A whole wheat waffle that is light and fluffy inside and crispy, golden brown outside. They’re easy to whip up with ingredients I always have on hand.
We eat waffles or pancakes every weekend and a few years ago I decided I needed to start using whole wheat flour to bump up the nutrition we were getting at breakfast. Unfortunately, most of the recipes I tried were healthy, but not the fluffy, delicious waffles my family was use to eating.
Then I stumbled on a recipe that folds in whipped egg whites to the batter. It not only helps lighten the batter, but also creates a crispy golden waffle. I’ve tweaked the recipe over the years so it’s easier and use my immersion blender to whip the egg whites and then whisk the batter together.
I use whole wheat pastry flour, but you could use a mix of all purpose flour and regular whole wheat flour.
I served these waffles with a luscious Peach Freezer Jam my neighbor gave me for Christmas. Made with tree-ripened, juicy peaches from the tree in her yard it was a sweet taste of summer on a cold winter’s morning. Thanks Darlene!
This has become my go to recipe for light and fluffy whole wheat pancakes too. I add an extra ¼ milk when I’m making pancakes.
Light and Fluffy Whole Wheat Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 egg whites stiffly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat waffle maker.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together milk, oil and egg yolks. Add to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in beaten egg whites. Let rest 10 minutes.
- Bake waffles as recommend in your waffle maker until golden brown.
Notes
Waffle recipes I’d like to try:
Carrot Cake Waffles, Willow Bird Baking
Banana Walnut Waffles, Joy The Baker
Cinnamon Roll Waffles, Recipe Girl
Sour Cream Waffles, Vintage Mixer
Sheryl
Perfect! I used 100% white whole wheat flour instead of pastry flour; increased the recipe by 50%, but kept the eggs at two because they were jumbo sized. Very light and fluffy, just like the Bisquick waffles Mom used to make. I served them with chicken and gravy, so I was happy there was no sugar in the recipe. I loved them, but my teen boys didn’t care for them. They think waffles should be crispy (NO!) because they’re used to store-bought frozen ones.
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Sheryl – so glad you loved them. For your boys, they may like this recipe better https://www.barbarabakes.com/the-best-whole-wheat-waffles-ever/
Lluvia
I love the recipe. I used whole grain flour instead of the pastry. It was a little dense for my taste but is any way that I can make it lighter or do u think I made a mistake
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Lluvia – you could try using half whole grain flour and half all purpose flour to lighten it up.
JoEllen
Delicious! I used 100% whole wheat flour and because of the whipped egg whites they were light and fluffy. I especially love no sugar. This will be my “go to” waffle recipe for sure.
Barbara Schieving
Thanks! So glad you loved it.
Becca
I finally got a waffle maker for Christmas & have been waiting to find a GOOD recipe for waffles, I was disappointed w/the results of a white whole wheat recipe I tried & even a traditional enriched flour mix. These are the BEST waffles I’ve made, not just the best whole wheat ones, thank you so much! Perfectly crisp on the outside & soft on the inside, the texture I’ve been missing. My 2 year old dtr & I ate 2 this AM w/some pure maple syrup & froze the rest. I used coconut oil (which was kind of tricky keeping it in liquid for to mix) and added vanilla & a touch of honey & stevia, but next time I think I would just leave the sweetener out, the coconut oil seems to add some sweetness as well. Thanks so much for sharing this, won’t use another recipe after trying these!!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Becca! The whipped egg whites really make all the difference. Coconut oil sounds like a delicious addition. Have fun with your waffle maker. I love mine.
Erin
I really enjoyed the waffles! I made them exactly as the recipe explained, but added a couple extras and it made the waffles extra wonderful! I added 3 tbls. of brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract, and a couple dashes of cinnamon. I would recommend this recipe to anyone!
Barbara Schieving
Sound like great additions. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed them!
Keely
I just wanted to let you know that this is the best whole wheat waffle recipe. I have made this one twice and it comes out perfect. I like to use 100% whole wheat but often the result is very dense. The trick about the egg whites makes all the difference.
I have had difficulty finding whole wheat pastry flour. I just used regular king arthurs whole wheat. Does using the pastry flour make much a difference?
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Keely for taking the time to let me know you love the recipe! Whole wheat pastry flour is finer than regular whole wheat flour so it’s easier to substitute in recipes calling for all purpose flour and baked goods bake up a little bit lighter. But in a waffle recipe it isn’t a huge difference. Great question – thanks!
Taylor
Hey Barbara These waffles look awesome. If i were to use buttermilk instead of milk would the other ingredients need to be adjusted? or is it a simple switch? Thanks for the recipe! I look forward to eating them either way.
Barbara Schieving
You can substitute buttermilk without changing the ingredients, but you might need to a bit more buttermilk to achieve the right consistency.
Pat
these are very good and not too time consuming to make, will keep this recipe, thanks so much
Gina arndt
This recipe is great!!! I love it!!!
Stephanie
Awesome waffle recipe! It is the first whole wheat pancake recipe my pickey 4 yo will eat (just had to add a few choco chips). I can finally stop spending a fortune on Vans Organic Waffles! Thanks for the fab recipe and the cash back in my wallet!
My 18mo old says Yumny Tumney! lol
Barbara
What a sweet comment! Thank you! So glad you and your family loved them.
Clarita
Hi:
About 8-10 years ago a neighbor gave me a whole-wheat-waffles recipe that used beaten egg whites. My neighbor moved, we lost touch and I have not made waffles in the longest time. Today I was cleaning my cabinets and found my waffle maker and ran to the PC to look for a recipe with beaten egg whites. I have tried other recipes but they came just horrible…
I don’t even have white flour in my house. I am really into healthy eating so some things like refined flour or deep fried I just don’t do. This was a happy find. Thanks
Barbara
Hi Clarita. Glad you found me. The whipped egg whites really do lighten up a whole wheat waffle. Enjoy!
K&B N
We just bought a bag of whole wheat flour and was looking for ways to use it ! This is definitely going on our list !
ratedkb.blogspot.com
Emma
These look and sound fantastic!!
Ive never made waffles at home before – shame on me!
Anita
How does the whole wheat compare in taste?
Barbara
Hi Anita – The whole wheat waffles have a little more nutty flavor and even with the whole wheat pastry flour the texture isn’t a smooth as using all purpose flour. Thanks for the question.
Nisha @ Healthy Mom's Kitchen
LOVED these! My kids inhaled them. Thanks Barbara!
Barbara
Thanks Nisha for taking the time to let me know you made them and loved them!
Namitha
They look wonderful with the whole wheat goodness. I’m trying to make as many things as possible with whole wheat these days 🙂
Marla
Oh what I would do for these glorious waffles tomorrow morning!
Miriam @ Overtime Cook
Looks delicious- another reason for me to wish I had a waffle maker!
Cooking on a Dime
Yum! Definitely a great way to get more wholegrain into your diet. I do love waffles.
Kitchen Belleicious
I have never thought about doing whole wheat waffles. I know my son loves waflles so what a great way to be healthier for breakfast!