Looking for easy fall breakfast ideas? These homemade simple pumpkin waffles definitely need to happen in your waffle maker this autumn!
The recipe makes a quick batter from scratch with an entire cup of pumpkin, eggs, flour, spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and milk.
Bake to crispy and fluffy perfection in your waffle iron, then load them with your favorite healthy toppings for breakfast (or ice cream for dessert!).
So last week these super simple pumpkin waffles happened in my kitchen. Aren’t they beautiful? It was love at first sight for us!
Now they really are plain-old-straight-forward-nothing-fancy-shmancy pumpkin waffles. No cream cheese, no caramel, no brown butter, no nothing.
Just pumpkin batter plus my favourite waffle iron*, which gives the entire stage to Mr. Pumpkin alone. And boy, does he take it and run with it!
You know what else is running? Time. It’s October already? Oktoberfest, Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween?
It’s not that I care much about the actual Oktoberfest (but HELLO German food!) or know anything about Canadian Thanksgiving but Halloween?
Halloween is ace (that’s British for awesome though I’m starting to think saying “awesome” is much cooler) and every year I slightly regret being a grown up and not invited to any cool parties.
The one time I really (and I mean REALLY) celebrated Halloween as an adult was when I was working in a pub and guys! It was so good I might just need to combine ace with awesome.
I had only started working there on the first of October, so I was terribly new to the whole beer tapping and drunk customer handling kind of thing. The bar staff coordinates their costumes every year and it was the year of the Adams Family. The roles had pretty much been distributed already and guess who was left?
The grandma.
Now up until then my understanding of Halloween had been to dress up in a cutesy (or sexy, depending on your relationship status (brackets inside brackets: Facebook was still cool back then)) costume but apparently some people like to make themselves look as horrifying as possible.
Well, the good employee I was I absolutely cooperated and became a scary grandmother for one night.
I put on a huge black skirt and wrapped a fussy scarf around my shoulders. My hair was tousled and sprayed with white temporary hair dye while my face was painted in the most gruesome way possible.
But the coolest thing? My coworker got me this weird black tooth varnish and guys, it looked so REAL!
One of the regular customers kept telling me all evening that I shouldn’t have done that to myself and that he was never going to look at me again. When I was standing outside for a quick break a teenage girl actually shrieked when she saw me.
Yeah, those were the good times, making people jump with my appearance. Fun, right?
It was way less fun to actually be working. This party was HUGE.
There were so many people, the whole place was darkened (with bin bags stapled to the ceiling – my job during slow nights in November was getting rid of staples forgotten up there) and we constantly ran out of glasses. I don’t think I ever worked so hard in my life as during that night but it was such a great experience.
Now if there is any way to make your Halloween absolutely legendary if you don’t have the chance to work in a bar – start the day off with those waffles.
In fact, start any day during pumpkin season off with them babies. (Or with Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast. Your call.)
Their plain and simple appearance will give you all the oh-hey-it’s-fall-and-therefore-I-must-eat-all-the-pumpkins (abuse of dashes much?) satisfaction you need!
Hold on, can you hear them whispering too? “Go make us now”!
A few tips to make sure these simple pumpkin waffles turn out perfectly for you:
Don’t overmix the batter
When stirring the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, you want them to be just mixed.
If you whisk both together really hard, the waffles will turn out more dense and chewy instead of light and fluffy. Scroll back up to the recipe video to see what my batter looks like!
Bake them correctly
Because of the pumpkin, the waffles are quite soft as-is. If you don’t bake them right in your waffle iron, they will not turn out the way they should.
Use medium-high heat and allow the waffle maker to fully heat up before greasing.
Bake the waffles until they are crispy on the outside. They will crisp up more once they’re out of the waffle maker and soften back up if left at room temperature for too long.
The waffles might look a bit gooey when cut into while warm, but if you tear them you should see how fluffy they are.
Use them as a make-ahead breakfast or freeze them
If you want to make the waffles the day before, this is what I suggest:
Bake the waffles as instructed. Once you remove them from the waffle iron, immediately place them on a cooling rack.
Once the waffles have cooled down, cover them with a clean kitchen towel and leave them at room temperature.
The waffles will feel soft in the morning, but don’t worry! Pop them into the toaster until they’re hot and crispy.
If you want to freeze the waffles:
Bake the waffles as instructed. Once you remove them from the waffle iron, immediately place them on a cooling rack.
Once the waffles have completely cooled down, place them into freezer bags individually. Alternatively, place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and freeze until solid before transferring stacks of waffles to freezer bags.
Freeze the waffles for up to three months. Reheat them in a toaster. Alternatively, bake them on a lined baking sheet for 10-12 minutes at 350°F in your preheated oven.
Watch the simple pumpkin waffles recipe video:
Here is the printable recipe for these easy pumpkin waffles:

Simple Pumpkin Waffles Recipe
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
Instructions
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In a large bowl stir together the dry ingredients. In a measuring cup whisk the eggs, milk, maple syrup and melted butter well, then stir in the pumpkin purée.
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Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
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Bake the waffles in your waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.
* I make a commission for purchases made through these links.
END THE MEALTIME STRUGGLE TODAY!

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Thalia @ butter and brioche
These are just these best waffles I have seen recently Nora. I love the pumpkin flavour… perfect for fall! Great recipe!
Nora
Thank you Thalia – I can’t get enough of pumpkin!
Liz
Making them this weekend AND scheduled them to publish on our company Facebook. I am SO excited to try these! 🙂
Nora
Yay, thanks so much Liz! And I’m probably even more excited for you to try them – would be great if you reported back 😀
Liz
I made them! They’re amazing! Boyfriend loved them. Best friend loved them. I’m making them again Friday night! 🙂
Nora
Aaaah Liz that makes me sooo happy! I’m so glad you all loved them 😀
Michelle
I was scrambling for waffle ideas today and found your recipe. Since there is only two of us I halved the ingredients and used the 3 setting on my cuisinart waffle iron.. What an excellent recipe! Truly gorgeous and delicious waffles. Thank you.
Nora
I’m so, so happy to hear this Michelle! Thanks for trying them and for sharing your experience! You made my day!
Dana
I was searching for a pumpkin waffle recipe and came across this one. Best pumpkin waffles EVER! Definitely a keeper!
Nora
Wow, thanks Dana! I’m so happy to hear this!
Lizzy
Started looking for a recipe today, since I saw I still had pumpkin and it was a cool morning.
Since I’m mum to 4 bottomless pits I doubled the recipe (plus I had 1 3/4 c pumpkin). Didn’t have quite enough pumpkin, and missing an egg, but still came out well.
The horde can’t seem to get enough.
The only thing I’ll do different the next time I make it (besides having enough eggs) is just to put all the wet ingredients right into a blender. Maybe it doesn’t matter with a single batch, but with a double I needed my blender.
Nora
I’m so happy to read this, Lizzy!! Awesome that you and your family liked the waffles! And thanks for sharing your experience with the recipe, I appreciate it so much!
Jennefer
We had these waffles for dinner tonight! They were a hit!!! Delicious! We added a few chocolate chips to ours just because… Thanks for the recipe!
Nora
I’m so incredibly happy that you enjoyed the waffles, Jennefer! Genius with the chocolate chips 🙂
Mandi
I am planning on making these as I am in full- on pumpkin mode! Can anyone tell me if you can get away with using regular maple flavored syrup like everyone has in the pantry or do you have to use true maple syrup?
Nora
Hi Mandi, I haven’t personally tried it since I only have access to 100% maple syrup, so I can’t tell you for sure. But I have used maple syrup, honey, agave nectar and golden syrup interchangeably without any issues in various baked goods. I don’t see why maple flavored syrup would work in any other way so I’d say go for it and please report back to us 🙂
Donna
I was looking for a pumpkin waffle recipe this morning online and after looking at about 10 recipes, I chose this one. And boy, and I glad I did! They were easy to prepare and everyone loved them. I served them with warm real honest to goodness maple syrup and they were a yummy way to start off a fall Saturday morning. Maybe next time I will mix in some chopped pecans to make them extra yummy. Thanks for a great recipe Nora!
Nora
Donna, you’re too sweet! I’m so happy you all loved the waffles! Adding chopped pecans is an excellent idea, I’ll have to try that one as well 🙂 Have a lovely rest of your weekend!
Linda
Made these yesterday morning. Delicious!!
Nora
I’m so happy you liked them, Linda! Thanks for reporting back!
Michele
My nine year old made these . There so good. She add some m&ms . It made them so good . I add walnuts . Loved them .
Nora
That makes me so happy, Michele! Your daughter is genius with the M&Ms! Walnuts are lovely, too. Thanks so much for making this recipe and for reporting back.
Jilian
I loved them
Jilian
Thank you
Nora
I’m so glad you did, Jilian! Thank you so much for making this recipe and for coming back to comment on it. I really appreciate it!
jilian
I add some m&m
Janiece
I usually make scones on Saturday morning but decided to change it up a bit today … I really wanted something “pumpkin” and waffles sounded like a nice change of pace. I sprinkled some coarsely chopped pecans on the batter but other than that I made this exactly as written. Oh my … the waffles were wonderful and very easy to make. I served them with maple butter and pure maple syrup … this is definitely my “go to” pumpkin waffle recipe!
Nora
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Janiece! I’m so happy the recipe was successful for you. Have a lovely weekend!
Cristina
This were delicious. I cannot wait to make them again. The only thing I will do differently next time is add in some chopped pecans and it will put these over the top!! Yummm!
Nora
I’m so happy you like the waffles, Cristina! Adding chopped pecans will definitely make them only better 🙂 Thank you so much for making the recipe and reporting back!
Darin
Made these tonight. I separated the egg whites and whipped them before folding them into the batter last thing. Just a waffle habit I have. Everyone really enjoyed them. Thank you.
Nora
I’m so glad you like the waffles, Darin. What a clever trick with whipping the egg whites, I bet it makes waffles come out amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to report back, I really appreciate it.
Mel
I made these tonight for dinner, and my husband is still talking about them !!! The only change I made was to use molasses instead of maple syrup.
This is a keeper for sure, can’t wait to make them for my grandchildren.
Nora
I am so happy to read this, Mel. I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed the waffles, I’m sure your grandchildren will too! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, it means a lot to me.
marie
How prominent is the maple syrup flavor in the waffles? I know this is horrible but I am not a fan of maple syrup… Also, do I have to replace it with something or can I just leave it out?
Nora
Hi Marie, that’s not horrible at all – tastes are different! There’s not much in it, so the flavor doesn’t come through that strongly. But you can always replace it with honey or another liquid sweetener. You could also try adding 4 tablespoons of brown sugar. If the batter is too thick with the sugar, add a few teaspoons of milk. I wouldn’t leave out the sweetener altogether, as it helps with the browning and adds flavor and body to the waffles. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.
Megan
Hi! These look delicious! Wanting to make them, but I only have pumpkin pie spice. Can you tell me how much to use in place of the cinnamon,
all spice, ginger & nutmeg?
Nora
Hi Megan, thanks for asking! You can add 3-4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, depending on how much you want the flavors to come through. Hope that helps, don’t hesitate to ask more questions. And enjoy the waffles 🙂
Adam
They look dense and limp. Can’t imagine the texture is that of a waffle, which really should have more of a crisp exterior vs. a floppy one.
Nora
I appreciate your honesty, Adam. Please take into consideration that I posted this recipe a few months into blogging (and using a camera), so it took me a really long time to take those photos. The waffles of course ended up soaked with syrup, but these were the best pictures I could get at that time. There’s lots of positive reviews from people who have recreated them, so I’d hope they’re somewhat edible.
Danielle
Awesome an simple receipe! Made with molasses instead of maple syrup an served with homemade apple butter. yum!
Nora
Thank you so much for your kind words, Danielle! I appreciate you took the time to comment on your experience with the recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed the waffles. Have a lovely day!
Anne
I froze the cooked leftover waffles between sheets of waxed paper. I heat them up in the toaster and they are a very yummy snack. Thanks for the great pumpkin waffle recipe.
Nora
I’m very happy you like the pumpkin waffles, Anne! Thanks for taking the time to review the recipe – I appreciate it!
Marcia
My husband made these for Sunday brunch! They are simply delicious! I love everything pumpkin! They cooked up perfectly!
I am interested in the nutritional values. Do you calculate them? If so, please post them for me and other weight watchers. Thank you!
Nora
Hi Marcia, I’m so glad to hear you liked the waffles! I don’t calculate the nutrition facts for my recipes anymore because there are just too many differences between all the calculators. For a simple solution, if you go to the recipe calculator on caloriecount.com, you can simply paste the ingredient list from my recipe. Hope that helps!
Lynn
Hi Nora, I followed your recipe last fall to make/freeze these for my daughters–we love them! Well now with fall approaching, I went to dig out the printed recipe and couldn’t find it…thank goodness I was able to find you online again! Just wanted t say thanks!
Nora
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Lynn! Put a big smile on my face 🙂 I’m so, so glad you like the waffles.
Miryam
Hi,
I am lactose intolerant so i wanted to know if I could make these with soy mil or would it change the taste too much.
Miryam
Nora
Hi Miryam, I’m sure it will change the taste a little. But if you’re used to soy milk and fine with it, I bet it would be OK! Hope that helps 🙂
Carey
I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and they were fabulous. (However, I did use the butter! I’m sure another oil would work, too.) Didn’t have allspice on hand, so I used pumpkin pie spice. The waffles puffed up beautifully and were deliciously crispy. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Nora
Yay, I’m so glad the recipe worked out with the almond milk, Carey! Thanks for taking the time to rate the recipe, I appreciate this so much!
nikki
I just made these…baking in my waffle iron. Are they suppose to be almost gooy in the middle?
Nora
Hi Nikki. It’s possible that they turn or a little softer because they have less butter and sugar than you’d find in an average waffle recipe. And the pumpkin makes them softer as well. But they shouldn’t be like raw dough or really dense in the middle. Hope that helps!
Ashton
Made these today, and the recipe turned out so great. Thank you for sharing!
Nora
I’m so happy you liked the waffles, Ashton! And I appreciate you taking the time to leave a review. Thank you 🙂
Rachel
I made these this morning for my daughter and her best friend who was sleeping over. They loved them! She told me to print and keep this recipe.
Nora
This makes me so happy to read, Rachel! I’m glad the waffles were a hit, and thanks for taking the time to review the recipe. I appreciate it very much!
Larry
Made these today, my wife and I both thought they were exceptional. Delicious!!!!!! You described them perfectly, yet they still exceeded expectations. Thank you.
Nora
I’m very happy you and your wife enjoyed the pumpkin waffles, Larry! They’re one of our fall favorites. Thanks for taking the time to review the recipe – I appreciate it so much!
Larry
You’re so welcome. Just wanted to let you know I did bake and freeze the leftovers. They were just as wonderful the next day. Spice flavor may have come out more. Thanks again for the keeper. I liked your page on Facebook and look forward to more of your recipes.
Susan
We tried this for dinner. They were delicious.♥️ I did make a few adjustments… I used self rising flour and added pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon instead of other sipices. I also used maple sugar instead of maple syrup. Turned out magnificent!!
Nora
I’m so happy to read this, Susan! I’m glad you liked the pumpkin waffles and your adjustments sound like a great idea! Thanks for reviewing the recipe – I appreciate your time so much!
Cindy
Loved them!!! I only had Maple Praline Sugar Free Syrup so I used it…. wonderful. Has anyone made them using a gluten free four ?
Nora
Hi Cindy, I’m so happy you liked the waffles. I have not made this particular recipe with gf flour, but I frequently make banana waffles with buckwheat flour. I think the pumpkin might provide enough stability for it to be fine – maybe add some chia gel if you’re not using a readily-mixed gluten free baking blend. Let us know how it goes if you end up testing! One issue that might happen is that the batter sticks to the waffle iron too much. In that case you could simply turn it into pancakes 🙂
Candy C
Made these this morning to use up some leftover canned pumpkin and they are awesome! I used 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice and they were nice and spicy. Thanks for such a quick and easy recipe.
Nora
Candy, I’m so happy you enjoyed the waffles! Thank you for coming back to review the recipe – I appreciate it very much.
Becky
Sooo yummy! Thanks for the recipe. I’ve tried pumpkin waffles before, and my kids snubbed them. This recipe was a hit! I tried a batch with chocolate chips and walnuts, and it was equally delicious.
Nora
Yay, that’s amazing Becky! I’m so glad the waffles turned out well for you and the kids loved them. Great idea with the chocolate chips and walnuts – I’ll have to try that with the pumpkin I still have in the freezer. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review – I appreciate it very much!
Jenn
Hi! I’m so excited to try these! How many ounces was your can on pumpkin??
Nora
Hi Jenn! Hope you’ll love the waffles 🙂 I used 1 CUP of pumpkin puree in this recipe, with is about 1/2 of a 15-ounce can. Hope that helps 🙂