Sweet Potato Waffles

From the warming spices to the crispy edges to the fluffy interior, be prepared to fall in love with this recipe for Sweet Potato Waffles. This waffle batter is made in the blender with oats and sweet potato puree creating a delicious waffle that happens to be gluten-free as well!

This recipe for Sweet Potato Waffles is a spin-off of my whole wheat waffle recipe that you are going to love for many reasons.

• The Flavor: The best part about these sweet potato waffles is the rich warming fall flavor that comes through in every bite. Not only do you get notes of earthy sweetness from the sweet potato puree, but the addition of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg gives these waffles a flavor reminiscent of sweet potato pie. YUM!
• The Texture: Sweet Potato Waffles get crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, just like a good waffle should be.
• Allergy-Friendly: This recipe for waffles is already gluten-free, and can easily be modified to be dairy-free as well. 
• Versatile: If you don't have sweet potato puree, use 100% canned or homemade pumpkin puree, for Pumpkin Waffles.

Notes On Ingredients

• Oats: Both rolled oats and quick-cooking oats work for this waffle batter. Be sure your oats are certified gluten-free if needed. Do NOT use steel-cut oats.
• Sweet Potato Puree: Sweet Potato Puree is simply made by baking sweet potatoes and mashing their flesh with a fork or blending the flesh until smooth. For this recipe, you need 2 cups of sweet potato puree, which equates to 2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes.
• Buttermilk: The acidity of the buttermilk reacts with the baking powder to keep these waffles fluffy. But there is no need to purchase buttermilk just for this recipe. To make homemade buttermilk, combine 1-½ teaspoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar with 1-¼ cup of any variety of non-dairy or regular milk and let sit for 5 minutes before using.
• Spices: This recipe uses ground ginger, grated nutmeg, and cinnamon to give the pancakes a warming flavor reminiscent of Sweet Potato Casserole. I always recommend using a Microplane to grate a bulb of nutmeg versus using ground nutmeg.

How to Make Sweet Potato Waffles

Step One: Prepare Sweet Potato Puree

This is the perfect time to use leftover baked sweet potatoes, as sweet potato puree is simply made by cooking potatoes in their skin and then mashing or blending or mashing the flesh until smooth. If you don't have leftover baked sweet potatoes on hand, follow the following instructions.

• Roast in Oven: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce 2-3 sweet potatoes with a fork several times then place them on a sheet pan lined with foil. Bake the potatoes until fork tender, about 40-50 minutes. Once baked, let cool slightly, remove skins and blend or mash the flesh of the potatoes with a fork until smooth.
• Cook in Instant Pot: Pierce 2-3 sweet potatoes with a fork several times then place them on a trivet inside the inner pot of an electric pressure cooker. Pour 1 cup of cold water into the instant pot. Set to cook on high pressure for 18-27 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes, following my recipe for Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes. Once the cooking time has elapsed and pressure has been released, let the potatoes cool slightly, remove the skins and blend or mash the flesh of the potatoes with a fork until smooth.

Step Two: Prepare Waffle Batter

This waffle batter comes together in the blender, making it one of the easiest recipes to make. By using the blender, you can quickly make oat flour from the oats and the blender will ensure that the sweet potato puree is nice and smooth and evenly distributed in the batter.

• Place the oats, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger into the blender and pulse until the oats are finely broken down into a flour-like consistency. Adding the spices and leavening agents to the oats now ensures they will be evenly distributed through the waffle batter.

• Once the oats are broken down, transfer them to a bowl. It is always crucial to layer your ingredients starting with the WET ingredients when blending a batter. This will ensure everything blends up evenly.
• Place eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and sweet potato puree into the blender.
• Add the oat flour back into the blender.
• Blend until smooth and combined, stopping to scrape down the sides a couple of times if needed.

Step Three: Cook

You can prepare these sweet potato waffles on any waffle maker you have. I have made them on a cheap waffle maker and expensive waffle maker with similar results.

Once the batter is ready, cook the waffles on a waffle maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Just remember to grease the waffle iron well to prevent the waffles from sticking.

• Preheat the waffle maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Grease the waffle maker well with cooking spray or melted coconut oil.
• Using a ladle or measuring cup, portion out about ⅓ to ½ cup of the batter onto the preheated machine, using the amount needed per your waffle maker.
• Cook until each side is golden.

• Remove the waffles from the waffle iron and place them on a baking sheet lined with a baking rack and keep the waffles in a 200-degree F oven until ready to serve. Using the rack will allow air to circulate around the waffles, keeping the bottoms from getting soggy.

Step Four: Serve

Sweet Potato Waffles can be served in a variety of ways. I personally prefer them with pure maple syrup, a dollop of whipped cream, and some chopped walnuts. However, they also pair well with nut butter, sauteed apples, sliced bananas, or butter and cinnamon sugar.

Storage Instructions

You can store leftover cooled waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Simply reheat them by toasting them in the toaster before serving.

You can also freeze the waffles to keep on hand for busy mornings. To freeze waffles, allow the waffles to cool. Place the waffles in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes, or until flash-frozen. This allows the waffles to be removed from the freezer one at a time. Place the waffles into a freezer-safe container for storage and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat frozen waffles it is best to toast them individually in a toaster or toaster oven.

Recipe Modifications

• Dairy-free Sweet Potato Waffles: Replace the buttermilk with homemade non-dairy buttermilk. Make non-dairy buttermilk by combining 1-½ teaspoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar with 1-¼ cup of unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened soy milk, or canned coconut milk, and let sit for 5 minutes before using.
• Pumpkin Waffles: In place of the sweet potato puree, you can use 100% pure canned or homemade pumpkin puree.
• Use leftovers! Instead of sweet potato puree, you can use leftover sweet potato casserole. It is one of my favorite ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers.

More Favorite Breakfast Recipes

• Sweet Potato Oatmeal
• Whole Wheat Pancakes
• Green Chile Egg Casserole
• Homemade Breakfast Sausage

If you enjoyed these Sweet Potato Waffles, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.  

This recipe was originally published in 2018 and updated in 2022 with new photos.