What’s for breakfast this weekend? How about some yummy, healthy, easy-to-make, homemade whole wheat waffles!
You do need a waffle iron for this recipe, but I definitely think it is worth the $25-30 investment for a low priced model. I’m still using my parents’ old waffle iron, which has to be at least 20 years old. It is incredibly basic and always does the trick whenever we are in the mood for some homemade waffles.
I made this exact recipe the other morning and lost count at how many my kids ate. I love that they can eat something so wholesome and still enjoy it. I did make sure they ate plenty of fruit before giving them their second and third helpings though.
If you aren’t sure what your kids will think of this for breakfast try adding a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream on top! And don’t forget to freeze the leftovers.
What goes into this recipe for whole wheat waffles?
If you haven’t already noticed from my other posts, I love making real food swaps in recipes to make them healthier. That’s why this waffle recipe uses whole wheat flour, honey (instead of sugar), and real butter!
What I really love is how easy this waffle recipe is, especially since you can use any kind of milk you have on hand. The rest of the ingredients: eggs, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder, are all things you probably have on hand as well!
What’s the best whole wheat flour for this homemade waffle recipe?
I especially love this recipe with whole wheat pastry flour, but you can substitute regular whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat flour) if that’s all you have. We often use King Arthur brand, but any whole wheat flour will work fine in this recipe.
How to make fluffier waffles
There’s an easy trick to getting extra fluffy waffles. Instead of adding the eggs whole, separate the whites from the yolks. Add just the egg yolks with the other liquids and leave the whites aside.
Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, then gently fold the whites into your whole wheat waffle batter. The whipped egg whites add air into the recipe, which means extra fluffy waffles!
Waffle cooking tips
I’ve had plenty of time to perfect waffle making after making countless batches of this recipe for the kids, so here are my best tips:
- Let the batter rest for a few minutes before cooking.
- Make sure your waffle iron is hot at the start and between batches.
- Instead of a ladle, you can also use a measuring cup to scoop the batter. You may need to experiment with different sizes, depending on the size of your waffle iron.
- Don’t overfill the waffle iron. Remember your batter will expand!
- You may need to spread the batter out in your waffle iron, especially if it’s one of those novelty shaped waffle makers.
- Keep your waffle iron well greased, adding more butter between waffles as needed.
- If you have kids, consider grabbing a second waffle iron or one that cooks more than one waffle at a time.
- Waffles can be removed with something made of wood or silicone (wooden chopsticks work!). Metal tools can scratch your waffle maker. If I use metal silverware, I make sure it only touches the waffle and not the machine.
Healthy topping ideas for whole wheat waffles
We always top our waffles (and pancakes) with real food. For classic waffles, real maple syrup tastes delicious! Other yummy, sweet toppings that we’ve enjoyed are berries, peaches, homemade jam, and no-sugar-added whipped cream.
For savory whole wheat waffle toppings, try Greek yogurt, butter, or natural peanut butter. Another idea is to fry an egg over easy and place it on top. (Bonus protein for a more filling breakfast!)
Other Breakfast Recipes You Might Enjoy:
Whole Wheat Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¾ cups milk (I have used everything from skim milk to thick buttermilk…so whatever you have on hand should work)
- ¼ cup butter (melted)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- pure maple syrup (warmed, for serving)
- fruit (for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle iron.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, honey, cinnamon, and baking soda until well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk together just until the large lumps disappear.
- When the waffle iron is hot, dab it with a little butter and then ladle some batter onto the center of the iron. Follow the instructions that came with your waffle maker to know how long it should be cooked (mine takes about 3 – 4 minutes each).
- Keep waffles warm until you finish cooking all of them. Top with pure maple syrup and fruit. Enjoy!
I used this recipe 3 times and experimented with adding blueberries, plain, and dark chocolate morsels and it is perfect every time! I also substitute olive oil over butter and I am TOTALLY satisfied with the results! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Yum! Glad you are loving it every time. – Nicole
So good! Just added a teaspoon of vanilla and we enjoyed them so much! Thank you – love to bake with whole wheat flour!
Made these this morning. I have tried many other recipes before. However, yours were Awesome. The only thing I wish I had added was a tsp. of vanilla. To be honest, I really didn’t miss it. It is just something I do to any waffle recipe! Thanks for the great recipe!
DELICIOUS! I cut the recipe in half and made two full waffles.
Glad to hear you enjoyed them! – Nicole
YUM! The batter was so wet, I wasn’t sure how these would turn out, but they are scrumptious!! And surprisingly filling for how light and fluffy they are. I would only offer one thought- they made twice as many waffles as stated! I doubled the recipe to get 8 waffles and instead got 17! Which is a blessing- we have breakfast for a few days now!
That’s awesome! They are perfect to freeze the extras. – Nicole
I made these for my wife, she would like to know the calories per serving ( 1 waffle), and how much carbohydrates per serving also. These were really good! And I’ m not usually a pancake or waffle person. I think it’s because I’ve never had them with whole wheat flour. I would make these more often!
Hi Matt, all the nutritional facts are located in the Notes section, you just have to click on the word Nutritional Facts and it’ll display everything. Glad to hear you all enjoyed them. – Nicole
I tried it and liked it. Following the recipe precisely, and using a Cuisinart Classic Waffle Iron I got seven 6-1/2” delicious waffles. I used approx. 1/2 cup of the batter for each. The batter was deceptively thin, so I let it rest for five min. After the final stir and it had great bubble and reaction in the mix. Threw half of them into the freezer for weekday breakfasts. Thanks for such a great recipe!!
I tried a few different recopies for whole wheat waffles and this was by far the best.
I use this for pancakes as well.
thanks.
Would like know how many servings per recipe and amount of batter used for each waffle. Most recipes call for 1/4 c. Trying to use this on WeightWatchers program.
Hi Connie, this recipe is set for 4 servings (waffles). We use a ladle to pour the mixture onto the waffle maker, but it probably comes to 1/4 cup. – Nicole
I’ve made this recipe for years with store bought whole wheat and love it. I’m trying to grind my own wheat berries (in a good coffee grinder) and can’t get the same results. Any advice? The batter seems more liquidy so I tried to reduce the milk and weighed the flour but it still tastes very grainy (even though it seems to be ground very fine) and isn’t the same texture.
This waffle recipe is my go to for PANCAKES and it is DELICIOUS every single time! I make a double recipe of this once a week and have it 2 mornings. The only thing I tweek is that I add a touch of vanilla. My kids beg me for these. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
So delicious!! We also made a batch gluten free (Bob’s 1:1) and the recipe worked great with that as well!!
Hi! I just made a batch of these to send in my daughter’s lunch for school ! I read your freezing instructions but wondered if you have instructions for thawing for a school lunch ?
I would take them out overnight to thaw in the fridge. You could then pop them in the toaster to freshen them up before putting them in the lunch box. – Nicole
I loved these waffles! I made them with buttermilk since I had some to use up. I was worried about how much leavening was in the recipe, but the waffles came out fluffy and had no bitter taste. I enjoyed them a lot! I topped mine with peanut butter and a blueberry compote I made from frozen blueberries and brown sugar. Delicious!
I have been searching for a great whole wheat recipe I can eat. This!!! this recipe gave me life. I’m trying to stay away from white flour being a newly diagnosed diabetic. I can’t use almond flour ( allergic) . This hit the spot and actually worked!!!! Waffles are back in my life !!!!! Wooohooo!!!!
Does this recipe make four waffles in a deep pocket Belgian waffle maker?
We have not tried, but other readers have said this recipe doesn’t work with a Belgian waffle maker. – Nicole
These turned out pretty good when I had just a basic waffle maker; however, we have since upgraded to a double Belgium waffle maker. I tried this recipe with it a number of times, and the waffles turned out hollow inside – every single time. I’m not sure why. So today I, successfully, found a recipe that works for us. https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/whole-wheat-waffles-recipe
I haven’t tried your Belgium waffle recipe that requires yeast, yet, but will soon!