Naturally Pink Waffles (thanks to Beetroot Powder!)
I suppose you could say these waffles are blushing. 😊 These waffles are naturally pink thanks to a versatile ingredient I highly recommend keeping in your kitchen: beetroot powder.
While you can roast a beet and blend it into waffle batter, I love skipping that step and grabbing a shelf-stable powder to infuse baked goods with a reddish-pink color and subtly sweet, earthy flavor perfect for waffles.
All you need to do is incorporate the beetroot powder into the dry ingredients and proceed as you normally would with your waffle recipe.
I love topping these with a little vegan butter and pure maple syrup, but if you'd like an extra pop of color, consider adding some coconut whipped cream and fresh berries.
If you're new to vegan cooking, here are the ingredient substitutions that make this recipe vegan-friendly:
- Plant-based milk (1:1 replacement for dairy milk)
- Coconut oil (replacement for dairy butter)
- Lemon juice + plant-based milk (substitute for dairy buttermilk)
- Aquafaba (replaces 2 dairy eggs)
- NOTE: Organic sugar is what's considered vegan in the U.S. I recommend using it, when possible.
Consider making these beautiful waffles for spring holidays, Christmas, or any time you want a little pop of color.
More tips and details at the linked blog post!
Naturally Pink Waffles (thanks to Beetroot Powder!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I prefer unbleached)
- 1 1/2 cups plant-based milk (no flavor)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 6 tablespoons aquafaba (brine from cooked or canned chickpeas)
- 2 tablespoons beetroot powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (use organic if following a vegan diet)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (approx. 1/2 lemon)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Method
- Preheat your waffle iron.
- Melt coconut oil and allow to cool slightly while gathering your other ingredients.
- Squeeze lemon juice into measuring cup holding your plant-based milk and stir to combine. This creates your plant-based buttermilk.
- Add aqaufaba to medium-large bowl and whip using a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Sift together dry ingredients into a medium bowl. A pink hue should be present throughout.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the wet ingredients, but NOT aquafaba. Sugar is considered a wet ingredient and should be included in this step.
- Gently pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, gently stirring until just combined.
- Fold in the whipped aquafaba until evenly incorporated throughout the batter.
- Add a scoop of the waffle batter to your waffle maker and bake until your waffle maker is done and steam escaping from the sides starts to slow.
- Remove the waffle and allow to briefly cool on a wire cooling rack. Repeat the process until all batter is used.