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.
I wanted to make these for my lil one but without sugar. Do I just removed sugar or does it have to be replaced with something?
I haven’t tested this recipe without sugar, however, other commenters have left the sugar out and still had good results. Enjoy!
Has anyone tried these in a non-Belgian (American or Swedish style; thinner) waffle maker? Did they work just as well?
I didn’t have any flaxseed meal so I used Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer and they were crispy and tasted wonderful
So good! Just like all of Nora’s recipes, it’s another winner! I ran out of AP flour so mixed that with WW. Also added three scoops of protein powder (Dr. Murray’s seed protein) and increased the soy milk to 4 cups as another reviewer mentioned. They came out crisp on the outside and perfect on the inside. Thank you!
You are amazing! These are the best! Thank you
Hi Dnise. I’m so glad that you loved the waffles! Thank you for sharing your awesome review!
Thank you so much for the best, most crispy waffles my family has ever had! For past couple years now, we have “Waffle Sunday” every other week, and we gather together to enjoy the waffles and each other. My waffle maker broke a month ago, and we have already tried 3 different brands of waffle makers, to get back the perfect color and crispness. It’s been difficult but I think we found a decent replacement. The downside is that instead of a double rotating iron, we now have 2 single rotating irons. Would love to hear what brands of waffle iron other cooks use and think make the perfect waffles. Thank you.
Hands down the best waffles I’ve made. I currently swap out regular flour for GF flour and it also works beautifully. My kids’ friends love waffle day when there are sleepovers! Thank you for sharing this and many other amazing recipes!
I’ve been using this recipe as my go to for waffles for a few years now and they’re always a big hit. Today I did 1/3 wheat flour, 1/3 buckwheat, and 1/3 all purpose and the kids loved them. I also add cinnamon, ginger powder, nutmeg, and some ground cardamom, and I use slightly less sugar. Thanks Nora for a fantastic recipe!
Started making these for my boyfriend, then we started doing waffle parties with your recipe, then my boyfriend and I make this every time we stay over with friends somewhere, and our friends from all over the world love these waffles! We get tons of people asking for the recipe and I always send them your link! One secret of mine: leave the batter to set overnight if using flax seeds. For some reason, the dough mix is always on the watery side when I make it fresh, so I always tell my friends to set overnight in the fridge. One didn’t follow my instructions and served it on the same day and they said it was okay, but felt so bad that they were perfect the next day (since they couldn’t serve it anymore to the guests because they went home). Thank you for making this, it’s making lots of nice memories for me. 😁
I really loved reading about your tradition with my waffle recipe! That is so fun and heartwarming! Thank you for using your valued time to share your glowing review and awesome feedback! Wishing you lots and lots of happy cooking!
Just tried the recipe with oat milk instead of soy (didn’t have any soy) and it worked well. So yummy. Your recipes never disappoint!
First time making these, they were tasty but a little flat, almost like they collapsed as they cooled. Second time I added a little extra flour as the notes suggest, and I used two Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer instead of flax, and they are perfect! Perfect structure and so delicious! This makes far more than our family needs at once, which is perfect for multiple days of yum.
I’m glad the second batch of waffles worked out great for you! It does make a lot of waffles, and I love to stick them in the freezer for a quick waffle anytime! Thank you for sharing your recipe experience and your stellar review!
Thank you Nora for this recipe! This is the best-tasting vegan waffles I’ve made and I’ve tried quite a few! I like using flax eggs compared to chicken egg. Tons of nutrients!
Killer waffles! So crisp yet soft. Wonderful taste. I skipped the flax eggs. YUM! Thanks for yet another wonderful recipe, Nora.
The best
I make these in huge batches, freeze them, and toast to warm for my kids–we add some mini chocolate chips and use about 1/3 whole wheat flour. They LOVE them and I feel so much better than feeding them store bought ones.
This is my go to vegan recipe for waffles. But how do I prevent flour pockets from forming? 🤔
Thanks, glad you’re enjoying the recipe! I haven’t had that issue, but if your flour is pretty lumpy and this is happening, you can sift the flour in using a fine strainer or flour sifter. Or stir just a little bit more, but I don’t like to over mix the batter; it really does affect the outcome and make the waffles less fluffy and more chewy.
Amazing recipe! Great buttermilk taste. I did cut the oil/butter amount in half, and the waffles still tasted great. Makes a huge batch, perfect for freezing. These waffles are the first thing my three-year-old grandson wants me to make when he stays over.
I have been making these for years, 10/10! My kids eat these all the time! I’m currently doing a restrictive diet for my daughters eczema and and y doing gluten free flour and oatmilk. I’ve tried various brands of each and they always come out flat and the milk never curdles like it did with soy. Any suggestions?
Even if the milk doesn’t curdle, I find that it still works just fine. I use oat milk often in this recipe and can’t tell any difference. I’m so glad you have been enjoying them for years! If the waffles are coming out flat or odd, I’d experiment with different gluten free flours, as that is much more likely the issue.
Thank you Nora…
I have been a follower for years…I am a minimalist by nature and before it was trendy…you are the only cook I follow:) … and I love your new profile picture…I know it is not easy to stand in front of a camera and take a picture and then post that picture…Good on ya! You look fabulous and thank you again for all the work you do and sharing it with us…
Thank you so much, that’s really kind of you. I’m so glad to know you’ve been enjoying my recipes and following me for quite some time now! I’m not a huge fan of having my picture taken so I put off a new one for a long time, hah! I had my daughter take it and I think she did a great job. 🙂 Thank you again and take care.
We love waffles in our home. I am not a fan of the flavor of flaxseed, so I substituted Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer, equal to 2 eggs. Also for years I have used a simple trick of adding 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to any waffle recipe. The cornstarch absorbs the moisture as the waffles are cooking, and the waffles are then crisp when serviced. This also allows the waffles to crisp well if heating them up later in a toaster oven.
These waffles are super easy to prepare, delicious and PERFECT! It makes A LOT of classic style waffles and that made me and my family so happy because we couldn’t get enough! I used ground chia seeds instead of the ground flaxseeds and it worked out fantastic. Freezing them (we had to stop ourselves at some point) and reheating in a toaster oven is as good as freshly made. We simply topped ours with vegan butter, maple syrup or strawberry jam and it was an amazing experience. Thank you so much Nora for sharing this recipe and bringing THE BEST waffles into our home!
You are so welcome, Dianna! Thank YOU for your glowing review and kind words! I’m thrilled you are loving the waffle recipe! It’s a regular meal in our home for sure! I love having them in the freezer for a quick and easy breakfast or snack! Happy cooking to you!
Hi Nora!!! I am looking for a vegan cornbread waffle recipe. I saw a video today where a woman made chili and cornbread waffles. Of course none of it was vegan 😒 Have you tried to make cornbread waffles before? I am really wanting some 😆
I haven’t tried it before but it sounds really good! I wonder if you could adjust my cornbread recipe and cook it in a waffle maker. Not quite sure if it would work or not honestly, but it might.
This is the best way of cooking waffles. 10/10 100% love it my whole family had it for brunch.
I just want to say that I’ve come to make these weekly. I use melted refined coconut oil instead of butter, coconut sugar, I add 3 scoops of unflavored protein powder and increase almond milk to 4 cups because of this. I also add 2 teaspoons of maple extract so I can eat them on the go without syrup. They turn out so good every time! I added cinnamon this time and that’s a plus as well. I’m wanting to shake things up and try to make them matcha or even chocolate with cocoa powder. I don’t want to look for another recipe as I love this one so much. What do you think?
Hi Heather. I’m so glad you are loving the waffles! They are a regular item on our breakfast list! I love your variation ideas! I’ve never tried adding cocoa powder to the recipe, though it may work! It’s always fun to experiment with new flavors! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review and feedback! I appreciate you using my recipes! Happy cooking!
We LOVE this recipe in our home 🏡! I have been making this recipe every week for the past 4 months sometimes twice weekly! It’s Saturday morning and and making it now 😁! If you are thinking of trying this recipe please do, you won’t be disappointed! Thank you Nora for sharing such an incredible recipe!
Hi Adrina. I loved reading about a recipe experience, and how much you guys are loving the waffles recipe! Thank YOU for sharing your fabulous review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I received a waffle iron for Christmas, and I was more than excited to use it. I found this recipe and for one, makes A lot 👀. Also take awhile, but that may be my iron in general. May adapt to make smaller in future. Does this recipe make Belgian waffles? Or just your normal sized ones?
Hi Emily! Yes, the cook time is wholly dependent on the brand/kind of waffle maker, they all differ. I have a Belgian waffle maker, and one with smaller holes like in the photos. I use this recipe to make both kinds. My smaller hole waffler maker takes less time to cook these. It’s just a matter of preference really. I’ve also used a mini waffle maker that makes 4 small squares. Thanks!