These classic paleo waffles are crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, freezable, and family approved! Gluten free, grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free, and easy to make.
Everyone has a “waffle memory”, right?! Special comfort foods usually involve special memories, and, when it comes to recreating paleo versions of old favorites, these memories are my motivation!
Now, for me, my memory involved Eggo toaster waffles rather than anything homemade, but memories are memories (and those Eggo waffles are pretty darn delicious, too.)
And, the waffles weren’t a breakfast memory, either. They were a second dinner/dessert for me when I was about 10 or 11 years old. Don’t worry, I’ll explain.
In 4th grade my family made a move from Queens (NYC) out to the suburbs (Long Island) and my mom had a much longer commute as a result.
Most nights she would come home somewhere between 7:30 and 8:30, and when she sat down and ate dinner, I sat down with her and ate waffles. Toaster waffles, drenched in pancake syrup (of course) became my hang-out-with-mom comfort food, and I believe the ritual lasted at least a year.
I’m not sure when or why it ended, but I can’t think about waffles now without remembering my second-dinner-waffle-ritual. It’s sort of a bittersweet memory, and makes me feel grateful for the gift blogging has given me – being able to work from home and be with my kids!
Anyway, since there’s no way I’ll ever be buying Eggo waffles again, I’ve been wanting to create really delicious, classic, homemade paleo waffles that my kids and husband actually like. Bonus if you can freeze them (you can!!) and toast them like the Eggos 🙂
I tested this waffle recipe about 6 times before feeling like I really had the final version. Luckily, they’re super easy to make, so 6 tries didn’t even kill me. In fact, since they’re freezable, nothing had to go to waste, not even the “fails”.
My goal was this – great taste (just sweet enough, not too much coconut flavor) and great texture (crisp outside, soft fluffy inside.)
During my Google research regarding making perfect waffles, I learned that many recipes will have you separate your eggs, beat the whites until stiff peaks form, and add them to the batter last.
I tried this with my last batch to see if it made a difference, and I did notice that the waffles came out lighter in texture, but not by a whole lot. Since it’s an extra step that adds to your prep time and requires an electric mixer, I would only do this if you NEED to make sure you do everything possible to get crispier, lighter waffles.
Otherwise, you can simply add the whole eggs to the batter and skip the instructions to beat the egg whites. The higher fat content in this waffle recipe, versus a pancake recipe, seems to be responsible for getting that highly desired crispy outside!
So, as for the kids, they actually only got to eat the frozen version (re-toasted, of course!) since I did all my testing during school hours. The result? Even my pickiest (the little guy) LOVED them. Phew!! I was almost scared to have them test, so much at stake! I hope you guys are ready for waffles, whether it’s breakfast, weekend brunch, or second dinner, or whenever you feel like it. Let’s go!
Classic Paleo Waffles {Grain Free, Dairy Free}
Classic Paleo Waffles {Grain Free, Dairy Free}
These classic paleo waffles are crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, freezable, and family approved! Gluten free, grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free, and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs room temp, separated**
- 1/2 cup organic coconut milk full fat or light
- 6 Tbsp coconut oil refined, melted and cooled to almost room temp
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder *see note to make paleo corn free baking powder, if desired
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
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In a mixing bowl or large measuring cup, combine all the dry ingredients
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In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks**, coconut milk, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla, then pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix by hand until well combined.
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If separating the eggs, beat the egg whites on high speed with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form, then fold egg whites into batter to combine.
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Heat your waffle iron and brush it well with coconut oil (I love this brush!)
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Pour batter into the center of iron, gently spreading just a bit before closing. Cook waffles according to your waffle iron’s instructions. This recipe will make about 4-6 servings but may vary depending on your iron. I use this round one and love it - no sticking!
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Serve with optional toppings such as berries, nut butter, coconut whipped cream and additional maple syrup. Enjoy! *See note about freezing for later use.
Recipe Notes
*You can freeze the cooked waffles and toast them in a toaster, toaster oven, or regular oven if you want to make these ahead of time.
**I’ve made these waffles with and without separating the egg whites and yolks, and the difference in texture is fairly minimal if you choose not to separate the eggs and beat the whites. If not separating, simply whisk together the whole eggs with the wet ingredients.
Nutrition
What I Used To Make My Classic Paleo Waffles:
Want More Delicious Paleo Breakfast Treats? Try One of these!
Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes {Nut Free}
Apple Cinnamon Pancakes {Nut Free}
Banana Blueberry Breakfast Cookies {Vegan}
Pecan Cranberry Orange Muffins
Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Bake {Sugar Free, Vegan}
Maple Pecan Banana Breakfast Bake {Vegan}
Sweet Potato Apple Breakfast Bake {Whole30}
Tell Me!
BEST waffle toppings?
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This is right on time was just thinking about making a waffle recipe thanks for saving me the work of having to come up with one lol? also is the serving size of 350 calories for one waffle or two??? girl got to watch the waist line if you know what I mean. I do love how you have nutritional calculations for your recipes it is very convenient. Thank you.
My waffle iron makes huge round waffles that break apart, so the serving size is not based on 1 or two, rather what I think is realistic based on what my family eats. For us, that was about 3 of the smaller waffles each, but you can easily adjust serving size based on your preference.
Thanks for sharing! Could you make these as pancakes ? Don’t have a waffle iron ?
Thanks!
These wouldn’t work as pancakes since they’d come out too thin an crispy I think. I have a few other pancake recipes on here to check out though 🙂
These look so crispy, fluffy and perfect! Now I have an excuse to pull out my waffle iron!
These turned out perfect with the whipped egg whites. Best waffles recipe ever! New to paleo and your website. I’ve tried 4 recipes and each one with out fail has been perfect! Thanks for making everything so tasty and easy! You are very gifted! Thank you thank you!?
Aw thank you! And I’m THRILLED these worked out for you! Whipping the whites definitely helps! Glad you’re enjoying the site 🙂
These are my new favorite waffles – so easy to make and they were light, crispy and delicious!
Do you have any recipes for baked goods that do not use Almond flour? My daughter is allergic to almonds. Love your recipes!
Wendy
Yes I have many! On the non-mobile version, just search “nut free” on the upper right in the search bar 🙂
Do you have a waffle iron that you would recommend?
These are amazing. I am now inspired to try more of your recipes.
I live the taste of these but the batter make them too soft and not crispy – it almost seemed my waffle iron was steaming then!
Also, what is the sub for baking powder if you want full paleo version?
LOVE these! They have become our new go to recipe, even approved by my non-paleo eaters. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
That’s incredible, love it when the non-paleo eaters go for it too!
i can’t eat eggs at the moment and i’m struggling to find an almond flour based waffle mix that will hold up without them…think this will work with chia eggs?
thanks!!
I’m really not sure since about the chia eggs unfortunately! if you do wind up trying it out let me know 🙂
Omg Made these this morning and amazing!!! Bought back my waffle memories from diners on summer road trips !!! Your recipes make paleo easy!!! Thanks 🙂
Yay! That’s incredible to hear 🙂
These were a hit at our house. They are very fluffy and delicious. My husband and son loved them, too. It’s a winner recipe!
I made these for my kids and they loved them! When I retoasted them from the freezer the inside of the squares of the waffle burned – what’s the best way to reheat them from frozen? I also made paleo baking powder because I didn’t have regular if that would be the cause?? I’ll use regular baking powder in my next batch. They are a HUGE HIT! Thank you!!
My kids, ages 10, 8, and 6 loved these. Because we are not completely paleo (just gluten-free), I subbed the coconut milk with whole milk and the coconut oil with butter. They turned out great and had the texture of regular flour waffles. Thanks so much for the recipe!
So happy you enjoyed them, and glad the subs worked out!
I attempted to make these thus morning cause all of your recipes I’ve tried have been amazing! But I’m not sure what happened with these! They pulled apart in my waffle iron and couldn’t peel them off! I ended up just making pancakes from the rest of the batter and they turned out delicious! Guess my waffle iron didn’t like the batter. Lol
Excellent! I made your lemon crumb cake last night and topped the waffles with the leftover lemon curd and blueberries. A perfect Sunday morning breakfast. Thank you!
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