Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles

These healthier pumpkin waffles are delicious year-round but especially in the fall! Made with whole wheat flour and pumpkin puree, they make for a nutritious breakfast. We recommend doubling this recipe, so you can freeze a batch to use throughout the week.

One of the things I love about this Pumpkin Waffle recipe, as well, is that they are 100% whole wheat but you absolutely cannot tell. They are also a sneaky way to get more vegetables in your kids.

There are two main types of waffle makers out there:

1. A Belgian Waffle Maker: This is what I used for the photos in this post. They are thicker in size with extra deep pockets and can be square or circle.
2. American Waffle Makers: Usually made with a smaller waffle iron that doesn’t make pockets as deep. Because of the waffles’ thinner size, they cook faster. These can be square (I have this one that makes 4 waffles at a time) or round.

Here is what you will need to make this recipe. You likely have them all in your pantry!

• Whole wheat flour (recommend using white whole wheat variety; can sub all purpose flour)
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Milk (plain almond or oat milk works as dairy-free sub)
• Canned pumpkin (NOT canned pumpkin pie filling)
• Avocado oil (sub: melted coconut oil or butter)
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• Optional: Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (for decadent dessert-like waffles!)

How to Make Pumpkin Waffles

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of your dry ingredients for the waffles.

It’s worth noting that we use white whole wheat flour, which results in lighter, fluffier waffles than regular whole wheat flour.

Next, whisk together all of the wet ingredients.

If you use butter or coconut oil, be sure to melt it first and quickly mix it in so it doesn’t have time to solidify.

Follow the instructions for your waffle maker on this step. Every type will be a bit different.

Tips for Making Great Waffles

Since you are clearly in the waffle-making business at the moment, here are a few tips to make your waffles AWESOME.

1. Strike while the iron is HOT! If your waffles come out a little pale and soft, it could be because the waffle maker you’re using isn’t hot enough. It’s important to preheat the waffle maker for at least 5-10 minutes. Yes, seriously that long! Also, pause for a couple minutes between batches to let the iron heat up again.
2. Opt for oil instead of butter. For crispier waffles, use avocado oil or coconut oil instead of melted butter in your recipe. Unlike butter, oil doesn’t have any water content, which adds moisture and hinders a crust from forming.
3. Freeze your extra waffles! To reheat, let them thaw slightly and just pop them in the toaster oven or toaster. You won’t even know they were frozen.

How to Serve Pumpkin Waffles

Oh man, there are so many great ways to serve this recipe. Here are some ideas:

• Dollop with some whipped cream. Try our decadent Maple Whipped Cream!
• Slice up a banana and serve it on top.
• Add some toasted pecans.
• Sprinkle some mini chocolate chips over the top when serving. Kids will love that!
• Sever alongside one of our Top 7 Smoothies or some scrambled eggs or hard boiled eggs.

We are big fans of prepping meals ahead and freezing them for later. (Here is a list of our best of the best freezer meals, btw.) So it shouldn’t be a surprise to you that we have freezer meal instructions for waffles!

In fact, waffles are a fabulous make-ahead breakfast idea. I almost always double the recipe and make a whole batch for the freezer.

To Freeze: Make and cool waffles completely on a cooling rack. Place waffles in single layers in a gallon-size freezer bag with parchment paper between layers. Seal tightly and freeze.

To Prepare From Frozen: Toast frozen waffles. If still slightly cold inside, microwave in 10-second increments until warmed through.

Want More Pumpkin Recipes?

With YEARS worth of content and recipes on Thriving Home, it can be easy to forget about some amazing pumpkin recipes that we have shared over the years. Here are our Top 10 Pumpkin Recipes that you simply must try!