How to make vegan waffles

Waffles aren’t traditionally vegan friendly, but thankfully they’re one of the easiest recipes out there to veganise. 

This recipe is extremely simple and doesn’t contain any unusual ingredients.  No egg replacer, aquafaba or nutritional yeast in sight here - just plain, store cupboard ingredients that you probably already have.

These vegan waffles also don’t contain banana. Although mashed banana is sometimes used in vegan waffles I prefer these ones which have a crispier outside and don’t taste of banana.

Waffles are one of my favourite weekend breakfasts.

They don’t take long to make and there’s less hands-on cooking time than there is with say pancakes or French toast.

Leaving me with more time to make coffee! Priorities, right!

Contents

Head straight to the recipe for vegan waffles

1. What are vegan waffles made from?
2. What is the difference between a waffle and a Belgian waffle?
3. What kind of flour is best for waffles?
4. What kind of sugar is used in waffles?
5. Do you need to rest the batter before making waffles?
6. Are vegan waffles easy to make?
7. What ingredients do you need to make vegan waffles?
8. Do you need any special equipment to make waffles?
9. What kind of waffle maker is best to make waffles?
10. How much batter to add to your waffle iron?
11. How do you know when your waffles are done?
12. What to serve with vegan waffles
13. Variations
14. Can you freeze vegan waffles?
15. Tips for perfect waffles
16. More recipes you might like
17. Step-by-step instructions
18. Vegan waffles printable recipe card

1. What are vegan waffles made from?

Traditional waffles are made from flour, milk and eggs.

To make these vegan waffles I’ve replaced the milk with oat milk and omitted the eggs.

To help the waffles to rise I’ve used a combination of apple cider vinegar and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).

See full ingredients list.

2. What is the difference between a waffle and a Belgian waffle?

At first glance they might appear to be exactly the same. 

However, there are some subtle differences. A traditional Belgian waffle is made with yeast, whereas a regular, or American waffle, will use baking powder as a raising agent.

Belgian waffles are often deeper than regular waffles, with larger squares. This is due to the design of the waffle iron.

4. What kind of sugar is used in waffles?

I don’t always add sugar to my waffles but if I do I use caster sugar (superfine sugar).

However, traditional Belgian waffles (sometimes called Liege waffles) are sometimes made with pearl sugar*.

This kind of sugar doesn’t melt at the same rate as caster sugar and so leaves you with sweet lumps of sugar in your waffles.

5. Do you need to rest the batter before making waffles?

It’s a good idea to let this vegan waffle batter rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before making your waffles.

However, this isn’t essential if time is short.

Of course if you were making traditional yeasted waffles you would need to let your batter rest so it can rise - using baking powder instead makes this a short process.

6. Are vegan waffles easy to make?

Yes, these waffles are very easy to make.

In fact one of the reasons I love waffles so much is that there’s much less hands-on time than making pancakes or crepes. 

Simply whisk together the dry ingredients, add the vinegar to the milk, mix the two together, add some oil and cook on your pre-heated waffle iron.

7. What ingredients do you need to make vegan waffles?

For full recipe including ingredients list, quantities and method please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

To make your vegan waffles you will need the following ingredients:

• 300g plain (all-purpose) flour - see note above about using other types of flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 500ml oat milk, or other plant-based milk - avoid using tinned coconut milk, almond milk or soya milk works well.
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or white wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar, optional
• Pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or melted coconut oil/vegan butter

8. Do you need any special equipment to make waffles?

To make your vegan waffles you will need:

• Weighing scales - I prefer digital*
• Jug*
• Measuring spoons*
• Sieve*
• Mixing bowl*
• Whisk*
• Waffle maker*

9. What kind of waffle maker is best to make waffles?

The kind of waffle maker/waffle iron you use comes down to personal choice.

I have an electric Von Shef waffle maker that makes four rectangular waffles at once. I like this one because it heats up quickly, doesn’t stick and is relatively easy to clean (unless you overfill it and batter spills out).

However, it does take up a fair amount of space in the cupboard so you may prefer a slightly smaller waffle iron that only makes two at a time.*

You can also get round waffle irons* that make wedge shaped waffles and heart-shaped waffle irons*.

And of course, if you don’t want an electric waffle iron for whatever reason then you can also get stove top waffle irons.

10. How much batter to add to your waffle iron?

This will depend to an extent on your waffle iron’s size and depth.

I usually use a ¼ cup measure (60ml) which is the perfect amount of batter for each waffle.

11. How do you know when your waffles are done?

As your waffles are cooking steam will come out of the waffle iron.

As tempting as it is to check on them you’ll get the best results if you don’t open your waffle maker until the steam has stopped.

12. What to serve with vegan waffles

There are so many delicious toppings that you can serve with waffles. 

Breakfast/brunch waffle toppings

• vegan bacon - either shop bought or try tempeh “bacon”, coconut bacon or even banana peel bacon
• maple syrup
• blueberries
• berry chia jam
• raspberries
• sliced banana
• chocolate hummus
• yoghurt and crunchy granola
• nut butter

Dessert waffle toppings

• vegan whipped cream and strawberries
• chocolate spread
• ice cream - for a healthier version try banana “nice” cream 
• salted caramel sauce
• cinnamon sauce

14. Can you freeze vegan waffles?

Yes, you can absolute freeze your waffles. In fact they are perfect for batch cooking and freezing and I have no idea why more people don’t do this.

If you have left over waffles - or perhaps make extras for this purpose - simply flash freeze (freeze on a tray) for an hour, then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Remember to label and date your frozen waffles.

Then when you’re ready to eat simply post in the toaster (you can do this from frozen) and toast until warmed through. This also helps to restore the crispiness to any waffles that may have gone a little soft.

15. Tips for perfect waffles

• Check your ingredients are in date - you don’t want to use inactive baking powder/bicarbonate of soda.
• Be gentle with your mixing - don’t over mix.
• Use room temperature ingredients - if your oat milk has been in the fridge let it come up to room temperature before making this recipe.
• Sift your flour and raising agents together to help get light and fluffy waffles.
• Preheat your waffle iron AND lightly brush it with oil.

16. More recipes you might like

• Pumpkin waffles
• Easy vegan pancakes
• Banana and peanut butter pancakes
• Vegan crepes

See more breakfast and brunch ideas.

How to make vegan waffles

For full recipe including ingredients list, quantities and method please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. Add 500ml plant-based milk (I use oat milk) to a jug and add a tablespoon of cider vinegar. Stir briefly and set aside.

2. Sift 300g plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt together into a mixing bowl. Add a teaspoon of caster sugar if using and whisk together.

3. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and whisk together.

4. Add 2 tablespoons sunflower oil and whisk in. If you have time set aside to rest for 30 minutes. Grease and preheat your waffle iron.

5. Add a spoonful of batter to each section. Close the waffle iron and cook for several minutes (check the instructions for your waffle maker for more specific timings) until the steam has stopped.

6. When golden brown and easy to remove from the waffle iron remove and cook the remaining batter.

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