Desi loves waffles and after going vegan I set out to make the tastiest vegan waffles ever. These waffles are that and more! They are crispy on the outside and tender and fluffy on the inside. They taste so good, in fact, that even if you are not vegan you might find that you prefer these. The vegan waffles are also really easy to make, and quite foolproof. It takes under 10 minutes to put 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 vegan 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.
Fluffy, tender vegan waffles, and they can be healthy!
These vegan waffles are delicious, guaranteed to be the best vegan waffles – or any waffles – you’ve ever eaten. You can make them wholegrain, and filled with other good-for-you ingredients like flax meal and vegan yogurt or applesauce. One-bowl recipe. There’s no separate mixing of wet ingredients and dry ingredients and you need just nine ingredients. The batter comes together in 10 minutes. Foolproof. You don’t need any expertise to make these vegan waffles–just mix up the batter and you are set. This recipe will work for both regular waffles or for thick Belgian waffles. Flavor them as you please! 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). 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).
How to make vegan waffles
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.
More vegan waffle recipes
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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.
For an extra indulgent breakfast or brunch top the waffles with vegan vanilla ice cream!
