Thank you so very much for this recipe!
The beet puree will keep about 5 days in the fridge! So glad these were a hit!
Made these for my picky eater and they were a hit and beautiful! Needed 3.5 beets and added a little water to make a smoother puree. I guess what I thought was medium wasn’t!! How long do you think the beets will keep if puréed in advance?
So glad to hear these were a hit! Chocolate chips sound like a delicious addition!
I made these gorgeous pancakes last night and they were delicious and fluffy (I have never bought beets in my life!)! I also added some mini chocolate chips to a few pancakes for variety, but I like the idea of making cream cheese sandwiches with these pancakes for my son’s lunchbox! Thank you again for your awesome recipes!