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.
Waffles in a blender?? Now why am I just now hearing about this? Genius. These beauties look like the PERFECT lazy-weekend breakfast!
Oh these look so good! Happy New Year girl!
Happy New Year! These waffles look amazing and so healthy too! Definitely a good way to start off the new year. :) Also, how awesome that you can make them in a blender!!
Happy New Year to you too Roxana! I hope you are having a great weekend!
These look so perfect? I’ve been cravingg waffles and these lightened up ones are perfect for the New Year! Can’t wait to give them a try this weekend.
Its a good thing I love my blender because I wanna make these waffles ASAP!
Healthy and delicious? Sign me up!
I just made them on the date you posted this recipe and it was the most wonderful thing I have ever tried! I love this waffles, so fluffy yet so crispy and delicious. Happy 2016 and keep posting blender recipes. Now I am baking the blender banana muffins nom nom
Claudia, I am so happy to hear that you loved these waffles!! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know how they turned out for you.
YUUUM! I’ve had a waffle iron on my wishlist since forever, and now I just keep drooling over insanely delicious looking recipes like this one and waiting for the day I get to buy one!
Love that it’s made in a blender as well, I’m a big fan of simple yet yummy recipes. X
Fantastic! How neat are these? The perfect way to kick off 2016 I think!
Excited to try this! Is the calorie count for one waffle for serving? Thanks!
Hi Breanna, yes, that’s correct. I’ve updated the recipe box too—sorry for the confusion!
I made these waffles with 100% whole wheat flour and also another batch with 50/50 whole wheat and all-purpose. Both ways were great! They are super moist and you can’t beat how easy they are to make. I’m definitely putting these into regular rotation.
HOORAY! I’m so happy that you liked this recipe Rachel, and I appreciate the details on the different flours you tried too. That will be so helpful for others. Thanks for trying the recipe and letting me know how it turned out for you!
My 9 year old just made these for the family and they were a big hit. They smelled so good while they were cooking too! Yummy. We’ll definitely save this recipe and use it again. Thank youErin!
Katie, I am so excited to hear this!! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and letting me know <3
Could you make these ahead of time and freeze them?
Definitely Stephanie! We do that all the time. I like to microwave them to warm them through a little bit, then put them in the toaster to crisp up. They are delicious this way! Just be sure you cool them completely, then freeze them flat in a single layer so that they don’t turn into a waffle blob. Once they are frozen, you can put them in a ziptop bag.
Very yummy! I substituted coconut oil (virgin – melted) for the butter. (Be aware that if the milk and eggs are too cold ,still, it will solidify the coconut oil. I just scraped it down in the blender and blended all the ingredients a second time.) They turned out delish! My kids kept commenting on how good it smelled in the house while I was making them. Will definitely add this recipe to my repertoire. Thanks!
YAY Alisa! Thanks for the scoop and the coconut oil and for letting me know how these came out!
Has anyone tried subbing almond milk for the skim milk? Just curious if it turns out the same!
Caitlin, I don’t know of anyone who has tried this specific substitution, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I hope you love the recipe!
I’m making them this weekend, so I will keep everyone posted!!
I used coconut milk and it was so tasty!
These were the perfect Saturday morning healthy breakfast! I made a few substitutions and they worked very well: I subbed coconut oil for butter, coconut milk for milk, and a gluten-free flour blend for the ww flour. I needed to add an extra 1/2 c of liquid because of the gf flour… but these were a hit! Thanks for a keeper recipe.
I am so excited to hear this Katie! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know how it came out for you!
Can you make them in a standard waffle iron vs Belgian?
Definitely Amy! I hope you love the recipe.
I made these for me and my girls this morning using one cup whole wheat flour and one cup quick oats. They all like them, and I’m glad you have so many recipes that are DASH diet approved and still taste good.
I’m happy to hear the waffles were enjoyed by everyone, Kelly! Thank you so much for taking the time to report back.
This recipe has become a family staple! Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that, Martha! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this awesome review.
light, yummy and flavorfull
I am so happy to hear that Annette! Thanks for trying the recipe and taking time to leave this kind review!
Great waffles. I did change the recipe and used regular whole wheat flour and egg whites .. waffles were delicious. Thanks for the recipe
Whooo hooo!! I am so happy to read this Kathy. Thank you for trying the recipe and taking time to leave this glowing review!
This is my go-to waffle recipe for the weekends!! Loved it.
YAY Claudia! I am so pleased to hear this, thank you!
Ooooo nice they look perfect! And I love how you added the apple sauce!
Do you the no I could make these using my oven waffle pan? I don’t have a waffle maker. Thanks so much
Hi Marcia, I’m not familiar with oven waffle pans, but if you’ve successfully used other waffle recipes in it, I don’t see a reason why you shouldn’t give this one a try! I hope you enjoy it if you do decide to experiment.
Can I substitute 100% Whole Wheat Flour instead of the WHITE whole wheat flour?
Thank you.
Hi Denise! Regular whole wheat flour will have a more pronounced wheat taste and will make the waffles a little more dense, but you can definitely make the swap. Enjoy!
This recipe sounds fantastic! the problem is I don’t own (and don’t have the space for) a waffle iron. Could this recipe be used as is for a pancake batter vs a waffle or would I need to make any adjustments?
Hi Tara, I haven’t tried that myself, but you could certainly experiment. I also have a blender pancake recipe if you’re interested in checking that out! https://www.wellplated.com/banana-oatmeal-pancakes/
I’m diabetic and have tried many of ur recipes all of which fantastic. I just got taken off of my diabetic meds since I’m controlling my numbers so well so hopefully when I go back to the doctors in six weeks it will be permanent wish me luck marle58
Good luck, Lauri! I’m glad to hear you’ve been enjoying my recipes—thank you so much!
These were delicious
Used dairy free milk ( cashew) and butter. Also used fresh milled Einkorn flour.
Also used my kitchen aid and made a double batch
I’m so happy to hear that this was a hit, Sandra! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
We love these waffles! They freeze well and taste delicious.
The ease of putting everything into the blender is great!
Thanks Erin
Hey, I forgot to mention that instead of using butter, coconut oil was used. So yummy :-)
When I made these waffles I let them cook just enough to be able to pull them off of the waffle iron and let them cool. We stored them in the refrigerator between sheets of parchment paper and reheated them on the waffle iron. My husband & I love them!
I’m so happy to hear that this was a hit, Jett! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
I subbed 1/2 of the flour for 1/4 flaxmeal and 1/4 plain protein powder, and these came out great! Making these my go to waffle recipe ☺
Hi Richelle! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hi Erin, Will this batter keep in the refrigerator for a few days?
Thank you,
Julie
Hi Julie! I’d actually recommend preparing the waffles in advance and freezing them instead. I hope this helps!
I prepped the wet ingredients in my blender & refrigerated them overnight.
Added Melted coconut oil & dry ingredients (also pre-prepped) to the blender in the morning. Worked out wonderfully.
So great to hear! Thank you Michelle!
I decided to try this recipe because I had extra applesauce, though for years, I’ve said I don’t like waffles. After eating these waffles, now I’m a waffle lover.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Walter! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Hi Erin, what substitutes can you recommend in place of the applesauce?
Thank you
Hi Tobi! I’ve only tested this recipe with the applesauce, so anything else would be a complete experiment. If you decide to play around with it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Thanks, Erin! I added the applesauce and it was really good!
I’m so happy to hear that, Tobi! Thanks for reporting back!
These waffles are so easy to blend up and taste delicious! We make extra and keep in the freezer.
Instead of using butter we used coconut oil and it worked great.
Thank you for a great recipe!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind review Jett!
Quinoa can be substituted for the wheat for Gluten Free Waffles. I cannot express how good those are, they are so uniquely yummy!!
So glad you to have your feedback Carma! Thank you for this kind review!
So good! I added frozen blueberries and used almond milk
Hi Sharon! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!
I made this recipe as is. I didn’t have a waffle maker, so I made pancakes instead. I am happy to say that they were delicious! For anyone that was asking if these could be made into pancakes… The definite answer is YES 😍
Great to hear Tricia! Thank you so much for the feedback on making these into pancakes!
I did not have whole wheat flour, so I substituted for 1 cup oat flour and 1 cup all purpose. Turned out delicious!
Hi Amanda! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
These waffles were amazing! I made them with all purpose flour, not whole wheat and they were still delicious. My old waffle recipe was really time intensive and it wasn’t as good as these. They were fluffy and the flavor was perfect. There was only 2 sets of dishes to do — the blender and the waffle iron, which made my husband happy. These waffles are amazing!!
YAY, so glad to hear it, thanks for the feedback Liz!!!
I made these for my kids, and they seemed to enjoy them! They turned out a bit softer than I expected, but that’s probably because I didn’t cook them quite long enough. Still, I appreciated how simple and wholesome the ingredients were. Thanks!
Thank you Celestine!
Could a person add a scoop of protein powder to the recipe to increase protein content? Would I need to decrease or eliminate the vanilla if using vanilla protein powder?
Hi Ruth! We’ve had others use protein powder by reducing the flour. Let us know if you give it a try!
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!