Fluffy, light, delicious, and healthy: these really are the best vegan waffles. They are oil-free, with banana to make these waffles moist.

I have waited a long time to post this recipe for the best vegan waffles so I could try out different variations and make sure this one really is the best. You may notice that I have a few different waffle recipes here on GoodFoodVegan.com, and that is because I really like waffles and am always experimenting with different ways of making them. Now I have officially found my favourite waffle recipe! 

These waffles are the perfect texture. Fluffy, light, soft on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside…just like the best restaurant waffles. 

The best vegan waffles are subtly sweet. They are also healthy! They are oil-free and contain nutritious ingredients like flax seeds, banana, and whole wheat flour. 

I really like recipes that are delicious and healthy while also tasting familiar. Vegan food should not seem “different” or strange. These waffles are perfect because anyone will enjoy them – vegan or not. 

The secret is letting soy milk sit with vinegar and then stirring the liquid ingredients thoroughly before mixing with dry ingredients.

The Best Vegan Waffles Ingredients 

You will need:

• Whole wheat flour 
• Unbleached flour 
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Sugar 
• Baking soda 
• Ground flaxseeds
• Water
• Soy Milk
• White vinegar
• Vanilla extract
• A very ripe banana

Mixing the Ingredients

Preheat the waffle maker while you mix up the ingredients. I like to use a silicone brush to lightly oil the plates of the waffle iron before heating and again between each batch of waffles.

Whisk together all the dry ingredients. Make sure they are completely and evenly mixed together.

In a cup mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds with 2 tbsp water. This is often called a “flax egg.” Let this mixture sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In another dish, mix 1.5 cups soy milk, 1.5 tsp white vinegar, and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Let this sit. The soy milk will curdle. Curdling is normal and expected, and it seems to help the waffles turn out just right.

Use 1 small to medium banana (about 2/3 cup of banana when mashed) that is very ripe. I have used a frozen and thawed banana and have also tried with a ripe edible banana. Both worked well. Mash the banana well. Try to get most of the lumps out so the banana is a nice, smooth texture. 

Combine all the wet ingredients (banana, flax egg, soy milk mixture). Whisk well. This is an important step. The liquid ingredients should be nice and smooth, not lumpy.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir thoroughly for about 20 seconds. Let this mixed batter sit for about 30 seconds. 

The resulting batter should be a bit thicker than cake batter. I have found that different consistencies work well, but thicker batter is less likely to stick to the waffle maker. If you have trouble with batter sticking and waffles coming apart, see the additional notes below for tips to keep waffles from sticking.

Cooking the Waffles

Add 1/3 cup of batter to hot, lightly oiled waffle maker. I let the waffle iron pre heat while mixing the ingredients, and then each time before adding batter I put a few drops of canola oil on a silicone brush and lightly coat the top and bottom surfaces of the waffle cooker. Then I let the waffle maker heat up again before adding more waffle batter.

Do not fill the waffle maker very full with batter. To keep it from overflowing as the waffles rise, fill the bottom depressions very scantly – the batter barely covers the raised parts. For my waffle iron, which makes 10cm by 10cm waffles (4in x 4in), 1/3 of a cup of batter on each side is just right. Adjust according to the manufacturer’s directions for your waffle maker.

You can use a spatula to spread the batter evenly throughout the waffle maker depressions. Or just close the waffle iron and it will spread itself out. Again, follow the directions in the owner’s manual for your waffle maker.

The number of waffles you can make will depend on the size of your waffle maker/finished waffles. This recipe makes approximately 10 – 12 waffles that are 10cm square. 

Cook according to your waffle iron’s specifications. Mine takes 4 – 6 minutes. This recipe seems to cook more quickly than others. These waffles are perfect – light and not doughy. 

Serve the waffles with maple syrup, fruit, or other toppings.

These waffles keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat waffles in the toaster for best results. These really are the best vegan waffles!

Additional Notes: How to Keep Waffles from Sticking

Waffles sticking to the waffle maker, splitting in half when you open the waffle maker, or bits of waffle sticking to the plates are very frustrating events! I have searched for solutions, and most sources recommend adding more oil to your recipe, making thicker batter, cleaning your waffle maker plates, or getting a new waffle maker.

Waffles were badly sticking to my waffle maker, and I searched for ways to solve this problem so I could have waffles. I wanted to keep this recipe healthy, and preferred not to add oil if I didn’t have to. In search of ways to have non-stick, non-broken waffles, I tried a recipe with more oil, and it stuck just as much as my usual waffle recipe.

I tried adding more oil to the waffle maker plates, adding less oil, adding no oil, adding different kinds of oil…nothing worked.

Next I cleaned the waffle maker with some different methods to make sure there was no buildup on the cooking plates. I read the owner’s manual for my waffle maker to ensure that I was following all the instructions correctly.

Then I experimented with different kinds of flour, different ingredients, and new recipes. Still, the waffles were sticking. At this point, I was ready to give up. Nothing seemed to work. Did I need to just get a new waffle iron?

In desperation, I tried to make waffles one more time. This time, I brushed canola oil on the plates of the waffle maker before preheating. I modified my recipe to make the waffle batter a bit thicker.

As usual, I brushed canola oil onto the plates of the waffle maker with each batch of waffles. This time, I also paused between each batch of waffles to let the waffle iron heat up completely before adding more batter.

At last, the waffles didn’t stick! Success!

If you are experiencing stuck waffles, try this.

• Make thick batter (like this recipe).
• Oil the waffle maker before each batch of waffles. Oil it again any time you are going to add more batter.
• Allow the waffle iron to fully preheat before adding batter every time. Wait and let the machine heat up to temperature after removing cooked waffles, after oiling the plates, and before adding more batter.

Looking for more vegan waffle recipes? Try these!

• Light and fluffy vegan waffles
• Quick vegan waffles
• Oil-free chocolate-banana waffles