Add some sugar & spice to your life with these deliciously dark, rich & fluffy Vegan Gingerbread Waffles. Full of warm and comforting gingerbread flavor and perfect for breakfast during the festive season!
Deliciously dark, tender Vegan Gingerbread Waffles. That's what's for brunch today! Crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, full of the warm, comforting gingerbread flavor we all know and love, and perfect to enjoy for brunch over the holiday season.
I rarely make waffles but every-time I do I ask myself why I waited so long because I enjoy them so very much. If you're the same then it's time to bust out that waffle maker and make this recipe, or my Banana Waffles stat!
In this post:
No waffle maker? Give my Gingerbread Pancakes a try instead!
Ingredients
Made from pantry staples this is a recipe that is perfect for a delicious and easy brunch. The ingredients list is very simple:
- Flour - I recommend using all purpose flour or spelt flour for this recipe. They both give excellent, light, results. Use plain flour if you are in the UK.
- Ground flaxseeds - This is the first part of our egg replacer. You do not need to mix them with water. Be sure to follow my instructions and just throw them in with the dry ingredients.
- Spices - Ginger and cinnamon for that classic gingerbread flavor.
- Sugar - Brown sugar or coconut sugar for extra rich, deep, caramel flavor.
- Leaveners - Baking powder, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar for crispy, light, fluffy waffles. The baking soda and the vinegar work with the ground flax to replace the binding and the leavening that eggs would otherwise provide.
- Molasses - This is for flavor and color. Molasses is a key ingredient in gingerbread. You can use unsulphured, dark, or blackstrap molasses.
- Oil - Just a little bit for a tender, fluffy texture.
- Dairy-free milk - Any plant milk such as cashew milk, soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk will work in this recipe. I recommend using unsweetened and unflavored milk though so it doesn't affect the flavor/sweetness balance.
How To Make Vegan Gingerbread Waffles
Making these Vegan Gingerbread Waffles is really quick and easy. Here's how:
- Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix well.
- Combine all of the wet ingreidnets. Give them a good mix to make sure the molasses is well combined.
- Pour the wet into the dry and fold together gently.
- Cook your waffles in a preheated, well-greased waffle iron.
Expert Tip For Cooking Perfect Waffles
First up it's important that you use a reliable waffle maker. I love my Cuisinart Belgian Waffle Maker one. I've had it for years and years and never had a waffle stick.
Then my biggest, most important tip for cooking perfect waffles (whatever the recipe), is to not open the waffle maker. Do not be tempted. Even if has a beep or a light to tell you they are ready. Do not listen to it.
When they first start to cook, lots of steam will start coming out the sides of the waffle iron. It will continue to come out the whole time they cook. Only open the waffle iron when all the steam has disappeared. Not before. And when you do, do it slowly and gently to give them time to release.
Serving Suggestions
When it comes to serving Gingerbread Waffles, melty vegan butter and real maple syrup should be compulsory. Other toppings that work well are:
- vegan chocolate syrup
- chopped banana
- vegan yogurt
- poached pears
- gingerbread peanut butter or almond butter
- whipped coconut cream
- chopped walnuts or pecans
Storing Leftovers
Leftover Vegan Gingerbread Waffles will keep in the fridge for a couple of days and will freeze well up for up 3 months. Put them in an airtight container or freezer bag with parchment paper between the layers to stop them sticking together.
To reheat pop them in a hot skillet for a few minutes on each side, microwave them for 20 to 30 seconds, or pop them in a toaster. You can also toast them straight from the freezer. Cook them for 2 cycles and they should be heated throughout.
Recipe FAQs
I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour but usually with baking recipes and pancakes, a good 1 to 1 baking flour with xanthan gum works well. I don't see any reason why this recipe would be different.
More Ginger 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
Gingerbread Waffles
Author:Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup (125 grams) all purpose or spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda , bicarbonate of soda in the UK
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar , or coconut sugar
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup (240 ml) dairy-free milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses , or dark molasses, or unsulphured molasses
- 2 tablespoons liquid oil
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Grease and preheat your waffle iron to medium heat.
- To a mixing bowl add the flour, ground flax, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and sugar. Whisk together to combine.
- To another bowl add the milk, vinegar, molasses, and oil. Whisk the, together until the molasses is really well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix using a spoon, until just combined. Do not over mix. A few small lumps are fine.
- 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 will be ready.
- Open very carefully, remove the waffles, grease again, then close the waffle maker top, and let it heat up again before cooking the remaining batter in the same way.
Jane says
Could you make them as a sort of “scotch pancake” do you think? I don’t have a waffle iron!
Melanie McDonald says
Make this one instead: https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-gingerbread-pancakes/
It's the same recipe done as pancakes!
Joanie Lewis says
Hey Mel - Great Fall recipe!
Rebecca LP Johnson says
they came out beautifully and i used all purpose unbleached flour...my husband approved. thank you for this recipe. next time i will use the idea a previous commenter mentioned about sugar sprinkled on before closing the lid on the waffle maker and see how that goes.
Amy says
A total disaster sadly :( Maybe it was the choice of milk (I used rice milk) but the batter was super liquid, and just poured over the edges of the waffle iron and I ended up with flat, tough, not quite waffles. No rise or fluffiness. Very disappointing.
Lori Cross says
Just starting Vegan & was a little worried about different breakfasts...OMG these are fantastic! I may even eat one for dinner.
Danny Cathey says
My family and I love waffles. We’re not vegan, but I like great recipes. This recipe definitely fills the bill. (I sprinkle a little extra organic brown sugar on them before I close the lid. The sugar carmelizes and gives a little extra crunch. I also use coconut oil.) Did I mention this is an excellent recipe? Thank you Melanie!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Danny. I'm glad you and your family are enjoying them!
Amelia Suarez says
Can you substitute something for the oil? I’m doing oil free.
A Virtual Vegan says
The oil really makes a difference to the texture of the waffles. They become much fluffier with it. You can omit it if you don't mind them losing a little fluffiness. They will also be more likely to stick in the waffle iron without the iron so keep that in mind.
NICOLE says
JUAT STARTED A VEGAN DIET WITH HOPES TO HELP A NEWLY DIAGNOSED AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER AND MADE THESE WAFFLES.... THEY WERE DELICIOUS! I DID NOT HAVE SPELT FLOUR AND GROUND GINGER ON HAND SO I USED BROWN RICE FLOUR AND GRATED FRESH GINGER INTO WET INGREDIENTS AND THEY STILL CAME OUT AMAZING! THANK YOU FOR THE DELICIOUS RECIPE!!
Sandy says
I'm not a fan of the milk substitutes. Would apple cider work in this recipe?
Sandy says
OMG! These are so delicious! I'm not a vegan, but I have a B&B and had vegan guests this past weekend and they were a huge hit! I had three left, so I refrigerated them and put them in the toaster today and they were still delicious! I'm going to make more and freeze them because I have oat milk leftover. Great recipe with normal ingredients! Thank you!
Tina - The Worktop says
Hi! Just made these and they are delicious! My little toddler loved them. I ended up using just one teaspoon of brown sugar in the recipe and it worked well. Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you both enjoyed them!
Gail says
Just made these into pancakes. They were great. Definitely a keeper!
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed them!
Laura says
Loved them thank you!
Linsey says
Just tried these as pancakes - absolutely delicious. And so easy too!
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)
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.
Debbie says
These are amazing!
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!