This Healthy Waffle Recipe cheers, “Weeeeeeeekend!!” Those lightly crisp outsides, tender, fluffy insides, and pockets so clearly intended for filling with melty butter and ripples of pure maple syrup make any morning instantly special.
You deserve a (healthy) waffle breakfast!
Waffles have the vibe of being more effort than pancakes, so they leave you feeling pampered, but as you’ll see, this particular healthy waffle recipe comes together in one bowl (your blender!).
The batter is ready to go in 10 minutes, which is conveniently about how long your waffle maker will need to preheat.
In fact, go run over and plug your waffle maker in now. It’s probably hiding in the back of a cupboard, wedged behind the toaster oven and the single-serving smoothie maker you keep promising yourself you’ll use.
Smoothies can start Monday. Today it’s all about healthy waffles!
Ingredients and Substitutions
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Unsweetened Applesauce. One of the oldest healthy baking tricks in the book, and one of the best! Despite being low fat whole wheat waffles (a feat usually achieved via melted butter), these waffles are incredibly tender. I swapped more than half of the butter for applesauce with great results.
- Milk. Use any milk you like—dairy or non-dairy both work well.
- Butter. Yes, you do need some. Butter is what allows the waffles to crisp on the outside. If you prefer not to use butter, you can swap melted, cooled coconut oil instead.
- Eggs. Give the waffles structure and lift.
- Maple Syrup. You don’t need much, since you’ll be adding more when you serve your waffles!
- Vanilla Extract and Cinnamon. Add cozy warmth and depth.
- White Whole Wheat Flour. It’s 100% whole grain and has all the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour, but its flavor is far more mild.
- Baking Powder. Helps the waffles rise and stay fluffy.
How to Make This Healthy Waffle Recipe
Preheat the Waffle Maker. Turn on your waffle iron so it’s ready to go. If you’re making multiple batches, you can also preheat your oven to 200°F to keep waffles warm.
Blend the Batter. Add the applesauce, milk, melted (and cooled) butter, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla to a blender (photo 1). Sprinkle in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Blend just until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed (photo 2).
Cook the Waffles (photo 3). Pour the batter into your waffle maker and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Keep Warm (Optional). Place cooked waffles on a baking sheet in the oven while you finish the remaining batter.
Serve. Enjoy warm with your favorite toppings. ENJOY!
How to Freeze Waffles
- Arrange cooked waffles on a cooling rack and let cool completely. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you’d like smaller portions (or want to scale the waffles down so that they fit in your toaster), break them into sections first.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the waffles harden.
- Transfer to a ziptop bag, squeezing out as much air as possible before you seal it.
- Label the bag with the date (I always thank myself later when I do this), then freeze for up to 3 months.
To Reheat Frozen Waffles in the Oven
- Preheat your oven or a toaster oven to 350 degrees F.
- Arrange the frozen waffles on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until the waffles are crisp and warmed through.
To Reheat Frozen Waffles in a Regular Toaster
- I find that unless you have a toaster with really wide slots and fancy temperature settings, the outsides tend to burn before the middles are hot.
- As a workaround, to reheat the frozen waffles using your regular toaster, place the waffle on a plate and microwave it for a minute or two first to warm it through. From there, crisp up the outsides in your regular toaster.
Healthy Waffles
Video
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Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup skim milk or milk of choice
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder I prefer aluminum free
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle maker. If desired, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F to keep batches of waffles warm.
- Place the applesauce, milk, butter, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a blender. Sprinkle in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Blend just until combined, pausing the blender to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Cook the batter according to your waffle maker’s instructions. If desired, place the waffles on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Enjoy immediately with your favorite waffle toppings.
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze waffles in a single layer, then transfer to a container for up to 3 months.
- TO REHEAT: Toast in a toaster or warm in the oven for best texture.
This looks like a great recipe. Do you think it’ll work in a Belgian Waffle Iron?
Thank you for all you do!
Hi Paula, yes, that is the kind of waffle iron we used! Enjoy!
Made these for breakfast today and was surprised how filling they were! I used a bit less maple syrup than the recipe called for because I was trying to cut back on sweets, and they still tasted nice. The texture was slightly denser than regular waffles, but that was expected with the whole wheat flour. I think next time I might throw in other fruits on top.
So glad to hear, Whitney! Thank you!
These waffles came together pretty quickly, which was nice for a weekday breakfast. I swapped out some of the whole wheat flour for oat flour for extra fiber, and that seemed to work fine. They cooked up nicely in the waffle iron with a good golden color. My husband said they’d be great with a dollop of Greek yogurt on top.
So glad they were a hit, Clara! Thank you!