Vegan Waffles

As it turns out, animal products are totally optional when it comes to making a perfect batch of waffles. Even without eggs or milk, you can still get crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside vegan waffles that everyone will love. Just like traditional waffles, our vegan waffles recipe is made with simple pantry staples mixed in one bowl and ready in under 30 minutes.

This basic vegan waffle recipe offers plenty of room to add fruits, nuts, vegan chocolate or cozy baking spices to the batter as desired. Load up the waffle divots with vegan butter, maple syrup (which is naturally vegan) and lots of fruit. The clever vegan breakfast will leave everyone feeling full and satisfied.

Ingredients for Vegan Waffles

• All-purpose flour: Always measure flour properly by spooning it into the measuring cup and scraping off the excess. Sticking the measuring cup directly into the bag can pack in too much flour, creating dense, tough waffles.
• Sugar: Be careful—not all sugar is vegan! Some sugars are processed with animal bone char to give them the stark-white appearance. Instead, reach for vegan sugars like beet sugar or unrefined/raw cane sugar.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the batter, making the ingredient a great replacement for the usual one or two eggs.
• Leavening agents: Test your baking powder and baking soda if these two ingredients have been sitting in your pantry for a while. After about six months, they will lose their potency and your waffles (and other baked goods) won’t achieve their proper rise.
• Soy milk: While we suggest soy milk, you can use any other nondairy milk alternative you prefer, such as oat, almond or coconut milk.
• Canola oil: Canola oil adds richness to the waffles and, when paired with the nonstick solution as directed by your waffle maker, will help prevent the waffles from sticking to the maker.

Directions

Step 1: Make the batter

In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Pour the soy milk, canola oil and vanilla extract into the dry ingredients, and stir just until combined.

Editor’s Tip: Try not to overstir the batter. You actually want there to be a few lumps—it will make your waffles lighter and fluffier rather than dense and tough.

Step 2: Cook the waffles

Preheat your waffle maker, then add the batter to the waffle maker.

Bake the batter in the maker according to the manufacturer’s directions until golden brown. The vegan waffles may take slightly longer than recommended, but do check at the suggested time just in case.

Editor’s Tip: Keep the waffles warm in the oven between batches if you’re serving everyone all at once. Preheat the oven to 200°F and place a parchment-lined baking sheet inside. Every time you finish a batch, place the waffles on the baking sheet so they can keep warm until serving.

Step 3: Serve

Serve the waffles warm, and put out all sorts of vegan toppings, like fruit or maple syrup, so guests can help themselves. Enjoy!

Recipe Variations

• Stir in fruit: Anyone who loves little pockets of sweet, concentrated fruit in their pancakes or waffles can add the fruit right into this vegan waffle recipe. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or bananas work best.
• Play with baking spices: Come fall and winter, I love to make everything a little cozier with fall spices. Shake a little cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice and/or ginger into the dry ingredients as desired.
• Make them nutty: Prefer a little more texture in your waffles? Fold a handful of nuts, like pecans, almonds, walnuts or macadamia nuts, into the batter.
• Add vegan chocolate: Got a baggy of vegan chocolate chips hiding in the pantry for “emergencies”? Scatter a handful into the batter or on top of the waffles for serving.

How to Store Vegan Waffles

Allow any leftover vegan waffles to cool completely to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container or zip-top bag. They can last in the fridge for up to three days.

Can you freeze vegan waffles?

Yes, you can freeze vegan waffles. Allow them to cool to room temperature first, otherwise any steam trapped in the bag will make the waffles soggy. Stash the waffles in an airtight container or zip-top bag with pieces of parchment or waxed paper stacked in between to prevent them from sticking.

Another no-stick trick to try is flash-freezing the waffles. Lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze the waffles, uncovered, until frozen, 30 to 60 minutes. Once they’re frozen, stash them in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the freezer for up to three months.

Can you make vegan waffles ahead of time?

Yes, you can make vegan waffles ahead of time. You can either fully cook them and store them in the freezer to reheat later or you can make the batter the night before serving. To do so, mix up the batter, then cover the bowl with storage wrap and refrigerate it overnight. The next morning, uncover the bowl and use the batter as directed by your waffle maker’s directions.

How do you reheat vegan waffles?

Reheat vegan waffles in a toaster oven or convection oven set to 400° until the outsides are nice and crispy again and the center is heated through, three or four minutes from the fridge or five to seven minutes from frozen.

Vegan Waffle Tips

What vegan toppings can you add to vegan waffles?

Just because they’re vegan doesn’t mean you can’t deck your stack of waffles with a whole bunch of toppings! Good maple syrup is naturally vegan, so feel free to use as much of your usual go-to waffle topper as desired. Add a few pats of vegan butter, top with fruit, dollop with a coconut whipped topping, or load strawberry sauce or peanut butter (or both!) into the divots and tuck in.

Can you make this vegan waffle recipe gluten-free too?

We haven’t tried making our vegan waffle recipe with gluten-free flour. If I were to try, though, I would use one of the best gluten-free flour blends that’s designed to replace all-purpose flour in a cup-for-cup measurement.

How do you know when the waffles are done?

The waffles are done cooking once there is no longer any steam emitting from the waffle maker. If the waffles are steaming, that means they’re still cooking. Even once they’re done steaming, the vegan waffles may need a little extra time in the waffle maker to brown, so check them out once they’re done steaming.