These vegan banana waffles are packed with sweet banana flavor and taste just like banana bread — but in waffle form! They’re super simple to make and perfect for everything from lazy weekend mornings to festive holiday brunches.
Overripe bananas are never a problem in my house. They make a great vegan egg substitute, so I can always incorporate them into a delicious recipe like vegan banana bread, vegan banana muffins, vegan banana cake, or vegan banana pancakes. In this vegan banana waffle recipe, my overripe bananas do double duty: adding natural sweetness and flavor while also replacing the eggs.
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As a total non-morning person, I can confirm that these waffles are incredibly easy to whip up. I have zero patience for complicated projects early in the day. These take just nine ingredients and under thirty minutes to make — and they’re full of sweet, sweet banana goodness, which is exactly what I crave when I’m cranky in the morning.
I’ve even tested these babies on a few mornings when (kicking myself) I agreed to host brunch. They were totally no-fuss and always a hit! So whether you're serving guests or just need a little motivation to crawl out of bed, this recipe has you covered.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Flour. The recipe calls for all-purpose wheat flour. I've also successfully made it with whole wheat pastry flour, so feel free to use that if you'd like!
- Cornstarch. This helps give the waffles a delicate, crispy texture.
- Baking powder.
- Cinnamon.
- Salt.
- Bananas. Use bananas that are a bit overripe. Brown spots are good! Check out the photo above — those bananas are perfect!
- Non-dairy milk. Soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, or just about any variety suitable for drinking works! Check out my guide to dairy-free milk if you need help choosing.
- Vegetable oil. Any neutral baking oil will work, such as corn, canola, or melted coconut oil.
- Vanilla extract.
Tip: Got some bananas that are just right for this recipe, but you're not ready to make it? Freeze them! Just peel, then place them in a freezer bag and into the freezer. They'll keep for a couple of months. Be sure to include any liquid that accumulates as they thaw — it adds flavor and moisture to the batter.”
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1. Prepare. Start by oiling and preheating your waffle iron.
Step 2: Combine dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together.
Step 3: Mash the bananas. Peel them, stick them in a bowl, then hit 'em with a fork or potato masher.
Step 4: Combine wet ingredients. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla to the banana. Stir everything up.
Step 5: Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, stirring in a bit at at time until all has been added and combined.
Step 6: Cook the waffles. Add the batter to the hot waffle iron in batches. Your waffle iron probably has a light that tells you when they're done, but if not, just watch it — the amount of steam coming off of the iron will dramatically decrease when they're done.
Step 7. Repeat. Keep cooking waffles until all of the batter has been used. Place them on a cooling rack as they come out of the iron — this will keep them from getting soggy!
Step 8: Serve. Your vegan banana waffles are ready to enjoy! Pile them on a plate and top them with vegan butter, banana slices, maple syrup, or any combination of the three!
Variations
- Nutty banana waffles. Stir up to a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter.
- Fruity banana waffles. Stir in some berries or another type of finely chopped fresh fruit. Blueberries work particularly well!
- Banana chocolate chip waffles. Add some vegan chocolate chips to the batter.
- Spiced vegan banana waffles. Use extra cinnamon, along with additional spices like nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
- Fried banana topping. Instead of fresh bananas, top your waffles with some banana slices fried in oil or vegan butter, kind of like I did for my caramelized banana oatmeal. This is SO GOOD!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store any leftover waffles in a sealed bag, stacking them and placing sheets of parchment paper in between. They'll keep in the fridge for about three days, or in the freezer for about three months. To reheat, simply pop them in the toaster for a few minutes.
I don't recommend it, since the baking powder will fizzle out over time. You can, however, mix the dry ingredients in advance and store them in a jar. Add the wet ingredients just before cooking the waffles.
I haven't tried making a gluten-free version, but if you'd like to give it a try, I'd recommend swapping out the wheat flour with an all-purpose gluten-free blend.
Usually this means your bananas weren't ripe enough. Just ripe or underripe bananas will have too little moisture and too much starch for this recipe. Make sure they have at least some brown spots.
More Sweet Vegan Breakfast Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Banana Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 overripe bananas
- 1 cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Serving
- Vegan butter
- Maple syrup
- Banana slices
Instructions
- Lightly oil your waffle iron, then turn it on to begin preheating.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Place the bananas into a separate large mixing bowl, then mash them up with a fork or potato masher.
- Stir the milk, oil, and vanilla extract in with the bananas.
- Begin adding the flour mixture to the banana mixture, mixing in about a third at a time and stirring just until the ingredients are fully combined.
- Pour the batter into your waffle iron cavities. Refer to the waffle iron instructions for guidance on how much batter to use (Note 1). Cook the waffles until your waffle iron's indicator light signals they’re done, or until steam has mostly stopped escaping.
- Remove the waffles from the iron as they cook, placing them on a cooling rack as they come out. Continue cooking waffles in this manner, adding oil to the waffle iron if needed (Note 2).
- Serve topped with vegan butter, maple syrup, and/or fresh banana slices.
Notes
- Most waffle irons take ⅓ to ½ cup of batter per waffle. Start with about ⅓ cup if you're unsure.
- Be careful when oiling a hot waffle iron. Spraying the oil is recommended.
- This recipe makes 8 waffles if using about ½ cup of batter per waffle. If your waffle iron takes less batter, you'll get more waffles, but they'll be a bit smaller.
- Nutrition information does not include toppings.
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We made them this morning with friends and, though the texture was a bit different than what I'm used to, they were absolutely scrumptious! We used a mix of pure vanilla extract and ground tonka beans for an interesting twist. We will definitely be making them again :)
Dear Alissa! I tried this recipe the other day. It was awesome, super quick, and hassle-free!
That's wonderful! So glad you liked it!
Just made these, so good! I cooked them 8 min in my waffle maker to get them nice and crispy. Delicious!
Awesome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Bethany!
We have now made this recipe three weekends in a row at my house - a definite hit. Thanks for sharing!
Yay!! I'm so glad you're enjoying them! Thanks Ginny!
Great recipe, thank you! :) Made it twice. Just want to point out that I think there's a typo, it should be teaspoon instead of tablespoon for the baking powder? Because I did with 1.5 teaspoon the first time and it was great, and the second time with 1.5 tablespoon it was a bit of a disaster.
Thank you! I'm glad you liked them! I'm not sure about the baking powder...I've got a few waffle recipes and they all use about the same ratio. I'm guessing your batter expanded too much and spilled out of the waffle iron? Could have to do with different waffle irons and how much batter they'll accept. I'll definitely play around with this and see what I can come up with. I'm glad you found that they work for you with the smaller amount of baking powder though. :)
Nommmm... I definitely didn't need the syrup, the bananas and walnuts were more than enough flavor and sweetness! These were delicious!!
Awe! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!!! Thanks so much for being my taste tester :)
These look so good! Just a question - what brand waffle maker do you have? Mine is so terrible and NEVER works, but it looks the same as yours! And then, perhaps, you have a secret.
It's actually probably one of the cheapest you can buy. The brand is Kitchen Gourmet and the box indicates a suggested price of $9.99, though I'm not sure how long ago that was printed because it's a hand-me-down from my brother. I didn't have very high expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. I don't have any secrets either - just follow the instructions. Sorry to hear that yours isn't working. If you can find my brand I'd say give it a shot - good luck!!!
Thanks for the reply! I have a Black and Decker and it was about $15, but comes with the changable sandwich plates, et cetera. I'll try it with your recipe -- maybe it was the ones I was using! Thanks for the input. :)
You're welcome and good luck!!!
I always failed at making these until I read to not open it until the steam stops. Don't know if that will help any or not. :)
Ohhh - good call! My machine has a light that is supposed to go off when the waffles are done, but sometimes goes while steam continues to come out. I usually wait until the steam stops rather than relying on the light.