Homemade Waffles Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on this site, I may earn a commission.
Read my Privacy Policy.
Whip up some homemade waffles with this simple, delicious recipe. Perfectly crispy on the outside and irresistibly soft on the inside, these waffles are a breakfast favorite in my house. Plus, they freeze like a dream. Stash some away for an easy, delicious breakfast anytime.
You Might Also Enjoy…
Want more waffle recipes? If these homestyle waffles don’t do it for you, try some buckwheat crepes, some Belgian waffles, or some delicious brownie waffles.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Waffles Recipe
- It’s just as fast as using boxed mix.
- There are no chemicals, preservatives, additives, or stabilizers. Just honest ingredients.
- It will fill you up so much better than store-bought waffles.
These healthy waffles have a heavier, more dense texture than the very light and fluffy ones you pop out of a box and into a toaster these days. But they are delicious, hearty, very filling, and much higher in protein to boot. I promise, these are easy waffles to make. You don’t need a box mix to make easy, tasty waffles.
What You Need To Make Homemade Waffles
Whole wheat pastry flour – In some areas, this can still be pretty hard to find. You’ll find it most often at places like Whole Foods. But if you can’t find it, the next best thing is “White Whole Wheat Flour”. This is far more common and can be found in most areas. After that, the next option is regular whole wheat flour. The flavor will be the same, but the finished texture of the waffles will be a bit more dense and hearty.
Milk – non-dairy milk works fine too.
Egg whites – Or you can use 1 whole egg. If you changed the flour at all (see above), you’ll want to use 2 large eggs.
Vanilla extract – Use the real stuff, not flavoring. You can also substitute with a different extract for a different flavor, or omit completely. Other options include maple extract, mint extract (top with chocolate chips!), and rum extract.
Ground cinnamon – Just cinnamon, not cinnamon sugar. You can try different spices, or simply leave it out completely if you’ll be putting savory toppings on your waffles.
Baking powder – Make sure this is fresh or newer. Old baking powder doesn’t work well.
Optional Ingredients
Salt – Just a tiny pinch of salt will help bring out and enhance any sweet or savory flavors. About a quarter teaspoon salt should be more than enough.
Sweetener – If you want your waffles sweet, add between 2-4 tablespoons sugar (unprocessed, of course!) to the batter. You can also use a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup.
Pro Recipe Tips For Perfect Homemade Waffles Every Time
- If you love crispy outsides on your waffles, make sure you place them on a wire cooling rack instead of a plate once they come off the waffle iron. Waffles tend to have some steam when they are hot, and stacking them can make them soft and soggy. Letting them sit on a wire rack will give you that crispy outside you love.
- Is your batter too thin? Add more flour, a little at a time, to reach the right consistency.
Is your batter too thick? Add more milk, a little at a time, to reach the right consistency. - Want waffles with extra crispy outsides? Add a tablespoon of cornstarch to the batter and use a flip waffle maker. You can also beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter.
How To Make Homemade Waffles
Preheat your waffle maker and spray it with oil if necessary. Whisk the flour in a large mixing bowl with the baking powder.
Add the milk to the flour and whisk to get rid of any clumps.
Next, whisk in the eggs.
Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon, and blend vigorously with a whisk until you have a nice, smooth batter. You can also use a high speed hand mixer or blender if you prefer.
Using a ladle, pour the mixture into your waffle maker, and cook until golden brown.
Top these waffles with nuts, fruit, honey, maple syrup, whipped cream, or anything your eating plan allows. They’re yummy and really filling.
FAQs
Best Way To Store Leftover Homemade Waffles?
If packed well, these can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. However, they will soften. To crisp them up again, you’ll need to reheat them briefly on your waffle iron.
How Long Does Waffle Batter Last In The Fridge?
Once mixed, this batter will stay good in the fridge for up to 3 days. You will need to whisk the batter again before using it after it has been sitting a while.
How To Freeze Homemade Waffles
Wrap these well and store them in the fridge. Freezer bags are a good option here. If you are freezing them stacked, you may want to put small pieces of parchment between them, but for the most part, this is unnecessary unless there is somehow extra moisture in your freezer.
How To Reheat Homemade Waffles
Whether these are out of the fridge or freezer, they can be reheated easily in a toaster. How toasting you make them is up to you. They can also be microwaved, but I find they get a little too soft that way. The toaster is best. Freeze for up to 4 months.
SUBSCRIBE
Remember to subscribe to my free newsletter to receive all my latest recipes in your inbox. Click here to sign up!
Healthy Homemade Waffles
Equipment
- 1 Standard Waffle Iron
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 cups milk (non-dairy milk works fine too)
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle maker and spray it with oil if necessary. Whisk the flour in a large mixing bowl with the baking powder.
- Add the milk to the flour and whisk to get rid of any clumps.
- Next, whisk in the eggs.
- Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon, and blend vigorously with a whisk until you have a nice, smooth batter. You can also use a high speed hand mixer or blender if you prefer.
- Using a ladle, pour the mixture into your waffle maker, and cook until golden brown.
- Top these waffles with nuts, fruit, honey, maple syrup, whipped cream, or anything your eating plan allows. They're yummy and really filling.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted on 10/15/2009.
These look like great healthy waffles! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
You mean I can have homemade waffles while trying to eat healthy? Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
I know! Right? I love these waffles. And they are so much more filling than regular ones.
Let me know how they turn out for you!
Tiffany
Clean eating waffles that aren’t full of stuff?! That are good for me and for my son? Sign me up!
Let me know how they turn out for you! I love to get feedback!
Yum! Made these this morning. I made a half-batch, left in the egg yolk, just so as not to waste it (one egg yolk divided by four waffles isn’t too bad). Due to my normal waffles recipe’s directions, I separated the egg white from the rest of the mix, whipped it up to soft peaks, then folded it into the rest of the mixture.
Topped mine with nonfat yogurt, sliced banana, and a drizzle of locally-made honey from the last orchard left here in the urban-sprawl of San Jose. The honey (since his orchard is full of berries and rockfruit) has some delicious blackberry and peach undertones right now. Yum! Terrific breakfast, and these waffles taste just as good as my old (butter-filled, ack) recipe.
Cory – That’s fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I’ll have to try your trick (whipping the egg whites) next time I make them. Sounds like it might add some nice texture.
Thanks for sharing!
These are WONDERFUL!! My kids LOVE waffles and I have been wanting to find a healthy alternative to the frozen ones. I made these this morning and they were awesome! No more frozen boxed waffles in this house!! Thank you so much!
I found your blog a couple weeks ago and can not peel myself away from it. There are so many recipes that I can’t wait to try! Converting my family to a clean eating lifestyle is a work in progress and your blog will be a HUGE help, thank you so much!
Erica – Thank you so much! I’m happy you’re enjoying my blog! I find that kids and husbands are the toughest critics. So if they like it, then it must be a winner! Ha ha!
I made these but added kale, dehydrated onion, and mustard powder and left out the cinnamon and vanilla. This + oven “fried” chicken (coated in fiber one and spices) = clean eating chicken and waffles with sauteed kale and onion. DELICIOUS!
Jaclyn – Holy moly!! That sounds amazing!! I’ll definitely give that a try. Thank you!
Sensational!!!!!! I can’t wait to do these as they look like a personal indulgent (but it’s all supportive) and kids/hubby will think they’re in heaven with this special Sunday morning treat. XxDani
BTW Tiff for those that may be on a gluten free diet ~ which I am a part timer 😉 do you think the GF would work or better still buckwheat? I’ll give it a go either way and let you know!! Thanks again!!!
Dani – I’m sure these could be easily converted to gluten free. Let me know how they turn out!
as i am now on Round 4 of the 2 wk sugar free challenge, these will fit in nicely topped with fresh berries ! thanks for the great recipe and so happy that I actually do have whole wheat pastry flour on hand!
Linda – Great! I find that WWP Flour is absolutely indispensable in my kitchen. Enjoy!
I made these, but added a little oat flour(1/2 cup), which cuts out the whole-wheaty taste, and makes them taste just like the real thing. I have to make them taste normal or certain family members won’t eat them! I also add 1/3 cup coconut oil, and it makes them nice and crispy! Waffles are by far my favorite breakfast food!
Court – Wow! What a great way to make them! Enjoy!
Love this recipe. Simple and easy to prepare and they were a hit with the kids:) What more could I ask for???
Kerri – That’s awesome!!! I’m so happy they liked it!
Can I subsititute half of the flour for quick oats?
Tiamaria – I don’t see why not. It’s worth a shot! Let me know how it turns out!
Can I include the yolks? I’ve never made these before, but I’m really looking forwards to it!
Davina – Sure!
How about adding pumpkin to these somehow? What do you think? Or just the pumpkin pie spice would be better?
Alilgranola – I think just the spice would be better. The pumpkin itself would make the batter too wet and it wouldn’t cook correctly.
Thanks! Apparently I made the batter too wet somehow anyways and I had a bit of a waffle mess on my hands….Attempt #2 is right around the corner!
Alilgranola – Oh dear. I’ve done that too. No fun to clean up!
Actually, if you take the eggs out and replace them with 1/2 cup of pumpkin, it should be fine. Worked okay for me 🙂
Julie – Fantastic! Thanks for the tip!
aandemom – Fantastic!! I’m glad the kiddos like them so much!
Just made these, but they turned out super runny? Not sure what I did wrong?
Kmorris – Did you change anything at all about the recipe?
That is strange. There shouldn’t be anything runny about them. But there could be a lot of things that could have gone wrong. Check to be sure your waffle iron is cooking hot, and be sure you didn’t forget to add anything. I hope you’ll try them again because they are yummy!
Littlered – It will work, but the waffles will be more dense and “bready”.
Kimberley – 1 waffle is one of those 4 waffles.
MelissaK – Glad you all enjoyed them!
Queen bee – yes, beating the egg whites would definitely help with density issues. Glad you liked them!