Up your vegan breakfast game with these delicious Vegan Banana Waffles. They are tender on the inside, golden and crispy on the outside and full of perfectly spiced, sweet banana, flavour.
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon oil of choiceor cashew butter for oil free but they won't be quite as light and fluffy
1mediumbananapeeled , weighing around 170 g in it's skin
200g / 1½ cups + 2tablespoonsall purpose flouror spelt flour (see the recipe notes re measuring the flour). If you are in the UK use plain flour
2tablespoonssugar
1tablespoonbaking powder
¼teaspoonbaking soda, bicarbonate of soda in the UK
½teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonground cinnamon
¼teaspoonground nutmeg
Instructions
To make the batter in a blender
Add all of the ingredients to the blender, starting with the liquids and the banana first.
Blend the ingredients until smooth. Don't over blend. Turn it off as soon as everything is smooth and combined.
Leave the batter to rest while you generously grease and preheat your waffle iron.
Pour/spoon the batter onto the waffle maker and cook on a medium temperature (no higher) until steam stops coming out of the side. You must wait until there is absolutely no steam emerging so keep a careful watch. Ignore any signals from your machine if it tells you they are done earlier.
Once all signs of steam have stopped open the iron slowly to give the waffles time to detach themselves. Serve immediately or keep warm on a plate in an oven on its lowest setting until you have finished cooking the entire batch.
To make the batter by hand
Mash the banana really, really well until it is a very smooth puree consistency. Beat it together with the milk and oil until combined well.
Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl, whisk them together, then gradually pour in the milky banana mixture, stirring as you go to work out the lumps. Stir until all of the flour is absorbed and the batter is smooth, then leave to rest while you grease and preheat your waffle iron as per the instructions above.
Video
Notes
Success Tips
It is really important to grease your waffle iron thoroughly. Don't use spray oil like Pam. It leaves a residue that is impossible to remove by washing, and over time it renders your nonstick surface useless. I use a silicone pastry brush and brush liquid oil such as melted coconut oil, vegetable oil, light olive oil or sunflower oil directly onto the iron or you can fill an empty spray bottle with pure oil and use that.
Use very ripe, spotty bananas.
The small amount of oil (or nut butter) in the recipe is important for the fluffy insides and the crisp outsides.
Don't overmix/over blend the batter. When you do this you activate the gluten in the flour and run the risk of making your waffles tough or gummy.
As always with any recipes involving flour, I highly recommend that you weigh it. Cup measurements are not accurate enough to get the best results. If you do need to use cups, spoon the flour into the cup then level off the top with a knife without compacting it or shaking it down. By doing it like this you will get roughly the correct amount.If you scoop the flour up into the cup, you will end up with much more than is needed and it will affect the outcome of the recipe. Digital scales are available at most big superstores now and you can pick one up for under $15. It's so worth it!
And the most important success tip of all?Do not open the waffle iron when it tells you your waffles are ready. Do not be tempted. Even if has a beep or a light to tell you they are done, do not listen to it. The way to tell they are done is to watch the steam coming out the sides of the iron. You will notice when they first start cooking lots of steam is pushed out. It will continue to come out the whole time they cook. Only open the waffle iron when all of the steam has disappeared. Not before. This could take up to 8 minutes. Don't rush them.
When you finally do open the iron, do it slowly to give the waffles time to release. Don't just tear it open quickly.
Storage, Freezing & ReheatingLeftover vegan banana waffles are fine kept covered in the fridge for a day or two. Just warm them through in a toaster before serving. They also freeze perfectly. This means you can make up a massive batch for easy breakfasts throughout the week.Follow the recipe, then place the cooked waffle on a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before putting them in a freezer bag and stashing them away in the freezer. They will keep well for up to 3 months.To reheat, remove from the freezer and pop straight in a toaster from frozen. If there's a "frozen" button on your toaster push it, if not, they might take 2 cycles to warm right through.