This is one of our base recipes. Pre-made waffle mixes can be enticing for their simplicity, but homemade whole wheat waffles are super easy, AND you get to control the ingredients that go into your body! These healthy waffles are made with 100% whole wheat flour, giving you a boost of fiber that traditional waffle mixes don’t usually provide. We use white whole wheat flour to keep the color light and the flavor mild. Trust us, your kids and family won’t even notice!
Learn How to Make the Base Recipe
Three Must-Know Cooking Skills
For light and fluffy waffles, learn how to:
Culinary Tips for the Best Whole Grain Waffles
Be sure to measure the flour correctly. Fluff, spoon, and level! Packing it into the cup will result in dense waffles.
If you tend to use a lot of syrup to top your waffles or you just prefer a less sweet waffle, use 1 Tablespoon of sugar. If you like to top it with fresh fruit, plain yogurt, and/or nut butter, use 2 Tablespoons.
Don’t overstir the batter! Too much mixing can result in tough waffles. Stir gently until all ingredients are moistened; the batter should be slightly lumpy. If the batter looks a little too thick, add more buttermilk. If too thin, add a spoonful of flour.
Don’t have time to make the batter in the morning? Whisk the batter together the night before and give it a gentle stir in the morning. Now all you have to do is heat the waffle iron and get cooking!
Want the convenience of a pre-made waffle mix so that you can make healthy waffles whenever you want? Multiply the dry ingredients by your desired yield, and you’ll be ready to throw together nutritious waffles anytime! This mixture works for pancakes too because the dry ingredients are exactly the same. Store in an airtight container in the pantry.
The only differences between our pancake and waffle recipes are that these waffles have double the fat and one extra egg compared to the pancake batter. To turn this into a whole grain pancake recipe, reduce the butter by half and leave out one egg. Click here for all of the tips for our fan-favorite whole grain pancakes base recipe!
If you have kids, invite them to help you make this recipe. It keeps them distracted from their hunger while they help cook, and they have fun measuring and mixing!
Ingredient Substitutions
- White Whole Wheat Flour: substitute whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour. You can also substitute regular whole wheat flour, but the flavor, color, and texture won’t be quite as light. If you don’t have white whole wheat flour, you can substitute half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour, although this will slightly decrease the fiber content. To make gluten-free waffles, use a gluten-free flour mix, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour, but note that the fiber content may decrease. You can also substitute ground oats or oat flour.
- Sugar: substitute brown sugar, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup, or agave. Mix liquid sweeteners in with the wet ingredients.
- Buttermilk: substitute kefir or homemade buttermilk. To make your own buttermilk, combine 1 cup of milk with 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice and let sit for 10 minutes to allow the milk to curdle. If you want to make vegan whole wheat waffles, use soy milk.
- Egg: substitute two flax eggs or ½ cup fruit puree. To make two flax egg, mix 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseeds with 6 Tablespoons water. Let sit for 10 minutes or until thickened.
- Butter: substitute canola, avocado, or melted coconut oil. However, there’s just no replacing the flavor of butter!
- Flavor Extract: substitute ¼ teaspoon of any flavor extract that you like (almond, coconut, lemon).
Base Recipe Variations
Remember that this is a base recipe, so the goal is for you to customize it to your taste! Keep it simple or spice it up!
Use these additional ingredients for even more flavorful waffles.
- Mix-ins to YOUR Taste:
- Diced Fresh Fruit: use apples, pears, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, or whatever sounds good to you. Soften diced apples in the microwave (~2 minutes) with 2 Tablespoons of water.
- Fruit or Vegetable Puree: use applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree, or mashed sweet potato. For pumpkin whole wheat waffles, mix ½ cup pumpkin puree in with the wet ingredients, and add 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice with the dry ingredients.
- Oats: use old fashioned or quick oats. Do not use uncooked steel cut oats. This will create a slightly thicker texture, but you may like the added nuttiness that oats add. If too thick, add more buttermilk. Plus, with the added oats, you now have multigrain buttermilk waffles!
- Rehydrated Dried Fruit: use raisins, cranberries, blueberries, diced apricots, figs, dates, or whatever sounds good to you. Cover with hot or boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain liquid before folding into the batter.
- Spices: use cinnamon, pumpkin spice, apple pie spice, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, or allspice. Use smaller quantities for stronger spices. Whisk in with the dry ingredients.
- Toppings to YOUR Taste:
- Fresh or Thawed Frozen Fruit: use berries, apples, pears, peaches, bananas, cherries, or any other fruits to your taste. Slice or dice into bite-sized pieces. Be careful with thawed frozen blueberries; you can create a purple batter very easily! Gently fold them in after everything else is mixed.
- Chocolate Chips: use mini, regular, or dark chocolate chips. We recommend dark chocolate for best nutrition.
- Toasted Nuts, Seeds, or Coconut Flakes: use almonds, coconut, cashews, peanuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, or whatever sounds good to you!
If adding fresh or thawed frozen fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, seeds, or coconut flakes, mix into the batter or sprinkle on top after cooking.
Want some waffle recipe inspiration?
Use this recipe variation for inspiration, then have fun exploring other flavors, ingredients, and textures!
Equipment Recommendations for Easy Whole Grain Waffles
Make sure your kitchen is stocked with these tools for easy preparation!
Check out our essential equipment guide to stock your kitchen with ALL the tools you need to prepare anything and everything!
Are whole wheat waffles healthy?
These ones are! This whole wheat waffle recipe is full of nutritious ingredients that will keep you satisfied and energized for hours: whole wheat flour, low-fat buttermilk, and low added sugar.
Whole Wheat Flour
Whole wheat flour is a good source of fiber, B vitamins, Vitamin E, trace minerals, and phytonutrients. Replacing refined grains (i.e. white flour) with whole grains (i.e. whole wheat flour) may reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
Confused about the pros and cons of gluten? Check out our gluten article that provides evidence-based information about this controversial protein!
Buttermilk
The words butter and milk imply that this liquid is a high fat, creamy beverage, but actually, buttermilk doesn’t contain any butter! It was traditionally the liquid left behind after churning butter, but nowadays, food manufacturers have altered the process by culturing and fermenting milk to create a sour-tasting product. Therefore, buttermilk contains many of the healthy nutrients found in milk: calcium, protein, and B vitamins.
Low Added Sugar
High sugar consumption is not good for health, and in general, most Americans eat way too much. Men should aim to consume less than 9 teaspoons (~36 grams) of sugar per day, and women should aim to consume less than 6 teaspoons (~24 grams) of sugar per day. (2) This entire recipe only contains 1 Tablespoon of added sugar, which is only 1-2 grams per waffle (depending on your waffle iron size)!
Learn more about hidden sugars in this article.
Serving Suggestions
Hold the waffles in a warm oven (170 ºF) or the warm setting in a microwave until ready to eat. Serve with Greek yogurt, fruit, nuts or nut butter, or a side of scrambled eggs for a balanced breakfast full of healthy carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
Learn how to build a healthy balanced meal with our Whole Life Plate, meal plan, and book!
How to Store Buttermilk Whole Wheat Waffles
Want whole grain waffles from scratch every morning? Cook once, and eat all week! Multiply the recipe by your desired final yield, cook, and cool. Place cooled waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Frozen whole wheat waffles are great for a quick “reheat and eat” breakfast. For best quality, place cooled waffles in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze for 1-2 hours, then place in a freezer-safe container. This helps prevent the waffles from sticking to each other. Reheat in the toaster for a nice crispy exterior until warmed through.
Want more healthy breakfast ideas?
Check out these other delicious base recipes, and as always, make to YOUR taste!
Whole Grain Pancakes Base Recipes
Healthy Baked Oatmeal Cups Base Recipe
Greek Yogurt Smoothie Base Recipe
Whole Wheat Waffles Base Recipe
Ingredients
Base Recipe
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1-2 Tablespoons sugar*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix-ins to YOUR taste
- ½ cup fruit or vegetable puree
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- ½-1 teaspoon spice(s)
- ¼-½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat waffle iron. No need to spray or grease (the butter in the batter helps the waffles come off easily).
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and optional spices, oats, or chocolate chips.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and optional fruit/vegetable puree or almond extract.
- Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients. Using a spatula, stir to combine. Do not overmix.
- Use a portion scoop or measuring cup to scoop batter onto waffle iron. Cook according to the waffle iron's directions or until golden brown. Add toppings to your taste. Enjoy!
Notes
Toppings to YOUR taste
- Fresh or thawed frozen berries
- Diced fresh fruit
- Dark or mini chocolate chips
- Chopped or sliced toasted nuts or seeds
- Toasted coconut flakes
- Nut or seed butter
- Maple syrup, honey, or agave
- Dash cinnamon
This Post Has 2 Comments
I’ve been on a big waffle kick lately. My wife doesn’t like me buying Eggos, so we compromised and made these and froze a bunch so that I can have quick and easy toaster waffles for busy mornings. Topped with some almond butter, a drizzle of maple syrup, and some hemp seeds, these waffles keep me satisfied for hours!
Way better choice than Eggos ha ha. Love the topping choices!