Weekend mornings call for a stack of the Best Ever Vegan Waffles! They’re perfectly golden and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Plus, they’re easy to make with pantry staple ingredients!
If you’re a waffle enthusiast like me, you’ll want to try my Vegan Pumpkin Waffles and my Gluten Free Waffle Recipe as well!
These are seriously the Best Vegan Waffles Ever! They’re golden and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, as proper waffles should be. No one in my family can resist a stack (including me!).
As a bonus, these easy vegan waffles are a breeze to make in one large bowl using a handful of ingredients that may already be in your pantry. You can even turn to the substitution options in the recipe card if you’re missing one or two of the ingredients.
Make it a brunch to remember by pairing these fluffy waffles with my Simple Vegan Pancakes, a batch of The Best Tofu Scramble, and Vegan Strawberries and Cream Scones on the side!
Why this is literally the best vegan waffle recipe
- You won’t believe they’re vegan – You’ll be too distracted by the fluffy, buttermilk goodness! Trust me, one bite of a crispy on the outside and soft on the inside waffle and you won’t be able to stop.
- Pantry staple ingredients – These vegan waffles are easy to make with a handful of vegan baking staples, like flour, ground flaxseed, sugar, and oil.
- A 5-star recipe – This waffle recipe has over 200 5-star reviews from happy readers! Here’s what some of them are saying:
“These are literally the best waffles I have ever had – vegan or otherwise!! I changed nothing – it was perfect.” – Tory
“Amazing recipe!!! The waffles turned out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, as if they have eggs in them it’s insane!! 10/10 and can’t wait to make them again.” – Dee
“I love these waffles! They are exactly as described: the best ever.” – Nancy
How to make vegan waffles
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
While you preheat the waffle iron, make the flax egg by whisking the ground flax and water together in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken.
Next, combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl to make the vegan buttermilk. Set aside to curdle.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a separate large bowl.
Add the flax eggs, vegan buttermilk, melted vegan butter/oil, and vanilla to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
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.
Spray the preheated waffle iron with non-stick spray and pour some of the batter onto the iron. Cook until the waffle is golden brown.
Serve the waffles right away with fresh berries, coconut whip, vegan butter, maple syrup, and anything else you desire!
If you’re not ready to serve the cooked waffles right away, keep them in a warm oven (200ºF) until you’re ready to serve. This will keep them crispy and hot.
Topping ideas and add-ins
Now for the fun part… decorating your vegan waffles with ALL of the toppings! Other than a classic drizzle of maple syrup, you can top your waffles with:
- Vegan whipped cream
- Pats of vegan butter
- A dollop of lemon curd
- Fresh berries
- Sliced bananas
- Strawberry sauce
- A drizzle of vegan Nutella
- Slivered almonds
- A caramel drizzle
Or, if you’re a savory person, top the waffles with a few pieces of my Vegan Fried Chicken and some maple syrup for vegan chicken and waffles.
It’s also easy to customize your waffles with add-ins. I recommend using:
- Chocolate chips – Fold up to 1 cup of dairy-free chocolate chips into the batter at the end.
- Fresh fruit – Fold up to 1 cup of sliced bananas, strawberries, or blueberries into the batter.
- Nut butter – Whisk in a heaping spoonful of almond or peanut butter when you add the wet ingredients.
- Spices – Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin spice to the dry ingredients to make the waffles extra cozy.
- Protein powder – Add 1 scoop of your favorite vegan protein powder to the dry ingredients and an extra splash of milk to the wet ingredients if you’re craving vegan protein waffles.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can make this recipe gluten-free by substituting all-purpose flour with an equal amount of spelt flour or a gluten-free flour blend. Or, make my Vegan Gluten Free Waffles recipe instead.
You should be able to refrigerate the waffle batter overnight. Remember to take it out of the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before cooking the waffles to allow it to come to room temperature. If the batter thickens overnight, gently stir in a little water to help thin it out.
Wrap the leftover waffles individually or seal them in a container. Store them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Yes, these waffles freeze beautifully! Transfer the cooled waffles to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat them from frozen in a toaster until they’re warmed through and crispy.
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
- 1 tablespoon 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.
Hi, Nora, thank you very much for sharing your yummy recipes. I tried this vegan waffle the very first time two days ago. The batter turned out a bit to thick, so I added a bit of warm water to make it easier to pour into my waffle maker. The taste and texture turned out very good. I tried it plain at first. I realized that it tasted a slight hint of saltiness, so I thought it’d a good idea to make a sandwich with it. Today, I toasted the leftover waffles with some shredded vegan cheese and added vegan ham and lettuce to make a sandwich for my son after school. He loved it very much. Because the tastes of waffles is quite neutral, I could easily make it on the sweeter side by spreading vegan nutella on it. It also tasted great?
Hands down the BEST vegan waffles! Since becoming vegan (5mon now) My life has been all about experimenting with new recipes. This one is the winner! Personally, I like to add more milk than water, and since the batter tends to be a bit thick I usually add an additional 1/2 cup of milk. Thank you for all your recipes!
You’re welcome! And thanks for the great comment!
Thanks so much for this recipe!
Being a long-time vegan, I crave a good waffle now and then, but don’t have the opportunity to get them at restaurants… plus I just don’t like the frozen “vegan” waffles from the grocery stores. I got a Dash mini waffle maker as a gift a few days ago and was excited to give it a try. (Note: This mini waffle maker makes the cutest 4-inch waffles!) I did a Google search for “best vegan waffle recipe” and saw your “Best Ever Vegan Waffles” page right away. Having never made waffles before, I found that your recipe was easy to follow… and I even made some substitutes. For instance, I used a combination of melted vegan butter (Earth Balance) and coconut oil, unsweetened almond milk (instead of soy milk), and just King Arthur’s organic All-Purpose flour (w/o whole wheat flour). They came out GREAT and were so delicious!!!! An added bonus: Even by cutting the recipe in half, I still have plenty of extra mini waffles to freeze and enjoy at a later time when the craving hits.
Thanks for the comment! I’m so glad they came out great!
These are the best waffles! I used a combination of oat milk and rice milk. I also used half coconut oil and half Earth Balance. They are delicious and freeze really well. They come out crispy in the toaster oven after having been frozen.
So glad you enjoyed them! Our family loves them too!
This recipe is great! We love adding in bananas and chocolate chips too.
Those sound like good additions!
Began buttermilk, could it be done with coconut milk? My son is allergenic to sky and currently drinks rice milk but I don’t believe that rice milk has enough fat to reach the buttermilk consistency.
Thanks
Yes, coconut milk will work. Almond milk, hemp milk and oat milk would work as well. Thanks!
Have you made these with oat flour?
I haven’t tried that myself, it could work but they might be very delicate I’m not sure. A mix of regular (or whole wheat) flour and oat flour would likely work better.
These waffles are super tasty and easy to make and I LOVE that they can be frozen. Bonus: my two year old gobbled them up! Thank you Nora
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you all enjoyed them. 🙂
tasted very good but the batter was very runny. is the recipe correct? 2 cups of flour to 3.5 cups of soy milk?
The recipe calls for 2 cups of all purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, but you could use all regular flour if you want (so 3 1/2 cups total). Hope that helps!
This recipe is wonderful. I used a bit less of the granulated sugar and also used 1 tablespoon brown sugar pls 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. I replaced the coconut oil wirh unsweetened applesauce. I made this at least once a week Thanks for this healthy recipe.
Could you make the batter the night before and refrigerate??
Yes, you can make it the night before. You may need to add a little water in the morning because it will thicken. Enjoy!
These are the best waffles I’ve ever made. Crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside. I froze them and they reheat perfectly. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you love them!
I made this exactly as the recipe said. The waffles came out great, fluffy inside and slightly crispy on the outside. They also freeze well and I have reheated them a couple times now for a quick breakfast. Will make again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the waffles, thank you!
Very good waffles. A definite keeper! I halved (Only two of us) the recipe and added a teaspoon or so of corn starch for extra crispiness. Also subbed vegetable oil as that’s what I had. Kid has already eaten three.
I’m so glad you like them!
Perfect waffles! I was a bit distracted this morning by hungry children while making the first batch and accidentally left out the baking powder and whole wheat flour! All 6 kids happily gobbled up the batch before I realized my mistake. The second batch was MUCH better! Ha! I subbed applesauce for half of the oil and used 1/4 cup sugar and loved the results. Thanks for another fabulous recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m glad the kids enjoyed! 🙂
I replaced all of the flour with my favorite gluten free blend (SarahBakesGFree.com) and these were perfect! I kept everything else as written. Thanks!
What is the conversion to make an egg a flax egg? I’m keto so trying to make my favorite keto pancake recipe egg free. It’s already dairy free. Trying to incorporate more vegan options and recipes. I am not sure if I will ever be 100% vegan I would like to up plant based recipes while decreasing the meat I eat. Thank you.
That’s great Katie! To replace 1 egg, mix 1 tablespoons ground flaxseeds with 2.5 tablespoons water. Let thicken a few minutes, then add to recipe. Hope that helps!
Could you use all white flour?
Yes, you can!
I would like to add to the compliments that are stated above. These waffles are easy/fun to make as well as delicious. My husband is not vegan, however he eat two helpings, expressing how great they taste. Thank you, for another great recipe!
Thank you Sunnie!!
I am dairy and egg free because of breastfed baby’s allergies – craving waffles, found this recipe.
These waffles are even better than the non-vegan waffles I used to make. Omg. So. Good. Taste is on point. Texture perfect. I added some cinnamon but otherwise this recipe is brilliant. Going to put some homemade apple butter on them tomorrow morning. Thank you for making me able to indulge my waffle craving! I even toasted one up and had it with cashew milk ice cream tonight.
Delicious and easy to make. The whole family loved them. Thank you.
I have to come back and compliment this recipe again. It is such a hit with my family. I did sub applesauce for the oil this time and added some Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips to the batter. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
Thank you! I’m so glad it’s a hit even with applesauce instead of oil!
fluffy and delish
These waffles are seriously amazing!! My husband and I are not vegan and prefer this recipe to any other waffle recipe we have tried. So many friends and family have asked us to share where we got this recipe because they all love them as well.
Terrific recipe. I made up an apple compote to serve atop: Sliced apples, unpeeled. dried cranberries, hazelnut pieces, honey, vegan butter, touch of lemon zest. Yum!
Perfect waffles! I usually double any recipes I use so I have leftovers to freeze. As soon as I saw this call for 3.5cups flour total I just had to try it. I was a little hesitant at first due to the sugar and oil, but divided amongst eight large 4-square waffles doesn’t end up being much per square. I might try to sub applesauce for at least half the oil next time. Thank you Nora!!
Thanks Ashley! You can certainly use less sugar if you want, and I have made them with all applesauce instead of oil before. They turned out okay, just not as crispy or delicious. Half oil/half applesauce would probably be better. Glad you enjoyed them! I love freezing waffles, too and I often even double my own recipe. They go so fast in my house.