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.
An amazing waffle recipe! Does make 26 mini waffles in the dash size waffle maker so perhaps consider halving or quartering the recipe if you only want a few. Did spend 3 hours making delicious mini waffles with a friend today though. Great for freezing and toasting later!
I’ve tried several of your recipes, and they always hit the mark—this waffle recipe is no exception! I followed it to the letter, and the results were phenomenal. I’m thrilled to have leftovers, and I can’t wait to pop these in the toaster before heading to work. Thanks for another fantastic recipe, Nora!
You bet, Ann! Aren’t frozen waffles the best! We love having them in our freezer as well! I’m thrilled that you love the waffle recipe, and appreciate you using my recipes often! Thank for you wonderful review!
When my husband comes back for seconds (and thirds!) then I know that the recipe is a winner! Thank you so much!
You are welcome, Ashley! I’m so glad you are loving the recipe at your house! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review and feedback!
Nora has become my go to for vegan recipes. Nothing has let me down yet. Nora thank you for everything you have done- will do and are for real! A+ waffles. Beautiful fluffy texture and wonderful taste without an assload of sugar. So much appreciation.
These are so tasty! I had some wheat flour and white flour that were nearing expiration dates so I used them both (2 1/2 cups wheat and rest white) and followed rest of recipe to a T and I must say they did become crispy! I have a mini waffle maker so it does take me a while to go through the batter but its fine bc then I have enough for myself and the family! after taking them out of freezer I reheat in the air fryer!
Hi Brenda. I just love having waffles in the freezer for a quick and delicious breakfast or snack! I’m glad you and your family loved the waffle recipe! Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback!
Hi there! BEST waffles ever indeed!!! Thankyou so much for this recipe!
I wonder, can I use almond milk instead of soy? I often run out of soy milk but have almond on hand
Thank you! Yes, you can use any kind of milk really. Almond works well.
I’ve made these waffles so many times and they always come out perfectly, except this time. The leftover batter is really doughy. What did I do wrong? Still taste good though!
Did you use a different flour, milk, anything? If they’ve come out perfectly other times, look at what was different this time around. Kinda hard to say without being there in the kitchen!
Once again you hit the mark perfectly! You are my favorite for any vegan recipes. I did 1.5 cups of white flour and 2 cups whole wheat and brown sugar it they were delicious. I added raspberries and mangos for toppings.
HI Beverly. I really appreciate your supportive and encouraging words! Your waffles sound really delicious! Thanks for your fabulous review! I appreciate you using my recipes! Happy cooking!
For four people there was enough for another day. I refrigerated the remainder for the next day in a quart jar and they were as tasty on day two.
It does call for a lot of oil, which does make them crispy, so I’ll try using part applesauce next time.
Haha, I realized it’s Belgian, not Belgium waffles. Anyway, I used my Belgian waffle maker with this recipe and it was fine. Although, it will probably be better in a classic . The taste was great!
I make waffles as an excuse to funnel maple syrup into my mouth and these are the perfect vessel for that! I used lemon instead of vanilla since I was out of vanilla. These are great!
Hello, will this recipe work in Belgium Waffle maker. I searched for vegan Belgium waffles, started making your recipe, then realized it was for a classic waffle.
Thanks
Yes, it works with either!
Love these, I keep them stocked in my freezer for me and my kiddo. If I wanted to add protein powder, should I sub anything out? Add more milk?
Thanks for your wonderful review, Jay! You might need an extra splash of milk, but only if the batter looks a bit dry.
Excellent recipe! I’m not even vegan, but I didn’t have any eggs so I specifically looked up a vegan recipe. These waffles were soooo fluffy and delicious. I ended up mashing in a banana to the batter and it was all the better. My kids loved it and so did I.
I am thrilled that your family loved the waffles! Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback!
I love this recipe. I add applesauce instead of oil for extra nutrition. Why does the flour in the batter not mix well? There are clumps of flour. I always sift.
By mistake I used chia seeds instead of flaxseed and they turned out just as delicious as they usually do!
My favourite waffle recipe ever!! They’re so good. We often make them and freeze and they taste fresh. We love adding chocolate chips or blueberries sometimes too.
I love having waffles in the freezer! Thanks for your fabulous review! I’m so glad you are loving the waffles!
I’ve never made waffles before and this recipe was so good! I cut the recipe to make a smaller batch, reduced salt and sugar for my toddler. She is obsessed. Definitely recommend!
Thanks for taking time to share your fabulous review and feedback! I’m thrilled your toddler loves the waffles! Happy cooking!
baking powder – tablespoons? so many?
2 tablespoons is correct, yes. It works, trust me!
I really like this recipe and saved it over my others. I did make some small changes (no sugar, used wheat flour, added chia seeds, no butter but avocado oil). I am questioning the nutritional info. Calories and other line items seem high to me. How to you arrive at these amounts?
This will depend on your waffle maker. These amounts are if you get 8 large waffles out of the recipe as written. If you made changes, you will have to enter your ingredients in some sort of calculator and divide by however many waffles you make. I’m glad you enjoyed the waffles; the recipe is quite flexible! Thank you.
Easy to prepare and delicious! I make a batch and freeze half and keep other half in the fridge for us to eat over a couple of days!
What would the substitution be instead of Flax seed/water using Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer? Just didn’t know how many “flax eggs” there are in this recipe. Thanks
2 eggs worth should be fine. Thanks!
Loved these! Have you tried making them with Justegg instead of flax seed?
It hasn’t been tested but another commenter used JUST Egg and had good results.
Can you make the flax egg with flax meal instead of flax seeds?
Hi Rae. The recipe calls for ground flax seeds, which is the same thing as flax meal.
Great recipe? Can these be made without sugar for a young toddler?
The recipe hasn’t been tested without sugar but other commenters have left it out and still had good results.
Love how you use “best ever” in titles of your dishes. It’s true. These waffles are crispy & fluffy and I now have 18 in the freezer per my husband’s request. It’s too hard for us to find vegan ones in the regular grocery stores.
Thank you!! I make these often and try to keep some in the freezer; my teens and younger kid eat them for breakfast almost daily. 🙂
I wanted to love these – they smelled great and looked nice but the interior was mushy. I’m guessing these would be great in a regular thin waffle maker but in a thick Belgian waffle maker, they were not great. They did set a little better with longer cooking, but the texture was really off. Followed the recipe exactly with no substitutions.
Hey there – Waffles can turn out mushy when your waffle iron is not hot enough. If it’s not hot enough when you begin, the waffles won’t cook properly or get crispy. Also, make sure you don’t over stir the batter and cook them longer. With a good waffle maker, it should get very hot and cook waffles quickly. Belgian or not. I used to have an old waffle maker that just didn’t get hot enough and my waffles would come out soggy instead of crispy.