Notes: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g)
millet flour, 2 tbsp (15g)
tapioca flour, 2 tbsp (15g)
brown rice flour, and ¼ teaspoon
xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like
this one!) will work as well, if measured
like this.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat flour.
I recommend using regular unsweetened cocoa powder, like
this. Dutched or special dark cocoa powder (a) have a more subtle flavor, (b) are darker in color, and (c) aren’t as acidic as regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
I prefer my red velvet cake (and therefore pancakes!) to have a stronger “chocolaty vanilla” taste. If you like your red velvet cake on the less chocolaty side, decrease the cocoa powder by 2 to 4 tablespoons (10-20g), and increase the flour by the same amount (15-30g).
Remember to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using
this method or a
kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either will dry out your pancake batter, and too much cocoa powder may make your pancakes taste bitter.
Regular red food coloring will give the brightest color. Liquid natural red food coloring may also be used, but the color will be more of a mahogany shade. I have not tried anything else (i.e. gel food coloring or beets) and don’t know how other options will turn out.
To make “homemade” buttermilk, add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to a measuring cup. Add enough milk to total ½ cup. Let that mixture set for at least 5 minutes.
Honey or
agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
Because my family usually covers their plates of pancakes in more maple syrup, I found that adding more to the batter was unnecessary (especially when I topped these with
this vanilla drizzle recipe or
this cream cheese drizzle recipe!). However, if you prefer sweeter pancakes, increase the maple syrup by 2-3 tablespoons, and reduce the water by the same amount.
This batter is on the thick side because I prefer my pancakes on the thicker and fluffier side! Thick batter = thick pancakes. Thin batter = thin pancakes. However, when you add thick batter to your pan, it doesn’t spread, so you’ll need to spread it a bit yourself using a spatula, the back of a spoon, or the bottom of a measuring cup to get that nice, circular pancake shape.
For even thicker pancakes, decrease the water by 2 tablespoons, or omit it altogether.
For thinner pancake batter, add more water or buttermilk until you achieve your desired pancake batter consistency.
For more cooking tips, see the text and pictures in
this blog post of mine.
This recipe is easily doubled to make more. If you have any leftovers, they freeze really well too!
{gluten-free, low fat, low sugar, higher protein}