Add some sugar & spice to your life with these deliciously dark, rich & fluffy waffles. Full of warm & comforting gingerbread flavour & surprisingly healthy!
What would you say if I told you that you could eat gingerbread for breakfast and not feel guilty about it?
That it truly the case with these Gingerbread Waffles.
They are full of healthy ingredients with only one and a half tablespoons of oil in the entire batch. I used spelt flour as it gives a lovely nutty flavour as well as great texture. It also has some great health benefits which you do not get with regular white or wholewheat flour.
Spelt is an ancient grain which is packed with vitamins, minerals and nutrients which are not found in wheat. It is also high in fibre and protein (up to 15% depending on the source) and this protein is complete, meaning that it contains the nine essential amino acids needed by our bodies. Spelt aids digestive health, helps lower cholesterol and helps regulate insulin and glucose levels due to its high fibre content. It also boosts circulation, aids bone health, helps regulate hormones and helps boost your immune system.
You can almost call these Gingerbread Waffles a superfood! ;o)
And they taste just like gingerbread. It’s like eating cake for breakfast! Honestly, I’m not kidding. Cake for breakfast is the stuff only dreams are made of…..Until now!
These Gingerbread Waffles are deliciously dark and tender and are full of warm, comforting gingerbread flavour. They are crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and will make the perfect breakfast or brunch over the holiday season.
We enjoyed these Gingerbread Waffles so much when I finally perfected the recipe last week. You might well have seen the picture I posted on Instagram as a teaser. I took it with my cell phone while I was tucking into a couple of them and it sure got a lot of attention!
These Gingerbread Waffles are amazing just served simply with some maple syrup. They are also fantastic served with poached or gently pan fried pears. Banana goes well with them to.
Please note that I have only made these waffles with spelt flour. You might not get the same results if you use another kind of flour. Spelt can easily be found in most grocery stores and is well worth purchasing. It is great for making pancakes and waffles but also for making other baked goods such as cakes and cookies. If you have never cooked with it before it is well worth experimenting with as it gives great results. (Note that I have since heard from a reader that wholewheat flour works well too although I haven’t tested this myself).
If you don’t have a waffle maker then just make pancakes with the batter instead. It works great!
I would love it if you could share your waffle pictures with me on Instagram or Twitter. I am @avirtualvegan on both. On Instagram use the hashtag #avirtualvegan too so that I don’t miss them. Your Cranberry, Walnut & Apple Smoothie pictures have been awesome this week. I am glad that you are all enjoying it so much!
If you love waffles then try my Apple Pie Waffles next!
Gingerbread Waffles
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 125g | 1 cup spelt flour , scooped into the cup then levelled with a knife
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 4 tablespoons coconut sugar (you may sub this for any other brown sugar)
Wet ingredients
- 180mls | 1¼ cups non dairy milk (I used my oat milk )
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons black strap molasses
- 1½ tablespoons liquid oil ( I used a light olive oil but coconut oil would also be good as would any other liquid cooking oil)
Instructions
- Grease and preheat your waffle iron. I used setting 4 on my Cuisinart Waffle Iron .
- If you don't have a waffle iron then use a non stick fry pan and make them into pancakes.
- Put all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir well.
- Put all of the wet ingredients into a jug or bowl (one with a lip is easier to pour). Stir until well combined.
- Pour the mixed wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix using a spoon, until just combined. Do not over mix. A few small lumps are fine. You just want it to get to the stage that you can't see any dry bits of flour through it.
- When your waffle iron is ready pour in your mixture and cook.
- When ready open your waffle iron carefully and remove.
- If making as pancakes pour the batter into the pan and cook over a medium heat until bubbles start forming on the surface. Once you see bubble flip and cook for a minute or two more.
- Serve immediately (see recipe notes for storage instructions)
Recipe Notes
These waffles are best served immediately but they also keep well in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a few weeks. Just warm them through in a toaster straight from the fridge or freezer before serving.
athleticavocado says
now only if i had a waffle maker, my life would be complete!
A Virtual Vegan says
They work as pancakes too!
Amy (Lemon and Coconut) says
Gingerbread for breakfast sounds good to me!! 🙂
A Virtual Vegan says
And lunch and dinner……. Lol
Natalie Tamara says
Ooh these look seriously good! I know what my waffle maker is making this weekend 😉
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks Natalie! Enjoy!
Tina Jui | The Worktop says
This looks great! I love using spelt flour, and these waffles are perfect for the holidays!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Tina. Who could resist gingerbread waffles during the holidays!?!
Melanie Lamoreaux says
This recipe is perfect; I couldn’t improve upon it if I tried! I have made this recipe twice now (the second time I doubled the recipe). It’s just so good. It tastes just like gingerbread, but with a lovely, fluffy waffle consistency. I made them on Christmas morning and my boyfriend, mom, and dad all loved them so much. I am going to be making this recipe regularly, and especially every Christmas as a new tradition. Thank you, Melanie!
A Virtual Vegan says
This makes me so happy to read! Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback and I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed the waffles at Christmas. They were actually my most viewed recipe on Christmas morning. It’s great to know that so many people were sharing their gifts then eating my waffles! I hope you had a fabulous Christmas Melanie and that you have a very happy (waffle filled) New Year!
Debbie Woodruff says
These look amazing. I really need a waffle maker.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks Debbie. They work as pancakes too!
Robin says
What a perfect Christmas-themed breakfast! I tripled this recipe for my family and all seven of us gobbled them up with no leftovers. My uncle is still talking about them a couple hours later.
I used all purpose flour since that’s all my grandpa had. My only tip would be to reduce the milk by 1/4-1/2c if using all purpose since spelt absorbs more than AP. Great recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
I am so glad you and your family enjoyed them Robin and it’s good to hear they work with all purpose flour. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
Victoria@Mellowkitchen says
look delicious, i like eat gingerbread waffles, that amazing food for winter
Mansi says
These are great. If using fresh ginger, how much do you recommend using?
Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
I have never made them with fresh ginger so wouldn’t like to say. Ground dried ginger is really best. If you use fresh it might not cook well in the waffle iron and might taste too harsh. Fresh ginger is also quite wet so the texture might not turn out as well either.
Mansi says
I actually just made them with fresh ginger yesterday. I used about 2-3 tbsp. They still turned out great – similar, if not the same as I had made them the first time.
Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
That’s great! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know :O)
Kristie says
These are sooo tasty which made it even more heart breaking that they stuck to absolutely everything !!! I regularly make waffles and have never had anything stick. I tried these 3 tines, with all sorts of methods and nothing helped. What a nightmare. I just tried then as pancakes and thy stuck horribly there too…. I’m not sure why so am having such trouble but I have never been so frustrated……. :'(
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Kristie,
So sorry to hear that. There is nothing worse than sticking waffles :O( I have never personally had a problem with them sticking in my waffle iron and haven’t had any complaints from other readers. I also make them as pancakes, usually with no oil and they don’t stick on my non-stick griddle. However, because they have a very low oil content there is a risk they will stick if your non-stick surface isn’t so good, or if the iron isn’t greased really, really well. If you are used to cooking waffles with more oil in the batter, that is probably why they don’t stick and these do. You could increase the oil in this recipe and I am sure it will help. Perhaps try 1/4 cup or you could even increase to 1/3 cup. You would need to reduce the milk to make up for the extra liquid though.
The other thing that might help is cooking them for longer. There is a chance that your waffle irons cooks slightly cooler than mine and needs a bit longer. If they aren’t quite cooked enough then they will stick.
Just another note, I always grease my waffle iron with coconut oil and a pastry brush. I don’t know how true it is but I have heard that using cooking spray (such as PAM etc) ruins your waffle irons over time as the residue builds up and counteracts the non-stick surface.
Hope that helps :O)
Janet says
Lots of times waffles stick because there isn’t much oil in the batter. I learned this the hard way decades ago when making sour dough waffles. In those days brushing oil on the waffle plates helped–and I did ok when alternating batches of sour dough and regular butter loaded waffles–none of my recipes were vegan during that unenlightened time. These days, we have cooking spray in either pump bottles or aerosol cans. Even though your waffle maker plates might be “non-stick,” I think it a good idea to give them a quick spritz or spray from time to time before adding the batter. I haven’t had residue build up, but I don’t do it for every waffle, and don’t spray heavily. I still time my waffles the way my mom did it back in the 1950s–watch the steam coming out around the edges. When it slows to almost nothing, the waffles are done. Cooking them a little longer and making the release more certain won’t make them dry, just crunchier on the outside.
Linsey says
Just tried these as pancakes – absolutely delicious. And so easy too!
I’m wondering if the mix would keep in the fridge overnight if prepared in advance for breakfast…. only one way to find out!
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed them! In the fall I must recycle this recipe and get them on here as pancakes too. A lot of people don’t realize that if they don’t have a waffle maker, they can make them as pancakes. I have never tried making the batter the night before. I hope it works out for you!
A Virtual Vegan says
The oil is part of the wet ingredients so should be mixed up with the other ingredients then added to the dry ingredients. You need a little extra oil to grease your waffle iron. These waffles are a staple for me and never fail. Did you substitute any ingredients? And did you use the correct amounts of baking powder AND baking soda? Also the vinegar is crucial in this recipe and wont work so well if you leave it out.
Laura says
Loved them thank you!