Healthy waffles!
This is my favorite waffle recipe!
The light and fluffy texture of these healthy waffles makes an ideal canvas for fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream. Or peanut butter and mashed banana. Or pure maple syrup. Or ice cream and chocolate fudge sauce… and then more whipped cream. Why not?
Above, topped with jam, berries, and Homemade Whipped Cream.
It’s a whole-grain and healthy breakfast that’s easy to make and doesn’t taste like cardboard.
(I gave up buying frozen waffles years ago… frozen just does not compare to the taste of homemade waffles.)
Healthy Waffles
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup spelt flour (60g) (substitution: Gluten-Free Waffles Recipe)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/16 tsp pure stevia OR 2 tbsp liquid sweetener (like agave or pure maple syrup)
- 1 tbsp milk of choice (increase to 3 tbsp if using stevia)
- 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp applesauce
- 2 tsp oil OR 1 tbsp more applesauce (Use the applesauce if you want fat-free waffles.)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Healthy Waffles Recipe: Combine first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl, and stir well. In a separate bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Grease a waffle iron with oil or oil spray: be sure to grease very well if using the fat-free version. Preheat according to manufacturer’s instructions for your machine. Pour wet ingredients into dry, and stir until evenly combined. When iron is hot, pour half of the batter into the center of the iron, and close the lid. (My machine has a light that goes out when the waffle is done. Do not lift the lid before the waffle is done cooking.) Serve with your favorite waffle toppings – my homemade squirt whipped cream recipe is linked above the second photo in this post. Makes 2 waffles, and you can easily double the recipe.
Question of the Day:
Do you ever buy frozen waffles?
When I was really young, my mom used to buy Eggo waffles as something quick for us to eat before school. But I’d get so hungry by lunchtime that she soon switched to serving more-filling breakfasts like oatmeal or egg-and-cheese breakfast burritos. On the weekends when we had more time, she’d sometimes make us homemade waffles in a Bugs Bunny waffle iron. My favorite way to eat them was topped with a layer of strawberry jam, whatever berries we had on hand, and probably half the container of Reddi-wip. I guess not much has changed! Link of the Day:
Can’t believe how good these are for having no butter or eggs!
I used all-purpose white flour, 1% dairy milk, maple syrup, and only applesauce, no oil.
They are SO good. I was concerned that they would taste like apples because of all the applesauce (I don’t like apples) but they only have a slight hint of apple taste to them and I actually liked it!
I will definitely make these again. The only thing I’d do different is adjust the liquids a little bit because the waffles are very soft and I prefer crispy.
I made a double batch (although I only got 3 waffles) so I’ll be enjoying these again tomorrow!
Hi I made these today for breakfast only I didn’t have any apple sauce, so I used stewed gooseberries instead….they turned out great and so much healthier for you than store bought as you know exactly what goes in the recipe. I’m going to try a batch next with a teaspoon of ground ginger instead of the vanilla extract and see how they turn out. Thank you so much for the recipe and the inspiration xx
I replaced applesauce (didn’t have some at the time 🙂 ) with pumpkin puree (½ cup dehydrated + 2 cups hot water) and it made wonderful waffles.
Thank you so much! My breakfasts have been kind of bland lately and this definitely is a big help to me 🙂 I am so glad to have found you!
I have made these waffles and they came out so perfect and very yummy. I have been following your blog for couple of years. Your recipes never disappoint. Thanks Katie 🙂
I can’t seem to locate the print button for any of your recipes….HELP??!!
Thanks!
There’s no print button, but it’s still relatively easy to save and print Katie’s recipes. Highlight just the recipe itself, and right-click “Copy” (or “Command C” on a Mac); then open a new Word document and hit “Paste” (or “Command V”). You can name this document and save it in a CCK Recipe folder, and print it readily from there.
This recipe is FANTASTIC! I got a new waffle iron recently, and made Alton Brown’s “basic waffle” recipe yesterday for some friends. It was pretty good, but I knew it wasn’t going to be my go to recipe, especially since I know CCK is so good at making recipes that are healthy and delicious 🙂 this recipe did not disappoint! In fact, my boyfriend and I both preferred these waffles to Alton’s! The applesauce we used gave it such a nice, sweet, cinnamony flavor. You would never know these were spelt, either. Will be coming back to these waffles again and again.
These waffles look yummy! Would the recipe work okay in a Belgian waffle iron? We’ve had trouble in the past using regular waffle recipes–stick badly and gooey in the middle.
We do get frozen whole-wheat waffles. They make a great emergency meal with some turkey bacon. I just don’t consider them to be anything comparable to homemade waffles.
I made it in one, and it worked!
I just made this recipe, and the waffles were delicious!! It was my first-ever attempt at making waffles (I just bought my husband a waffle maker for Christmas), and we loved them! I used fresh-milled hard red flour, and it worked out great–hearty and filling! We also added cinnamon–yum! Thanks for the easy, healthy, and tasty recipe!!
Katie, I am so glad to get your site and use your recipes , so I am the owner of a new waffle iron and like to make some, but I do not like them soft ( not a fan of american pancakes) , so would it be alright to use water for the milk to make these waffles more crunchy? I am referring to something like Belgian waffles. Please help me out. My hubby loves sweets, and we have been vegans for at least 15 years, so you can imagine that I always look for something delicious and you are it. Love you, Kerstin
I am also curious if water in place of milk would make them crunchy? I love a crisp waffle from time to time.
These waffles were very delicious. I used almond milk, xylitol instead of the stevia/liquid sweetener, and applesauce in place of the oil. The batter was initially too thick, but adding some water to it solved that problem. Skeptical family members claimed that these were the best waffles they have ever had. Thanks for the recipe!
How much xylitol did you sub for the stevia?
Awesome recipe. I just made this recipe now, it made me 2 yummy waffles, TASTED AMAZING!!!
I just made these waffles.. I sub some flour for some protein powder for an extra-protein breakfast and they turned out amazing!!! Thank you 🙂 🙂
Can you make the batter in advance and store it in the fridge or freezer for later use? Will the consistency hold up?
Hi Katie!! My kids and myself love, love these waffles but please help me. I have been doing these waffles since 10/2014 and usually I quadruple the recipe bc I have a belgian waffle machine (which is very big) and we are 4 people at my house. Almost as a rule they stick on my waffle machine. I have tried to add more oil, more applesauce, more milk, etc with no luck. I have also made the recipe exactly as you have it, with the same measurements and still sticks. I will appreciate some tips. My kids love these waffles and I would like to continue making them without the frustration:(
According to America’s Test Kitchen, many recipes can’t be doubled or increased in size just by multiplying all the ingredients. Maybe this is where yours are running into problems? I’ve never had a problem with the single version sticking. But you could always try using a little oil to grease the machine too, maybe? Also maybe it just isn’t suitable for a belgian waffle maker? I use a regular waffle iron, which I think is much less deep.
I had to try my new waffle maker and made this one, it turned out perfect, so fluffy and nice. I had to replace half of apple sauce with whey since I ran out of them. I was wondering how it would be with the replacement, but it was a great surprise. Home made spelt waffle super healthy!!