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These Whole Wheat Waffles prove you don't need white flour or added sugar to make a really good waffle. Made with 100% whole wheat flour and no added sugar, they cook up crisp around the edges with a light, tender center. Even better, these freeze beautifully, so I almost always make enough to stash a few away for busy mornings.
Whole Wheat Waffles at a Glance
- Prep: About 5 minutes + a 10-minute batter rest
- Texture: Crisp edges with a soft, fluffy center
- Key Ingredients: 100% whole wheat flour, buttermilk, & eggs
- Freezer-Friendly: Freeze cooked waffles for up to 3 months, then reheat straight from frozen in a toaster or toaster oven.
- Perfect For: Weekend breakfast or stocking the freezer for busy mornings
Kristen's Keys for Whole Wheat Waffles
Whole wheat waffles have a reputation for being dense, but they don't have to be. You don't need pastry flour, whipped egg whites, or any complicated tricks. These few simple steps make all the difference.
- Use buttermilk, homemade or store-bought. The acidity reacts with the baking soda to help keep the waffles light instead of dense. And please don't make a special trip to the store for it. Milk mixed with a little lemon juice or vinegar works beautifully.
- Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Whole wheat flour benefits from a little time to hydrate. That short rest makes a noticeable difference in the tenderness of the finished waffles.
- Make sure the waffle iron is fully hot. A properly preheated iron helps the exterior crisp before the inside overcooks and dries out.
- Don't stack finished waffles. Place them on a wire rack over a sheet pan in a 200°F oven while you cook the remaining batches. Stacking traps steam, which is the fastest way to turn crisp waffles soft.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
5-Star Reader Review
I made a batch of these again today for my freezer. Makes a quick breakfast or even dinner for me. I was buying an expensive name-brand frozen protein waffle, but no more. These are easy, cost-effective, wholesome, and delicious! Thank you. -Kate
Notes on Ingredients
- Whole Wheat Flour: I developed this recipe specifically for regular 100% whole wheat flour, so you don't need whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour to keep the waffles tender. That said, I have also successfully made them with white whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and a 1:1 gluten-free blend.
- Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk on hand, add 3 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice to a large glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to equal 3½ cups. Let it sit for 5 minutes and use as the recipe directs. I often use almond milk, which lets you make dairy-free whole wheat waffles if needed.
- Oil or Butter: I have made this waffle batter using canola oil, melted butter, and melted coconut oil. I slightly prefer coconut oil for its rich, nutty undertones, but not enough that I won't happily use canola oil or butter when that's what I have on hand.
How to Make Whole Wheat Waffles
Before making the batter, prepare homemade buttermilk, if needed, and melt the coconut oil or butter. Then measure and combine the dry ingredients while those ingredients sit. This gives the milk time to react with the vinegar or lemon juice and lets the melted fat cool slightly before mixing it with the eggs.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. No need to break out a sifter here.
- Whisk together wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, and oil (or butter) until the eggs are fully broken down and everything is evenly combined.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients, then gently fold or whisk together until the flour is moistened. A few lumps are fine. Don't aggressively mix here, or the waffles can turn out tough.
- Rest for 10 minutes. Let the batter sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. After about 5 minutes, I like to start preheating my waffle iron so it is ready when the batter is ready to cook.
- Portion batter. Use an ice cream scoop, measuring cup, or ladle to add the batter to the center of the waffle iron. It keeps the mess to a minimum and helps the waffles cook evenly. Most standard waffle makers use ¼ to ⅓ cup batter, but follow your manufacturer's recommendation.
- Cook until crisp. Cook until the waffles are deeply golden and the edges are crisp, usually 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer to the oven (if needed). As you remove the waffles from the waffle iron, place them on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Hold warm in a 200℉ oven while you finish cooking the remaining waffles.
- Serve. Drizzle with maple syrup or your favorite toppings and serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions
Because the batter isn't sweetened, these waffles work just as well with berries and maple syrup as they do with savory options, such as eggs and chicken. Below are a few of my favorite ways to serve them.
- Top the waffles with fresh fruit or strawberry chia jam and fresh whipped cream.
- My favorite is nut butter with sliced bananas.
- Top with an oven-poached egg or homemade sausage gravy for a savory breakfast.
- Make a version of chicken and waffles by topping the waffles with baked chicken tenders and drizzling with hot honey.
- Top with vanilla ice cream and homemade hot fudge for a decadent dessert.
Storage + Freezing Tips
If you have leftover waffles, I recommend freezing them rather than storing them in the refrigerator. Freezing helps preserve their texture, and they reheat beautifully in the toaster or toaster oven
- To Freeze: Cool fully on a wire rack, then transfer to a sheet pan and flash freeze for 30-60 minutes. Once frozen to the touch, place the waffles into a freezer-safe container or storage bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: Individually toast from frozen in a standard toaster or toaster oven.
Whole Wheat Waffle FAQs
Overmixing the batter, skipping the rest, expired baking powder, or an underheated waffle iron are the most common culprits.
If you only have regular milk or non-dairy milk on hand, follow my instructions for making homemade buttermilk rather than using milk alone. The added acid reacts with the baking soda, which helps give the waffles their light texture.
Yes. You can safely let the batter rest at room temperature for up to 30 minutes before cooking.
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Whole Wheat Waffles
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Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup melted coconut oil, or canola oil or melted butter
- 4 large eggs
- 3½ cups buttermilk, see note for homemade buttermilk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups whole wheat flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 2½ teaspoons baking powder until evenly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 4 large eggs and 3½ cups buttermilk. Add in ½ cup melted coconut oil and mix again to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix just until the flour is moistened. A few small lumps are fine. Avoid overmixing, which can make the waffles tough.
- Let the waffle batter rest at room temperature for 10 minutes, or up to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you plan to keep the waffles warm between batches, preheat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
- Once the waffle iron is fully heated, lightly grease it if needed. Add about ⅓ cup of batter per waffle, or the amount recommended by your waffle maker, pouring it into the center of each grid. Close the waffle maker and cook until the waffles are deeply golden brown with crisp edges, about 3-4 minutes, or according to your manufacturer's instructions.
- Transfer the cooked waffles to the prepared wire rack and keep warm in the oven while you finish cooking the remaining batches. Do not stack the waffles, or the trapped steam will soften the edges.
- Serve with any topping you desire.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi there! I was searching for a healthy waffle recipe that I could make batches of for my freezer instead of buying frozen waffles from the store because I want to eliminate all these extra additives and sugar etc. I see it calls for canola oil but I am on an anti inflammatory diet and canola oil is said to cause inflammation. Would it be possible to use olive oil, coconut, oil, or avocado oil? And which do you think would be best? Maybe coconut oil? Thank you so much! I’m on a journey to cleaning up my homes bad eating habits and it’s very exciting! Hoping this is another thing I can add to feel good about 🙂
Hi Marissa! I would recommend using melted and cooled coconut oil. They will be delicious! And way to go cleaning up your diet 🙂
I make these often for my family, we all love them and I love that there's no sugar. I add some cinnamon and nutmeg for extra flavor but otherwise the recipe is perfect. I freeze the extra for quick weekday breakfast.
Made these using the flaxseed egg substitute as a quick Sunday morning breakfast. I cut the recipe in half. Because of the size of my waffle iron, it actually made 8 waffles instead of 6. I did have an issue that I’m a little puzzled over. Of the first 6 waffles, 4 of them tore into pieces as I opened the waffle iron. (The waffle iron was preheated and oiled.) I was only able to rescue 2 of the 6. However, the scraps had a wonderful texture and my husband says the flavor is much better than my usual recipe. I’m not sure if the flour to milk ratio was off and the batter was too thin, or I mis-measured the oil. After church I had some extra batter and added a little more oil and flour and the last 2 came out perfect. The recipe is a keeper and will definitely be replacing my old recipe.
Hi Marion! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the waffles! As for the batter is too thin, if you notice it is very runny again, simply add 1-2 tablespoons of flour until you reach the right consistency. It may have been mismeasured or due to the moisture/humidity in the air.
Overall, there is 4 cups of liquid, plus four eggs to 3 cups of flour. Isn’t that too much? This recipe was very runny. Could there be a typo in the recipe?
Hi Zack! Waffle batter should be much runnier than pancake batter and this recipe has been used for years with great success my many people. Try cooking one waffle, and if there is an issue, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour. It may be you were light on the flour when measuring 🙂
These came out perfect. I mixed in some gel food coloring and made colorful waffles.
How fun!
Hi, as I prepped the batter I noticed there was a lot of liquid to solid ratio. I got halfway through adding the wet liquid and the batter was getting quite thin. I left out half the batter for fear of it getting too funny and then wasting all my ingredients. It worked out in the end but now I'm left with half batch of wet mix lol.
Hi Jay! This batter should be looser than a pancake batter, but not runny. I am wondering what went wrong, but glad you made it work. For the wet mix, you could add a bit of flour and baking powder to make more waffles.
This turned out even better than I expected! I even used the buttermilk trick Highly recommend 🤗
YAY! I love hearing this recipe exceeded your expectations Meghan! Thanks for sharing!