These Vegan Sourdough Waffles are light, airy, crunchy on the outside, whole wheat, and absolutely divine. Serve with fruit or maple syrup for a delicious breakfast.
Here's a recipe for Vegan Sourdough Waffles so crisp on the outside, so fluffy on the inside and so delicious all around, you'll probably never want to make any other kind ever again.But first, here's something that's on my mind, as mom to a former outdoor cat (my sweetheart Billy) and to two ferals (Georgia and Cannoli) who come by to eat on our front stoop every day.
There's a new book out by a Smithsonian researcher and bird advocate who has, for a few years now, conducted a war on outdoor cats, and you've probably already heard about it or at least read reviews. I won't spend a dime buying a book that calls a cat a "cuddly killer," but I am angry enough to say something when a book calls on killing all outdoor cats "by any means necessary" because they hunt birds.
In our home, we love all animals. Desi and I often will ignore mice when they share our home, or -- if the problem gets acute -- we set out humane traps so we can trap the mice and set them free outdoors. Desi has rescued many mice from Billy and, before him, from Pubm, our calico hunter who loved to play with mice and eventually kill them. He also lovingly feeds the many birds that visit our backyard each day because who doesn't love birds?
We have never allowed our cats outside for their own safety -- cats do get run over by cars in urban areas -- and because it is true that they will kill birds. That would be fine if they depended on nature for their meals, but the fact is that house cats don't. Even so, instinct in animals is not easy to suppress: when a cat sees a mouse or a bird, that primal urge to stalk and kill kicks in. They can't avoid it any more than you and I can avoid reaching for that free donut at the morning meeting.
Billy was clearly an indoor-outdoor cat before we adopted him. He has a yearning for the outdoors and would escape when he got the chance, although he always came back. Now that we've gotten smarter about his ways, we are more successful at keeping him indoors. I can see it doesn't make him happy, but we have lots of windows with trees outside where he can sit and observe birds without sinking his teeth into them. Desi has also been thinking of building him a catio.
But for stray and feral cats, the solution is not so simple. These animals, no different from house cats, are either cats that once had people and ended up on the streets for some reason or the other, or they are cats who were born in the wild and are unsocialized. They live outdoors, and the outdoors comes with birds who, beautiful as they are, are natural prey for cats.
I agree that when a cat has a home, it is best to keep him or her indoors to avoid unnecessary harm to other wildlife. But calling for killing all outdoor cats because they hunt birds is a ridiculous and downright dumb argument. The Humane Society of the United States has a comprehensive statement on outdoor cats and reducing their populations humanely, through trap-neuter-return or TNR (we got Georgia spayed and Cannoli neutered early on, keeping the feral cat population in our neighborhood under control). It's a great way to bring about a balance without choosing one species of animal over the other.
Now back to those vegan sourdough waffles, I started another batch of sourdough a few weeks back after my old starter had been thoroughly neglected and then cleared out of the refrigerator to make room for other things. This time I made the starter the really old-fashioned way, with nothing but flour and water, following this recipe on the King Arthur Flour website. Everything went very well and I had a bubbling, happy sourdough starter within a week. The first thing I decided to make with it were these vegan Sourdough Waffles -- with whole wheat flour. They were so good, I've been making them every weekend since -- even more often, I think, than my delicious Whole Wheat Vegan Waffles
There's an alchemy that takes place when you add sourdough to baked goods. They become lighter, airier, and flavorful without becoming tangy, as you would expect (unless you add a ton of the sourdough, which you don't in these waffles). We also discussed the importance of probiotics and prebiotics in food and their effect on your overall health in a recent post: sourdough has a ton of those probiotic bacteria because it's fermented, while whole wheat provides the perfect prebiotic fiber for those bacteria to thrive on.
I loosely followed a recipe I found on the King Arthur website. It had eggs, buttermilk and butter, but I used my usual substitutes for a waffle that was spectacular.
In the beginning, when I made these waffles, I added a couple of tablespoons of oil to them, but I stopped after a while and they turn out just as delicious without the oil, so I've made it optional in the ingredients.
Try them!
Try these recipes next:
- Sourdough Skillet Pancake
- Sourdough English Muffins
- Vegan Sourdough Sticky Buns
- Mushrooms on Sourdough Toast, 15-minute Breakfast
- Whole Wheat Sourdough Ciabatta
- Vegan Eggless Sourdough Challah
- The Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread, Yeast-Free
Vegan Sourdough Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter (unfed or fed, either works)
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 cups nondairy milk
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoon flaxmeal + 6 tablespoon warm water, whisked)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil (optional)
Instructions
- Make the overnight sponge by mixing together the sourdough starter, whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, milk and vinegar in a very large bowl. The dough will expand by morning as all those good bacteria and yeast go to work, so make sure you have enough room in the bowl.
- In the morning, just before making your waffles, mix the baking soda, salt, oil, if using, and flax eggs into the overnight sponge.
- Use a ½ cup measure to pour the batter on a preheated waffle maker. Bake according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Serve hot with some fruit and maple syrup.
Apurva P
Can I use real eggs instead of flax eggs?
Vaishali
Yes.
Maggie
I mixed everything together and placed it in the fridge. In the morning I took it out of the fridge for a few hours and it came out great. Why do you suggest adding ingredients in the morning? Won’t it deflate?
Vaishali
Ingredients like baking soda are best used right before baking.
Melissa
Super good. No notes. I usually have to adjust just about every recipe I come across but this is great as is!
Vaishali
So happy to hear, Melissa.
Stacy
I made these this morning, and they turned out beautifully! I live in a cooler climate, so my house gets into the 60s at night. I used my medium mixing bowl, but set it on a cookie sheet in case I woke to a mess. The sponge definitely grew and was bubbly, but it still had room in the bowl. The finish was really nice - very crispy, light sourdough flavor. I'll definitely be making these again.
I have a 4x4 waffle iron (4 waffles, 4-5 in square), and it made 12. I plan to freeze some for toaster-waffles during the week.
Vaishali
So happy you loved the waffles, Stacy. And thanks for the feedback on the temps, number of waffles and size. Very helpful!
Vicki
Hi Vaishali, the recipe as written - does this make 10 Belgium waffles please? Also, it is now warm (74 degrees) here, the house will cool overnight, will it still be ok to leave this out on the counter overnight or do you suggest starting it on the counter and placing it in the fridge before going to bed? I could perhaps leave it out in the basement overnight which is much cooler. TIA
Vaishali
Hi Vicki, you can leave it at room temperature at 74 degrees, but if you have a very thriving sourdough starter it prob would be good to leave it in the cooler basement so it doesn't overflow. 🙂 How many waffles depends on the size of your waffle maker. When I make regular waffles with this batter I get about 10 large waffles. If your Belgian waffle maker makes large-size waffles, you'll prob get around 8.
Jenna
These are by far the best sourdough waffles I've tried. Leaving out the batter overnight really helps develop the flavor and texture of these waffles. Definitely a keeper recipe and I'll be making these often.
Vaishali
Awesome! So happy you love the waffles--leaving the batter overnight does make lighter waffles and is also nutritionally beneficial because it gives the probiotic bacteria a chance to bread down the carbs in the flour.
Ross
What can we substitite for flaxseed if we need to avoid seeds?
Could I use the amount of "ener-g" for two eggs?
Vaishali
I’ve made these without the flax meal and they turn out fine. No need for another egg substitute.
Barb Mueller
My sponge did not rise overnight. there are a few bubbles on edges. My discard was from a new stater that is slow in working, but no real growth. should I wait a day for more movement is sponge or will it be fine to use right now. Will the waffles rise while baking if I use the sponge as is with other ingredients added?
Vaishali
It will be fine after you add the other ingredients. Go ahead and make the waffles.
Janice
Are these waffles crispy?
Vaishali
Depends on what setting you bake the. On a lower setting they’ll be soft, higher they will be crispy.
Wendy
7+ yrs vegan. Recently found wheat causes my ankles to swell. Is there another grain that will work, both for starter and in your recipe? Chick pea? Some sort of mix w less wheat? I follow No SOFAS so all minimally processed/whole foods, no white sugar, flour, rice. No bottled oils. I make my own flours in my vitamix.
Sarah
Is it safe to eat during pregnancy, as the almond milk has been left out overnight? I am nervous about food borne illness.
Vaishali
Hi Sarah, I am not qualified to answer that question. You'll prob have to consult with a nutritionist or doctor.