Red Velvet Waffles

With bold color and warm chocolatey flavor, Red Velvet Waffles are a delicious and comforting evolution of a breakfast-food classic made with cocoa powder and finished with a drizzle of cream cheese glaze.

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What Are Red Velvet Waffles?

Red velvet waffles are waffles that are made by cooking red velvet cake batter in a waffle iron. They are fluffy, crisp, and topped with a cream cheese glaze. With the bright red hue that is characteristic of red velvet cake, these waffles are chocolatey, rich, and work with any size waffle maker. Enjoy a breakfast or dessert favorite elevated with these bakery-fresh flavors.

Do Waffles Have Dairy?

Red velvet waffles contain milk and buttermilk to give the batter moisture and the fat needed to brown and crisp when cooked. If you would prefer a dairy-free waffle recipe, however, read on for my dietary adaptations section of this post. 

If you’re looking for even more dairy-free breakfast ideas, try my Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Bars and Vegan Baked Donuts.

Why You’ll Love This Red Velvet Waffles Recipe

• Sweet Yet Savory: This recipe balances sweetness by using buttermilk and cocoa powder instead of sweetened chocolate or other sugary ingredients for red velvet cake flavor without feeling like you’re eating dessert for breakfast.  
• Made Without Cake Mix: Many red velvet cake waffle recipes start with a cake mix which can make waffles overly sweet. Cake batter waffles can easily be flat or spill out the sides of a waffle maker because they don’t have the right balance of flour, leavening, and fat for rise and crispiness. 
• Make in Any Waffle Maker: This batter cooks up in any waffle maker for small, large, round, or square waffles.  You can also use this batter in mini waffle makers, just adjust the amount of batter used for each waffle based on your waffle maker size.
• Scarlet Color: Red velvet cake is known for its color and these waffles contain that same vivid hue. Colorful food brightens any plate, table, or buffet and coordinates with so many themes or party color schemes.  This recipe is delicious and truly beautiful too!
• Allergen-Friendly: Easily make these red waffles gluten-free by using 1-to-1 gluten-free flour for gluten-free waffles for anyone who avoids or cannot eat gluten.

Ingredients

Red Velvet Waffle Ingredients

To make this red velvet waffle recipe, just grab the following ingredients.

• Flour - Makes the waffles fluffy and light while also providing them structure.
• Sugar - Granulated white sugar makes the batter slightly sweet and helps the batter to caramelize when cooked for the perfect crispy outer layer.
• Cocoa Powder - Natural cocoa powder for the chocolate taste red velvet is known for.
• Salt - Fine sea salt is best.
• Baking Powder - A waffle essential, the baking powder gives waffles the right lift for fluffy waffles that fill the waffle maker.
• Eggs - Eggs bind the batter together and help give it a light and fluffy texture.
• Buttermilk - This ingredient is what sets these waffles apart and makes them superior to those made with a mix or just-add-water-style batter.  Buttermilk gives necessary fat for waffles that brown and cook to a crisp and the tang of buttermilk balances the chocolate flavor.
• Butter - Melted butter works into batter easily and helps waffles crisp up when cooked.
• Oil - Canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil.
• Vanilla Extract - For warm flavors in this comforting breakfast food. For best flavor, use pure vanilla extract.
• Instant Coffee - Coffee complements and enhances chocolate in any baking recipe, optional.
• Red Food Coloring - Food coloring gives these waffles vivid red coloring. For best results, use liquid food coloring. If using gel food coloring, you will need to use just a fraction to get the deep red color.

Cream Cheese Glaze Ingredients

• Cream Cheese - Full-fat cream cheese makes for the most decadent glaze-drizzled waffles.
• Powdered Sugar - Powdered sugar, also called confectioners sugar, melts into the other glaze ingredients for a smooth, drizzle-worthy glaze you’ll be topping more than just waffles with.
• Vanilla Extract - Vanilla adds a sweet and familiar flavor to any glaze.
• Milk - Thins out the glaze. Adjust the amount needed for your desired glaze consistency!

Ingredient Substitutions

• Flour - A 1-to-1 gluten-free flour can be substituted for all-purpose flour to make these waffles gluten-free.
• Instant Espresso - Use espresso powder instead of instant coffee to complement and enhance the chocolate flavor. You can also use decaffeinated instant espresso to limit the caffeine in this recipe.
• Buttermilk - Storebought buttermilk is ideal for this recipe but you can also make homemade sour milk by following the directions in the recipe variation section below!

How to Make Red Velvet Waffles

Red velvet waffles mix up similarly to other waffle recipes and are ready to pour into the waffle maker in just a few simple steps.  Here’s how to make them:

Make the Red Velvet Waffles

Step 1: In a bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.

Step 2: Add all of the wet ingredients and whisk together until a batter forms.  Let the batter rest for 30 minutes if using gluten-free flour.

Step 3: Preheat the waffle iron and spray or grease with oil.

Step 4: Pour about ⅓ cup of red velvet waffle mix on the waffle iron for each waffle.  The exact amount will depend on the size of your waffle iron.  Cook until golden, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Optional: Keep the waffles warm until serving by placing the wire cooling rack of waffles into an oven preheated to 200°F.

Step 5: Take the cooked waffles and place them on a wire rack to keep them crisp.

Make the Cream Cheese Glaze

Step 1: Mix all ingredients together with a hand or stand mixer.  

Step 2: Add additional milk if needed to thin the glaze for drizzling.

Step 3: Drizzle the desired amount of glaze on top of each waffle just before serving.

Recipe Success Tips

• How to Make Homemade Buttermilk or Sour Milk. Don't have buttermilk? No issue! It's super simple to make your own buttermilk (also known as "sour milk"). Here's how: add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to a 1-cup measuring cup and fill the cup to the line with whole milk or 2% milk. Mix and let sit for 5 minutes, or until the milk has curdled. Alternatively, you can also mix plain yogurt and milk in a 1:1 ratio and let sit for 5 minutes before using it in the recipe.
• Preheat Waffle Maker. Preheating your waffle maker is essential for crispy and fluffy waffles. Preheating allows the waffle iron to be hot enough to cook the batter at just the right rate which prevents the batter from spilling out the sides or the waffles from having undercooked, gooey centers. Most waffle makers will have a light or sound that indicates that they are preheated and ready! 
• Cool on a Wire Rack. The best way to keep cooked waffles crispy on the outside is to place them on a wire cooling rack while you continue cooking additional waffles. The wire rack allows air to circulate so that the steam and moisture the waffle lets out as it cools won’t cause the waffle to become soggy.
• Adjust the Batter Amount as Needed. After making your first waffle, adjust the amount of batter you place in the waffle maker if needed in order for the waffle to fill out the iron but not overflow. Having a few measuring cups handy will make sizing up or down your batter portions easy.
• Make Cleanup Easy. Put a piece of foil or an aluminum baking sheet under your waffle maker to catch any drips or batter overflow and make cleanup easier.
• Freeze Extra Waffles. These waffles are so good, you might want them over and over. Extra waffles can be refrigerated or frozen and then reheated using a toaster or toaster oven. So cook up all that batter or double the recipe for the tastiest easy breakfast without mixing or cooking. You’ll be trading those pre-made freezer waffles for homemade in no time!

Recipe Variations

Red velvet waffles can be topped with your favorite pancake or waffle toppings or try one of these variations:

• Double Chocolate: Mix ½ cup of mini chocolate chips or mini white chips into waffle batter before cooking. Use additional chocolate chips to sprinkle the top of the cooked waffle before glazing. 
• Fruit: Top glazed waffles with your favorite fresh fruit like strawberries, bananas, or blueberries. 
• Maple Bacon: Add 3 tablespoons of maple syrup to the cream cheese glaze and drizzle waffles. Serve alongside or topped with bacon.
• Whipped Cream or Ice Cream: Serve waffles as a dessert by topping with whipped cream or ice cream and finishing with cream cheese glaze and chocolate syrup. 
• Waffle Sticks.  Use a square waffle maker and cut cooked waffles into perfectly dip-able and easy-to-hold sticks. Dip waffle sticks into cream cheese glaze for a kid-friendly and fun variation.

Serving Suggestions

Red velvet waffles are fun for everyday breakfasts, special occasions, parties, and brunch. The bright red color and creamy glaze contrast beautifully when served alongside colorful fruit and Homemade Granola with Flaxseed and Chia.  Red velvet waffles are also delicious when served on a Waffle Board. 

Serve waffles warm with:

• Coffee or espresso
• Smoothies
• Sliced fresh fruit
• Iced cream
• …. and more!

Storage Directions

• Store: These red velvet waffles keep covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. 
• Freeze: Cooked waffles can be kept in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Separate waffles with parchment paper to prevent sticking. 
• Reheating: Reheat refrigerated or frozen waffles in the toaster on a low to medium setting. For frozen waffles, use the frozen setting on your toaster or flip and rotate waffles and toast a second time.

Dietary Adaptations

• Gluten-Free: Substitute a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour and follow the recipe directions as listed.
• Dairy-Free: Use plant milk to make vegan or dairy-free sour milk (directions above) in place of the buttermilk, substitute vegan butter for unsalted butter, and use vegan cream cheese to make a dairy-free waffle recipe!

FAQs

Tools Needed to Make This Recipe

• Measuring Cups & Spoons
• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• Waffle Iron
• Wire Cooling Rack

More Breakfast Recipes

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you loved this Red Velvet Waffle Recipe as much as I do. For more mouth-watering dairy-free, gluten-free, and/or vegan dessert inspiration, make sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also get all of my newest content delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for my email newsletter — I promise not to spam you!