Fluffy on the inside, crispy around the edges, and warmly spiced, these Vegan Pumpkin Waffles will be your new favorite fall weekend breakfast. An easy, 1-bowl recipe!
If you’re looking for more easy vegan waffle recipes, you’ll also love my Classic Vegan Waffles and my Gluten-Free Vegan Waffles.
It happens every year… All of a sudden, the air is crisp, and the leaves start to change color. That could only mean one thing: pumpkin season is here, and I can finally make these fluffy Vegan Pumpkin Waffles for breakfast again!
I put pumpkin in almost everything the minute it starts to feel like fall (yes, this usually happens in August 🫣). Whether it’s this Pumpkin Pasta Bake for a fall family dinner or these Pumpkin Cookies for dessert, I just love those spiced autumn flavors.
These vegan pumpkin spice waffles take it to another level, with an ENTIRE CAN of pumpkin puree in the batter. They’re a little more pumpkin-y than my Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes but just as perfect for a warm and cozy weekend breakfast with the family.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Always a fall favorite! Cozy and delicious, the best pumpkin waffles.” – Sandra
Why you’ll love this pumpkin waffle recipe
- Packed with pumpkin spice 🎃 – These waffles use a whole can of pumpkin and plenty of pumpkin pie spices for cozy, pumpkin goodness in every bite.
- Made in 1 bowl – They’re easy to make in just 1 bowl and can be whipped up FAST on a fall weekend morning.
- Customizable – I’ve given you several substitution ideas depending on your needs, be it oil-free, gluten-free, whole grain, and more.
How to make vegan pumpkin waffles
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
While your waffle iron is preheating, whisk the wet ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth. Next, add the dry ingredients to the same bowl. Mix until just combined.
Adjust the waffle batter
Your pumpkin waffle batter should be fairly thick and not too runny by the time it’s mixed. If it’s runny, gently stir in a little more flour. If it gets too thick, add a little water.
Pour some waffle batter onto the hot waffle iron, and cook until the waffle is golden brown on both sides.
Serve the warm vegan pumpkin waffles right away with maple syrup, pecans, coconut whipped cream, vegan butter, or anything else you like on top. Enjoy!
Keep the cooked waffles warm
If you’re not ready to serve the cooked waffles right away, transfer them to a baking sheet, cover them loosely with foil, and keep them in a low oven (200ºF) until you’re ready to serve.
Pumpkin waffle topping ideas
Now the fun part… Serving your pumpkin waffles! I like my stack with lots of maple syrup and a dollop of vegan whipped cream, but there are all kinds of delicious topping options, such as:
- A pat of vegan butter
- A drizzle of vegan caramel sauce
- Peanut butter, almond butter, or vegan Nutella
- A scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream
- Chopped pecans, almonds, or walnuts
- A dusting of powdered sugar
- Stewed cinnamon apples
Frequently asked questions
You probably could use homemade pumpkin puree instead of canned, but I haven’t tried it.
Yes! An equal amount of unsweetened applesauce works in place of the oil.
Personally, I think these waffles have the perfect balance of sweet and warming flavors. But if you’d prefer less sweet vegan waffles, either cut the granulated sugar in half or use an equal amount of maple syrup or coconut sugar as a substitute.
Just swap the all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour for a quality 1:1 gluten-free flour. I always have good results with Better Batter, King Arthur Flour, or Bob’s Red Mill.
You could try replacing some of the pumpkin with pureed sweet potato or butternut squash. Just keep in mind that the texture and flavor of the waffles will change slightly.
I like to wrap the leftover waffles individually in plastic wrap or store them in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or for up to 3 months in the freezer.
I reheat my pumpkin waffles (thawed or still frozen) in the toaster. It always makes them warm and crispy again!
Vegan Pumpkin Waffles
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil or vegan butter
- 2 cups unsweetened soy milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle iron.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the canned pumpkin, oil, soy milk and sugar until smooth.
- Add the flour to the bowl with the wet ingredients, then sprinkle on top of the flour the baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix with a large spoon until just combined. The batter should be fairly thick, not too runny. If it's runny, add a little more flour. If it gets too thick, add a little water.
- Spray waffle iron well with oil (unless your waffle iron is non-stick). 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 vegan whipped cream, vegan butter, maple syrup and anything else you desire!
Notes
- Make sure to use canned pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie mix. Very different things! You probably could use homemade pumpkin puree as well, but I haven’t tried it.
- For oil-free, try using applesauce or plant-based yogurt instead of oil.
- I used soy milk, but you can use any non-dairy milk you like: hemp, oat, coconut, rice, almond or cashew.
- Refined sugar-free option: Use 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup, or substitute coconut sugar.
- If you have pumpkin pie spice mix, you can use 2 1/2 teaspoons in place of the spices.
- Feel free to use white whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour or a gluten free flour mix in place of the white flour.
Nice recipe, I’m looking for more of a spiced pumpkin or sweet potato type flavor. What would you suggest to make them more of a spiced pumpkin waffle?
Would using cooked sweet potatoes make a big difference or just need to pump up the spices? The first batch I made went by the recipe and tasted more like the pumpkin puree with not even a hint of the spices I’m used to, so I added about a TBSP of agave and 1/2 tsp of vanilla and they were closer. Then I added about a tsp of pumpkin spice… and got pretty close.
Do you have any other suggestions please? 🙂 thx
I haven’t tried the waffles with sweet potato, so I’m not sure if that will work or not. To add more spice, simply add more pumpkin spice mix. Or a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and maybe cloves. Maybe even add a tablespoon of pumpkin spice if you like them very spicy. 🙂
Whether you are vegan or not, this by far is the tastiest waffle recipe. Moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and just the right amount of spice.
I prepared a holiday brunch for my family and these waffles were a hit! So much so that they keep asking me to make them over and over. This recipe must be followed to the letter for optimum results. Thanks Nora!
I’m glad you love the waffle recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Amazing recipe!! I used homemade pumpkin purée instead of a can and in doing so added another 1/4 cup of flour to thicken the batter appropriately. I also used almond milk and earth balance vegan butter. They came out DELICIOUS!
Hi Michael. I’m so glad you like the waffles! Thank you!
One of the best recipes I’ve made lately. I usually fool around when cooking but these I made as written, other than melted vegan butter instead of coconut oil, since that’s what I had on hand.
My mom is allergic to eggs, so I always use vegan recipes so she can eat them, and I use alt.-milk anyways. I had leftover homemade pumpkin puree. This was perfect. I did have to use extra water because I used whole-wheat flour and it absorbs so much more water than all-purpose. I added chocolate chips to the last 3, and those were even better. Amazing with homemade blackberry syrup and even just plain.
These are delicious even for non-vegans!!
Love this recipe. I have used it twice already!
That’s great!
These Waffles make my heart so happy on a fall morning!
Easy and absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the pumpkin waffles!
Wow, these are amazing! Such great pumpkin flavor! The texture was so perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. So easy, too! YUM! Definitely my new favorite waffle recipe!
That’s so great to hear!
These were amazeballs! I’ll be keeping this recipe forever :O) Do you use the batter for pancakes as well? Seems like it would work amazingly well
Thank you! I have a separate recipe for pumpkin pancakes, but it’s very similar. 🙂
Just made a batch this morning, deliciousness ? !!!
I recently bought a waffle maker and made some using this recipe. Delicious!!! This recipe makes A LOT but I love that you can adjust that by changing the number of servings at the top of the recipe. Nora’s recipes are always so good and makes cooking vegan food so easy with normal ingredients.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the waffles! Thanks!
Can you make these and freeze?
Yes, I freeze them all the time.
I’ll have to try this again when I have all the ingredients for the suggested serving size (8), because when I used the native auto-conversion tool using what I knew I had on hand in pureed pumpkin (in grams), I followed the reduced amounts to a tee and the recipe just did not work out. However, it smelled absolutely FABULOUS and I know this can work out; I just probably should not have tried to reduce the recipe on my very first time trying it out, much less followed the auto-converter. Love the auto-conversion feature (and the check boxes are GREAT!), but I wish it were a bit more accurate. Perhaps some of the issue is in how fluids are converted from cups to g instead of mL or fl oz. Still, despite knowing gram measurements won’t work out quite as well for fluids versus dry, I stuck to the reductions as a bit of an experiment. A learning experience, albeit a less-than-tasty one! 😛 Thanks for the recipe, and I’ll be sure to try it again later.
These were great! They were amazing with just syrup or with some cream cheese 🙂 Will definitely make these again!
I made these yesterday and they did not last long. Everyone kept eating them! Especially my non vegan family members. I will definitely be making this recipe again!
I love to hear that!
Do you think I could use all oat flour in this recipe? Or even half oat flour half gluten free flour? Thanks!
Probably, but I haven’t tested. They would likely turn out better with half and half gluten free/oat flour. Let me know how they turn out!
Hi Nora. I am really enjoying your recipes. I had delicious Kung Pao Tofu last night.
Can I make this waffle batter at night and put it in the fridge to make quick morning waffles?
Yes, that will work just fine! If it gets too thick overnight just add a little more milk or water before cooking. Thank you so much!
Can you use this recipe and make pancakes?
I’ve never tried it, but it might work!
I have made these twice and they are delicious! However, the second time I made them, they stuck terribly to my non-stick waffle iron (the same you have). The first time they released beautifully. I’m quite sure I used Ripple pea milk in the first batter and soy milk in the second. Could that be the difference? Have you found differences in baking with different varieties of plant-based milk? Like you, I’m looking for a plant milk with protein and we have a nut allergy in the house.
Any tips for a less sticky batter? Add a touch more oil when I notice stickiness?
I’m so glad you like the waffles! I’m not sure if you kind of milk could have made a difference, it’s possible though. Sad to say, even with my waffle iron I have started spraying it with oil sometimes, because I have found the longer I’ve had it the less “non-stick” it has become. Bummer. So maybe try spraying with oil and see if that helps!
This was by far the easiest vegan waffle recipe! It didn’t make 8 waffles in my Belgium waffle maker (maybe 6 and a lil leftover?) But i loved incorporating pumpkin which is something I don’t normally eat! I used Ripple pea protein milk. They do get soft (but that could be cuz I’m impatient when making the first time) but i re heat in toaster oven. They did need way more time in the waffle iron (like 6 minutes). I just watched the steam to know roughly when to open. I’ve made these twice now!!
I’m so glad you are enjoyed the waffles! Yes, they will get soft if you don’t eat them right away. To keep them crispy, you can place them loosely wrapped in foil in the oven at a low temperature (200 degrees F), until you are ready to serve. Thank you!
These are immensely satisfying. Flavor, texture, instructions and ease all great. I especially love that you use the whole can of pumpkin! My husband caramelized some pecans to sprinkle on top and they were a lovely addition. Thanks!!
Tried these with fresh pumpkin purée and it worked great! Always like to buy pumpkins so I can make the purée – they are so cheap and delicious and good for us (and our pups). Great recipe.
I made these for my family and everyone loves them! I love not only the taste, but also how simple they are to make. Thanks for another winner!