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.
These taste delicious! Only thing we had a problem with was they came apart in our waffle maker. We sprayed the waffle maker each time, so I’m not sure what happened. But they still were delicious!
I’m glad you enjoyed them still! Waffle makers vary a lot. But make sure you have it on a high enough setting, because if it’s not getting cooked enough, it may not come out as easy and could fall apart. Also spray it very well if it tends to stick (I have a really good non-stick one, I don’t even really need oil at all). Hope that helps!
I’ve made this quite a few times now, fantastic recipe. To up the nutritional value I replace the coconut oil with extra virgin olive oil, I add 1/2 cup of hemp hearts, and they come out great!
Hi Misha. I’m glad this recipe works great for you! Thank you for sharing!
Literally better than any non-vegan waffles I’ve ever made! I followed the recipe almost exactly except I halved it & I didn’t have any whole wheat flour so I just used all all-purpose flour and I used grape seed oil instead of coconut because it was easier than melting butter or coconut oil! OMG!! I will NEVER not use this recipe!! My kids loved it, I froze the leftovers and reheated some in the toaster today and they were perfect!! I’m so impressed 🙂
Hi Marcee. Thank you for the wonderful review! My children love these waffles as well. Thank you!
These were great! Perfect texture and sweetness. I used virgin coconut oil and you can definitely taste it, so I’m going to try a different oil next time. They were still great. I have been using your blog for almost every meal. Thank you for the amazing recipes!
Hi Kim. I’m glad you liked the waffles. They are always a hit in my home! Try refined coconut oil, as it has zero coconut flavor. You are welcome, and I thank you for trying my recipes!
Can this batter be made the night before and left in the refrigerator until they are cooked in the morning? Or would it be better to leave the wet and dry separate and then mix them together in the morning?
I think it would work fine to refrigerate the batter overnight, but I haven’t tried it.
Amazing ?
I’m not a vegan, but I made these for my son, daughter in-law and grandkids who are vegan. These are the best waffles I’ve ever tasted. I doubled the recipe and made them in a Belgium waffle maker. Ended up with 18 huge waffles. Glad you said they freeze well. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome!
Absolutely a new family favorite! I have made it twice this week. We all loved these waffles so much! I didn’t have the pastry flour so used all purpose as a sub, and used vegan butter instead of coconut oil. Will definitely triple the recipe and freeze so the kids can have them through the week!
I like to make extra too for the kids! So glad you like them!
Sub’d oat flour for wheat and they were perfect!
Would regular whole wheat flour or more white flour work in place of the pastry flour?
Yes, I often make them with more white flour, but whole wheat works too.
Crispy and fluffy waffle perfection.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhmazing! Just made these this morning to keep testing my new waffle iron and now I’m putting all other vegan waffle recipes away. This one is the best, hands down. Thanks for another winning recipe, Nora!
You’re welcome!
This is by far the best recipe I have made. I just added chocolate chips.
Thank you! Yum, chocolate chip waffles…
Just wow! I’ve never made waffles before & they came out perfect ? I used coconut sugar as I didn’t have any granulated. Fantastic recipe thank you
You’re welcome!
The best waffles I ever made. Delicious recipe!
Thanks!!
Love love love these waffles! My parents are vegan, so these are perfect to make my parents a special breakfast!
That’s so great!!
Is it possible to make the batter ahead of time for a camping trip?
I see below that the batter keeps well for three days!
I’m pretty sure that would work, yes!
These waffles ARE theee BEST waffles! They are so crisp on the outside and perfectly tender and sweet on the inside. We don’t use oil, so I subbed plain unsweetened coconut yogurt (same amount) and it worked wonderfully. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to a T. I have now made many of your recipes, including your cashew mayo, egg salad, and cole slaw to name a few. They are always spot on and get rave reviews from picky non- vegan eaters. I’m always so excited when I search for a new recipe and your blog comes up. Thank you, thank you! 🙂
I’m glad to hear yogurt worked well to replace the oil if needed. I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes, that is wonderful to hear!
I was quite impressed with how these turned out. Probably the best vegan waffle I’ve ever had. Thank you for providing such an easy, yet high (satisfaction) yielding recipe.
BTW – 1/2 recipe is likely more than enough for 2 people.
Thank you so much! I’m happy to hear that.
These waffles really are the BEST waffles! They are light and fluffy. This recipe makes a lot of waffles and the batter holds up for at least three days. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome! Thanks for the comment!
Is the sugar for taste or texture?
Mostly for taste, you could leave it out if you want.
We just made these, didn’t change a thing in the recipe. After 5 years of searching, I have found the perfect waffle recipe. We added a side of hash browns and “chicken” ? thank you sincerely for this recipe
You’re so welcome!
These waffles are beyond delicious!!! They instantly brighten my day, we make sure our freezer is always stocked with your waffles, we can’t get enough!
I do the same thing. I love to freeze a bunch of them.
These were awesome. I did alter ingredients a bit. I used oat milk(no vinegar) and I added some spices that I like. I usually swap applesauce for the oil, but didn’t this time. So glad I left the oil in. Made the texture amazing. These freeze well too!
I have just made vegan waffeles at the first time and I have chosen your recipe. It turned out great. Thanks a lot Nora!
I’m so glad, thank you!