Best Ever Healthy Waffle Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can waffles be healthy? ›

In a nutshell, waffles aren't the healthiest food, especially if you're on a low carb/keto diet, but there are ways to up their nutritional value. Eating whole wheat waffles or waffles made of other whole grains is one way to do this.

An undeniable element of technique is involved in the flipping, timing, and surgical extraction of delicate waffles from the teeth of the iron. It also takes an experienced hand to not cram too much batter into the iron or underfill and end up with a thin, lackluster puck.

So while a basic waffle might have more protein, a pancake has better macros and has 20 percent fewer calories than a waffle. Waffles also tend to have more refined sugar in them than pancakes. Amy Goodson, who worked for the Dallas Cowboys, said that “pancakes are easier to turn healthy”.

Unfortunately, many traditional breakfast foods—think pancakes, waffles, and cereal—are loaded with carbs and lacking in satiating nutrients like protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Eating these foods regularly may be filling you up with additional calories that aren't doing your body any favors.

Kellogg's Eggo Homestyle Waffles

Dietitians considered these iconic frozen waffles the least nutritious of those on the list. “They're higher in carbs and added sugar and made with refined flour, so they're lower in fiber than the others,” said Kayleen Eslinger, a registered dietitian with Medical Offices of Manhattan.

If you're looking for the most nutritious option at Waffle House, look no further than the two-egg breakfast with scrambled eggs, which deliver healthy protein for relatively few calories.

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.

Belgian waffles are beloved for their extra-deep pockets—the better for filling with butter, jam, or maple syrup. They are often thicker than their American counterparts, and made with a yeasted batter and crunchy pearl sugar.

Not waiting until the iron heats up properly means your waffles will cook, but never achieve that satisfyingly crisp exterior. Overworking the batter will leave your waffles dense and chewy instead of light and airy. And stacking even the most perfect waffles will cause them to become soggy and limp in minutes.

Why do Belgian waffles taste different than regular waffles? ›

Belgian waffles start with a yeasted batter, require a leavening agent and tend to include more butter, milk and sugar. If you try to make the Liege style, larger sugar granules are added for more crunch. Traditional or American waffles often substitute yeast with baking powder and do not sit overnight.

IHOP, for instance, requires its pans to be heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and uses Crisco instead of butter to grease it, says Grimm. IHOP also has designated griddles that never cook anything other than pancakes, as Jon Kotez, IHOP's senior manager of field operations support, told Restaurant Business.

Despite their tasty profile, these comfort foods are often made with refined white flour and topped with butter and syrup, which is essentially pure sugar. This means that pancakes and waffles are high in calories, fat, and sugar, yet lacking in protein and fiber.

Everyone needs more fiber. Whole grains have a bunch. A waffle multi-vitamin! Filled with B vitamins, Vitamin E, and minerals like magnesium and iron, multi grains provide nutrients naturally.

Although these Eggo waffles may be called homestyle, its ingredient list looks anything but homey! Highly processed, white wheat flour is nutritionally empty and quickly digested into sugars, causing one's blood sugar to spike.