Who knew eating veggies for breakfast could taste so yummy? You’ll know they’re healthy and full of good-for-you things, but you don’t have to tell your family that they’re healthy whole-wheat waffles! Just tell them they’re pumpkin spice waffles.

Pumpkin Spice Waffles

My husband has acted as breakfast chef around our house for the past twenty years (I act as the supper chef). Occasionally I’ll get the itch to experiment on a Sunday morning, and this pumpkin spice waffle recipe is a variation of his healthy whole-wheat waffles creation. For the last ten years we’ve used one of those Belgian waffle makers that look like the ones that hotels use in their breakfast bars.

Now that our nest has emptied (mostly), Pedro makes a giant batch of waffles and a giant batch of whole-wheat muffins on Saturday mornings and pops them in the freezer for everyone to reheat as needed during the week. Since everyone (Pedro, myself, our one high-school student, and two college students) has different morning schedules, this works out perfectly for our busy household.

What DO Vegetarians Eat for Breakfast?

This whole conversation about waffles might make you wonder what vegetarians eat for breakfast. Good question! As a life-long vegetarian, I often wonder what meatatarians eat for breakfast! Cereal? Eggs, potatoes, sausage, and bacon? Oatmeal? Inquiring minds want to know!

I grew up eating mostly pancakes for breakfast (the only thing my dad knew how to make as I was growing up). Unfortunately, I reached my life-time quota of pancakes around my 19th year, and rarely eat them now. Waffles, although basically the same as pancakes, taste better somehow. We also had our share of granola, Cheerios, oatmeal, and grits. We usually had homemade whole-wheat cinnamon rolls on Saturday morning when Mom cooked.

When we go camping, I’ll make breakfast burritos (whole-wheat tortillas, fried potatoes with onions and jalapeños, scrambled eggs, and cheddar cheese). I also love granola and yogurt (Pedro refuses to eat this delicious treat).

Once we made the switch from white flour to whole-wheat flour, we discovered that our breakfast stuck to our ribs a lot longer. As for that old adage that ‘oatmeal sticks to your ribs,’ forget it. When I eat oatmeal I go into a low-blood sugar dive in about two hours. I must have oatmeal resistant ribs.

That’s one reason I love these healthy pumpkin spice waffles. They have protein and fiber and fewer calories than a PSL from your favorite barista.

Pumpkin Spice Waffles

Author: Anita Ojeda
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 30 minutes

Print Recipe

Description

I love everything pumpkin, and usually stock up on canned pumpkin while it’s on sale over Thanksgiving so that I can make these pumpkin spice waffles year round.

Scale

Ingredients

3 cups whole-wheat flour (I prefer Wheat Montana’s Prairie Gold)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed (optional, but why not?)
2 Tbs. baking powder
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 3/4 cups water

Instructions

Preheat the waffle maker. I use a Belgian waffle maker, but you can also make these in a traditional waffle maker.

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the pumpkin, vanilla, eggs, and water. Mix well (no lumps remain). You may need to add more water in order to get a thick, but runny batter.

Use a spritz of cooking spray on both sides of the waffle iron (even if it’s a non-stick one), since the waffles don’t have any added oil in them.