Apple Waffles! Fluffy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and full of soft, juicy apple pieces and sweet, warming cinnamon.

At the weekends, when there is no mad hurry to get ready and out of the house, I like to cook pancakes or waffles for breakfast (or brunch if I've struggled to get out of bed at a decent hour!).
My Gingerbread Waffles are my favorite, but my husband loves these Apple Waffles!
There is so much to love about these Apple Waffles:
- Soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside
- Full of juicy soft apple pieces
- Not too sweet. Save that for the toppings!
- Flavored with sweet, warming cinnamon
- Reminiscent of apple pie
- Makes for a special fall breakfast or brunch
In this post:
Ingredients
Some important ingredient notes and substitution ideas:
- Flour - All-purpose flour and spelt flour are great in this recipe.
- Baking powder & baking soda - We are using both to keep these light and crisp.
- Cinnamon & vanilla - For lots of delicious flavor! You could use apple pie spice or pumpkin spice instead of the cinnamon.
- Apple - It goes into the batter diced and raw. Easy peasy!
- Dairy-free milk - Any plant milk such as cashew milk, soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk will work in this recipe.
- Apple cider vinegar - This reacts with the baking soda for extra leavening.
- Ground flaxseed - Key in this recipe as an egg replacer.
I do not include any sugar in the recipe as generally waffles are topped with something sweet so I don't think it is necessary. If however, you prefer sweeter waffles just add a tablespoon or two of sugar to the batter.
Important Waffle Success Tips
- Use a reliable waffle iron that doesn't stick and grease it thoroughly. I love my Cuisinart Belgian Waffle Maker. I have had it for years and never had a waffle stick.
- Preheat thoroughly. The waffle maker needs to be really, really hot.
- Avoid overfilling the waffle maker. the batter shouldn't reach right to the edges. Once you close it it will seep towards the edges.
- Ignore your waffle machine when it tells you they are ready. Keep them cooking until there is absolutely no steam escaping from the sides of the machine. As soon as you can no longer see any steam they are ready.
- Open the waffle maker very slowly so the waffles detach and don't split.
- Transfer the cooked waffles to a wire rack on a baking sheet, and place in a preheated oven on the lowest heat setting (about 170°F / 76°C) to keep them warm until you've finished cooking the whole batch.
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve my apple waffles simply with vegan butter and maple syrup. Some other suggestions include:
Storing Waffles
Waffles are perfect for meal prep. Cool them on a wire rack, then freeze them in a single layer in a container or a freezer bag for up to 3 months. You can defrost them, or pop them in a toaster straight from the freezer. They might need a couple of rounds in there to get them heated all the way through but it's so easy and doesn't take long.
More Apple Recipes
If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!
Recipe

Apple Waffles
Author:Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 2½ tablespoons hot water
- 1 cup (125 grams) all purpose flour , or spelt flour (try to weigh the flour, but if measuring with cups use a very slightly heaping cup of spelt because it is a little lighter than all purpose flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (240 mls) dairy-free milk
- 2 tablespoon oil of choice , plu a little extra for greasing the waffle iron
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 medium apple , peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small bowl, mix the flax seed with the water and set aside to gel.
- Grease and preheat your waffle iron on a medium heat setting.
- Put the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Pour the milk into another bowl or jug. Add the oil, vinegar, vanilla extract, and flax mixture to the milk and stir well.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir together then add the diced apple and fold it through the batter.
- As soon as the waffle iron has reached temperature pour in your batter and close the top. The amount of batter you need will vary depending on your model. Now the trick for perfect waffles is to ignore your waffle machine when it tells you they are ready. Keep them cooking until there is absolutely no steam escaping out the sides of the machine. As soon as you can no longer see any steam they are ready.
- Open carefully, remove the waffles, close the waffle maker top, and let it heat up again before cooking the remaining batter in the same way.
Deepa says
Can I use buckwheat flour ? Many thanks!
Melanie McDonald says
Buckwheat flour isn't a 1-for-1 substitute for all-purpose flour. I doubt very much if it would turn out well.
Natalie says
I just scored a waffle maker from a garage sale, and this is the first recipe I've made! (Posted on Plant Powered Families :) ) I've never owned a waffle maker before so I'm a little nervous, but this was pretty easy! Next time, I will be a little more patient and let them cook longer, crisp up a bit more. And double the batch for sure! :)
A Virtual Vegan says
Why do I never find things like that at garage sales? Lucky you! I am glad you enjoyed the Apple Pie Waffles. They are a breakfast favourite here. I always double (or sometimes triple) the batch and stash some away in the freezer. You can warm them up straight from frozen in the toaster. Perfect for mornings when you are short on time but want something yummy!Thanks for stopping by to leave feedback Natalie :O)
Kathryn Grace says
These look so good and I love that they're made with spelt and flax. I featured them as the Recipe of the Day on my Facebook page, Cooking with Whole Grains & Real Whole Foods. I don't know how many of your recipes have made it to that spot, but I know it's quite a few now. You share wonderful food!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Kathryn! I am honoured and will check it out and share it!
Kathryn Grace says
My pleasure Melanie.
Anna says
These look great! can I sub the flax for chia? I don't have any flax seed on hand :/
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes chia would work too. Same quantity. Enjoy!
Anna says
Thanks a lot for your quick response! :)
Kathryn says
Tried this for breakfast this morning! It was amazing!!
Next time I'll be doubling or tripling the recipe because we wanted more!
My 2 year old and husband both wanted seconds (so did I).
Love how healthy it is too! Thank you :)
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks for taking the time to comment Kathryn! I am so glad you and your family enjoyed my Apple Pie Waffles. Happy waffling!!!
Germaine says
These look really good. I’ve had a look at the ingredients and read through your method. I will make these but don’t have a waffle machine so will probably cook them pancake like.....
Linda says
I made your waffles for dinner last night. They were so hearty and delicious! I even made your oat milk (even though I had almond milk & it would have been good, too). The oat milk was very good, too! It has been a lon__g time since I had oat milk. Hm__m! I stewed some apples in maple syrup for a very short period of time and topped off the waffles. The family liked them so much that they requested it for breakfast this morning. I had made vegan sausage patties a few days ago - that would be a nice accompaniment to the waffles. So I better get busy. LOL. Thank you for the recipe.
Ilona says
These waffles are delicious! I'm making lots of waffles at my home lately, great recipe:)
Felesha says
Genius!! I love apple pie and now I can eat it for breakfast!
Vilma says
Omg just made these. So yum!!! Thanks