These red velvet waffles are deliciously light and crispy, with cream cheese whipped cream and dark chocolate ganache drizzle. Wonderful as a breakfast item or for dessert and such a treat to whip up, you may just want them every day! Best served with a side of fruit and ice cream if you’re feeling extra decadent.
These waffles were inspired by a trip to the Gold Coast I went on with a friend, a few years ago. Happily stumbled upon I would say!
One morning we strolled down from our hotel, looking for the perfect breakfast spot with a view of the ocean to enjoy the early morning. We ended up at a place called Elston, one of the many lined-up venues along Surfers Paradise. And looking at the menu we were in for a treat! They had everything from acai bowls to cooked breakfast. And what caught our eye was the sweet breakfast items.
Hence how these red velvet waffles were discovered and the very inspiration for this recipe today!
Ingredients for red velvet waffles
Making your very own red velvet waffles requires making up a batter and then toasting them up in a waffle iron. As well as making your cream cheese whipped cream and chocolate ganache to accompany, for the ultimate sweet treat!
It’s got all the goods of a dessert disguised in the form of a waffle, giving you the perfect opportunity and excuse to serve it up for breakfast.
Here’s what you’ll need to whip up your batch…
Wet Ingredients:
- Eggs: Used for binding all the ingredients together in this lovely and light batter. The yolks get mixed in with the wet ingredients and the whites get whisked to stiff peaks and then later folded in. This results in a fluffy, airy mixture and such a lovely texture.
- Milk: Combine with the lemon and then set aside briefly, while the other ingredients are prepared. Similar to how you would make your buttermilk, but without it sitting around for too long. Use any milk you’ve got on hand, including dairy-free if you would like.
- Lemon Juice: For the acidity, flavour and a touch of sourness. Wherever possible, use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best taste!
- Butter: For the delicious flavour, butter makes these waffles rich and decadent. Make sure that you first melt your butter and then give it some time to cool down to room temperature before adding it in.
- Vanilla extract: Pairs nicely with the cocoa in this recipe to provide some flavour and similarly salt, lift the ingredients. You could also use vanilla bean paste instead if you have that on hand.
Related: The different types of vanilla products explained here!
- Red Gel Food Colouring: The signature for any red velvet item is red food colouring. I went for a gel red colouring and added in about a quarter of a teaspoon. Using a liquid variety of food colouring may change the amount required to obtain the colour desired. So go by looks and add a tiny bit more if you want to achieve a deeper red. I prefer just a hint of red, rather than a bright shade, but you are more than welcome to add more if you would like!
Dry Ingredients:
- Plain Flour: To help make these waffles light, airy and melt in the mouth, plain flour is required. This gets whisked along with the other dry ingredients, until well combined, which will also help to knock out those lumps, if they’re present.
- Cocoa Powder: One of the signature ingredients of a red velvet cake is a little bit of cocoa, paired with some red food colouring. I went for Dutch cocoa which is relatively dark and full of flavour.
- Caster Sugar: Just a little to add some sweetness to the red velvet waffle batter, but not too much that it burns while cooking. You could also use white sugar as a substitute.
- Baking Powder: Results in the airy and light texture of the waffles, as a raising agent.
- Salt: Add half a teaspoon to the batter, to tie all of the flavours together and lift the ingredients.
How to Make Red Velvet Waffles (Recipe Tips & Notes)
Making the batter
The key to making this batter as light as possible is mixing gently and until just combined. Using a whisk throughout this process is helpful as it will ensure that everything is well mixed together with all the prongs coming into contact with the batter. Which allows for the ingredients to blend more seamlessly with minimal effort.
Start by combining the milk and lemon and then set aside briefly while you prepare the dry ingredients.
Mixing the Dry Ingredients
The next step is whisking together the dry ingredients including flour, cocoa, baking powder, sugar and salt. This not only knocks out any lumps present but ensures it’s well blended before the addition of the milk and lemon.
Adding in the Wet Ingredients and Colouring
Now that you’ve got your dry ingredients ready, you can then add in the milk mixture while whisking to create a smooth batter. This is followed by the egg yolks, butter, vanilla and then red food colouring.
Folding in the Egg Whites
The last stage of this batter involves gently folding in the stiff egg whites in three stages. The first is to loosen the batter slightly, followed by the rest of the mixture to obtain an airy mixture. Mix until just combined, so that you don’t knock out too much air and structure from the egg whites. Now your batter is all set to go!
Cooking in a Waffle Iron
Use a non-stick cooking spray or some butter to grease your waffle iron before pouring your batter onto your preheated iron.
Then using a ladle or large spoon, pour the batter onto the iron until mostly filled, allowing for it to spread as you push the lid down. Cook until crispy. This took a few minutes for my waffle iron but may take a little longer for yours depending on the size. Follow the recommended instructions for your device for this. You’ll be able to tell it’s ready if you touch it and it’s nice and firm, crisp and bounces back, rather than sinking in and feeling soft.
Remove from the waffle iron and continue to cook the rest of your batter, until it’s all done. All that’s left to do now is serve with your toppings!
Garnishings
Cream Cheese Whip:
It wouldn’t be red velvet without some form of cream cheese! This red velvet waffle recipe makes use of whipped cream cheese as a garnish. Which is only a combination of cream, softened cream cheese and a touch of icing sugar.
First, beat the softened cream cheese with the icing sugar until light and smooth with a hand beater or manually with a whisk. Then add in the cream and whisk until just thickened into stiff peaks and it has become nice and fluffy.
Chocolate Ganache Drizzle
Made of equal parts of dark chocolate and cream. All you have to do is break up a dark chocolate block into pieces and place it in a microwave-safe bowl, along with the cream. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute on 50% power.
Use a fork or whisk to break up the chocolate and help whisk out any of the lumps and larger bits of chocolate that may still be present. You shall then be left with a lusciously glossy and decadent dark chocolate ganache ready to drizzle over your waffles.
However, if you find the chocolate hasn’t fully melted, return it to the microwave for another 30 seconds at 50%.
Troubleshooting: If you find your mixture too thick or it has split, no worries! Just add in a little more hot cream, give it a whisk and it should come back together again into a smooth mixture.
Fruit
The addition of fruit ties this all together in a neat little bundle of joy. Not just adding on some sweetness but also providing a bit of brightness and a pop of colour!
Here are some ideas of what to serve with your red velvet waffles:
- Fresh fruit: including kiwifruit – green or golden for the colour appeal, sliced banana, berries, passionfruit or orange.
Wondering which seasonal fruit could accompany your waffles? Check out these guides by season:
– Spring / Autumn / Winter / Summer/ Year-round
- Freeze-dried fruit: such as raspberries or strawberries to make it vibrant red, mandarins, blueberries or nectarine.
- Tinned fruit: including peaches, pears, mandarins, mango or even a fruit salad medley.
Storing extra waffles
If you don’t happen to finish all the red velvet waffles in one sitting, they can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. I suggest popping them in the toaster, so they crisp up again for the best outcome.
Alternatively, you could also store them in the freezer and then toast them straight from frozen.
Red Velvet Waffles with Cream Cheese Whip and a Chocolate Drizzle
Equipment
- Waffle Iron
- Non-stick cooking spray or butter to grease waffle iron
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Whip
- ½ cup (110g) full fat cream cheese softened
- 2 tbsp (20g) icing sugar
- ½ cup (125ml) whipping cream
Chocolate Ganache Drizzle
- 100g dark chocolate broken into pieces
- 100ml whipping cream
Red Velvet Waffles
- 2 eggs separated into yolk and whites
- 1 ½ cups (375ml) milk
- 2 tbsp (30ml) lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups (225g) plain flour
- 3 tbsp (20g) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp (2g) baking powder
- 2 tbsp (28g) caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (30g) butter melted and cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp red gel food colouring
Instructions
Cream Cheese Whip
- Whisk together cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth and light.
- Then add in the cream and whisk until thickened and stiff peaks form. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
Chocolate Ganache Drizzle
- Place chocolate and cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute on 50% power. Using a fork or whisk, mix until smooth and the chocolate has melted*Pour into a jug and set aside.
Waffles
- Preheat the waffle iron, as per manufacturing instructions.
- Stir lemon juice into milk and set aside while you prepare the dry ingredients.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, caster sugar and salt until well combined and no lumps are visible.
- Gradually whisk in the milk mixture, followed by the egg yolks. Add in the butter, vanilla and red food colouring and mix until just combined.
- Whisk egg whites with a hand beater or whisk in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the batter until just combined.
- Spray the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray or butter to grease. Spoon batter on the hot waffle iron, seal and allow to cook for 2 minutes or follow the manufacturing cooking instructions until cooked through and crisp. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve immediately with cream cheese whip, a drizzle of chocolate sauce and fruit to garnish.
Notes
If you give this red velvet waffle recipe a go, don’t forget to tag @theculinaryletter and #theculinaryletter, so I can see all your wonderful creations!
MORE Delicious Sweets…
- Miso and Caramilk Condensed Milk Cookies
- Luscious Dulce de leche Chocolate Muffins
- White Chocolate Matcha Cheesecake Brownie
- Homemade English Muffins with Cranberry and Gingerbread Spice
- How to Make Playful Passionfruit Emoji Cookies (Icebox cookies)
- The Ultimate Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce and Toasted Walnuts
Until next time, stay curious!
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