Serve these vegan waffles with a glug of maple syrup for a delicious breakfast treat!
These classic vegan waffles, whole-wheat and made entirely with pantry ingredients, are our go-to for an easy, delicious and healthy breakfast on weekends. They are light and fluffy, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You can stir all sorts of delicious goodies into the one-bowl, eight-ingredient batter to change up the flavors. A soy-free and nut-free recipe.
One of the first breakfast recipes I veganized--and shared with you 12 years ago--was for these classic vegan waffles. Desi loves waffles and after going vegan I set out to make the tastiest, easiest, HEALTHIEST vegan waffles ever.
I succeeded, and how. These eggless, dairy-free waffles are a delight to eat. They are crispy on the outside and tender and fluffy on the inside. They taste so good, in fact, that even if you still eat dairy products and eggs, you might find that you prefer these.
These waffles are also really easy to make, and quite foolproof. It takes under 10 minutes to whisk the ingredients together in one bowl. They don't need any added oil (although I advise oiling the waffle maker plates or spraying them with oil before adding the batter, even if your waffler is non-stick).
The great thing about this waffle batter is that it is so versatile. You can add into it all sorts of fruits and flavorings (more on that later) to please every picky eater you are cooking for. And it will give you, and them, the perfect healthy start for the weekend.
Why you'll love these Vegan Waffles
- They're delicious, guaranteed to be the best vegan waffles -- or any waffles -- you've ever eaten.
- They are wholegrain, and filled with other good-for-you ingredients like flaxmeal and vegan yogurt or applesauce.
- They are one-bowl. No separate mixing of wet ingredients and dry ingredients.
- They need just nine ingredients, including salt.
- The batter takes under 10 minutes to make, and with a good waffle maker you should need no more than 20 more minutes to cook 'em up.
- They are foolproof. You don't need any expertise to make these--just mix it all up and you are set.
- You can vary the thickness. This recipe will work for both regular waffles or for thick Belgian waffles.
- You can flavor them to your liking. Make these more interesting each time you make them by mixing in different flavors and ingredients (more on that in the additions and substitutions section below).
- You can use the waffle batter to make pancakes! If you don't have a waffle maker, you can make pancakes with this same batter! (Although I have a great recipe for classic vegan pancakes here you might want to check out).
Ingredients for Vegan Waffles
- Whole wheat pastry flour (or a mix of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour). Whole wheat pastry flour makes delicious waffles and pancakes that are also good for you, and give you a healthy start to the day. I rarely use white flour anymore to make waffles or pancakes, but if you don't have acccess to whole wheat pastry flour or don't want to use it, you can substitute with a half-half mix of all purpose flour and regular whole wheat flour.
- Baking powder: for leavening and making your waffles all fluffy and crispy. I also use the next ingredient on the list, which is baking soda, for more leavening and lift because we have acidic ingredients--apple cider vinegar and yogurt--on the list.
- Baking soda. You need just a small amount in this recipe but it really helps make these waffles crispy and fluffy.
- Salt
- Nondairy milk: I use oat milk or almond milk usually, but any nondairy milk is great in these vegan waffles.
- Apple cider vinegar: Or use any other vinegar, whatever you have on hand. White vinegar and balsamic vinegar both work.
- Vegan yogurt (or applesauce): Yogurt makes the fluffiest and most tender waffles, and I love stirring some in. But if you don't want to use it, you can substitute an equal quantity of applesauce.
- Flaxmeal: Flaxmeal adds nuttiness and healthfulness to the waffles, and it works as a binder in this recipe, pulling the other ingredients together. You don't have to go to the trouble of making flax eggs separately by mixing the flaxmeal and water beforehand--just dump the flaxmeal along with other ingredients into the bowl. You can also make these vegan waffles without flaxmeal or stir a tablespoon of chia seeds into the batter.
- Cooking spray or vegetable oil: There is no oil in the batter, but I added it here as you need to brush or spray on some oil or cooking spray on the waffle plates to ensure the waffles don't stick.
How to make vegan waffles from scratch
These vegan waffles will make you look like an expert cook, but even if you're a beginner in the kitchen you can easily master this simple recipe. Here's what you need to do:
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl -- this includes the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Dump in the rest of the ingredients and mix them with a whisk or preferably a spatula until everything's moistened and there is no dry flour visible. Don't overmix-- you don't want to encourage gluten to form, which would make the waffles chewy rather than crispy. Some lumps in the batter are fine.
- Heat a waffle iron and just before you bake the waffle spray the waffle plates with a bit of cooking spray. Alternatively you can brush on some oil. This will make it far easier to pop the waffles out of the waffle iron and it will also make for easy cleanup later.
- Add batter according to the size of the waffle maker you have. I use a half cup measure for my regular six-inch waffle maker, and a cup for my Belgian waffle maker. Pour enough batter so it is almost but not quite all the way to the edges. This is because the batter will spread because of the weight of the lid when you close the waffle maker. If you add too much batter it could overflow!
- Choose the right heat setting. Waffle makers of different brands have different settings. I have Cuisinart waffle makers for both regular and Belgian waffles and I set both to level 3 (out of 5) for most waffles. You can choose a higher setting for a crisper waffle and a lower setting for softer waffles.
- Close the lid and wait for the green indicator light to turn on before trying to remove the waffles. If they don't release easily with a slight nudge of a spoon or fork close the lid and let them go a bit longer.
Additions, substitutions and toppings
One of the funnest things about waffles and pancakes is that you can add to them all sorts of ingredients. These include berries or bananas and even veggies like pumpkin and sweet potatoes. The sugar in some fruits might cause the waffles to brown faster or stick, so keep an eye out. Coat the plates with oil or cooking spray before adding the batter. You can also adjust cooking time down if needed so they don't brown excessively.
- Berries: Stir in a cup of any berry (chop larger berries like strawberry)
- Bananas: You can replace the yogurt/applesauce with pureed bananas. Use one banana for one recipe of waffles. The sugars in bananas tend to brown fast so you might want to lower the cooking time.
- Pumpkin or sweet potatoes: One cup of either, cooked and mashed, of course. Canned versions of either veggie will work just fine. You can skip the yogurt and add more milk if needed to get the batter to the right consistency.
- Nuts: Add half a cup of chopped, lightly toasted nuts like pecans or walnuts to the waffle batter.
- Chocolate chips: Miniature chocolate chips would work best. Stir in half a cup. Or stir in ¼ cup cocoa powder into the batter.
- Lemon zest and juice: Replace a quarter of a cup of the milk with lemon juice and add the zest of a lemon for lemony waffles.
- Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, all make great additions to the waffles, especially in winter. You can combine more than one spice--cinnamon and nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger, cardamom and nutmeg--it's all good. Add no more than a teaspoon to two teaspoons, no other adjustments needed.
FAQs and expert tips
Yes, absolutely. Mix the dry ingredients and you can store them in a jar for weeks. You can also make a large batch and pull out whatever you need when the mood for waffles strikes!
Because we are adding baking soda and baking powder to this recipe as the leavening, you do need to bake your waffles soon after making the batter. What you can do is bake the remaning waffles you will not eat now and freeze them.
If you want to make the waffles ahead of time, bake them according to instructions, then flash freeze them by placing them side by side on a baking sheet and leaving in the freezer. Once they are frozen, place them in a freezer bag of freezer-safe air-tight container and freeze for up to three months.
This recipe should be a cinch, especially if you remember to spray or oil the waffle maker plates before adding the batter and cook until the indicator light goes off. If your waffles stuck to the plates however, it could be because you did not give them enough time to cook. Or try turning the heat up.
You also need to make sure that there are no debris in your waffle maker from the last time you made waffles. Most waffle makers plates can't be washed under running water, so you need to make sure, each time you use your waffle maker, to wipe it out thoroughly once its cool and before you store it away. Old debris will cause your new waffle to stick, and as helpful as cooking spray is, it does build up on the plates.
A thinner waffle batter is also more likely to cause waffles to stick. This recipe should give you the perfect consistency, but weather and other atmospheric factors can always mess around with the moisture level in baked goods. If you find the batter is too runny, try adding in ¼ cup more flour, or use less liquid the next time.
All you really need with these vegan waffles is a drizzle of maple syrup. But if you want to be extra indulgent, add a dollop of vegan whipped cream and/or sliced bananas or berries.
Related recipes
- Vegan Sourdough Waffles
- Vegan Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Waffles
- Vegan Gluten-Free Waffles with Brown Rice and Buckwheat
- Vegan Gluten-Free Sourdough Waffles
- Vegan Raspberry White Chocolate Waffles
Vegan Waffles
Equipment
- Waffle maker
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour (unbleached all purpose flour is a fine substitute. Or use half whole wheat flour and half APF)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups nondairy milk (or any nondairy milk)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon flaxmeal
- ½ cup vegan yogurt (replace with ¼ cup applesauce and ¼ cup more milk)
- Cooking spray or vegetable oil (for spraying on the wafflemaker plates)
For serving
- Fruit (berries, bananas, peaches, plums are all great toppings for waffles)
- Maple syrup
Instructions
- Whisk the dry ingredients -- flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt -- in a large bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix until everything's moistened and there is no dry flour visible, but don't overmix. Some lumps are fine.
- Heat a waffle iron and spray with cooking spray or brush on oil.
- Add batter according to the size of the waffle maker you have. I use a half cup measure for my regular six-inch waffle maker, and a cup for my Belgian waffle maker. Pour enough batter so it is almost but not quite all the way to the edges. This is because the batter will spread because of the weight of the lid when you close the waffle maker. If you add too much batter it could overflow!
- Choose the right heat setting. Waffle makers of different brands have different settings. I have Cuisinart waffle makers for both regular and Belgian waffles and I set both to level 3 (out of 5) for most waffles. You can choose a higher setting for a crisper waffle and a lower setting for softer waffles.
- Close the lid and wait for the green indicator light to turn on before trying to remove the waffles. If they don't release easily with a slight nudge of a spoon or fork close the lid and let them go a bit longer.
Recipe notes
- All purpose flour will yield lighter color waffles. The whole wheat pastry flour gives waffles that are just as crispy and fluffy as the ones you'd get with all purpose flour, but with a nuttier taste.
- To cut down on prep time, you can make the dry mix ahead of time and add the wet ingredients when you are ready to make waffles.
- If you choose to make all of your waffles at once and have leftovers, just refrigerate or freeze them and reheat before eating.
- Always spray the waffle iron plates with cooking spray to make unmolding the waffles--and cleanup--easier.
- Add berries, bananas, chocolate chips and lemon or orange juice to flavor your waffles, among other additions. Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom are lovely in waffles too.
Maria
These are the most amazing waffles ever. I make them at least a couple of times each month and we always gobble them down. Love the healthy option.
Vaishali
Aww, so lovely to hear!
Liz Taylor
There is no baking soda in the recipe as written. Can you please correct that and add the amount of baking soda.
Vaishali
Oops, prob dropped it during a revision. Thanks for pointing out and added--1/2 teaspoon!
Merv
Wow, I am so glad I found your website and your recipe. Delicious, easy, light, fluffy, and so delicious. I doubled the recipe and made 8 Belgian waffles in my new maker. Used applesauce instead of vegan yogurt. Wow. Couldn't wait to make them and so I didn't read further in your post about add-ins. Now, I can't wait to make a new batch with some extra goodness.
Vaishali
So happy to hear you enjoyed them!
Kristina
Would recommend making a mix in advance to speed the prep and cooking effort on a busy morning. Would make in a food processor with addition of oatmeal ground to a fine tiny flake. All the make a cup at a time as the King Arthur recipe does. I am not vegan but easy enough to leave out the egg, subst other liquids. I keep a bag of the mix in the freezer with simple instructions for 1 cup of the mix. Nothing wrong with adding sunflower oil/1Tb/ cup of mix
Vaishali
Thanks for the tips, Kristina.
Shobhana
Hi Vaishali, can I use ‘atta’ fir whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe?
Vaishali
Yes, absolutely!
Jenna
I realize this is an old post, but I wanted to ask if you've ever tried freezing extras and reheating? My daughters love Eggos and I'd like to wean them off with something like this 🙂 Thanks!
Vaishali
Hi Jenna, you can certainly freeze the extras and reheat.
Pranitha Kalasa
hi vaishali this recipe is brilliant. Just wanted to know is it ok to skip apple sauce. i don't want fruit taste in my waffle would u suggest for the same. Thanks in advance
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Pranitha, the applesauce makes the waffles tender, which is great. If it helps, you can't taste the fruit at all. You might substitute with an equal amount of vegan yogurt if you'd rather not use it.
Lakshmi Udhaya Kumar
Hi Vaishali..We r a pure vegetarian. Today i saw ur website and was very happy. I will try ur recipes for sure. I have a doubt. I have 3 yr old daughter and she loves pancakes. Iam not sure whether i can give her baking powder or baking soda. Is there any substitue for that? Thanks in advance. Keep going
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Lakshmi, welcome to Holy Cow! I know baking soda in large quantities can be toxic to toddlers, and there isn't a whole lot in these waffles once you divide it among the various servings, but even so, this is not something I can safely advise on since I'm not an expert. As for a substitute, I am not aware of anything that can replace these ingredients and have the same leavening effect, but you could just leave it out? The waffles will likely be dense though. Another possibility is to use yeast, in a recipe like this one. Leave out the baking soda.
Prema
Vaishali,
I want to try this. Any substitute for applesauce?
Enjoying your recipes. Will try all of them
One be one.
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Prema, you can mash up bananas and use instead-- use the same quantity as the applesauce. In fact, any fruit puree might work, but they will also add their own flavor to the waffles. Banana waffles would taste great. Cheers.
Prema
Oh, great!
Thank you. Your website is a god-send!
Anusha
Made it today with almond chocolate milk instead of soy, light olive oil and some chocolate chips thrown in. Yum ! My son loved it ! Thanks for a great recipe !!!
Vaishali
Hi Anusha, chocolate would makes these even more amazing. Great idea, and so glad your son loved these waffles! 🙂
Unknown
OMG! This was absolutely delicious! I used the applesauce/sugar trick and since I was using sweeter apples, i used a scant 3/4 cup sugar in the raw. This is a keeper. Thank you!
Thamarai
Hi Vaishali, how many waffles does this quantity make?
Vaishali
Depends on the size of your waffle-maker. If you use the regular-sized waffle-maker that makes two square four-inch waffles, it'd make around 10. If you used a Belgian waffle maker that makes thick waffles, you'd get around six or eight at best.
Yes!SunglassesOnBabies
I love adding bananas to my waffles in lieu of apple sauce...I LOVE bananas, so this makes them tasty and filling for me 🙂
nsanfro
This was delicious! My daughter is vegan and my sons not, so I've been searching for a recipe that would please all. This one definitely lived up to its promise. (I didn't have pastry flour so I substituted for 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 bread flour.)
YUMM!
Anonymous
Great recipe! I didn't have apple sauce, so I used a banana. It worked great! Esp. with the chocolate chips. Thanks!
Another Gluten Free Vegan
Thanks for your site, a real pleasure!
I recently acquired a waffle iron after years of hankering and started making GF waffles. Had excellent luck till I tried fermenting the batter overnight. And then they stuck and I spent an hour cleaning the iron. I used the remaining mixture to make pancakes, and in a greased cast-iron pan they cooked just fine and could be flipped easily.
To the commenter who had no joy making her pancakes GF and egg free, I can only suggest trying out different recipes and if possible always cook them in a greased cast-iron frypan. (Spray-on oil works well on the cast iron)
If you want them to be lighter, try adding a bit more raising agent and using a GF flour mix which is a mix of 1/2 starches and 1/2 flours and has some good binding agents such as guar gum (or xanthum) and egg replacers. Using soaked ground flax seed will make them heavier though they'll hold together well. I prefer to make up my own GF flour mixes rather than purchase commercial readymade.
There are some very good recipes for GF flour mixes.... worth Googling for.
Hope this helps.
Anonymous
Thanks for the recipe, It came out very well . YUMMY
I Am Gluten Free
I've had very little luck with gluten free egg-free pancakes. Do you have any suggestions?
zerbert
I have had a really hard time with vegan waffles, as they always stick to the pan, usually on both sides, splitting completely apart. I've finally bought some applesauce and can't wait to try these!
Anonymous
These were absolutely delicious! 🙂 My kids actually said they tasted way better than "regular" waffles (and I didn't tell them that I was trying a better recipe!) Thank you, thank you!!! 🙂