Learn how to make the Best Ever Vegan Waffles! Nice and crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. Plus, they’re easy to make and use ingredients you likely already have in your pantry!
These truly are the best vegan waffles I’ve ever had. Perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, as a proper waffle should be. Plus, they’re easy to make, require only 1 main bowl, and use ingredients you likely already have in your pantry!
I’ve left plenty of room for substitutions so you can use what you have on hand. Make them fresh for Sunday morning brunch, or freeze a batch and pop them in the toaster for a super quick, delicious breakfast.
If you’re a waffle enthusiast like me, you’ll want to try my pumpkin waffles or my gluten free waffle recipe.
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Ground flaxseeds – To make the flax eggs. Or simply omit the flax eggs and increase the oil. Works perfectly!
- Soy milk – Use coconut, almond, cashew, or any other kind of non-dairy milk in replacement of the soy milk.
- Apple cider vinegar – For perfectly risen, fluffy waffles. You can substitute this for lemon juice or white vinegar.
- Flour – You may make these waffles with all white flour, a mix of whole wheat and white, all whole wheat or even gluten free.
- Baking powder
- Granulated sugar – You could also use cane, raw, coconut, or brown sugar.
- Melted vegan butter or oil – Melted coconut oil, canola oil or vegan butter all work here. For oil free, you can substitute applesauce but they won’t be as crisp.
- Vanilla extract
How to make vegan waffles
Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is simply an overview with photos.
Start by preheating your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This is the best way to get perfect waffles every time! This waffle iron is my favorite because it makes more shallow waffles (not Belgian waffles) and the batter never sticks. Prepare your flax egg and vegan “buttermilk”.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Next, add in the flax egg, vegan buttermilk, melted butter or oil, and vanilla. Stir until just combined with a large wooden spoon (don’t over mix!).
- Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray (unless the waffle iron is truly non-stick). Pour some batter onto the hot iron. The amount will vary depending on your waffle iron, I used about 3/4 cup per waffle.
- Cook as directed until the waffle is golden brown on both sides. Don’t try to remove the waffle before it’s cooked, or it will stick!
Can these be made gluten free?
You can use spelt flour or a gluten free mix instead of white flour to make turn this into a gluten free recipe. Alternatively, use my recipe for Vegan Gluten Free Waffles.
Toppings and add ins
Load your waffles with a ton of toppings, if desired. You could drizzle them in maple syrup, whipped cream, vegan butter, lemon curd, fresh berries, sliced bananas, vegan Nutella, slivered almonds, or caramel drizzle. If you really want to make this into a savory meal, make my vegan “chicken” for maple syrup-drenched vegan chicken and waffles!
Customize your waffle batter with tasty add-ins. I recommend using:
- Dairy free chocolate chips
- Sliced bananas or strawberries
- Peanut or almond butter
- Blueberries
- A hint of cinnamon
- Pumpkin spice
Tips for the best waffles
- The batter should be fairly thick. If it’s too runny, add a few tablespoons more of flour. If it’s too thick, add a little more water.
- Don’t over mix the batter. Mix until everything has just combined for the lightest, fluffiest waffles. If there are lots of lumps, just let the batter rest for 10 minutes so they can dissolve.
- If you’re not ready to serve the waffles immediately, keep them in a warm oven (200ºF) until you’re ready to serve. This will keep them crispy and hot.
How to store leftovers
Wrap the leftover waffles individually or seal them in a container. Store them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
To freeze the waffles, place as many as you can in a freezer-safe bag. They freeze very nicely and will last for up to 3 months.
Pop the frozen or chilled waffles in a toaster until they’re warmed through and crispy.
Want more sweet and simple vegan breakfast recipes?
- Simple Vegan Pancakes
- Vegan French Toast
- 1 Bowl Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Vegan Chocolate Pancakes
- Vegan Banana Pancakes
Best Ever Vegan Waffles
Ingredients
Flax Eggs (see notes for alternative)
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
- 1/2 cup water
Vegan Buttermilk
- 3 1/2 cups soy milk
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
The Rest
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour* or a mix of whole wheat and white flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup melted vegan butter or coconut oil, or other oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Make the Flax Eggs: In a small bowl, combine the ground flax and water. Stir, and set aside to thicken.
- Make the Vegan Buttermilk: In a large measuring cup or bowl, measure 3 1/2 cups of soy milk. Add the apple cider vinegar, stir a little with a spoon and set aside to curdle.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- Add the flax eggs, vegan buttermilk, melted vegan butter/oil and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined with a large wooden spoon, being careful not to over mix. The batter should be fairly thick, if it's too runny add a few tablespoons more of flour. If it's too thick, add a little more water.
- Spray waffle iron with non-stick spray. Pour the recommended amount of batter onto hot waffle iron, and cook until the waffle is golden brown on both sides.
- Serve immediately, or keep in a warm oven (200 degrees F) until ready to serve. Top with fresh berries, coconut whip, vegan butter, maple syrup and anything else you desire!
Video
Notes
- I recently discovered that you can make these waffles without flax seeds. Omit the flax eggs and increase the oil to 3/4 cup. Works really well, but they are slightly less crispy.
- May use coconut, almond, cashew or any other kind of non-dairy milk that you wish in place of the soy milk.
- For gluten free waffles, simply substitute an all purpose gluten free flour.
- For oil free, you can use applesauce instead of oil, but they won’t be as crispy. Melted vegan butter, melted coconut oil or a neutral flavored oil all work.
- These waffles freeze beautifully. To reheat, simple pop them in the toaster until warmed through and crispy. I always have waffles in the freezer!
- These make 8-9 large Belgian waffles, but if you have a smaller square waffle maker, they make around 22 waffles.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first published October 2018 and has been updated with improved photos and writing.
Just as the title suggests…best waffles! They are perfect. I used part white whole wheat, part oat flour and part all-purpose flour. Perfect. I added frozen wild blueberries to part of the batter. They were a hit with my family. THANK YOU!!
Your site is helping to show our family that vegan food is delicious, and you won’t miss out on anything. You are very much appreciated. 🙂
These are wonderful! Have you tested buckwheat waffles or pancakes? Is it just as simple as subbing half (or two thirds?) buckwheat flour? Thanks!
I haven’t tested it yet, but I think you could sub 1/2 or even 2/3 of the flour with buckwheat. Glad you like the waffles, thank you!
So I bought this Gorgeous overpriced waffle maker and i wanted to make savory waffles for my vegan son for his last dinner home before going away to college.
I used this recipe sans the sugar and vanilla, added crumbles of browned vegan sausage, onion, kale and vegan mozzarella. Topped with diced tomato and arugula tossed in olive oil and salt. Holy Crow!
I could not stop myself from taste testing, repeated until two waffles were consumed.
Perfectly light, crispy, great taste and texture. Im saving this recipe and dreaming up my next savory variation. Thank you Nora!
This sounds incredible Patty! So glad the waffles worked out for this.
Loved the waffles, thank you for the recipe. I followed the recipe and added a bit of cinnamon. Cooked for 7 minutes in my non-stick maker! Delicious
We went plant based a little over a month ago. Easy switch for me because I disliked most animal products, but transitioning a family is interesting. These waffles were a hit! I had been using another vegan recipe, but this recipe is the recipe to rule them all. I’ve made gigantic batches forever since waffles are my kids breakfast of choice, and they are OPINIONATED. They said these were DELICIOUS! My husband, who never eats waffles, wanted to try them and said, “Wow. These are GOOOOOOD. Game changer!” So glad you exist to focus on family recipes. It has really helped me this last month!
Have you made ahead the batter?
I haven’t but I think it would be fine to do so. You may need to thin it out with water when you’re ready to use it though, because it will thicken up. Thanks!
These turned out very very good! I’m new to vegan cooking and was scared that we’d have a hard time finding good breakfast options. But these were very delicious and easy to make. I found I needed to spray my iron with oil even though it is nonstick, might be the sugar content that makes these somewhat prone to sticking, but overall a winner recipe!
Made these on a whim for mother’s day as I misplaced the recipe I normally use. I was out of white flour (only had 3/4 cup) so used mostly sprouted spelt and these turned out amazing! Definitely my go to waffle recipe from now on! I also added a bit (okay a lot) of cinnamon because we love cinnamon here! They made 8 perfect waffles in my Belgium waffle iron. Topped with strawberries, blueberries, and coconut whipped cream… can’t be beat!
Waffles turned out light, crispy and delicious. Great flavor. Thanks for the recipe. This will be my favourite waffle recipe .
These came out perfectly. I had to cut the recipe in half because I didnt have enough soy milk. Still came out great! They are delicious. Better than the non vegan waffles I used to make! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you liked the waffles! Next time, you can always use water if you don’t have enough soy milk. Sometimes I do this, and it’s totally fine. Thank you!
Love this recipe. Waffles come out light, fluffy, and flat out delicious. Huge hit with both vegans and non-vegans alike.
I just make these this past weekend, and they are fantastic! I’d never made waffles before, so there was some trail and error, and a lot of mess… but I’ve got it down now! These froze up wonderfully, and I’m looking forward to pulling these out on lazy weekend mornings! Thank you for another stellar recipe!
These came out just as the picture showed. I added a few tablespoons of water to thin it just a tad. They tasted a little heavy compared to traditional waffles, but I’m assuming that’s due to the wheat flour. I fed them to 6 kids who were all satisfied! I gave 4 stars only because the recipe used so much sugar. Thanks for sharing!
We love these waffles but they stick in my waffle maker so bad! I can barely get them out. I never had that problem with my old non vegan recipe. Any ideas? Is it the flax???
The problem is usually the waffle iron. I make these all the time using my non-stick waffle iron that doesn’t even need to be sprayed with oil. Other waffle irons are just more likely to stick. When I still had my old waffle iron, I just used spray oil and they never stuck.
Hmmmm I sprayed oil all over it and they still stick! They glue my waffle maker shut and I have to pry them out. Good thing we like our waffles crispy!
This recipe is perfect! Thank you so much for sharing it. I used pumpkin seed milk that I had made earlier instead of soy milk. They turned out spectacular. The kids loved them. God bless you
Fabulous! A keeper in my house!
Nora,
Thank you so much for this recipe, waffles are soooo good!! I made them with spelt flour only and worked very well 🙂
So glad you enjoyed the waffles! 🙂 Thank you!
I have made these waffles twice and they sure taste good but i could rather skipping the coconut oil (as bad as butter) – have you tried with apple sauce or chia seed instead.
I’m glad they taste good! I have used applesauce in place of the coconut oil, and it works quite well. However, the waffles aren’t as crispy. Still very tasty though! 🙂
These were great. The kids loved them and I had enough to freeze. My waffles are too big for the toaster. What would be best the oven or microwave? Also could these be converted to chocolate waffle with about 2/3 cups of cocoa ?
I’m glad everyone liked the waffles! I often break the waffles in half so they will fit in the toaster, but you can also warm them in the oven at 350 for about 8 minutes until they are warm and crispy. If you microwave them, they will be soft which I do not prefer. I’ve never tried making them chocolate, but that might work.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! I’ve tried it with both chia seeds and ground flax seeds and they turned out perfect both times! My non-vegan friends loved them and my mom asked for the recipe haha! I’m so glad I’ve found yours, definitely the best vegan waffle recipe I’ve tried ?
I’m so glad you are enjoying the waffles! Good to know it works with chia seeds as well, and that even your non-vegan friends and mom like them. Thank you!!
If using an egg replacement other than flax how many “eggs” would you need??
2 “eggs” should do it. Though I haven’t tried them with anything but flax/water. 🙂
Eating them with my company right now. Fabulous!!!
I’m so glad Bev! Thanks for dropping a comment. 🙂
I loved the flavor of these waffles! Just sweet enough without being too sweet. I really appreciate the use of whole wheat flour, flax and soy milk for a bit of a nutrition boost even though waffles aren’t supposed to be a “health” food. They were just as promised, soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. Thank you Nora for another great recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the waffles! Thank you!
Do you coat your waffle maker with cooking spray?
My waffle maker is non-stick and you aren’t supposed to use oil on it, so I don’t. So it depends on your waffle maker. On my old one, I always did or they would stick.
I want to prepare the batter at home and then bring them to work for an after-school club. (It will be refrigerated.) Will that work, or does the batter have to be used immediately?
Yes, that will work. If it sits for hours, you may need to thin it a little with water before you cook the waffles, because the batter thickens as it sits.
Ours didn’t come out as pretty as your pictures, but they sure were delicious!! Thanks!!