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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!
Jamie says
I made a double batch this morning so I have some on hand for busy mornings. My 3 year olds loved them, and so did my husband! Thanks for another win! Recipe was simple, easy to follow, and I had all ingredients on hand. This like many of your other recipes is a keeper! Thanks again Lisa! 😊
Candice says
Delicious
Amanda tulles says
I've frozen the waffles and reheated, works well. Wondering though, can you freeze the batter and then make the waffles fresh? I would love to know. Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Amanda. Your waffles would likely be more dense because they would not rise well. ~Amy
Jeannie says
I just made these waffles tonight for my son & granddaughters & they were delicious!! My son told me they were the best he's ever had. He doesn't eat healthy foods like I do so I didn't tell him they were healthy until he said he loved them!!!!!!
Thanks for the recipe!!!!
The Multitasking Mommy says
Love this recipe used an adpation of it for my Whole Wheat Mickey Mouse Waffles. Used with the most amazing Mickey Mouse waffle iron. Check it out at http://themultitaskingmommy.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/whole-wheat-mickey-mouse-waffles-2/.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kelly. You can use any airtight container. I reuse freezer bags for this purpose, removing as much air from the bag as possible. ~Amy
Elizabeth says
I'm sorry if I've missed this, but has anyone tried this with a Belgian waffle iron? Is there anything you would add/recommend for this or do they come out the same?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Elizabeth. We've not tried but using yeast and beaten egg whites in most Belgian waffle recipes, rather than baking powder is what gives them a lighter and crispier texture. ~Amy
Kelly says
What do you freeze your waffles in?? Thank you!! We love them!!
Melissa says
Is one able to make a bunch of these and freeze them?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Melissa. Absolutely! :)
Sarah Priebe says
I made these this morning. SO delicious! I think these are the best from-scratch waffles I've ever made. I loved the hint of cinnamon. The batter was a bit thin, but I still loved them. I did use King Arthur white wheat flour, which was really light tasting. I also brushed my waffle iron with butter. Will definitely make again!
Courtney says
This batter is WAY too thin. It made a mess of my waffle maker and I spent all morning cleaning the stove. Thanks a lot...
And they didn't even taste that good.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Courtney. Sorry you had a bad experience. This is one my family's favorites! ~Amy
Roda says
Wonder what is the nutritional value of these waffles ?? Have enough protein to keep my son full until lunch time at school ??? Can I add anything to it to make it more nutritious ??? Thanks :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Roda. I play around with adding things like flax, chia, veggie puree as well as egg whites to this recipe. Not all at once, of course. I never have been disappointed with the outcome. :) ~Amy
Roda says
Made them on Friday and we all loved them ! I will try to add the things you mention for extra nutrition , my son is very picky and eats only a handfull of things :( . For the last 4 years his dinner is spaghetti with marinara !!! :( Thanks for your quick response :)
Karen says
They look amazing!
Samantha says
These waffles are great! Instead of topping with syrup, we topped with a mixture of vanilla greek yogurt, sliced strawberries, blueberries, and sliced bananas. Yum! My little ones and husband ate them all up. Thank you for this recipe!
Samantha says
These waffles are great! Instead of topping with syrup, we used a mixture of greek yogurt sliced strawberries, blueberries and bananas. Yum! Thank you for this recipe!
Charlene says
Wouldn't you use a SPROUTED flour for these?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Charlene. I have. Works great!.~Amy
Alicia V says
This is a wonderful recipe! I added a little bit of vanilla and upped the baking soda to 1/2 a teaspoon (which I honestly don't know if that was a good idea or not), because I wanted to experiment.... I used the same batter to make the waffles and plain pancakes and banana pancakes! They all turned out super yummy, and it was easy to do since the same batter worked for all! Thank you for this fantastic recipe and blog!
Terra says
These were fabulous! I added a 1/2 tsp of spirulina powder and a few drops of vanilla and they came out great! I also 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of unbleached bread flour for a moister consistency! Delish!
Brenda says
Love this recipe! Tried it when we had company and everyone loved them. i used fresh fruit toppings and maple syrup. Will definitely use this recipe again and again and again.
Christine @ Taste of Divine says
These were delicious. It was my first time making waffles, and this recipe did not disappoint. Thanks for the recipe!
Jessica says
Hi!
Has anyone made this gluten free and if so any suggestions?
Thank you!
Franki says
This a fantastic, easy and fool proof recipe. I've made it with canola oil and with coconut oil both times they came out great. We love them with blueberries mixed in or bananas! (Though that does make them stick to the waffle maker. )
Jelli says
I made these waffles today and they tasted good. The only battle I had with them is that they stuck in my waffle maker much more so than other recipes I've tried. I was able to pry them out carefully with a fork, so we ate them all, but it was a little more hassle.
Sc says
Would this work as pancakes?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. I make them as pancakes regularly.
Tara says
Made these for dinner tonight. Big hit! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes.
Amy says
These waffles were so yummy!!! My toddler and hubby gobbled them up! Such a great waffle recipe!!! Very impressed!!!
Rena says
Made these tonight for dinner! Delicious!
Samantha English says
Just made these waffles for the first time. My 14 month old ate an entire waffle even after eating a ton of fruit! Winner in our house...thank you!
Samantha Isova says
Great and simple recipe! But use coconut oil instead of butter!
And I threw everything in the blender to mix it up. simple and easy :)
Ania says
I have made these before and really love them. I have 2 very ripe bananas sitting on my counter and wanted to know if I could just add them in to the batter. I looked at your banana pancake recipe but the measurements are a bit different for pancakes vs. waffles. Do you think it would work if I just added the bananas or do I need to change anything else?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Ania. I've added banana and it works fine. It does make them a little heavier but yummy. ~Amy
Anna says
Today I made three batches and froze them! Perfect on the go breakfast for my picky little brother, who loves it!
Thick yet fluffy. You can taste the whole grain, but it is not a bad taste!
Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} Life says
As if you needed more affirmation that these are amazing ;) but seriously, these turned out perfectly! We usually make them from a box (time crunch!) but I wanted to do homemade today. My not so health freak brothers couldn't tell a difference and loved them. I made a couple adjustments so I could eat them (almond milk, coconut oil) and they were incredible. I cannot wait to experiment with flavor combos! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Mary says
I had to make waffles for school and I was looking for a healthy recipe that also tasted good. The waffles (I used buttermilk and the melted butter) were so AMAZING that I had to make a new batter because my kids ate them all, as soon as they came out of the waffle iron!
Thank you so much, we will definitely try more of your recipes!!
Tyler says
This recipie caused major problems - horrible "tip" to use melted butter instead of oil, as the butter completely chunked up the second my room-temperature milk hit it. Also clearly my waffle iron needed a whole ton mor butter as the waffle mixture broke apart and was a disaster.
Anna says
I have been following the "real food" lifestyle as well as I can for a few months, and I have been trying to convert my brother (age 10) for a while.
He was under the impression that whole grains were evil, tasteless little nasties... until I fed him these!
He loves them, I love them. Thank you.
Simona says
Is it ok to not add the baking POWDER?? I didn't have any, I only added the baking soda...
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Simona. Didi they turn out okay without?
Amanda says
I am curious to know if I can use this batter for pancakes also? Should I omit the oil or decrease it? I make these quite often for my kids but they are getting tired of waffles so I thought pancakes would be a nice change.
Jessica says
We just made these into pancakes tonight...tasted just fine. Hubby said they were amazing. I personally like the waffle version better, but I'd do pancakes again.
Amanda says
Thanks for letting me know Jessica! We've been using this recipes for pancakes now (with flax eggs rather than regular eggs) and the pancakes are great!
Tiffany says
Will these come out as good without the honey? Or anything I can substitute instead of honey? We are doing BLW with our 7 month old and I'd like to make a batch she can eat with us!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
You can always sub with maple syrup. :)
Jess says
I am wondering if you can mix the dry ingredients and store in an airtight container?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jess. They may not raise properly if you try saving the batter. I typically make them and freeze them if I'm not using them all. ~Amy
Tammie says
My family loves these waffles! I've made them with coconut oil and have recently substituted all the oil for organic applesauce. None of my crew has noticed a difference. I always triple the recipe and freeze the leftovers so we can enjoy and quick healthy breakfast.