Classic Vegan Waffle Recipes
Are you looking for classic vegan waffle recipes that are delicious and easy to make? Check out our recipes for making fluffy, crispy, and tasty vegan waffles.
Whether eaten with syrup, a fresh fruit topping, or nuts, waffles are one of America’s favorite breakfast items. They are one of my favorites, too.
This crisp and fluffy delight has been a go-to for many years and is sure to be in the future. Fortunately, you can also make waffles dairy-free and vegan without compromising their fluffy texture and crispiness.
Our classic vegan waffle recipes ensure that you maintain a healthy diet while enjoying a delicious breakfast. They’re so light, fluffy, and crispy – no one can tell they’re dairy-free. Plus, you can relish them with your favorite toppings.
What Are Vegan Waffles?
Waffles are traditionally made with eggs and dairy. However, you can substitute them with non-dairy products and still produce great-tasting and crispy waffles.
Vegan waffles are typically eggless and made with plant-based milk, such as almond, coconut, oat, rice, or soy milk.
I find almond milk, especially, to be very versatile and nutritious. Therefore, it can be used in most vegan or non-vegan waffle recipes.
These egg and dairy-free waffle recipes are super easy to prepare. It takes about 15 minutes. In addition, you can double most of the recipes if a larger batch of waffles is desired.
Vegan Waffle Ingredients and Substitutes
The ingredients for making vegan waffles are often similar to those for regular waffles, except for the omitting of eggs and using plant-based, or non-dairy milk.
Also, some waffle recipes call for oil or butter. With vegan waffles, a non-dairy or plant-based substitute is used. Here are the essential ingredients needed for vegan waffle recipes:
- Flour: You can use any flour of your choice, whether regular all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, spelt flour, oat flour, corn flour, or gluten-free flour. Each of them works well. However, there can be a difference in taste and absorbency level.
- Baking Powder: Gives your waffles a slight rise, making them light on the inside and crispy outside. Alternatively, you can use baking soda, especially when making gluten-free waffles. Some recipes include a combination of both baking powder and baking soda.
- Oil or Melted Vegan Butter: Any cooking oil will do, but light-flavored ones are preferable. Canola oil (preferably organic) and vegetable oil are the most popular oils to use for waffles. Melted dairy-free butter is also a great substitute for oil in vegan waffles.
- Applesauce: You can replace the oil with applesauce if you prefer oil-free waffles, or a healthier option. However, they may not be as crispy as the ones made with oil.
- Non-dairy Milk: Most dairy-free milks work well in vegan waffles. But if you want one that’ll give nearly the same results as dairy milk, go for soy or almond milk. My favorite is almond milk.
- Sugar: You can use regular granulated sugar, unrefined cane sugar, coconut sugar, or brown sugar.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla is a popular go-to choice of flavoring for vegan waffles. But there are other extracts, such as almond extract or other flavors; that you can experiment with.
- Corn Starch: This is an optional ingredient, but I love it because it adds crispness to my vegan waffles. Usually a tablespoon should do in most vegan recipes. Though I would add a little more if you’re making a large amount of waffles.
- Waffle Maker: There are several brands and sizes of waffle makers to choose from. I use a mini waffle maker by Dash. Or you can just use a regular size waffle maker. You can use a grill pan if you don’t have a waffle maker.
Top Vegan Waffle Recipes
Now that you know all the ingredients you need to make our classic vegan waffle recipes, it’s time to show you our top ones.
Each recipe offers a unique and delightful taste, and I’m sure you’ll love to try them. Leave a comment to tell me about your experience trying them out. Here are our top vegan waffle recipes.
1. Simple Classic Vegan Waffles
If you’re looking for a vegan waffle recipe that’s quick and easy yet delicious, this simple classic vegan waffle is for you. This recipe yields incredibly scrumptious and fluffy waffles in no time.
Preparing the batter takes about 10 – 15 minutes at most. Moreover, you only need one large mixing bowl to whip up this culinary delight. And if you bake often, you already have most of the necessary ingredients for this recipe.
You can also try this recipe even if you’re not vegan; you only need to swap the vegan ingredients for non-vegan ones, and you’re good to go.
2. Decadent Vegan Chocolate Cornbread Waffles
If you love cornbread as much as I do, you’ll love this decadent chocolate cornbread waffle recipe. And if you’re a chocolate fan, that’s even better! These cornbread waffles offer the best of both worlds. You’ll relish it and add it to your list of favorite waffle recipes.
I love cornbread because it’s delicious and easy to make; and of course I enjoy chocolate, too. So, I decided to combine my favorite items into waffles. To my delight, the outcome was incredibly rich, fluffy waffles filled with chocolate goodness!
In addition, these waffles are lower in fat, making them a healthy breakfast option. The best way to enjoy them is with pure maple syrup and a little butter (or any of your favorite waffle toppings).
3. Vegan Banana Waffles
These vegan banana waffles taste incredibly good! Plus, they’re easy to prepare. Preparing the batter takes about 15 minutes, and your waffles cook in 10 minutes. You only need one large bowl and a few ingredients to whip up these vegan banana waffles.
You probably already have all the ingredients you need at home. I used unsweetened applesauce instead of oil for a healthier element in this recipe, and totally loved the result. If you prefer, you can use oil instead of the applesauce.
And if you’re not vegan, no worries! You can easily adapt this recipe. Just swap the dairy-free milk for regular milk, and you’re all set.
4. Dairy-Free Chocolate and Oats Waffles
Chocolate and oats together? Oh yes! Instead of plain chocolate waffles, throw some oats into your mix, like I did, to create this unique and healthy waffle recipe.
I used quick-cooking oats in this dairy-free waffles recipe, and the outcome was super delicious, fluffy, and chocolatey waffles.
It is a fast-cooking recipe (it cooks in about 5 minutes), and you only need simple ingredients to recreate it. And once you’ve tried this recipe, you’ll never make chocolate waffles any other way.
To relish this breakfast recipe, eat it with maple syrup and a little butter, or a dash of whipped cream and fresh strawberry toppings.
Vegan Waffle Add-ins and Toppings
Plain vegan waffles are great, but waffles with add-ins create a memorable breakfast, brunch, or even dessert experience. You can make unique vegan waffle batter by including any of these delightful add-ins:
- Blueberries: Either fresh or frozen blueberries works well. Just remember to add the blueberries while they’re still frozen solid. This helps to help prevent any discoloration of the batter.
- Dairy-free chocolate chips
- Cinnamon
- Almond or peanut butter
- Pumpkin spice
- Mashed banana: A natural source of sweetness.
- Strawberries: As with blueberries, you can use fresh or frozen strawberries in your waffle batter if you wish. If using frozen, add while they’re still frozen solid to avoid discoloration of the batter.
Toppings
You’ll agree that toppings make waffles more enjoyable. And when it comes to waffle toppings, there are many great options, depending on your preference. My best vegan waffle toppings are:
- Cinnamon: A sprinkle of cinnamon on your waffles enhances its appeal
- Cream and Yogurt: Enjoy your waffles with a dash of whipped cream, lemon curd, cream frosting, soy yogurt, or coconut yogurt.
- Fresh fruit: Bananas and berries are great toppings for vegan waffles. You can also use blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries.
- Jam and Spread: Your favorite fruit jam, apple sauce, vegan Nutella, or other vegan spread.
- Nut or Seed Butter: Melted vegan butter, almond butter, cashew butter, coconut butter, peanut butter, or sunflower butter.
- Nuts, Seeds and Chocolate Chips: Your favorite nuts or seeds, whether chia seeds, sliced almonds, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, pecans, and peanuts. Some other popular waffle toppings include raisins, dates, vegan chocolate chips and also shredded coconut.
- Syrup: Syrups are my favorite toppings for waffles, especially pure maple syrup. Other great options are agave syrup, banana syrup, coconut nectar, brown rice syrup, sugar-free Monk fruit syrup, or vegan caramel sauce.
Tips For Making Great Waffles
Here are some simple tips that help me make the tastiest and fluffiest waffles.
- Mix your batter well: Ensure that all the ingredients are well combined. Your batter should be mostly smooth. Some tiny lumps will remain, which is normal. Avoid over-beating or over-mixing the batter..
- Your batter should not be too thick or too thin: Add a little water if it’s too thick. Waffle batter should be lighter than that of pancake batter, but not too thin. Add a spoon or two of flour if it’s too thin.
- Preheat your waffle maker: Preheating is a vital baking rule, and your waffle maker is no exception. Preheat for 10 to 15 mins while mixing your batter; this will help give your waffles that golden brown look. Most of all, by preheating your waffle maker; you’re able to cook your waffles straightaway.
- Always grease your waffle maker: This helps ensure your waffles do not stick to the iron. Even if you use a non-stick waffle iron, it’s safer to grease the pan before cooking.
- Store in a warm oven: If you’re not ready to serve them immediately, store your waffles in a warm oven until you’re ready to serve them. It will help maintain its freshness and crispiness.
Storing Waffles
You can store leftover waffles in the refrigerator for up to seven days, though I wouldn’t recommend that long. The fresher the better, right?
The least I would recommend keeping leftover waffles in the fridge, would be 2-3 days. Simply put them in a sealed container or wrap them individually. Warm them in a toaster whenever you’re ready to eat them.
If you prefer to cook in large batches, probably because you don’t have time to cook frequently, you can store waffles in the freezer for two – three months.
Warm the frozen waffles in a toaster until crispy for a single serving. Warm larger batches in an oven preheated to about 350 degrees for ten to fifteen minutes on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Make Waffles Without Oil?
Yes, you can make vegan waffles without oil. Simply substitute the oil for unsweetened applesauce or melted non dairy butter, if you prefer.
How Can I Preserve Excess Waffle Batter?
If you made more batter than you need for your waffles, you can store the batter in a refrigerator for three to four days. Alternatively, you can use all the batter and refrigerate or freeze the excess waffles.
Can I Eat Waffles On a Vegan Diet?
Yes, you can absolutely eat waffles on a vegan diet. Simply omit eggs from your recipe and replace dairy milk with plant-based milk.
If a waffle recipe calls for any other dairy product, there’s usually a non-dairy alternative available nowadays.
What Are the Ingredients I Need to Make Vegan Waffles?
You only need five essential ingredients for a simple classic vegan waffle recipe. Flour, non-dairy milk, oil, baking powder and/or baking soda, and sugar are all you need.
What Add-Ins Can I Include in My Vegan Waffle Batter?
You can include any add-in you like, whether fresh or frozen berries, non-dairy chocolate chips, bananas, pumpkin spice, almond butter, or peanut butter. Or experiment with trying something new.
Other Vegan Breakfast Recipes
Let me know if you’ve tried these delicious vegan waffle recipes. And while I’m waiting for your response, here are other of my delectable vegan breakfast recipes you can try.