20 Healthy Waffle Recipes That You’re Going to Love

Buttermilk Banana Waffles with Nutella

Maple syrup is a fairly new part of most human diets. Since using the tree sap as a source of sugar hails back to Native American traditions, maple syrup is still a rare treat outside the United States and Canada.

That means in places like Europe, other toppings are more familiar for waffles. The most popular is probably Nutella, the iconic chocolate hazelnut spread.

For a low-fat alternative to Nutella waffles, mix together PB2, cocoa powder, and milk to make a peanut butter chocolate sauce that you can drizzle on top. Add the liquid slowly because you won’t need much, and then stir in sweetener to taste.

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Cinnamon Apple Waffles

Since these oatmeal waffles are super low-cal, they can be served as a snack or enjoyed as part of a large brunch spread. Even with the lightly sweetened cinnamon apple topping, one waffle has less than 200 calories.

To add onto them for a complete breakfast, serve with quick side dishes like sausage and scrambled eggs. Or go all out with a fancy egg bake like a frittata, plus some crispy strips of turkey bacon.

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Whole-Wheat Waffles with Blackberry Syrup

When you mix berries into waffle batter, it adds essential vitamins and minerals. However, the flavor can get muddled in the middle of the waffles, and the juice can make them soggy.

To really celebrate summer, make fresh fruit the star of your berry waffle with a homemade syrup. The recipe is for blackberries, but raspberries or blueberries will work just as well. The fruit you use is a matter of what’s in season, currently in the kitchen, and your favorite.

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Pumpkin Spice Whey Protein Waffles

Think a protein-packed breakfast can’t replace your favorite pastry? These pumpkin waffles will prove you wrong.

They’re loaded with healthy ingredients like oat flour, flax seeds, and eggs. And the pumpkin puree doesn’t just make these taste similar to a pumpkin spice latte; it replaces the oil or butter that’s typically in a waffle batter.

This recipe also includes an indulgent cream cheese syrup, which is delicious if you have the macros for it, like before a long run or heavy endurance training. If you’d rather avoid the added sugar, make a protein icing by mixing together a scoop of vanilla WHEY+, 1/3 cup sugar-free Cool Whip, and 1/2 cup cream cheese.

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Pumpernickel Waffles

These waffles are made with cornmeal, molasses, and a couple squares of dark chocolate, yet they’re far from being sweet.

Instead these hearty waffles taste like pumpernickel, a kind of German bread made from a dark, nutritionally dense rye flour. To balance out that rich flavor, the bread is slightly sweetened with molasses and chocolate, which gives it the classic deep brown color.

Flavor’s not the only thing complex about pumpernickel. Plan to make this waffle batter a day ahead so the coarsely ground flour, chock full of fiber and complex carbs, has a chance to soften up.

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Strawberry Banana Greek Yogurt Waffles

For thick waffles with a soft texture, add Greek yogurt to the batter. Then even with blended oats, they’ll be fluffy rather than dense.

The recipe can be made without strawberries, but since this is a freezer-friendly breakfast, you can use it as a tasty method for preserving fresh fruit like bananas, strawberries, or blueberries.

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Fluffy Coconut Flour Waffles

Whole-wheat waffles can be healthy, but they’re always going to provide a big serving of carbohydrates.

When that’s not what your meal plan needs, make these low-carb waffles from eggs, butter, and coconut flour. They’re extremely filling and flavorful, and for a sugar-free topping, you can drizzle on a rich peanut butter sauce made from PB2 and coconut milk with a small pinch of salt.

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Chicken Waffle Nachos

Maybe fried chicken and waffles isn’t your idea of breakfast, but it sure makes a hearty snack.

This version is served up like nachos, starting with delicious cheddar cheese waffles. The epic cheese sauce and popcorn chicken combo is an awesome topping for a cheat meal.

Otherwise, the cheesy waffles can be enjoyed with a dollop of cottage cheese and sprinkle of fresh herbs. Or for a different take on chicken and waffles, try them with a spicy chicken chili.

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Sweet Potato Waffles

These flourless waffles are made from an unexpected starch – sweet potatoes – which make a nutrient-dense breakfast.

In combination with whole oats, you’ll be getting the fiber and complex carbs to start your day on the right foot. The two also work well together in terms of creating a soft, fluffy waffle that’s as healthful as it is flavorful.

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Mom’s Best Whole-Wheat Waffles

With a few simple replacements, your standard waffle recipe can be lightened up to have less fat and white flour. You’ll feel great about serving them, while nobody at the table can tell the difference between these Belgian waffles made with applesauce and the ones prepared with butter.

Use a 50-50 mix of whole-wheat to all-purpose flour, or make the batter with all white whole-wheat, which has the complex carbs you want for nutrition with the softer texture and flavor you know and love.

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Savory Hummus Waffles

With savory ingredients, these healthy waffles taste more like a Mediterranean lunch than a maple syrup-smothered breakfast.

You can still use your favorite waffle mix, only prepare it with egg whites, olive oil, and hummus instead. The waffle batter can be boosted with more delicious ingredients like sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil – or all of that can be left out, if you prefer.

Either way, top with more hummus or another creamy spread like mashed avocado.

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Berry Healthy Waffles

Not only are these waffles healthy, but they can be extremely convenient. Sure, you can make the whole recipe from scratch in one go. Better yet, though, break it down into steps.

Mix together just the dry ingredients, and you have wholesome homemade waffle mix to stash in the pantry.

When you prepare the batter and pour it into the waffle iron, you may as well make extras. Then they can be kept in the freezer for a no-fuss breakfast to enjoy sometime in the next three months.

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Churro Waffles

The iconic cinnamon donut, churros, are inspiration for this paleo waffle recipe. But since they’re cooked in a waffle iron, what makes them crispy and crunchy isn’t frying them in oil like with real churros.

Instead when they’re hot from the iron, the almond waffles are coated in melted butter and coconut sugar before serving. And while that sounds decadent, it’s basically another version of topping your brunch with maple syrup, butter, and powdered sugar.

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Coconut Flour Belgian Waffle

When you think of Belgium, what comes to mind are probably thick, sturdy, golden-brown waffles like this. But these are totally grain-free with just a quarter cup of coconut flour.

It’s hard to believe by looking at them, but the bulk of this recipe is eggs, butter (or coconut oil), and milk.

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Healthy Almond Oat Waffles

For a heart-healthy breakfast, try these oatmeal waffles. Compared to standard waffles that get most of the flavor from butter, these are wholesome and nourishing with not just oat flour but ground almonds too.

Aside from swapping out the white flour, the recipe is straight-forward with eggs, milk, and baking powder so they puff up in the waffle iron.

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Buttermilk Potato Pizza Waffles

Can’t think of a way to enjoy waffles without maple syrup? Go savory instead, and you’ll uncover a whole new world of options. Take some inspiration from pizza, for example, with roasted cherry tomatoes and baby mozzarella.

The toppings aren’t the only thing that make these waffles stand out. Rather than using regular wheat flour, the batter is made from a mix of brown rice, sorghum, corn, and potato flours.

Of course, you don’t need to follow the exact recipe to make pizza-flavored waffles. If you go with a standard waffle batter, just leave out the sugar or other sweetener.

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Chocolate Protein Waffles

When you use egg protein powder in a recipe, it can replace some of the flour and the whole eggs, so you’re lowering the carbs and fat at the same time.

And since the butter is replaced with mashed fruit, you can make these into chocolate banana waffles. Don’t like bananas? For more emphasis on the chocolatey flavor, use applesauce instead.

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Fluffy Carrot Cake Waffles

Stumped by what to put on top of your waffles to make a wholesome breakfast? Although this recipe takes inspiration from carrot cake, that actually translates into nutritious ingredients like walnuts, raisins, and Greek yogurt – or, if you prefer, cream cheese.

By topping waffles with dried fruit and nuts, you can enjoy bold flavors and natural sweetness along with fiber, antioxidants, and protein.

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Chickpea Waffles with Mushrooms & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

When you have flavorful fresh mushrooms, make them the star of a dish by putting them right on top.

Roasted mushrooms are amazing on a pizza, bruschetta, or even savory waffles. In this recipe, they’re simply tossed in olive oil and put in the oven for about 20 minutes, with the sun-dried tomatoes added for a few minutes at the end.

Meanwhile, measure out everything for the waffle batter, and you’ll have just enough time to cook them before the toppings are done.

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Whole-Wheat Chia Waffles

Waffles can be loaded with nutrition, and you don’t have to veer too far from the regular recipe.

This version looks golden-brown and delicious like any homemade waffles, but a few vegan substitutions switch up the nutritional profile and create a low-fat alternative.

First, adding a little vinegar to almond milk will make a non-dairy buttermilk that contains half as many calories. Next, mixing in chia seeds and ground flax will replace both the eggs and butter.

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