Whole Wheat Waffles
Use a fork to cut through the crispy outer shell of this healthy vegan whole wheat waffles recipe to reveal a tender, delicious center. These waffles are easy to make and full of fiber thanks to the whole wheat. But don’t worry, they’re still light and fluffy, too.
Serve these waffles with a generous drizzle of this blueberry sauce.
You’d think that the whole wheat in this recipe would hold these vegan whole wheat waffles back from being their best. We’ve all had whole wheat “this or that” and it sometimes returns lackluster results.
However, these waffles are delicious and a perfect high-fiber addition to your healthy diet. Read more about why whole grains are important for a healthy diet.
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Using whole wheat pastry flour gives these waffles the health benefits of a whole grain, but with a lighter consistency and texture
- Adding ground flaxseed is a great egg replacer for waffles, adding binding and some omega-3s as well
- Apple cider vinegar interacts with the baking soda to create light and fluffy pancakes every time!
What You Need
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
- Lemon — We’ll use both the zest and the juice of the lemon.
- Oats — I used rolled oats for this recipe, but you can substitute instant oats.
- Chia — We’ll add some ground chia seeds to create a thicker texture. You can use whole chia seeds; I just prefer ground because it creates a smoother finished texture.
- Syrup — I used maple syrup, but you can substitute agave nectar.
- Milk — We’ll use almond milk for the best overnight oats! Substitute your favorite plant-based milk.
- Yogurt — I love adding some plant-based yogurt (plain, unsweetened) for an even more tangy flavor.
- Protein Powder — I add some vanilla protein powder for increased flavor and nutrients. If your protein powder is not sweetened, you may want to add an extra teaspoon or two of sweetener.
- Cornstarch — We’ll use cornstarch to thicken the lemon curd topping.
- Turmeric — A pinch of turmeric makes that lemon curd sunny yellow.
- Flour — I recommend whole wheat pastry flour (different than whole wheat flour). Whole wheat pastry flour is made from softer wheat and has been ground finer, making it a better choice for waffles.
- Sugar — This recipe calls for coconut sugar, but you can substitute brown sugar.
- Baking powder + baking soda
- Ground flaxseed
- Plant-based milk — Use your favorite, such as soy or almond milk.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Vegan Butter — Any storebought vegan butter or margarine will work.
What is Whole Wheat Pastry Flour?
Whole wheat pastry flour is different than whole wheat flour because it’s ground from a different type of wheat berry. The soft spring wheat berry is lower in protein than whole wheat, giving it a lighter texture similar to all-purpose flour. If you can’t find whole wheat pastry flour, you can create a substitution made from half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour. Either way, you’ll receive added fiber and nutrients from whole wheat while creating light and fluffy waffles.
How to Make Whole Wheat Waffles
- Mix together dry ingredients from the flour to the flax.
- Stir together the wet ingredients from the milk to the melted vegan butter.
- Make waffle batter by pouring the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stirring until everything is incorporated.
- Spray a heated waffle iron with vegetable cooking spray.
- Dispense batter into the waffle iron, spreading it to the edges. Close the lid and cook the waffles for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden and crispy.
- Keep cooked waffles warm by transferring them to a heated oven as you repeat the above steps with the remaining batter.
Serving Suggestions
Serve whole grain waffles warm with any of the following toppings:
- Vegan butter
- Peanut butter
- Blueberry Sauce
- Chia seed jam
- Maple syrup
- Strawberry Puree
- Vegan caramel
- Coconut whipped cream
- Vegan Chocolate Syrup
Storage Tips
Store waffles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Frequently-Asked Questions
Are whole wheat waffles good for you?
Whole grain waffles are made with whole-grain flour and are therefore higher in fiber than traditional versions. Whole wheat flour also has more vitamins, minerals, protein, and other important nutrients. The good news is that whole-grain waffles are not only more nutritious, but they also taste great too!
How many calories are in a whole wheat waffle?
Each whole wheat waffle has between 100 to 130 calories, which makes it a nutritious breakfast with moderately low calories. Vegan whole wheat waffles have zero cholesterol too! Just be careful about the toppings if you’re watching calories.
Buttermilk Waffles
These waffles use vegan buttermilk, even though the recipe doesn’t actually state the word “buttermilk” in the ingredients. That’s because I combined plant-based milk with apple cider vinegar and voila! The two together create vegan buttermilk. That’s why we can call these whole wheat buttermilk waffles.
We use apple cider vinegar to interact with the plant-based milk to create the light and fluffy texture inside these easy waffles. That’s what actually creates the rise.
Reader Reviews
★★★★★
Linda
Great waffles! My favorite waffle recipe now. I also modified it to make Gingerbread waffles and they were delicious, too!
★★★★★
Janice
These are delicious! Will be making these again and again! Thanks for a great recipe!
Vegan Breakfast Recipes
Sure, this healthy whole wheat waffle recipe is amazing. If you love vegan breakfast recipes, you’ll definitely want to try these:
That’s it for this recipe for this healthy waffles recipe!
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Whole Wheat Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 1 ½ cups plant-based milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter , melted
- vegetable spray
- Toppings for the Waffles can include maple syrup, peanut butter, vegan butter, jam, and more
Instructions
- Turn on your waffle iron so that it can begin to heat up. Turn your oven to 200°F/93°C or heat a toaster oven to keep prepared waffles warm.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and ground flax seeds. Stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the milk, apple cider vinegar, and melted vegan butter. Stir to combine.
- Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until everything is incorporated.
- Spray your waffle iron with vegetable cooking spray. Use a spoon or ¼ cup measuring cup to dispense batter into the waffle iron. Use the back of the spoon or measuring cup to ensure every section of the waffle iron is filled, spreading the batter to the edges. Close the lid and cook the waffles for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden and crispy.
- Transfer cooked waffles to your heated oven to stay warm and continue making waffles until the batter is gone.
- Serve warm with vegan butter, peanut butter, jam, maple syrup or your favorite toppings.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Be sure to serve this best whole wheat waffle recipe with maple syrup and vegan butter. Above all else, enjoy!
I have made whole wheat waffles before. Let’s just say they were healthy. These are actually wonderful and still good for you. Well, the syrup part probably wasn’t…
I added blueberries and toasted walnuts to the batter, which I was worried was going to cause a mess, but it worked great. Thanks for figuring out how to make whole wheat delightful.
These are delicious! I found this recipe online after accidentally buying 2 five-pound bags of WW pastry flour when ordering from my favorite online health food store. This recipe did not disappoint! I didn’t have vegan butter so I just used regular. I also added an extra tablespoon of coconut sugar, as well as a half teaspoon of salt. Will be making these again and again! Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Janice. So glad you liked these waffles! I’ve had a really hard time finding WW pastry flour these days so I’m happy jealous that you’ve got 2 bags. 🙂
Easy recipe but is missing salt.
Hi Martha. Thanks for your note. Because vegan butter is typically salted, this recipe doesn’t need additional salt. Of course, everyone has different salt preferences so if you’d like more I would recommend maybe 1/4 teaspoon at most.
Can I use whole wheat flour as opposed to pastry flour?
Hi Gisela! Yes, you can use whole wheat flour, but I would recommend adding another teaspoon of baking powder to help keep them fluffy. Whole wheat flour can be really dense, but I think the extra baking powder will help.
Delicious
Thanks, Reli! So glad you like these whole wheat waffles as much as we do! ❤️
Delicious waffles. I swapped ground flax for hemp seeds. They gave a little nutty tasting crunch.
Hi Roxanne! So glad you liked these vegan waffles. And I am so in love with hemp seeds these days so your adaptation is just GREAT!
Great waffles! My favorite waffle recipe now. I also modified it to make Gingerbread waffles and they were delicious, too! Thanks for the recipe.
looks delicious!
Thanks, Kristin! ❤️
Oh my! These look like perfect waffles! Why don’t you make some for me!
Try the chocolate waffles! They are really yummy too!