Whether your breakfast crew is vegan or not, this vegan waffle recipe is a definite crowd pleaser.
This is the kind of recipe I love – the kind that is irresistibly delicious first, and vegan second. It’s the kind of waffle recipe that’s going to please everyone – vegan or not – but with no eggs and no dairy, milk or otherwise. The kind of waffle recipe that proves you don’t need traditional ingredients to end up with killer waffles.
Killer Waffles. That’s totally a band name.
But seriously: check this vegan waffle out. It’s light on the inside and perfectly crunchy on the edges. THE perfect texture for a waffle. My carnivorous guy is a huge fan of these waffles and says they’re as good as – possibly better – than any traditional waffle he’s eaten and that’s saying something.
So what makes this vegan waffle recipe so dang good? It’s not a complicated list of weird stuff you’ve never heard of. It’s not a secret ingredient, either.
This recipe, in fact, has a seriously simple and almost logic-defying list of ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt, coconut milk, and vanilla (vanilla bean if you prefer). That’s it!
I learned the base recipe through the plant-based culinary course I’m taking. I was shocked by how delicious the waffles were! I tweaked the recipe ever-so-slightly, messing a bit with the quantities and adding vanilla to the equation, and have been making them ever since. I love how the coconut milk works in these waffles, lending enough fat to crisp the edges beautifully. No butter needed.
Even though they’re vegan, I wouldn’t exactly say they’re health food, so we consider these light and crispy vegan waffles a treat around here.
Basically, these waffles are a glorious, crowd-pleasing, light-and-crispy, perhaps even life-changing treat. Is “life-changing” taking it too far?
Naaaah.
Light & Crispy Vegan Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk (about 1 3/4 cups)
- 1 vanilla bean (split and scraped -or- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (can also substitute 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract))
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (I like fine-grain sea salt for this recipe)
- Your favorite cooking spray (if needed (I have a non-stick waffle maker so I don't need or use any spray))
Topping ideas:
- Pure maple syrup
- Butter (or vegan butter)
- Fresh berries
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle maker.
- If the coconut milk is solidified, place it into a small saucepan and set over low heat. Heat just until liquid, but not warm.
- Pour coconut milk into a large mixing bowl. Scrape the pulp of the vanilla bean into the coconut milk (discard the pod) or add vanilla bean paste or extract. Stir to combine.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir gently with a wooden spoon just until combined (if you overmix, you risk making the waffles tough; don't worry, a few lumps are okay).
- Spray your preheated waffle maker with cooking spray, if using. Pour batter into your waffle maker according to manufacturer instructions, as waffle makers vary. My waffle maker takes a heaping 1/3 cup per side.
- Cook until golden brown, as per your individual waffle maker.
- Serve with pure maple syrup, butter (or vegan butter), fresh berries, or anything else you'd like!
Nutrition Facts
Love the use of coconut milk!!!!!! Now I just need a waffle maker.
I made the waffles for the first time. It’s really good! thank you for sharing such awesome recipes
I am definitely eating this recipe on Saturday morning. It will be my first time since I have been a vegan preparing waffles. I am looking forward to it and I will send you another note on how well my mom vegan wife liked it or not.
10/10! These were our first ever waffles with our new waffle iron and they were amazing! I was a bit worried that the batter might be too think, but it was absolutely perfect. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe – it’s a keeper!
yay! So glad you liked them. 🙂
Really delicious recipe. I only used 1/4 cup of sugar, and even that was a little too sweet for us. The coconut milk itself is a bit sweet, plus we add a little maple syrup. I actually think I will not add ANY sugar next time, and let the maple syrup be the only sweetener. Thanks for the super simple and yummy recipe!!
We’ve just had these for breakfast – wonderful! I’d say they’re even better than those of our vegan days. However, I do agree that if you want to add toppings then put less sugar in the batter. Thanks for the recipe!
So great! Easy and really hits the spot. I halved the recipe this morning so I could just mix in my Ninja smoothie cup—it took mere minutes to have breakfast ready for my kids. Now I’m planning to preportion dry ingredients in mason jars, so all I’ll need to do is add liquid and shake! I used whole wheat flour and light coconut milk, and they were still fantastic. Looking forward to trying with sprouted flour. Thanks for my new go-to recipe!
Has anyone tried substituting maple syrup or agave for sugar?
I guess I’m the only one who found this recipe a bust. I had to throw out the entire batch! All the waffles have an awful bitter after taste that rendered them inedible. I’m not sure what I did wrong?
I followed the recipe to the letter, with the exceptions of using pure vanilla extract, organic cane sugar and a 1/2oz of soy milk since my can of coconut milk was 13.5oz. I mixed my dry ingredients first before I realized you do it the opposite way, but I doubt these small alterations can make an entire batch go awful. Any suggestions?
Is there any chance you accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder? It’s a mistake I’ve made before and it definitely can make things inedible! 🙂
Yes, yes! That’s what I did! I swore I read baking soda instead of powder, oh man! I remember scooping into the Bobs red mill baking soda BAG instead of the CAN of Rumford. What a mistake. Thank you, thank you!
I’m just glad to know that’s all it was! 😀
We both agree these are the best waffles we have ever tasted! So crispy with great flavor. Thanks for this fabulous recipe!
Yay, love it! Thanks so much!
This is the best waffle recipe I’ve ever tried! Crispy, flavorful, neither dense nor airy, and the batter produces great waffles even if you keep it for a few days. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Thanks so much, Kim! I’m so glad you like the recipe. It’s definitely a fave here too!
I just wanted to say thank you Kare. I cannot tell you how many different recipes I have tried that have turned out doughy rubbery or just had no taste at all. I started to think wow can I really not follow simple recipe instructions? Is my waffle maker that horrible? Today I found your recipe and it was so easy I thought it was too easy. I opened the waffle maker and wow a crisp golden brown color I have never seen before! It was crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside! It will be my go-to recipe from now on thanks to you!
The best waffles I’ve had. We’ve been vegan for almost 3 years and tried many recipes and they have never turned out! These are perfect! My question is can I substitute soy milk?
Hi Jennifer, I’m not sure soy milk will have the same outcome – I think that one of the reasons this recipe is so successful is the fat in the coconut milk. Perhaps try soy milk along with a fat like coconut oil or canola oil?
PS – thank you for your comment and I’m so glad you like this recipe!
I loved the flavor of these waffles! Just sweet enough without being too sweet. I really appreciate the use of whole wheat flour, flax and soy milk for a bit of a nutrition boost even though waffles aren’t supposed to be a “health” food. They were just as promised, soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. Thank you Nora for another great recipe.
Great idea to add a bit of a boost! I recently created another vegan waffle recipe which is similar in texture but heartier: https://www.kitchentreaty.com/vegan-banana-almond-butter-waffles/ so you might be interested in that one too. Anyway, I’m so glad you like them! By the way, name is Karen – but with all the Karen memes out there these days I think I like Nora better! 😀
The recipe is easy and it looks so yummy. I am definitely gonna try this at home. Thanks for sharing the delicious recipe.
Amazing waffles! I make them on the weekend and freeze them so I can eat them at work. The cans I find at the grocery outlet are all 13.5 ounces. What can I use to fill out that last .5 ounce? Some coconut oil?
I don’t think that last .5 ounce should make much of a difference! I’d suggest maybe cutting back a smidge on the flour if you’re finding the batter is too thick, rather than adding some liquid. I’m glad you like this recipe!
This recipe tasted amazing! I didn’t include the sugar and I’m glad that I left it out. The only issue I had was that my waffles remained white instead of getting the golden colour. Also they were quite dense. What did I do wrong or how can I fix the problem?
Interesting! What kind of coconut milk did you use?
Full fat organic coconut milk. I halved the recipe since I used half the can already for carrot ginger soup.
So these didn’t turn out right for me the first time. I am making a second batch and added 1/4 c extra flour a pinch more baking soda, decreased the coconut milk by 4 tablespoons and used applesauce as an egg replacement. The batter thickened up and looks more like the egg and dairy milk waffles my kids know.
Hi Poet, what happened the first time? Would love to know more!
OH MY GOODNESS. This recipe is absolutely perfect! It’s so easy and simple yet so good! Mine came out crunchy on the outside yet still fluffy on the inside, absolutely perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
I’m so glad these are a hit for you! Thank you so much for your comment. 🙂