Fluffy Whole Wheat Waffles are a healthy breakfast and brunch treat you can whip up in no time. They take just a few simple ingredients you can find at any grocery store. You won’t believe these are 100% whole grain – everybody loves them! Serve them with fresh berries for a healthy treat this weekend!
So. We have a small grain mill at home and bake bread from freshly ground grains.
Yet, I’m not always 100% pro whole grain in all recipes.
Weird?
Maybe. But hear me out:
I just think some foods are better left the traditional way without trying to healthify the recipe. And for the longest time I thought waffles were one of these things.
But then. I made healthy banana oatmeal waffles. And healthy banana chocolate chip waffles.
What can I say? These fluffy whole wheat waffles are an entirely amazing experience!
- They are still crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside!
- They have kind of a nutty and more robust taste to them due to the whole grains.
- They’re filling and work for any meal of the day – breakfast, as a snack, as part of a lunch box or even for dinner!
I mean I LOVE my fluffy buttermilk waffles, but I wouldn’t serve them for dinner. But these fluffy whole wheat waffles? Make an appearance at the dining table a couple times every month around here.
We’ll have a big salad as a starter and then eat the waffles with Greek yogurt, fresh fruit and maple syrup. My kids love waffles for dinner!
Now I know beating the egg whites separately seems like a fussy extra step, but it’s actually even more important than in regular waffles, as whole wheat flour tends to make the batter a bit heavier and more dense. So make sure you put in the effort for that extra step – it’s worth it!
How to make extra fluffy Whole Wheat Waffles:
The short explanation:
- Mix the dry and wet ingredients in two separate bowls.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Stir the wet into the dry ingredients just until combined.
- Fold in the egg whites just until combined. No overmixing!
- Bake the waffles in your waffle iron. Yum!
Some extra tips:
Mixing the dry ingredients
Use a large bowl so it’s easier to fold everything together later. Make sure you stir the dry ingredients well enough to evenly distribute the baking powder!
And don’t skip the cornstarch in the recipe – it helps making these whole wheat waffles extra light and fluffy!
Mixing the wet ingredients
I like doing this in a measuring jug to make it easier to pour the wet ingredients into the dry.
Whisk well until the wet ingredients are smooth – you don’t want to end up with bits of cooked egg yolk in the waffles!
Beating the egg whites
I do this step after mixing the wet and dry ingredients because the whipped egg whites tend to get runny again after standig for a while.
I prefer a smaller mixing bowl and a handheld mixer for this – works super fast, 1 minute, max!
I beat until the egg whites don’t fall out of the bowl when slowly inverting it. A fun trick to impress the kids with ?
Mixing the batter
First, add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Don’t use a whisk, use a spoon or a wooden spoon!
Then, fold in the egg whites. Do this carefully so you don’t knock out all the air, but do make sure you’re incorporating the egg whites well enough so you don’t end up with large bits of egg floating in the batter. That would turn into scrambled egg whites inside the waffles!
If you want to switch things up, you can add blueberries or chocolate chips to the batter – for a whole wheat version of blueberry waffles or chocolate chip waffles!
Cooking the waffles
A while ago, I discovered the ease of scooping the waffle batter with a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop like this one, it’s SO much easier and less messy than using virtually anything else! FYI, I make a commission for purchases made through this link.
I use about ¼ cup of batter per waffle and cook them until no more crazy wafts of steam escape from the iron.
I figured the wet ingredients are cooked once the waffle isn’t as steamy anymore, which is when I take a peak to see how much longer it’s going to need to crisp up.
What to serve with these whole wheat waffles
As I already said, we LOVE Greek yogurt mixed with a little maple syrup for dipping the waffles.
Fresh berries are SO good with these, but so are sliced bananas, apple sauce or stewed fruit.
When I’m feeling ambitious I make a nice Greek yogurt fruit salad to go with these.
How to freeze the waffles
These are super easy to freeze! Just freeze on a lined baking sheet in a single layer until firm, then store in freezer bags for up to three months.
To reheat, just pop them in the toaster straight from the freezer. You can also bake them on a rack at 360F for 5-10 minutes.
This is a breakfast-for-dinner recipe I definitely don’t feel bad about at all! Obviously we also enjoy these waffles for a healthy breakfast… But I think brinner is our favorite occasion for them ?
Get the printable recipe for our best ever whole wheat waffles here:
Printable recipe
Fluffy Whole Wheat Waffles
Recipe details
Equipment
- waffle iron
- Measuring Jug
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs separated
- 1 ⅓ cups low fat buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients: Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon and salt to a bowl. Stir very well until mixed.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large measuring jug, whisk together the egg YOLKS, buttermilk, oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Beat the egg whites: Beat the egg WHITES in a clean bowl with electric beaters until stiff peaks form.
- Make the batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Add the beaten egg whites and carefully fold in just until incorporated. Do NOT overmix, or the waffles will be dense.
- Bake waffles: Preheat your waffle iron on medium-high. Lightly grease and bake waffles according to your manufacturer's instructions. I use about ¼ cup of batter per waffle, and I scoop it with a cookie scoop to make less of a mess.
- Serve the waffles hot right out of the waffle iron - that's when they're the crispiest!
Mandy says
These were so delicious! Our kids gobbled them up like crazy. Thanks for all the helpful tips – I usually end up skipping extra work but you convinced me to make your recipe as written. I’m so glad I did, these were perfect!
Nora says
This makes me so happy to read, Mandy! Glad your kids enjoyed the waffles – I know mine always do! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a recipe review – thank you!