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Red Velvet Pancakes turn the beloved cake into a fluffy crimson breakfast stack, layered with a marshmallow cream cheese fluff that melts into every bite, and when I flipped a batch on a Valentine’s Day morning, Maddie declared breakfast dessert officially legal. They are the fancy sibling of our everyday buttermilk pancakes.
A Bisquick shortcut, a touch of cocoa, and one bold red batter put this bakery worthy stack on the table in about 15 minutes.
Red Velvet Pancakes Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 2 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 5 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 7 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 14 pancakes
- ⚡ Calories: 168kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Light cocoa cake flavor with tangy sweet cream cheese fluff
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, same skillet skills as our gingerbread waffles
Quick Answer
Whip softened cream cheese until smooth, mix in marshmallow fluff, and set the frosting aside. Whisk Bisquick mix, sugar, and cocoa powder in one bowl and the milk and eggs in another, then combine until no lumps remain and tint the batter with red gel food coloring. Cook scant quarter cups of batter on a greased skillet over medium heat, flipping when bubbles form, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Stack and serve with the cream cheese fluff between the layers.
Jump to:
- Red Velvet Pancakes Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Red Velvet Pancakes
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Red Velvet Pancakes FAQs
- Other Recommended Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
- Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Fluff
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Bisquick is the fearless shortcut. The leavening and salt are already balanced in the mix, so the pancakes rise fluffy every time with zero measuring anxiety.
- Just a tablespoon of cocoa is correct. Red velvet is not chocolate cake, it is a hint of cocoa against tangy cream, and one tablespoon nails that signature subtle flavor.
- Gel coloring keeps the batter thick. Liquid coloring would thin the batter before you reach a true red, gel delivers the deep crimson in a few drops.
- Marshmallow fluff stabilizes the frosting. Whipped with cream cheese it becomes a spoonable, melt friendly fluff that behaves like frosting but eats like whipped cream.
- Bubbles are the flip signal. When bubbles pop on the surface and the edges look dry, the bottom is perfectly golden, no peeking required.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They look like a holiday bakery special but come together with pantry shortcuts in 15 minutes.
- The marshmallow cream cheese fluff is frosting you are allowed to eat at breakfast.
- They make Valentine mornings, birthdays, and Christmas breakfasts feel like an event, right up there with our breakfast casserole.
Key Ingredients
Shortcut staples build the prettiest stack on the table.
- Bisquick mix: The fluffy foundation, leavening and all, no extra measuring required.
- Cocoa powder: Just one tablespoon for that signature subtle red velvet chocolate note.
- Red gel food coloring: A few drops give the deep crimson color without thinning the batter.
- Cream cheese: Whipped smooth as the tangy half of the fluff frosting.
- Marshmallow fluff: Sweetens and fluffs the cream cheese into a spreadable cloud.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
One red stack, plenty of ways to make it yours.
- Add mini chocolate chips to the batter for a double chocolate red velvet stack.
- Top with fresh strawberries or raspberries and a dusting of powdered sugar for a fruit stand finish.
- Swap the fluff for maple syrup and a pat of butter if you want classic pancake energy.
- Make them green with gel coloring for a Grinch themed Christmas breakfast.
- Prefer waffles? Our gingerbread waffles bring the same festive spirit to the waffle iron.
How to Make Red Velvet Pancakes
- First, make the frosting by placing the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, cream until smooth, then add the marshmallow fluff and mix to combine. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the Bisquick mix, sugar, and cocoa powder.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until there are no lumps.
- Add red gel food coloring a little at a time, stirring until you reach your desired shade of red.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour slightly less than a quarter cup of batter per pancake, flip when bubbles form and the edges look dry, about 2 to 3 minutes, then cook until the other side is lightly golden, about 2 more minutes. Stack and serve with the cream cheese fluff.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use gel coloring, not liquid. Gel reaches a deep red in drops, liquid thins the batter and fades gray as the pancakes cook.
- Do not overmix the batter. Stir just until the lumps disappear, overworked batter makes flat, chewy pancakes.
- Keep the heat at medium. Red batter hides browning cues, medium heat cooks the centers before the bottoms overdarken.
- Watch for bubbles before flipping. Popping bubbles and dry edges are the tell that the first side is done.
- Soften the cream cheese first. Thirty minutes on the counter means a lump free fluff in under a minute of whipping.
- Keep the stack warm in a low oven. A sheet pan at 200 degrees holds the early pancakes warm while you finish the batch.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Layer the fluff between every pancake and crown the stack with strawberries for the full bakery moment, then serve alongside a savory anchor like our breakfast casserole for a brunch spread.
For a holiday breakfast table, pair the stack with our sausage egg McMuffin sandwiches and let everyone choose sweet or savory, or better, both.
They are the Valentine and Christmas morning special in this house, with our baked oats on standby for the weekday version of chocolate for breakfast.
Leftover pancakes keep refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 2 months with parchment between the layers. Reheat in the toaster or a low skillet, and store the fluff separately in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Red Velvet Pancakes FAQs
They are fluffy pancakes flavored like red velvet cake, a light touch of cocoa in a tender vanilla batter, tinted deep red and served with a tangy cream cheese topping. This version uses a Bisquick shortcut and a whipped marshmallow cream cheese fluff instead of syrup.
Only gently. Like red velvet cake, the batter uses just enough cocoa to add depth without turning into chocolate pancakes, and the tangy sweet cream cheese fluff is what makes the flavor unmistakably red velvet.
Use gel food coloring rather than liquid drops. Gel is concentrated, so a small squeeze tints the batter deeply without thinning it. Add it gradually until the batter is a shade darker than you want, the color lightens slightly as the pancakes cook.
Yes, substitute 2 cups of all purpose flour whisked with 3 teaspoons of baking powder and a half teaspoon of salt for the Bisquick, keeping everything else the same. The boxed mix simply saves the measuring.
Just two ingredients, softened cream cheese whipped smooth and combined with marshmallow fluff. It lands between frosting and whipped cream, sweet, tangy, and soft enough to melt luxuriously between warm pancake layers.
The fluff can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated, and the dry ingredients can be whisked together the night before. Cooked pancakes reheat well from the refrigerator or freezer, so you can absolutely prep the whole stack for a special morning.
Made these Red Velvet Pancakes? Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me who you surprised with the stack!
Keep the whimsy going at breakfast with a mug of my grinch hot cocoa on the side.
For more festive breakfast ideas, my eggnog french toast tastes like the holidays on a plate.
Turn the pancake craving into dessert with my pancake cupcakes.
Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Fluff
Ingredients
- 2 cups original Bisquick mix
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- red gel food coloring
For the frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 7 ounces marshmallow fluff
Instructions
- First, make the frosting by placing the cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, cream until smooth. Add the marshmallow fluff and mix to combine, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the Bisquick mix, sugar, and cocoa powder.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix it in until there are no lumps.
- Add in food coloring to your desired red shade.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray.
- Pour slightly less than ¼ cup of batter onto the hot greased skillet. When bubbles start forming on top of the pancake and the edges are dry, flip it over about 2-3 minutes. Continue cooking until the other side is a slight golden brown, about another 2 minutes.
- Place on a plate until all pancakes are done. Serve with cream cheese fluff, enjoy!
Notes
- Recipe for the pancakes adapted from Betty Crocker.
- Make sure to use the Original Bisquick Mix.
- If you want the bright red coloring I recommend using gel food coloring, it produces brighter colors.
- You can cut this recipe in half or double it.
- The cream cheese fluff is optional, regular syrup still works great!
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
Nutrition
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These are so cute! I’ve seen it all over pinterest but never actually tried making a pancake any other shape but round. Congrats on the feature at Monday Funday and I’d love for you to come link up with us at Talented Tuesday this week!