These brownie waffles are almost like having dessert for breakfast.
OMG! I swear I had brownies for breakfast! These clean eating brownie waffles taste just like the real thing!
But first of all, I should mention that as much as I’d like to say that these also have the texture of a brownie, I have to tell you up front that the texture is like a waffle, not a brownie. You can’t expect miracles. Well you could, but if I could do that, I’d have my own TV show at the very least. Don’t you think?
If you find you like these, the freeze pretty well too! Make a double batch, freeze them and then just pop them in the toasted to warm them up in the morning. Just keep in mind that they are already fully cooked, so don’t leave them in the toaster too long or they will taste burned. Anyhoo, I got the original recipe from the MealMakeoverMoms web site (which now seems to be permanently closed down). I liked the idea, but the recipe just didn’t fall into my definition of clean. So of course, I just HAD to “clean it up”, cause that’s what I love to do. So here’s my clean eating version of these fabulously delicious waffles.
Furthermore, you can make these a travel-friendly breakfast by putting a small pat of butter on them, folding them in half and walking out the door! Easy!
Note: If you like your waffles crispy, eat them hot and right off the waffle iron. If you like them softer or spongier, plan to let them sit out on the counter for a little while before eating them (an hour or two should do the trick) because they soften with time.
TOPPING IDEAS:
- Mix fruit sweetened yogurt with a non-fat cottage cheese and pour over your waffles (I did this, and MAN was it good!)
- Honey and a bit of Greek yogurt
- Honey and nuts (any nuts would work great on these)
HEALTHY BREAKFAST RECIPES
CLEAN EATING BROWNIE WAFFLES RECIPE:
These delicious waffles will make you think you are having brownies for breakfast!! But shhhh....! Nobody needs to know they are healthy!
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup wheat germ (I used raw wheat germ, but any kind will work)
- 1 3/4 cups milk (dairy or non-dairy will work)
- 2 medium ripe bananas
- 2 large whole eggs
- 2 tbsp. light-flavored oil
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp. honey
Place a flour sifter in a large mixing bowl, and place all your dry ingredients, except for the wheat germ, into the sifter and sift.
Add your wheat germ to the bowl and blend well with a whisk. (You could put your wheat germ in the sifter like I did, but you'll find out quickly that it doesn't sift well.)
In a separate bowl, mix all your wet ingredients. I used a hand blender to blend everything into a smooth liquid.
Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients, and blend with a whisk. Don't over mix, but do get out any clumps you see.
Pour a little in at a time. Use a spatula to help it spread. You don't want to go to heavy, or you'll end up like me with batter oozing out the sides. Less is more here. Trust me.
Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.
Recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 3/14/10.
kristen says
So I was intrigued with this recipe and decided to give it a try—and I must agree- it is absolutely amazing! I loved it, my kids loved it and the husband, although he HAS to like everything I make, cleaned his plate as well. It definitely tastes like you are cheating! I toppped mine with plain yogurt and applesauce-delicious!!! The kids used a combo of maple syrup/agave—I can’t quite get them to give it up yet. Thanks for the recipe! 😉
The Gracious Pantry says
Hi Kristen!
I’m so excited that you tried the recipe! I’ll have to try your yogurt and apple sauce topping idea next time. That sounds fabulous!
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear what people think of my recipes!
Take care,
Tiffany
Annie says
The whole family loved this dish! We topped ours with fresh berries, natural peanut butter and 100% maple syrup. YUMMY!!! Plan to freeze the leftovers for the toaster on school days. Hope it works. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
The Gracious Pantry says
Hey Annie!
So happy you liked the waffles! They definitely freeze well for the week. I have some in the freezer now.
Enjoy!
Kelly says
Tiffany, can’t wait to try these…..quick question though, are you using sweetened or unsweetened cocoa?
The Gracious Pantry says
Kelly – Alway unsweetened cocoa. I never use refined sugar.
Dawn-Marie says
OHHH… I would love to make this I see it makes 14 Is there a way to cut this in half??
The Gracious Pantry says
Dawn-Marie – Yes, just cut the ingredients in half. Should work fine.
Colleen says
OMG I have died and gone to heaven…clean brownie waffles…seriously?
The Gracious Pantry says
Colleen – Yep! These are classic!
Angela says
I can’t wait to try these! They are definitely on next weekends menu!
The Gracious Pantry says
Angela – Great! They are definitely the perfect way to start the weekend!
Colleen says
So what can I replace instead of the bananas? These are dinner tonight!
The Gracious Pantry says
Colleen – Try 1/4-1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce. Start with the 1/4 cup to be sure the batter doesn’t get too runny. Enjoy!
Cory says
Hi Tiffany,
I tried these last night and, well. . . . maybe you can help me. I followed the recipe to a T but the waffles would not get crisp in the waffle maker and all I could taste was the wheat germ, i used pure dutch cocoa from Petes coffee house and was wondering if that over shadowed the rest of the ingredients, I was hoping for more of a chocolate flavor – maybe my brain read brownie and that is what I was expecting – I would like to try it again, I also used honey instead of agave and FF milk instead of soy milk – can you tell if my “changes” are what offset the taste?
Thanks much for your help sure appreciate it. Going to make your clean cornbread muffins tonight for dinner – very excited. It is hard to get your brain to switch over to “clean eating” when it is used to the other way, you read “brownie” and your brain thinks Betty Crocker LOL. Thanks again for your input.
The Gracious Pantry says
Cory – If you are just getting started with clean eating, it will take a little while for your taste buds to adjust. That maybe be part of the problem. However, I’m thinking that your substitutions may have had something to do with it, although, it should have turned out roughly the same. There should be a very distinct chocolate/cocoa flavor. Try a different cocoa powder. Also, be sure it’s not the cocoa that makes hot chocolate (like Swiss Miss). It should be real, unsweetened cocoa (I’ve never used the Petes brand, so I don’t know what’s in it). Maybe try using half the wheat germ and see how it turns out. It’s also possible your waffle maker is not cooking at a high enough temperature. These waffles definitely do turn out with a crispy outer edge. Maybe try cooking them longer? Based on what you told me, it’s tough to figure out what could have gone wrong. But I would experiment a little. Trust me, they’re worth it!
Paulissa says
I made these tonight and served them with greek yogurt and a cocoa crusted chicken breast. It felt so rich and comforting. Thank you for such a terrific recipe!
The Gracious Pantry says
Paulissa – Wow! I never would have thought to make that pairing. But it does sound yummy!
Michele says
How can I turn these into pancakes? I don’t have a waffle maker, but I’d really like to try them!
The Gracious Pantry says
Michele – Just laddle the batter into a pan instead of a waffle iron. It will work either way! 🙂
Amy says
I was looking at this recipe and the protein waffle recipe. Not owning a waffle iron, can I use these same recipes as pancakes, or do I need to do something different to them for pancakes? Thanks so much!
The Gracious Pantry says
Amy – Yep! You can make pancakes with it in a regular pan. Enjoy!
Amy says
OK!!!…….ignore my comment, please!!! I didn’t read all of the comments, and as soon as mine posted, I read the one above it. Got my answer……LOL!!!! Thanks! Your blog ROCKS!!!!
The Gracious Pantry says
Amy – LOL. No worries! Enjoy!
Erica Mccullagh says
OMG, I just made these for breakfast, and they were DELICIOUS! I haven’t had waffles this good ever. I did make a couple little tweaks. Instead of plain cocoa powder, I used 1/2 cup of chocolate protein powder (I use Designer Whey brand as it is the most clean I’ve found where I live) and 1/2 tbsp of cocoa powder for a little extra chocolate flavor. Boy, did they ever turn out great. I will definitely be making these again.
Erica Mccullagh says
Oh, and I also used only egg whites instead of whole eggs in order to boost the protein content even more.
Anonymous says
Amanda – Oh yum!! Glad you enjoyed them!
Anonymous says
Handinhand – You may have to play around with this a bit, but I would add an extra tbsp. of oil and 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce.
Anonymous says
Gabbie – Yes! Most definitely! In fact, I highly recommend it. If you have a large stack, I do recommend layering some parchment paper between the waffles so you don’t end up with a huge block. But even if you do, a few minutes on the counter makes them pretty easy to separate. I always have some in the freezer for Mini Chef. He loves them!
Anonymous says
Kathy – Fantastic!!! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Cmfoley3k says
I do not have any wheat germ, could I use flax meal instead?
Anonymous says
Cmfoley3k – Sure! That would probably work well. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
Miranda – Glad it worked out!
Bobbie carrigan says
definately put this on my pinterest wall….. sounds heavenly and we are trying to eat more healthy.
Anonymous says
Bobbie – Thanks so much!
graciouspantry says
ShelbyD – Haha! Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it!
graciouspantry says
Anita – I don’t see why not. Just be sure the texture of the batter is about the same next time. You may have to adjust with a bit more flour.
graciouspantry says
Msmarek – Fantastic! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
daisygirl says
Is there a sub for whole wheat pastry flour?
graciouspantry says
Daisy – The closest thing would be WHITE whole wheat flour. But the finished product will still be breadier than with whole wheat pastry flour.
graciouspantry says
Kat – Glad you enjoyed it!
Keyshapeck says
Made these and loved them! The kids gobbled them up and I froze the leftovers and just had one topped with fresh strawberries and light whipped cream! Delicious! (I put the waffle in the toaster and it tasted fresh off the griddle). I can’t get enough of your recipes and love that I don’t have to sacrifice “the good stuff’ to be healthy and stay clean!
graciouspantry says
Key – That’s wonderful! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
graciouspantry says
Megan – All I tasted was brownies. But I suppose it would depend on how ripe your bananas are too.
Healthyfoods Angela says
I love these waffles–make them almost every weekend for my kids and freeze extras for a quick mid-week breakfast. We like to top them with natural peanut butter and stay full all morning.
graciouspantry says
Awesome!! 🙂
graciouspantry says
Awesome! Glad you found one that works!
graciouspantry says
Haha!!! That’s wonderful!
KKearnan says
Can you substitute the bananas for something else?
graciouspantry says
You could try apple sauce, but I’m not sure what effect that would have. Eggs maybe? You’d have to play around with it. Waffles are pretty forgiving though.
Melanie Z. says
I made these waffles and they are so yummy!! : ) BUT I something when wrong with my batter- it was very thick (not even pourable) and I couldn’t even get four waffles out of it (well I have a George Foreman with waffle plates and one is really the size of one and a half so that batter would’ve made me about 5 regular size waffles)! No one else seems to have had that problem according to the comments here and I even tried it again to see if I did something wrong. I used an electric hand mixer for the moist ingredients and it became very fluffy, which I added to the dry just until mixed. SO, I ended up adding milk til I achieved the desired consistency and they came out great (I ate them with Greek yogurt on top). I just wondered what I could have done wrong?! I pretty much make one of your recipes every day and I love them so much- thank you!! This week I’ve already had the Brownie Waffles, Chicken Apple Salad with Balsamic Dressing, Pumpkin Black Bean Chili, Pumpkin Protein Bars and Triple Berry Watermelon Smoothies! The brownie waffles are the first thing I didn’t achieve the expected results but with the milk they turned out perfect anyhow! : )
graciouspantry says
I would suspect that you didn’t measure the liquids properly, or you live at a different altitude then I do. Either way, you did the right thing by adding milk.
graciouspantry says
My pleasure!
graciouspantry says
Haha! I’m really glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
graciouspantry says
It will work, but the brownies will be more dense. If you do it, use equal amounts. But they are two different types of wheat.
graciouspantry says
Sure can!
Vincent Luongo says
Is the cocoa powder unsweetened?
graciouspantry says
Yes.
Alicia says
They look so yummy! Do you think I could use this batter to make pancakes instead? I can’t wait to make these.
The Gracious Pantry says
Definitely!
Terry says
My grandson is gluten free. Can I use another flour for this recipe – almond flour? Sounds yummy.
The Gracious Pantry says
Terry – Not for this one. It will fall apart. But I’m working on a grain free waffle recipe and hope to have it posted soon.
Angelique says
I made these tonight and they were awesome. Since there are only two of us, and this recipe made so many, I froze the rest between wax paper layers. They should work well as toaster waffles on future work days. Also thinking some strawberries and “cleaned up” vanilla ice cream would make a really great desert some summer evening.
Thanks off your great recipes!
The Gracious Pantry says
Angelique – That would definitely be yummy! Enjoy!
Dawn says
How important is the sifting? I do not own a sifter.
The Gracious Pantry says
Dawn – You could probably get away without it if you work really hard to blend the dry ingredient together. I did it more for mixing purposes than anything, though it does help a tiny bit with the texture. But it should be okay without as well.
Marissa says
Do you think you can use a different kind of oil? I am not familiar enough with safflower oil and I have never bought it. I do have olive oil and coconut oil. Hate to waste the whole batter if it doesn’t work out with one of those two. Or is it worth it buying safflower oil? is it healthier than oil and coconut oil? Thanks so much! still learning here!
The Gracious Pantry says
Marissa – Coconut oil is perfect. But I would warm it to it’s liquid state first.
Jennifer says
I have everything in my pantry except wheat germ. Can I omit that?
The Gracious Pantry says
Jennifer – Yes, you can omit it.
Christina says
What would you suggest in place of wheat germ if I am making this gluten free?
The Gracious Pantry says
Christina – If it exists, you could try a gluten free oat bran.
Michele says
I love this brownie waffle receive but I am wheat/gluten sensitive. Could I use flax and almond flour instead? Any suggestions.
The Gracious Pantry says
Michele – I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it. Might be worth experimenting though!
Barbara says
I just made these this morning. It was my first time ever making waffles. I thought they were amazing. And my husband agreed. 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!
We had ours with sliced bananas on top and a touch of chocolate syrup.
Mine made exactly 10 waffles, but next time I will definitely double the recipe and freeze some. I think these would be great as a dessert too.
Thanks so much again for the recipe,
And happy holidays and a great year to you too!
Barbara
The Gracious Pantry says
Barbara – I’m so happy you both enjoyed them!! Happy holidays! 😀