These vegan waffles are crispy, delicious, and can be made in minutes! Super easy to make with a handful of pantry staples, they're perfect for an indulgent breakfast or brunch.
I take my waffles very seriously. That's because I LOVE waffles. And that's why it took me a long time to perfect my recipe for classic vegan waffles.
After lots of tweaking and adjusting, I think I finally have the perfect recipe. And good news: they're actually really easy to make and you don't need any weird ingredients. These are made from a handful of pantry staples.
There's nothing worse than squishy waffles. Waffles need to be crispy. They need to stand up to syrup and butter! And most of the vegan waffles I've made over the years were lacking in the crispness department. Until I discovered the magic ingredient to crispy waffles: cornstarch! I learned this trick from Inspired Taste.
This totally makes sense. Cornstarch crisps up beautifully when you fry it (I love using it as a coating for crispy tofu). Replacing some of the flour you'd normally find it waffle batter will give you crispier waffles.
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Ingredients You'll Need
Here's the complete list of everything you'll need for these waffles. Hopefully you've already got all of the ingredients on hand and can get cooking right away!
- Flour. The recipe calls for regular old all-purpose wheat flour (also known as white flour). Up to half of it can be replaced with whole wheat flour. I haven't tested the recipe with any other flour varieties, so I can't say if they'd work.
- Cornstarch.
- Sugar. Make sure to use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Conventional sugar is processed using animal bone char in many regions, including the United States.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Salt.
- Cinnamon. You can certainly skip this ingredient if you prefer, but I find that it adds a wonderful flavor to the waffles.
- Vegan milk. Just about any variety of non-dairy milk that's unflavored and unsweetened will work. Soy milk, almond milk, and cashew milk are all fine choices. See my guide to dairy free-milks if you need help choosing one.
- Oil. The recipe calls for canola oil, but just about any baking oil will work. Vegetable oil, corn oil and melted coconut oil can all be used.
- Apple cider vinegar. This supplies some acid, which is needed to activate the baking soda, just like buttermilk might do in a conventional waffle recipe. Need a substitute? See my guide to apple cider vinegar substitutes.
- Vanilla extract.
Tip: Don't forget the toppings! Maple syrup, vegan butter, organic powdered sugar, vegan whipped cream and fresh berries are all great waffle toppers, but it's totally up to you what you use.
How They're Made
The following 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!
- Lightly oil and begin heating up your waffle iron before you do anything. I like to use cooking spray, but you could also brush your waffle iron with oil or melted vegan butter.
- Whisk your dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking soda and powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Stir your liquid ingredients together: milk, oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
Note: The non-dairy milk may separate a bit due to the acidity of the vinegar, particularly if it's a high-protein variety like soy milk. This is totally fine!
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk just until combined. A few lumps in the batter are okay! Avoid overmixing. This will ensure that your waffles have the best possible texture.
- Pour the batter into your preheated waffle iron, close it up, and cook the waffles until they're set and golden brown.
Tip: Most waffle irons have an indicator light that lets you know when the waffle is finished cooking. You can also watch for steam escaping the iron — the waffles are done when it stops.
Homemade vegan waffles are best served right away. I like to top mine with some vegan butter, maple syrup, fresh fruit, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan waffles will keep in an airtight bag or container in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months. My favorite way to reheat them is to pop each individual waffle in the toaster until it's hot and crispy again.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Are your waffles falling apart or sticking to the waffle maker? This is usually due to either undercooking the waffles or forgetting to oil and/or preheat the waffle iron. Remember that you might need to reoil it between batches!
- The amount of batter needed for each waffle will vary, depending on the size of your waffle iron. Refer to the manufacturer's instructions. Also keep in mind that this means the number of waffles this recipe yields will vary.
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin. If your non-dairy milk has been in the fridge you might need to warm it up briefly.
- The vegan waffles shown in the photos are Belgian-style (i.e. square). I happen to use a Belgian waffle maker. The recipe and method are exactly the same for round waffles!
- Customize this vegan waffle recipe to make it your own! Try adding in blueberries, raspberries, banana slices, or mini vegan chocolate chips.
More Sweet Vegan Breakfast Recipes
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The Best Vegan Waffles
These vegan waffles are crispy, delicious, and can be made in minutes! Super easy to make with a handful of pantry staples, they're perfect for an indulgent breakfast or brunch.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons organic granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 â…“ cups unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup canola oil (or your favorite baking oil), plus a bit more for the waffle iron
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
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Lightly oil and preheat your waffle iron.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, if using.
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In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir together the milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
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Use a spoon to form a well in the center of the dry ingredient mixture, then pour in the liquid ingredients.
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Whisk the ingredients together just until combined. Don't overmix. It's okay if there are lumps in the batter.
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Pour the batter in measured amounts into the waffle iron cavities. Refer to your waffle iron instructions to find out how much batter to use per waffle - I used â…“ cup per waffle.
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Cook the waffles according to your waffle maker manufacturer's instructions (Note 1). Remove the waffles from the iron when finished, and re-oil the iron between batches.
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Serve the waffles immediately with vegan butter, maple syrup, and/or your favorite toppings.
Recipe Notes
- Most waffle irons include an indicator light that lets you know when the waffles are finished. You can also keep an eye on the steam coming out of the iron. When the steam comes to a near or complete stop, the waffle is done.
- The exact number of waffles this recipe yields will depend on the size of your waffle maker.
Made these this morning for Easter Quarantine breakfast. They came out perfect! I used half whole wheat pastry and half AP flour. I also added the sugar to the liquids, as I feel it dissolves better there and you don't mention which to put it with, although it is listed with the dry mix. Filled my little round waffle maker 4 times.
Recipe is definitely a keeper!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!! And thank you for the note on the sugar - looks like I missed it in the instructions! I just fixed it. :)
I love your recipe; even without using eggs, they taste eggy to me and my husband.
Thanks so much!
For some reason when i put the waffle batter into the iron whenever i took them off they came out trashed i had to add chia seeds with water ro make them work. Not very happy
Sorry to hear that! Do you mean to say that they stuck to the waffle iron? Did you oil and preheat it first?
These are the best waffles I've managed to make, they taste like what I'd get at a local breakfast cafe. I wanted to try using carbonated water, so I replaced 1/3 cup of the milk with seltzer and it works nicely. I used half whole-wheat flour and half all-purpose flour and they still came out crisp, moist and fluffy. Next time I'll try 100% whole wheat. I also didn't need to use as much oil, I used about 1/8 cup olive oil, and I didn't have any issues with them sticking or getting dried out.
Thanks!
The waffles held up well and looked delicious but they tasted so dry and bland. What can I do to fix them? I used sugar in the raw which may be part of the problem.
These are exactly as promised. Crispy, fluffy & delicious. Definitely my new go-to recipe.
Vielen Dank für das Rezept !
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