The best vegan + paleo waffles made with banana flour for a delicious healthy grain-free, egg-free, nut-free, AIP-friendly breakfast!
Ever since I started experimenting with fewer grains in my life, I have been on the hunt for a good waffle recipe. Well when the hunt began it was a good pancake recipe actually, but I’ve discovered waffles to be much better suited to this tricky oat-less and egg-less mission. And besides the storage and post-breakfast pain of cleaning the waffle maker, I actually prefer waffles with all their crispy corners and cavities anyways.
The truth is, there’s not a lot out there.
If you search for vegan waffles to avoid eggs, then it’s oat and wheat flour every which way. And lots of bananas too.
If you search for paleo waffles to avoid grains, then it’s eggs almost every time in conjunction with almond or coconut flour. Almond or coconut flour with the help of starches can work, but the texture is never amazing in my experience and once you need 3+ dry ingredients it’s just too complicated for me to want to whip up on a morning whim.
Now there is this one recipe that if you have done any googling in the realm of AIP waffles you’ve probably come across. It uses plantains as the base of the batter with just a few small additions like coconut oil and baking soda and cinnamon.
I’ve heard success stories. I’ve watched in-process youtube videos. But every single one of the four times I’ve tried it has been a massive flop. Like burnt but somehow still uncooked gooey batter disaster flop. I think the issue has to do with plantain ripeness, but honestly plantains are a produce item I have very little experience with. So while I probably will try again eventually, I wanted waffles now!
My friend Alison from Food By Mars actually just posted a waffle recipe that could’ve solved all my problems. She used a combination of tigernut and cassava flour, and they look marvelously crispy so I will be trying them soon too.
But I’ve been testing/tweaking/eating for dinner the recipe I’m about to share for over a month now, and it uses banana flour. Because if you hadn’t noticed I kinda love the stuff. They are crispy and tasty and require no eggs or other flours/starches. They also turned out an unusual could-fool-you-into-thinking-there’s-chocolate-involved color, but that’s just what banana flour does when baked. It also takes on this rich, sweet, cake-like flavor that I cannot even put into words. But it’s so good I would happily slather them with frosting and pretend it’s my birthday.
The recipe is pretty simple, but it comes with some options…
Applesauce OR yogurt OR pumpkin. You will need one of these three ingredients for moisture and binding, but it’s up to you which one. All of them come out almost identical in terms of texture, the yogurt version is a little bit less sweet though. Since they can vary slightly in thickness/moisture, you may need a tablespoon of non-dairy milk to adjust the overall thickness of the batter depending on which you choose. The batter will be VERY thick though, as you can see in the video. You want it that way otherwise the waffles will turn out mushy not crispy.
Coconut oil OR nut butter. Again, it’s up to you. And again which you choose will affect the overall thickness of the batter, so adjust with a tablespoon of non-dairy milk if you opt for the nut butter unless your nut butter is very runny. The nut butter adds more flavor in my opinion, but the coconut oil makes them extra crispy.
Aside from those options, the rest of the ingredients are simple and straight-forward: green banana flour (the Let’s Do Organic brand is my personal preference), lemon juice + baking soda for leavening, and vanilla extract. You could also add in cinnamon or whatever fun flavor additions you like.
The recipe does call for a tablespoon of maple syrup to sweeten the waffles but it is optional. The banana flour is subtly sweet naturally, so I often skip it or save it for drizzling on top.
This recipe makes two medium waffles – perfect for one person. Feel free to double or triple if you wish, or even freeze and re-toast meal prep style.
Banana Flour Waffles {vegan & grain-free}
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 medium waffles 1x
Description
The best vegan + paleo waffles made with banana flour for a delicious healthy grain-free, egg-free, nut-free, AIP-friendly breakfast!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup green banana flour
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (*)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (**)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice ((or apple cider vinegar))
- 1 tbsp maple syrup ((optional))
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1–2 tbsp non-dairy milk (***)
Instructions
- Combine everything except the non-dairy milk in a mixing bowl. Mix to form a very thick batter. Add the non-dairy milk 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary (see notes).
- Preheat the waffle maker and spray with non-stick spray.
- Spoon half of the batter into the center of the waffle maker, close, and cook according to manufacturer’s instructions. I will sometimes let it cook 15 seconds past the DONE indicator to make the outside extra crispy.
- Repeat with the other half of the batter.
- Add fresh fruit, maple syrup, or toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Notes
*Substitue nut butter of choice for an oil-free option
**You can also use pumpkin puree or yogurt instead
***If using nut butter instead of oil and/or yogurt instead of applesauce, the batter may be too dry and you will need to add 1-2 tbsp of non-dairy milk. Do not add too much, the batter is meant to be VERY thick (see video for example)
If you are an oat fan and looking for a crispy waffle recipe that uses oat flour, this berry-filled one is breakfast perfection → Blueberry Oat Flour Waffles
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