Beet pancakes are bright and fun, delicious and wholesome! But, not only are these pink pancakes visually appealing, but using roasted beets make them naturally sweet and incredibly tasty!
This recipe was originally published in February 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.
I love how gorgeous beets can make a dish! Just like my beet hummus and beet soup, these beautiful pink pancakes are naturally vibrant!
Why you’ll love these!
- They’re PINK! These pink pancakes are so visually appealing, and we eat with our eyes first, right? My little guys can not get enough of them!
- Healthy and wholesome. Made using just 7 nutritious ingredients, so you can feel great about serving these beet pancakes to your family.
- Sugar free! No added sugar to this batter. Beets add all the natural sweetness needed. (But of course, if you have a sweet tooth, feel free to top with maple syrup.)
- These beet pancakes are also oil free, keeping them very low in fat!
- Allergen friendly. Not only are these wholesome pink pancakes free from sugar and oil, but they’re naturally vegan, gluten free and nut free! Suitable for all kinds of eaters, with the added bonus of being school safe.
How to make them
(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Gather your ingredients, and start by roasting your beets, if you don’t have some already precooked.
To roast your beets, make a foil pocket to sit them in. This will prevent the natural red dye from spilling out onto your tray. Roast at 425 degrees and use convection, if your oven is able.
Once fork tender, remove from the oven and let cool, just a few minutes so you can handle with your hands. Then peel the skin, which will remove easily once roasted.
Add the peeled beets to your blender, (I use a Vitamix) along with ALL remaining ingredients, and process until smooth. (photos 1-2)
Now, pouring directly from your blender spout to your preheated griddle, pour pancakes that are roughly 4 inches in diameter. Cook for 3-4 minutes until bubbles form on top and the edges appear to be set. Then flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, until cooked through. (photos 3-4)
NOTE: If you’re cooking your beet pancakes in batches, the batter will thicken as it sits. If needed, add another 1-2 tablespoons of milk to the blender and give it a quick re-blend to make the second batch.
Then serve your pink pancakes with your favourite toppings and enjoy! (Or enjoy plain, because truly, they are that good!)
Storage
In the unlikely event that you have leftover pink pancakes, let them cool to room temperature before storing.
Once cooled, you may refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days and reheat in the toaster, oven, or on your griddle.
To freeze, use a freezer safe, air tight container and keep frozen for up to 3 months. You may pop these in the toaster from frozen to reheat.
What to serve with them
Some great options to serve with your beet pancakes include:
- Fresh berries
- Sliced bananas
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Shredded unsweetened coconut
- Dark chocolate chips
- Homemade nutella
- Maple syrup
- Blueberry Chia Jam
Do I really need to roast the beets?
I’ve made these pink pancakes using roasted beets and boiled beets.
While boiling the beets is faster, especially if you peel and cut into wedges beforehand, roasting makes these pancakes much sweeter and brighter.
As always, the choice is yours, but if you have the time, or can work ahead, I highly recommending roasting the beets. You’ll need less sweeteners this way, which will keep your beet pancakes even healthier!
Expert Tips
- Leave the peel on to roast your beets. Removing the peel is a bit tedious and messy when beets are raw and they peel away very easily once roasted.
- Roast, rather than boil, if time permits. The result is naturally sweeter beet pancakes. (That means less or no syrup needed!)
- If you’re cooking your pink pancakes in batches, the batter will thicken as it sits in the blender. If needed, add another 1-2 tablespoons of milk and re-blend for a few seconds before cooking the next batch.
More favourite pancake recipes
- Banana Lentil Pancakes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
- Healthy Blueberry Pancakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
- Easy Banana Spinach Pancakes
- Peanut Butter Pancakes w/ Peanut Butter Caramel
If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.
Buon appetito
Rosa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium beet roasted
- 1.25 cups rolled oats gluten free if preferred
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups unsweetened soy milk or milk of choice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven or toaster over to 425 degrees convection bake. Slice the top and bottom stems off your beet and then halve. Place halved side down on a foil pocket on a baking tray. Fold the sides of your foil up to keep the juices in the pocket and avoid making a mess. Then bake until fork tender, approx. 30-45 minutes. (Bake time will vary according to the size of your beet, and how fresh it is.)
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, until you're able to handle with your hands. Now preheat your griddle while you peel your beet. The skin will peel very easily after being roasted.
- Place the peeled beet and all remaining ingredients in your blender and process until smooth. Then pour the batter directly from your blender onto your hot griddle, making pancakes that are about 4 inches in diameter. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until bubbly on top and the edges appear set. Then flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes until cooked through. Enjoy!
Brooke Ashley
Yummy! Used a half a beet and that was sufficient for sweetness. Any more beet than that and the beet flavour would have overpowered. As it was the beet flavour came through a tad much when eating plain, but when served with a fork full of pan fried banana, chocolate sauce, Whipped cream and toasted shivered almonds the beet flavour did not come through at all and were perfect.
Rosa
So glad you enjoyed the pancakes Brooke! 🙂
Mary N
I love these! Great recipe. I used coconut unsweetened vanilla milk and they were fine.
Rosa
Thrilled you enjoyed them Mary. 🙂
Jennifer
Can you use something other than oats?
Rosa
I haven’t tried these without the oats, so I’m not sure.
Chrissie
I tried it! It came out GREAT! 🖤🤟🍽️ THANK YOU.
Rosa
Thrilled you enjoyed Chrissie!
Jewel
I was so disappointed. These seem like they have a good taste, but were not pink and never cooked all the way through. Such a sad fail on valentines day morning.
Rosa
Sorry these didn’t work out for you Jewel. I’m not sure how it’s possible they didn’t turn pink. Did you change anything at all?
Mackenzie Kerwin
Will steel cut oats work?
Rosa
Hi Mackenzie, I haven’t specifically tried, but that should work. Please report back if you give them a try. 🙂
Pam
I enjoyed these with some toasted walnuts and maple syrup. It would be helpful to add a weight for the beets since there are so many different sizes. I used a candy cane and red beets from my garden. Mine were very beety, which was fine for me.
Ange
I made this today and my ultra fussy 2yo loved it! So did my 1yo. I was wondering if you have tried cooking these in the oven? How would you go about cooking it using the oven? Thank you.
Rosa
Glad to hear Ange, thanks for sharing. 🙂
I haven’t tried these in the oven so I can’t say for sure.