Are you ready for Spring? I sure am! This winter has been a doozy with lots of snow for our usually temperate West Coast. But I am determined to force spring to come, at least through today's post! 😉
As long-time readers will know, I don't like using any artificial colouring in any of my food, so when I saw that it was possible to make pink/red-coloured pancakes, I was excited to try making them.
One of the most naturally vibrant foods that are red/pink are beets. (Asides from cranberries or raspberries) Seems simple enough -- add some pureed beets to your pancake batter and call it a day, right?
PANCAKES TURN BROWN
Wrong.
I'd look online and see these vibrantly pink hued pancakes made with red beets, and eagerly, I would attempt each recipe, only to be disheartened to find myself with a stack of muted brown pancakes.
I don't know how many times I've attempted to make beet pancakes, but for all the times I've tried, they've ALWAYS come out miserably brown. (See below. Same recipe, same cooking method, with only pureed beets).
EXPERIMENTING FOR SCIENCE
In my pursuit of chasing the elusive pink (unicorn) pancake, I've tried the following:
- adding lemon juice (or an acid) to help prevent the pancakes from browning,
- lowered the heat while cooking them, and
- removed the baking powder in attempt to lower the pH, but don't do that! (Full disclosure: I ended up with the densest, grossest pancakes ever).
TRULY PINK BEET PANCAKES
Until now. These pancakes are truly naturally pink. They have not been enhanced, nor edited to make them look pink. Made with real pureed beets, and something else to help enhance their colour naturally.
BEETROOT POWDER
Beetroot powder.
Yes. Beetroot powder is just beets that have been dehydrated, and turned into a powder.
It delivers intense colour. And a little bit goes a long way, because it is so concentrated.
LOW TEMPERATURE
Note: You MUST cook these pancakes on the lowest heat possible. Beets and heat don't go together, so keep it at a minimum. These pancakes do they a little longer to make, but trust me, they're so worth it!
It is possible, my friends. Truly pink pancakes (without artificial colours or dyes) are within your reach. And here's to freshness, vibrance, and everything new that Spring brings!
Would love to see what you come up with! And if you like hiding veggies in your breakfast food, you may enjoy my Healthier Chocolate Black Bean Waffles.
Try this Truly Pink Beet Pancakes recipe, and I'll promise that you'll have naturally pink pancakes on your breakfast table. Tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment below.
Truly Pink Beet Pancakes
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ C Greek yogurt or plain yogurt
- ¼ C beet puree
- 2 tablespoon whole milk optional, depending on the consistency you like in your pancakes: add a little more milk for a thinner pancake, or leave out for a thicker pancake
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ C + 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch sea salt
- ½ tablespoon beetroot powder
- oil for greasing pan
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar until light and creamy. The egg will turn a pale yellow. Add in the yogurt, beet puree, milk (if using), oil and vanilla extract. Whisk everything until mixed thoroughly.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, salt, and beetroot powder. Use a spatula to fold the ingredients together. Do not overmix.
- Heat a frying pan over low heat. Note: the trick to making these pink beet pancakes is to keep the heat at a minimum.
- Lightly grease the frying pan with a little oil and wipe with a paper towel.
- Scoop about ¼ C of pancake batter into the frying pan and cover with a lid. This will trap the heat within the pan and help it to cook more evenly.
- Cook for about 5-6 minutes over low heat. When ready, use a spatula to CAREFULLY flip the pancake gently onto the other side and cook for another minute or two. Adjust the heat if it's turning brown too quickly. You should end up with a very pale "crust" on the pancake.
- Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve with whipped cream (or coconut cream, as pictured), and berries.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Christina
Question - I don't care for beets but these pancakes look gorgeous! I'm LOVING the pink color. How earthy do these pancakes taste? I'm intrigued but a little hesitant.
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Hi Christina! Thank you! I actually used a little more vanilla extract to "cover" up the earthy taste -- and my really picky 5yo gobbled them up, so I would say they're not that earthy! 😛 Let me know if you try it. You could always just omit the actual beets and just use the beet powder -- I think the taste would be less predominant.
Stacey @ The Sugar Coated Cottage
Im so ready for spring (as I look at the snow in our yard lol). These are the prettiest pancakes ever, the brown ones are so boring now. Pretty pics to! Take care.
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Thank you Stacey! LOL! Aw, I still love my regular fluffy old stack of pancakes, but these are definitely a treat! Have a great weekend!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I looooove this Michelle!!! I also don't love using artificial colouring, and often use beet juice but you're right, it's NEVER this vibrant. This is so awesome! I've got to get my hands on some of that beetroot powder!!
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Yes, right?? I always get so disappointed when the pancakes turns out mucky brown! But do try and find some beetroot powder and let me know how it turns out for you! Have an amazing weekend, love!
heather (delicious not gorgeous)
dang, those are PINK. love it!!! i don't like using food coloring either, and all the red dye inside of red velvet cake always makes me leery. it'd be so fun to try beetroot powder instead! i know old recipes used to use pureed beets for color, but i bet the color is more similar to your brown pancakes (;
siftandsimmer@gmail.com
Yeah! Definitely try making red velvet cupcakes with beetroot powder! Would love to hear how it goes! 🙂
Leslie
These are so pretty! I used unsweetened applesauce instead of the puréed beets, and they came out deliciously!! Will definitely be making these again for Valentine’s Day. Thanks so much🙏