Red velvet waffles are the perfect Christmas or Valentine’s Day breakfast. They are rich, sweet, and surprisingly beautiful! 

top down image of a stack of red velvet pancake topped with cream cheese glaze and mini chocolate chips served on a white round plate

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You are going to love how easy it is to make red velvet waffles. In fact, it’s no harder than chocolate waffles, blueberry waffles, or even just plain old classic homemade waffles!

It only takes about 5 minutes to make the batter and then you can sit back and wait while the waffle machine does all the work! You may even have time to make a fancy Dalgona coffee to go with your fancy red velvet waffles. Sounds like an amazing breakfast plan! 

While I am crazy about the rich, chocolate waffles, the cream cheese glaze is the icing on the cake (or on the waffle!). It makes the waffles go from pretty good to beyond incredible. Sometimes I go a little crazy and add some chocolate chips on top of the waffles, too. Anything I can do to make breakfast extra special, I will do it! 

close up image of a stack of red velvet waffles with cream cheese glaze topped with mini chocolate chips served on a white round plate

Easy Red Velvet Waffle Recipe

I believe that breakfast recipes should be as easy as possible. You should be able to make an irresistible breakfast in just a few minutes—breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be hard to make. That is why I use Bisquick mix as the base of my red velvet waffle recipe. Little shortcuts like these help cut down prep time so you can enjoy more waffle-eating time. 

The Bisquick mix is combined with cocoa powder, brown sugar, and buttermilk which gives the waffles that true red velvet flavor. And red gel food coloring is what gives the waffles that festive color!

Oh, and don’t forget the cream cheese glaze! It is super easy and absolutely necessary. I promise that these red velvet waffles will be a huge hit on any holiday or even just on any random Wednesday!

ingredients to make the red velvet waffle cream cheese glaze
ingredients to make red velvet waffles using Bisquick mix

Ingredients

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

  • Bisquick mix – The original Bisquick pancake and baking mix is my favorite, or you can use Homemade Bisquick Mix.
  • Cocoa powder – Unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder is best. 
  • Brown sugar – I like to use dark brown sugar for a powerful, delicious molasses flavor.
  • Buttermilk – Red velvet baked goods get their tangy taste from buttermilk. If you do not have buttermilk, mix a tablespoon of white vinegar into one cup of whole milk. This will curdle the milk, making buttermilk.
  • Whole milk
  • Red gel food coloring – Gel food coloring will give you tons of color with just a few drops. You can use liquid food coloring, but you will need a lot more to get that bright red color. 
  • Egg
  • Melted butter
  • Vanilla extract
  • Cream cheese
  • Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar is best for the glaze because it melts right into the frosting with no gritty texture. 

Variations 

Gluten-free Bisquick is a great, easy way to make these waffles gluten-free. Most grocery stores have gluten-free Bisquick but you can always order it online. One box will make a whole lot of red velvet waffles!

steps to make the red velvet waffle cream cheese glaze
steps to make the red velvet waffles in a waffle iron

How to Make Red Velvet Waffles

  1. Make the glaze: Beat the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the whole milk and vanilla and stir to make a smooth, creamy glaze. Set the glaze aside while you make the waffles. 
  2. Get set up: Preheat your waffle iron. You want it to be nice and hot so it instantly starts cooking the waffle batter. That high, immediate heat is what makes waffles crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle!
  3. Make the batter: Whisk the Bisquick with the brown sugar and cocoa powder. Add the buttermilk, whole milk, egg, vanilla, melted butter, and red food coloring. Add more food coloring as needed until the batter is a very bright red. 
  4. Cook the waffles: Pour the waffle batter into the hot waffle iron, adding about ¾ cup of batter; close the waffle iron and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Be sure to check your specific waffle iron directions to see exactly how much batter to add and how long the waffles should cook—every waffle iron is different! When the waffle easily lifts off of the waffle iron, you know they are done! The waffles should not stick at all. If they do, they may need more time to cook. 
  5. Add the icing and enjoy: Remove the waffle from the waffle iron and drizzle it with some cream cheese icing. Enjoy the red velvet waffle while it is still hot! 
portion of waffle cut to show the close up of the red velvet waffle cross section on a silver fork

Quick Tip

Turn your oven to 200ºF and keep the baked waffles in the warm oven while you cook all of the batter. This way, you can serve all the nice, warm waffles at once!

How to Store Red Velvet Waffles

One of my favorite things to do with extra red velvet waffles is to freeze them. Wrap them up tightly in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to three months. Anytime you crave a beautiful chocolate waffle, just take one out of the freezer, pop it in the toaster oven or microwave to reheat, and enjoy! These are so much better than store-bought frozen waffles and much prettier. 

You can also store cooked red velvet waffles in the fridge for about a week. Just be sure they are tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Reheat the refrigerated waffle for about a minute in the toaster oven to get the outside crispy. 

Serving Suggestions

While the cream cheese glaze is enough of a treat on top of these red velvet waffles, you can always add a few chocolate chips or even some whipped cream as an additional garnish. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make a seriously decadent Christmas morning breakfast. Toss some bacon in the oven while you make the red velvet waffles to serve as the perfect, salty side dish. 

FAQs

What is the real flavor of red velvet?

Red velvet is a tangy chocolate flavor. Anything that is labeled as “red velvet” will be made using cocoa powder and buttermilk. These two simple ingredients are the hallmark flavors behind red velvet.

Why do they call it red velvet?

Red velvet cake got its name because it was so soft and fluffy that it looked like a red velvet dress (or so the story goes). The red color became popular around World War II when boiled red beet juice was used to sweeten cakes and add color. Now, we rely on food coloring to get that signature red.

What is the most popular waffle?

Belgian waffles are the most popular type of waffle around the world. The thick waffles can hold a lot of syrup in each square. The outside of a Belgian waffle is nice and crispy while the inside is fluffy and soft. My easy Belgian waffle recipe is absolutely perfect and a breakfast you must try.

More Sweet Breakfast Recipes

Red Velvet Waffles

Red velvet waffles are the perfect Christmas or Valentine's Day breakfast. They are rich, sweet, and surprisingly beautiful!
No ratings yet
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients  

Cream Cheese Glaze

  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • ½ cup cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Red Velvet Waffles

  • 2 cups Bisquick mix
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 30 drops red gel food coloring
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • Start by making the cream cheese glaze. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until soft and smooth. Add the powdered sugar then beat until; the mix is light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as you beat, making it lump free.
    4 tablespoons butter, softened, ½ cup cream cheese, softened, 1 cup powdered sugar
  • Mix in the milk and vanilla. Set the cream cheese glaze aside.
    ½ cup whole milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Preheat your waffle iron.
  • In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the Bisquick, brown sugar and cocoa powder.
    2 cups Bisquick mix, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Add the buttermilk, whole milk, food coloring, egg, melted butter and vanilla and whisk the waffle batter until smooth.
    1 cup buttermilk, ½ cup whole milk, 30 drops red gel food coloring, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 egg
  • Pour about ¾ cup of the red velvet batter into your hot waffle iron. Close the waffle iron and cook the waffle for about 4-5 minutes. Every waffle iron will be a little different in size and cooking time. Check your waffle iron guide to see if there are exact quantities of batter to use and time to cook. However, when the waffles are done, they will easily pull away from the waffle iron without sticking. They will be soft on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside and a little bit brown on the surface.
  • Drizzle some of the cream cheese glaze over the warm red velvet waffle and enjoy while hot.
  • Cook the remaining batter and serve the waffles as they come out of the waffle iron.

Notes

  • Add a little more milk to make the cream cheese glaze thinner or reduce the milk to only ¼ cup to make a thick, cream cheese frosting.
  • If you do not have buttermilk, mix 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into 1 cup of regular milk. It will curdle and thicken, giving you the taste and texture of buttermilk. 
  • Skip the brown sugar in the waffle recipe to make the waffles less sweet (the cream cheese glaze is quite sweet on its own).

Nutrition

Calories: 499kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 730mg | Potassium: 264mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 777IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @kasey_allthingsmamma or tag #allthingsmamma!

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About Kasey Schwartz

For over 15 years, Kasey Schwartz, the mastermind behind All Things Mamma, has been the ultimate go-to for mouthwatering family recipes. Her work has been featured on Today.com, Buzz Feed, Better Homes and Gardens, and more, making her your go-to mom next door for all things delicious and family-friendly.

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