Next to pancakes, waffles are my second favorite breakfast food.
Though, you can’t really tell because of the lack of waffle posts here on the blog.
I’ll have to start changing that.
The only thing I don’t like about making waffles is the dang waffle iron.
Cleaning that thing is terrible and probably the reason that I used to avoid making waffles as frequently as I make pancakes.
I realized my problem when making these, however.
When I used to make waffles, I would fill the waffle iron up as full as I could and make the biggest waffles that the iron would allow. This would then turn into a huge mess as the batter would begin running out of the sides, slightly cooking from the heat before hitting the drip pan below.
If you’ve ever made a waffle at home or at a hotel with their “continental breakfast” you know how this looks. And it’s just slightly impossible to clean properly.
So I’ve avoided making waffles up to this point because of that reason. Stupid, I know… but whatevs.
When I decided to made these, I knew something needed to change. My daughter kept asking me to make more waffles instead of pancakes and I can’t say no forever… despite my disdain for cleaning the waffle iron.
So this time I wanted to try out my hand a “mini-waffles,” only scooping 1/2 cup of batter into the direct center of the waffle iron and seeing what happened.
Well, it worked. Obviously.
The waffles turned out to be the perfect size, and not a giant monstrosity that you usually get. They also took less time to cook because they were smaller.
But the best part?
There was very minimal cleanup and none of the runny, messy batter to clean up and pick off the sides of the waffle iron before putting it back into the cabinet.
From now on, I do believe that I will be making more waffles and they will all be mini-waffles. Not just because of the cleanup… but because they are the perfect size and they are cute.
Who doesn’t like pretty, cute food?
Banana Bread Protein Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour *
- 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
- 1/2 cup coconut flour *
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup banana very ripe
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat waffle iron to medium. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine oat flour, protein powder, coconut flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Add banana, milk, and vanilla. Mix until just combined and batter comes together.
- Scoop by 1/2 cupful onto hot waffle iron and cooked until heated through, about 5-6 minutes. Waffle iron usually begins to steam when the waffles are ready.
- Continue with rest of batter, re-spraying with non-stick spray in between (these waffles will stick to the waffle iron).
- Serve immediately topped with your favorite fruits and toppings.
I finally found our waffle iron again after moving and having it in storage for the last year! I cannot wait to start waffling in our kitchen, and banana bread waffles sound like a great place to start. Cute, sweet, and pretty food is always a hit!
Yay! That’s awesome! They are a great place to start… happy waffling!
I like it! Gluten free protein rich waffles! Chicken n waffles are actually big in Cincinnati where I live. The waffles are sinfully good. I like making healthier versions of popular foods. Thanks!
These waffles look beautiful and have great texture! Love the idea to add banana in it. It’s like a simplified banana bread, only tastier with the fresh strawberries! Pinning and sharing everywhere of course 🙂
Thanks, Maggie! They are delicious!
What a great recipe!! I love a breakfast recipe that almost tastes like dessert!!! Thanks for linking up with our Fabulous Foodie Fridays party. xx
These pancakes taste like dessert but are totally healthy! Seriously! ❤
I love that you made these little. They look great. I cannot wait to try them on my grandchildren. I know they are going to love them.
Gorgeous and without a doubt super yummy waffles!
Thank you, Sarah!
Awesome Jennifer! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never thought about not filling up the entire waffle iron, either! Will definitely have to try that myself when I make these waffles. Pinning.
Why do I not make waffles more often?! These look divine, love that it means banana bread for breakfast! Although I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t be able to make them as neat as you!
Thanks, Annie! You could definitely try… though they don’t normally look like this when serving. 😉
I made this recipe (made 4 full-sized waffles for me) and I wasn’t a huge fan :/ there was no binder or leavening agent so the waffles were really dense, not airy, and kinda crumbly on the edges since there is no gluten as well. The batter was pretty thick and the texture of the coconut flour made it kinda gritty. However, I did enjoy the taste, and the nutrition stats are amazing! Each waffle is 280 cals, 5 fat, 43.5 carb, 9.5 fiber, and 15.5 protein according to my calculations so it definitely kept me satiated ! I will maybe try again with some egg and baking powder, and maybe sub some of the oat flour for whole wheat. Thanks!
Oats do have gluten in them unless you used a gluten free variety. And the only reason I see that the edges would be crumbly would be because the batter was not mixed properly… though I wouldn’t know for sure unless I was actually in the kitchen with you. I’m sorry they weren’t to your taste.
Yummy Jennifer – these look delish 🙂 I love waffles, and I’m always looking for new waffles recipes — can’t wait to try!
Those seem like more than average waffles. Full of nutrition. I am going to try them and see how full of energy they are.
These are great! I made with brown rice flour instead of coconut flour and they turned out great (would’ve been sweeter with coconut). Recipe made six regular sized waffles for me. Nutrition info?
Hi Angela, I’m so glad you loved these. Unfortunately, I don’t provide nutrition information for my recipes because the specific ingredients used in each recipe can vary extensively from one person to the next. If you’re looking for this information, please plug the exact ingredients you use into any of the free online calorie counters, like this one – http://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Is the batter supposed to be like dough?
Hi Marissa. Yes, the batter will be quite thick. But you can always add more liquid to thin it out it preferred.
Hi Jennifer, thank you in advance for such a healthy b/fast yummie 🙂
I love these types of b/f goodies and this might be a dream come true. I’m wondering if I could add a leavening agent to make these airy & fluffier? Any thoughts?
Because these are not made with “traditional” ingredients, i.e., all-purpose flour, leavening agents would not do much for the fluffiness of the waffles. However, you are more than welcome to try. Adding more liquid will also make them less dense.
This recipe is garbage. I literally have no idea how you manage to get a waffle batter from those ingredients. I have a clump of crap from that recipe.
I tried the top about blending coconut flakes to make coconut flour and it really worked!! This is a good recipe. I mixed the vanilla, milk and bananas in one bowl, then used a potato masher to mash down the bananas, then mixed in the dry ingredients. This made the texture pretty smooth. Thanks for sharing!