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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
- ⅛ 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!
Heather says
HI,
My kids love the Eggo waffles with the syrup baked in. Has anyone tried mixing syrup into the batter and then baking?
Jessica Reynoldd says
Love this recipe but I have made it several times before and printed out the recipe, but in the move I lost it, we'll I re looked it up and made it again a week and today but the batter looked runny and it tasted more like flour then cinnamon... did u change the recipe by chance?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
No, Jessica, the recipe has not been changed to my knowledge. ~Amy
Heather says
These are great! Added two tablespoons of roasted flaxseeds to the recipe and didn't change the consistency!
Love your recipes : )
Heather
Jen says
This is the best whole wheat waffle recipe I have ever made and believe me, I have made a lot (have a child who loves waffles and pancakes). Thank you! :) I can't wait for your cookbook!
Bobi says
I made them using applesauce instead of oil. Tasty!
Tara Knorr says
Yet another delicious recipe Lisa! I made these for breakfast this morning and they are awesome. I have a few leftovers for another day. I have made quite a few of your recipes and haven't found a bad one yet. THANK YOU and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Jules says
I made these and omitted the oil but added in 1/4 cup of sour cream instead and I think it made it a little more tender, if you'd like that option! Also you can sub Agave for honey if your honey's gotten so thick it won't come out of the honey bear ;) Thanks for the recipe!
Nancy says
Santa brought me a waffle iron for Christmas, and I can't wait to try your waffle recipe!!! Thanks for making it easier for us to eat healthy by providing these great recipes!
Krista says
These are wonderful! I just read 10 things not to buy in the grocery store and waffles were one of them...so I made these up and froze the leftovers! My kids loved them! Mmmm! Now, if I could just find a self cleaning waffle iron I'd be set! Thanks for sharing!
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ES says
Thank you for consistently good recipes. There are 5-10 recipes of yours that I make on a very regular basis. I appreciate that they are simple, delicious and always turn out just right! Thanks!
Laura says
What are your 5-10 faves? I came to this site looking for a waffle recipe (which I can't wait to try), and I love to try yummy and healthy recipes. However, I have little ones running around, so not much time to browse this great list?
Sandra says
Laura- I have a 3 year old and a 6 year old. I have been making 100 days of food recipes exclusively for 2 weeks now- using the Meal Plans. My FAVES are the waffles, corn tortillas, crockpot chicken, Chicken Enchiladas(!!!!!), and Easy Jambalya. The ONLY one that I have tried and did NOT like was the peanut squash soup. I like squash, but this soup was no good in my taste. The more I make, the more I want to try!!
Khyla says
Has anyone tried mixing all the dry ingredients together first? I'm thinking of mixing them all together and storing it in a mason jar and then when I ready to make waffles just whip up the remaining wet ingredients.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Khyla. Yes, several readers have suggested that but no one has shared their exact formula for adding the wet ingredients when it is time to fire up the waffle maker. :) If you figure it out, let us know. Enjoy. ~Amy
rachael logan says
these are delicious! i make a bunch and freeze them. i made them for my dad and he said they were the best waffles he ever had. thank you for the wonderful recipe!
sandy boone says
5 stars - my picky eater loved them!
Lee says
I made these this morning... they were really delicious. I did put in some sugar as my family ate them plain and not with maple syrup. :-) thanks.
April says
I just made these with whole spelt. I was skeptical based on how the batter looks but they puffed up nicely. We ate them with just maple syrup this morning, but I think we will have with fruit and unsweetened whipped cream for Christmas morning! Thank you!
Lauren says
Regarding the pumpkin waffles question...I use this recipe all the time and add organic canned pumpkin. I actually don't reduce the amount of milk and I add 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (which I fold in at the end of mixing). I also substitute the cinnamon for 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. I also add in 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
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Shari says
Really really tasty. I went out yesterday and bought a small waffle iron for $20. Made a large batch and froze them. Popped them in the toaster for my kids breakfast today. Huge hit. Makes me feel good to watch them eating real food before I send them off for their day.
Lauren says
These were delicious! I subbed in some ground oats for part of the flour, and they still turned out great. Thanks for an easy and healthy recipe! :-)
amy says
I've tried making these waffles several times but always have an issue with the coconut oil. I warm the oil in some hot water to measure the 1/4 cup correctly. But when I combine the oil with the cold eggs it clumps something horrible. I've tried not warming the oil but can't get it to mix well with the eggs either. Any suggestions?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Amy. It helps if you allow the cold items to warm up a bit. Here is more information on cooking with coconut oil: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. ~Amy
MJ says
I made these tonight, I loved them. Made exactly as directed and topped with organic unsweetened applesauce. They were so delicious.
Mean says
Have you made these into pumpkin waffles before?!? Thinking of cutting back milk and adding pumpkin purée?!? No idea how to make it work. All the pumpkin waffle recipes I'm finding online are full of fat and sugar! Thanks for any suggestions!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. I use this to make pumpkin waffles all the time but I always wing it, so I can't give you exact measurements. :) I do reduce the milk (I use almond milk). You can also use the banana pancake recipe: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/21/recipe-whole-wheat-banana-pancakes-freeze-the-leftovers/ and replace the banana with pumpkin puree and add pumpkin pie spice. It is a more simple substitution. ~Amy
Sarah says
I love this recipe. I make it all the time and we use the leftovers for weekday breakfasts. I seem to always have trouble with the coconut oil. I heat it when I add it but as soon as it mixes with the cold ingredients, it gets clumpy again. Then when I spoon the batter onto the waffle iron there are chunks or pockets of oil that run over the side. What am I doing wrong?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Sarah. This will help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. ;) ~Amy
Jennifer says
If I wanted to leave the honey out, do you think 1 banana would work instead?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jennifer. You could try, perhaps half, of an over-ripe banana. ~Amy
Steph says
Agree with Melissa, these are my new "go to" waffles. Making a batch as I type for the week ahead.
Steph says
Should add that I added shelled flax to this recipe, 2 tsps.
Sarah says
Made a version of these this morning-sing Organic Spelt Flour...
Delicious!
Melissa says
I've finally found my perfect go-to waffle recipe! Thank you! I also want to share the delicious mistake I made. When I first made these waffles I misread the recipe and added WAY too much cinnamon. I remember thinking, "hm, I wonder why she didn't specify these were cinnamon waffles" haha, oh boy. After noticing the color of he batter, I quickly realized my mistake. I added 2 tsp of cinnamon! Yes, 2 tsp! FOUR times the recommended amount. It looked like way too much cinnamon and I was hoping I would just make the cut for delightfully flavorful "cinnamon waffles". To my surprise, it worked! SO tasty! They reminded me of those cinnamon Eggo's I grew up on as a kid. Turns out my mistake gave me two amazing variations of this recipe! If you are a cinnamon lover, I definitely recommend trying some! Thank you Lisa for all of your wonderful recipes! I'm so excited for your cookbook come January!
Joanna Bass says
Would this recipe be ok to use as a pancake batter instead of waffles?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Joanna. I use variations on this recipe for pancakes all the time. ;) ~Amy
carol bronson says
Should be 5 stars Don't know how to go back and edit.
carol bronson says
OMG,made these for my granddaughters this morning. The best waffles I ever made, even the youngest who does not like honey or coconut oil loved them!
Jodi says
I made these this morning... OH MY were they delish!! My 1 year old ate 1 and 1/2! I topped them with pure maple syrup and blueberries... She'd barely made a peep until she was done eating :) I liked them so much I just ate some of the leftovers (that I'm super excited to freeze) for lunch! Thanks so much!
Lara says
These were delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and they were perfect. The kids loved them. Thanks for the recipe!
Jaime says
I just made these this morning and added 2 Tbsp Ground Chia Seeds, 1 1/4 Cups of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, 1/4 Cup of Organic Whey Concentrate and 1 1/2 Cups Coconut Milk. Very yummy! My son ate them happily without syrup. You could easily add blueberries or banana to these for a wider variety of nutrients. Thanks for the great recipe!
A. Bove says
Made these this morning with unsweetened almond milk, they were great! Thank you.
Megan says
You are absolutely right that the waffle iron is worth the investment! I made them for the first time today and they turned out perfect. Each one was in my iron for about 5 minutes and I got 5 waffles. I used an olive oil/water spray (about 1:5 ratio) that I use in place of conventional cooking spray and had no issues on my nonstick waffle iron.
Heather says
Used butter again, Used exact measurements for everything in recipe.... And set a timer for three minutes and 30 seconds for the waffles... Turned out much better! No crumbling for the first batch. Working on the second batch now :) Thanks!!
Cherie says
My kids wanted to let you know that they didn't like these waffles, they LOVED them. Even my husband really enjoyed them. He liked that they were eggy and fluffy. I did substitute the oil for applesauce and used coconut spray on the waffle iron. Thanks for the great recipe, we will definitely make them again.
Melissa says
Used this recipe to make pancakes last weekend and belgian waffles this morning. Yum! Both were light and fluffy. Only change was to use applesauce instead of oil because that's what we had. Even my picky 3-year-old asked for more! Definitely need to make more to freeze. Thanks for sharing!
Channing DeShong says
I have a son with severe food allergies and we were dumping a lot of money into allergy free waffles very morning (it is his favorite). After reading the post about these I went out and bought I really nice Belgian waffle maker and tweaked the recipe to suit his allergies but made the normal batch for my girls. Huge hit. I then made your apples like to make apple sauce and put those in them and switched up using cooked apples and bananas. They freeze great and they love them. My 18 month old waked up saying "waffle! waffle!" We also made the cream cheese sandwiches then today made peanut butter banana waffle sandwiches. Our waffle maker makes them so big we actually cut the down the middle so they go further!