Vegan Waffles - Light, Fluffy, Crispy, Delicious Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

Why are my waffles not light and fluffy? ›

Making pancake and waffle batter ahead of time is a huge no-no and will lead to flat, dense results every time. Even letting your batter hang out for just a few minutes after you've mixed it before you start ladling it onto the griddle will lead to less fluffy results.

Grease the Waffle Iron With Cooking Spray

If you're looking for how to make crispy waffles in a waffle maker, try using cooking spray instead. Cooking spray won't burn as rapidly as butter, and will help achieve that satisfyingly crisp outside you crave.

Try adding more oil to the grids–or add at least some oil if you didn't before, even with a nonstick coating. I find that already-pressurized spray cans of cooking oil work better than the self-fill-and-pump spray cans or applying oil with a paper towel or brush. It's important to have a thin, even coating.

It creates waffles that are crisp on the outside, tender inside. Using vegetable oil instead of melted butter – once my go-to for homemade waffle batter – makes your waffles light and airy, not dense. Folding whipped egg whites into the batter also keeps the waffles light and fluffy.

On the flip side, waffles aren't as flaky-delicate as baked goods, making pastry flour too fine for the job. Good old AP, or all-purpose, flour is where it's at. If you want to sprinkle in a tablespoon or two of buckwheat or rye flour for added nutty heft, go for it.

Secret #1: Whip the egg whites

Yes, this sounds like a pain—but trust us, the end result is worth it. Whipped egg whites add extra air to the batter, guaranteeing waffles that'll rise to their fluffiest potential. Use a handheld or stand mixer to make the job easy.

Recommended overnight or 2 hr resting – for the tastiest waffles, rest the batter overnight in the fridge or for at least 2 hours. This makes the flour grains absorb the liquid so it makes the inside of the waffles softer.

Most waffle recipes are leavened with baking powder and/or baking soda, which helps the batter turn light and fluffy as it cooks.

Increase volume of oil in batter and/or brushed on the waffle iron. If there is a low amount of fat, you're essentially boiling and not frying the waffles making them crispy. Don't increase by a tablespoon but by a significant amount, like a quarter cup for a full batch of batter.

Why do my waffles turn out like pancakes? ›

Keeping the fat content low and using water instead of oil to thin the mixture can help your waffle mix behave and taste more like pancake batter. The fat helps waffles produce a crispy crust, which is perfect for waffles but not so much pancakes.

Yes, the waffle iron is nonstick, but you still should hit those plates with either cooking spray, or brush on some neutral oil. I don't recommend butter since it can actually make the waffles stick. You might need to grease the plates before cooking every waffle after that; you might not. Refer to the recipe.

If your waffle iron or pan has a nonstick surface, you should not use cooking spray. Cooking spray builds up on nonstick surfaces and eventually becomes tacky–rendering the non-stick coating useless. Brush oil lightly over the surface of your pan instead: if the spray build-up hasn't ruined the pan, this should work.

Cornstarch is the secret to crispy waffles. It guarantees that your waffles will be perfectly crisp and tender. Separating the egg is optional but is recommended (especially for deeper waffle irons). This recipe makes 4 standard waffles (1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick).

Texture – In Belgian waffles, the eggs are separated. The yolks are whisked together with the other wet ingredients, while the whites are whipped to stiff peaks and then folded into the batter at the end. This creates a texture that is crisp on the outside and light and tender on the inside.

Use a non-stick spray preferably made with canola oil to handle the high temperatures. Butter and olive oil have too low of a smoke point and will scorch after the waffle is removed. Spray the griddle plates after they are warm and right before you add the batter.

Waffles toward the bottom of that stack will have no choice but to go limp. To keep a cooked batch of waffles warm, place them in a low oven directly on the oven rack, or on a wire rack where the air can circulate—never on a sheet pan, where they'll trap that steam and go soggy on the bottom.