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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 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 medium beets, roasted and pureed (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/3 Cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon 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.
Video
Notes
- To freeze: Place the pancakes in labeled zipper bags and freeze for up to 3 months
Nutrition
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This is so perfect, we got a bumper crop of beets out of our garden this summer, and I’m going beet-crazy!
I just made these and my 21 month kept asking for “more”. I loved the color and taste!
These are insanely delicious!!!!!
what did you do for the egg substitute. in the same boat!
Recently learned that I have a pretty high sensitivity to eggs AND dairy…a literal and figurative shot to the gut for a foodie like me (and an Italian no less…can I even breathe without cheese??) Adjusting my chef hat and vowing to keep making delicious, healthy food…only Vegan now I guess! I will play with an allergy friendly version of these delightful looking morsels and report back! Made egg/dairy-free plantain/carrot pancakes a few days ago and they were a hit with my 3 yr old (and my husband) so these should morph well enough. Wish me luck!
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We don’t belong to a CSA at the mnoemt, but perhaps we’ll look into one? All of the reasons you’ve shared are good ones. Just a couple of questions when you go down to the market to pick up your share, how does it work? Have they already picked your share and put it off to the side, or do you go around and pick up what you’re “scheduled” to pick up? Is it on your honor? Is the price that you mentioned about the average, or is it on the lower/higher side?
Yumm! Made these tonight and my non-pancake-liking husband kept coming back for more. So light and fluffy and the color is gorgeous. I didn’t vanilla in my pantry b/c I forgot we needed more and they still turned out great!!! Thanks for another great recipe!
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I make similar, “Pink Pancakes” for my 3-year old son, who became a picky eater, almost overnight. He’s going through a phase where colour matters, and since pink is his favourite colour, these are a HUGE hit!
When I prep my beets I peel, chop, and throw them in the steamer basket til tender…then just immersion blend and done! and I still freeze any purees I make in ice cube trays and them bag them, that way I know how many to grab to throw into certain recipes…
I would prepare the wet ingredients separate and the dry ingredients separate and refrigerate them then combine in the morning. You can prepare the batter though at night and try it out, let me know how they turn out 🙂
Can you make the pancake batter the night before and then cook them the next day??
How to Video coming soon!!! 🙂
I would also love a tutorial on how to prepare beets. I love to eat them, but find cooking them daunting.
jane and Inga – I have 2 kids under 3. Trust me, roasting beets takes very little time (toss them in the oven for 45 mins while you do something else) and the flavors are so much better than canned beets. But best of all, you can roast them and freeze them until you’re ready to make the recipe. Roasted beets freeze beautifully!! You can also roast one night and refrigerate for at least 3 days.