These from-scratch pumpkin waffles are made with real pumpkin puree. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, perfectly sweetened and full of cozy fall spices.
My husband is known for his waffles, so I took his famous recipe and tweaked it to make the best pumpkin waffles!
This pumpkin waffle recipe is loaded with real pumpkin puree and rich fall spices. Best served with a pat of homemade cinnamon honey butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup or a dollop of homemade whipped cream.
They're easy to make and freezer-friendly, so you can prepare a batch and keep them fresh in the freezer for months. Then, all you have to do is pop them in the toaster and enjoy!
Pumpkin Waffles: Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. You can replace up to ½ cup flour with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. Use all-purpose gluten-free flour to make these gluten-free.
- Pumpkin pie spice. Use homemade pumpkin pie spice or store bought.
- Pumpkin puree. Homemade or canned both work well.
- Salted butter. unsalted butter or ghee are acceptable substitutions.
- Applesauce. you can replace the applesauce with more butter, if desired.
- Whole milk. half and half is a good substitute for whole milk.
How to make pumpkin waffles
Let's walk through this pumpkin waffle recipe step-by-step, and don't forget to watch the video.
Begin by preheating a waffle maker to medium-high heat (on our waffle maker we use “7 out of 8”). Because of the pumpkin puree, the waffles need to be cooked longer on higher heat than regular waffles.
Make the pumpkin waffle batter
Then, in a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, and set the bowl aside.
Next, separate the egg whites from yolks (make sure to save both parts of the egg).
Put whites in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat on high until stiff peaks form (alternatively you can beat them on high in a large bowl with a handheld mixer). Set aside
Then, in a large bowl, combine egg yolks, melted butter pumpkin puree, brown sugar, applesauce, milk and vanilla and whisk to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until the mixture is smooth.
Then, fold-in the beaten egg whites.
Cook the pumpkin waffles
Once the batter is ready, spray the preheated waffle maker lightly with non-stick spray and scoop 1 to 1 ½ cup of batter into the center of the waffle plates (this will vary depending on the size of your waffle maker).
Then cook the pumpkin waffles on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until the waffles are dark golden brown.
Note: these waffles cook longer on higher heat the typical waffles due to the pumpkin puree in the batter.
Then, repeat with the remaining batter until it has all been used.
To keep the pumpkin waffles warm
If you would like to serve all the waffles warm at once, preheat your oven to the “warm” setting (about 200 degrees F) and put each batch of waffles on a large baking sheet in the warm oven until ready to serve.
Serve
Serve the pumpkin waffles warm with a glug of maple syrup, a pat of homemade cinnamon honey butter, a dollop of homemade whipped cream, etc.
Store
Let the pumpkin waffles cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the toaster.
To freeze
Let the waffles cool to room temperature, then lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer until they are hardened. Once hardened, transfer the pumpkin waffles to an airtight container or freezer-friendly storage bag, and freeze for up to 2 months.
Recipe FAQs
Here are two suggestions to keeping your waffles crispy:
1. Keep them warm in the oven. After cooking the waffles, put them in a warm oven (about 250 degrees) until you are ready to serve. This will ensure that they stay warm without becoming soggy!
2. Reheat in the toaster. Place chilled or frozen waffles directly in the toaster to reheat and enjoy! This will re-crisp them beautifully after they have been stored!
This waffle batter is relatively thick, but still pours easily.
No. They use different ratios of ingredients and use different methods to make them (e.g. waffles use whipped egg whites, pancakes do not). If you are looking for pumpkin pancakes try our favorite pumpkin pancakes recipe!
This recipe needs to cook longer than typical waffles do to get crispy because of the pumpkin puree in the batter.
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Pumpkin Waffles Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 TBS baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 eggs separated
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat a waffle maker to medium-high heat (on our waffle maker we use “7 out of 8”).
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- Separate egg whites from yolks (make sure to save both parts of the egg).
- Put whites in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat on high until stiff peaks form (alternatively you can beat them on high in a large bowl with a handheld mixer). Set aside
- In a large bowl, combine egg yolks, melted butter pumpkin puree, brown sugar, applesauce, milk and vanilla and whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Fold-in beaten egg whites.
- Spray the preheated waffle maker lightly with non-stick spray and scoop 1 to 1 ½ cup of batter into the center of the waffle plates. (this will vary depending on the size of your waffle maker).
- Cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until the waffles are dark golden brown.
- Repeat with remaining batter until it has all been used.
- To keep warm: preheat oven to “warm” setting and put each batch of waffles on a large baking sheet in the warm oven until ready to serve.
- Serve warm with maple syrup, whipped cream, etc.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. You can replace up to ½ cup flour with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. Use all-purpose gluten-free flour to make these gluten-free.
- Pumpkin pie spice. Use homemade pumpkin pie spice or store bought.
- Pumpkin puree. Homemade or canned both work well.
- Salted butter. unsalted butter or ghee are acceptable substitutions.
- Applesauce. you can replace the applesauce with more butter, if desired.
- Whole milk. half and half is a good substitute for whole milk.
Store
Let the pumpkin waffles cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the toaster.To freeze
Let the waffles cool to room temperature, then lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer until they are hardened. Once hardened, transfer the pumpkin waffles to an airtight container or freezer-friendly storage bag, and freeze for up to 2 months.Nutrition
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Photos in this post were taken by Ashleigh Scott Creative.
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