Healthy Red Velvet Waffles with Cream Cheese Frosting
Guess what today is?! Well, it’s obviously Gluten Free Red Velvet Waffles Day (you know, that should really be enforced into calendars nationwide), but it’s also the day of my first ever virtual potluck. Yes, you read that correctly… Virtual. Potluck. I partnered up with Sarah from Fresh, Fit & Healthy and we’re both providing you with healthy patriotic recipes for July 4th this Friday!
This is the dish I’m bringing to the “potluck” — Healthy Red Velvet Waffles made sugar free, low carb, high protein, and gluten free!
Want a bite? Ummm, I know you do. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here, right? 😉
OOOO and here’s the recipe that Sarah is bringing to the potluck:
*drools*
Gosh darn it why is this potluck VIRTUAL??? I want a gallon giant glass of that right now. Hmph 🙁
I could definitely dive in that glass head first. The colors alone are incredible, and they’re all natural too (no sugary, syrupy, artificially-flavored pre-made mixes here). Anyways, while I sulk about not being able to get drunk from Sarah’s red, white & blue margarita, here are some pics of my Red Velvet Waffles:
These Red Velvet Waffles were inspired by a boxed red velvet pancake mix I saw at Target. My jaw literally dropped to the floor when I saw them. While I’ve heard of Red Velvet Cake, Red Velvet Ice Cream, and even Red Velvet Cookie Dough, I’ve never heard of Red Velvet Waffles. Too bad the storebought mix was full of unhealthy (and strange) ingredients, like highly processed white flour, bleached white sugar, and artificial red food dye… hmmm, no thanks. So I made a good and healthy all-natural version.
These Red Velvet Waffles are sugar free, low carb, high protein, high fiber, and gluten free too.
Instead of highly processed white flour, I used a mixture of coconut flour and brown rice protein powder. Instead of high-calorie, high-glycemic white sugar, I used Truvia (which is all-natural and non-GMO). Instead of artificial red food dye, I used… a vegetable… I used beets.
WAIT! Don’t run away!
These waffles don’t taste like vegetables at all (trust me, I hate beets… beets taste like freshly cut grass to me). And these waffles? They’re legendary. They’re soft and sweet and cakey and decadent… especially with the super thick and creamy cream cheese frosting!
Oh, and yes, I am aware that the frosting in the pictures looks like toothpaste straight from the tube. I don’t care much for aesthetics when I’m about to shovel something directly into my pie hole… 😉
If you’re craving some Red Velvet Cake but it’s only 8am (apparently that’s a socially inappropriate time to be eating cake?), then make these Gluten Free Red Velvet Waffles! They’re sugar free, low carb, high fiber, high protein, and gluten free, but you’d never know it!
Healthy Red Velvet Waffles with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Red Velvet Waffles:
- 125g (½ cup) Roasted Beet Puree (see Directions)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 4 packets Natural Sweetener (stevia, Truvia, etc.)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Natural Butter Flavor
- 28g (¼ cup) Coconut Flour
- 21g (1 scoop) Chocolate Brown Rice Protein Powder
- 1 tsp Double-Acting Baking Powder
- 1 tsp White Vinegar
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 tbs Neufchâtel Cream Cheese (softened)
- 2 tbs Plain, Nonfat Greek Yogurt
- 2 packets Natural Sweetener
Instructions
For the Roasted Beet Puree:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rinse and gently scrub 2 medium beets, then individually wrap them in foil.
- Place the beets on a jelly roll pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a fork pierces through the center of the beets with ease. Carefully unwrap the beets and let cool for 30 minutes.
- Scrape off the beet skins (they should peel off easily) and chop into chunks. Add the beet chunks to a food processor and purée until completely smooth.
For the Waffles:
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the beet puree, eggs, Truvia, vanilla extract and butter flavor.
- Whisk in the coconut flour, then the brown rice protein powder, then the baking powder. Last, whisk in the vinegar.
- Heat your rotating waffle iron to medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
- When the iron is hot, scoop half of the batter onto the iron and spread out slightly. Cook for 1 minute, rotate the iron, then cook for 1 minute on the opposite side. Rotate the iron back upright and carefully remove the waffle (the waffles are slightly delicate, so it's easiest to take out ¼ of the waffle at a time using a large fork on either side to bring it out).
- Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and cook the next waffle.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the Neufchâtel, yogurt and Truvia. Scoop into a piping bag and drizzle over the waffles. Serve with mini dark chocolate chips, strawberries, raspberries, or forks alone. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
As a comparison, here is the nutrition label for Duncan Hines Red Velvet Waffles recipe.
Not trying to brag or anything but uh, my recipe’s nutrition label is pretty sweet. They’re nutritionally balanced with healthy fats, filling fiber and complete proteins. Plus, they’re lower calorie and lower fat than the Duncan Hines recipe.
These Red Velvet Waffles are totally breakfast-worthy.
And lunch-worthy. And maybe dinner-worthy too? I mean, they’ve got a vegetable and everything! I’ll make any excuse to eat something sweet for dinner… 😉
All hail these (secretly) Healthy Red Velvet Waffles and Patriotic Margaritas!! If you’re making these waffles for July 4th, top them with fresh blueberries to make a red, white and blue dessert!
*bows down*
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With love and good eats,
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– Jess
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Lol… these look so good that I would TOTALLY make them for every other meal of the day 🙂
Emily-
Oh my goodness, we’re totally in the same boat there!!
I mean, it’s got a veggie (beets), protein (eggs + protein powder + yogurt) and healthy fats/carbs (coconut flour).
That sounds like a perfectly balanced meal to me 😉
-Jess
No way does that icing look like toothpaste! I would DIVE right into those if I could! So happy to have done this with you girly! Looks DELICIOUS.
xoxo Sarah Grace, Fresh Fit N Healthy.
Sarah-
Oh goodness, thanks for telling me that! My dad said the frosting looked ridiculous but WHATEVS 😉
This virtual potluck was so much fun! Such a great idea 🙂
-Jess
I am drooling so much, I am dehydrated!!!
GiGi Eats-
HAHAHAHA!!! Your comment literally made me burst out laughing in a super quiet room 😀
I told that comment to like, everyone I knew all day long. Thanks 😉
I hope you get to make the waffles soon!
-Jess
Hi!
I’m planning to make these on Tuesday for my friend who can’t have flour or sugar. Coconut flour is fine, I think (I’ll double check), so these sound perfect!
I don’t have Butter Flavor/Emulsion though and not really sure if I can find out where to get it in time. Can I just use real melted butter instead?
Thank you!
Emily N-
Yay I hope your friend likes the waffles! 😀
The butter flavor is just there for that yummy butter flavor 😉 you can use real melted butter instead, as well as to grease the waffle iron.
-Jess
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hey!! These look awesome and i cant wait to try them, but i just have one question. Is there anything i can replace the beet with like maybe red food coloring with water? Cuz beets have too many carbs for the plan im on and if i could find a sub that would be perfect. Thanks!!
Thank you so much!
I wouldn’t recommend replacing the beet puree with food colored because the beet puree adds moisture as well as color. I also wouldn’t recommend food coloring because it’s 100% artificial (unless you use the natural kinds). Carbs may be slightly high in carbs but they’re still veggies, so I wouldn’t avoid them completely 😉
-Jess
Loving all ur recipes <3 <3 <3
Hi there everyone!
Just wondering what is red velvet suppose to taste like?
Red Velvet is a unique taste. While it has some cocoa in it, it shouldn’t be overly chocolatey. I’ve heard it described as a faintly chocolatey vanilla cake that’s just colored red 😀
-Jess
Im just wondering if I can substitute the cocanut flour and brown rice powder for another type of flour like oat or rice flour? Also what about adding some fresh or frozen berries rather then the sugar?
Just a thought .
Thanks
I haven’t tried those substitutes here so I can’t be sure. However, coconut flour is almost impossible to replace, so you’d need to adjust the liquid ingredient amounts too if you were to sub it with oat flour or rice flour. If you’re up for some recipe testing, feel free to give those subs a try! 🙂
Can I substitute the eggs for only egg whites?
I tried medium heat but my waffles still turned out brown 🙁 Perhaps I should do low heat to preserve the color? That red you have.. Looks EXACTLY like as if you used red food dye, hehe. Awesome job!!
Hmmm that’s really strange. I’ve never had my waffles turn out brown, and I 100% refuse to ever use artificial food dye. I guess our waffle makers have really different heat settings!
Yeah, I’d do a lower heat setting on your waffle maker to keep the red color 🙂
I have tried putting it on low setting and it turns brown after more than 8 minutes 🙁 I left it that long because it needed to solidfy! When I opened my waffle maker after 5 minutes, it was still pink-ish but broke into 2x because it was not fully cooked yet 🙁 Thank you for your reply!!
I used fresh organic raw beets and.. DARK RED COLOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀 😀 😀
Omg that’s such good news!!! Thank you so much for letting me and everyone know it works!!! *runs to the grocery store to get beets* 🙂
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