I love pumpkin.
I love coffee.
I love waffles.
Hooray! Party in the mouth right here, right now.
These waffles are my way of giving fall a big fat hug for arriving right on time. Or maybe fall is giving me a hug… either way, there’s a lot of hugging and waffle eating going on, and that’s OK with me.
John and I have been coffee snobs ever since living in Portland and being exposed to the wonder that is medium-roasted coffee; as in coffee that hasn’t been roasted to a burnt crisp.
I used to think, “the darker, the bolder, the better!” Now I know that coffee can actually taste like something other than ash.
However, the kind of coffee you want for these waffles is not the good stuff. In fact, I intentionally used over-roasted beans in this recipe because they get offset by the brown sugar and almond milk. Besides, you really don’t want to waste your good stuff on waffles – you want it straight into your face.
But really, any kind of bean will do. Just know the darker, the bolder the more you’ll taste it in the final product.
These waffles are uber simple, requiring just 1 bowl and about 30 minutes from start to finish. You also likely have all of the ingredients on hand. That is, if you’re a coffee and pumpkin lover. But I don’t know many people who aren’t, so I’ll go ahead and chalk that up as a given.
I am kind of smitten with these waffles, even though they threw me for a loop while recipe testing. I think I tried four times before finding just the right combination of ingredients – a true labor of love.
But the result was so worth it: tender, pumpkin-y waffles with lots of coffee and fall spice flavor. In my opinion, the perfect way to start a fall morning or lazy weekend at home. Plus, they toast up perfectly after being frozen. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Spice Latte Waffles (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax egg)
- 2 ½ Tbsp water (to make flax egg)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp avocado, melted coconut, or olive oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup very strong brewed coffee
- 1 1/4 cups spelt or whole-wheat pastry flour
Instructions
- Prepare flax egg by combining flaxseed meal and water in a large bowl and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Add pumpkin puree, oil, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and whisk. Add almond milk and coffee and stir once more.
- Lastly add flour and stir until just combined. Let batter rest for 5 minutes while preheating your waffle iron.
- Once preheated, generously spray the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and spoon about 1/2 cup of the batter onto the center of the iron and cook according to your machine’s instructions. I like to set mine to the darkest setting so it gets extra crispy.
- Once done, remove and place on cooling rack to let steam roll of and crisp up a bit. Serve warm with vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) and maple syrup. You could also mix your maple syrup with a bit of bold coffee or espresso for an extra special treat.
Charlotte says
These waffles were absolutely delicious! Thank you ever so much for the recipe.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Charlotte! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Hannah says
I also don’t have any spelt/whole wheat pastry flour on hand so I decided to give this a shot with 1/2 cup white pastry flour and 3/4 cup all purpose; while I can’t compare it against the original recipe, I think it turned out well! it probably would’ve been fine with 100% all purpose too.
Woohoo! So glad those substitutions worked for you, Hannah. Thanks for the great review!
Ashley says
I’m not a coffee drinker so I used a mix of glazed lemon cake tea and black tea and it worked great! Several recipes for pumpkin waffles, and this one actually cooked and turned out great. The other ones not so much. Love your recipes!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Ashley!
Rita Campos says
I’m totally obsessed with these! I usually don’t do any added sugar, so I replaced the brown sugar with equal amount of pumpkin puree. They are amazing as waffles or pancakes. Obsessed 🙏
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Rita! Thanks so much for sharing!
Mary B. says
These waffles turned out just like the picture! I’m gluten free so I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour. I took your advice and turned the setting up on the waffle maker and they were the best ever! Crispy, pumpkin flavor with just a hint of coffee. Served with Earth Balance and maple syrup…oh, my goodness!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Mary!
Torina says
You literally have a vegan recipe for everything I want to make: pumpkin waffles, gf chocolate cupcakes, sauerkraut?! Amazing variety, and every recipe turns out delicious, as expected. Thank you!!!
Aww, we’re so glad you enjoy our recipes, Torina! Thanks so much for your kind words! xo
Michelle says
Oh my gosh! These waffles are so good! The recipe made 3 waffles for me. Each has 4 partitions about 2-3 inches each. I love coffee and pumpkin too! I’m more of a pancakes person but I love the flavors of these!
Thanks for sharing!!
Bethany says
Nom nom nom. Made these for breakfast this morning and they were delightful. Followed the recipe as described but did add a touch more milk as they seemed too thick initially (might also have been my sloppy measurement of the flour). Cooked up to a nice golden brown. Spread with Pumpkin Spice Chevre and a touch of maple syrup. Even had a few left over that went in the freezer. So yummy!
Patricia Brunner says
Since I don’t have a waffle iron, does this recipe work just as well in pancake form?
Hi Patricia! Scan the comments because I think some others have tried them as pancakes and they’ve worked well!
Jess says
These sound fantastic! I’m looking for light a thanksgiving breakfast option when we have family in town. Found it!
Could I use oat flour or rice flour? I’ve read a few comments about “over mixing”. How do I know when they’re perfectly mixed? TY
Revamptart says
Greetings!
I only have buckweat whole grain flour in hand. Will that work ok and in the same measurements?
Many thanks!!
While that should work, we haven’t tried and can’t say for sure! If you experiment with it, report back on how it goes. Good luck!
Nancy says
Any recommendations if I don’t have spelt or whole wheat pastry flour on hand?!
Hi Nancy! You could try using all purpose, though we haven’t tested it with this recipe. If you do, let us know how it goes!
Anna says
I was wondering if all purpose flour could be used ?
We haven’t tried, but I think that should work!
Daija Robinson says
Will the recipe be fine if I skip the coffee, or is there a substitute that I can use?
Hi Daija! You can substitute water for the coffee at a 1:1 ratio! Others have also tried using chai tea as a substitute and had success with it!
Valentina says
Just made these– they’re AMAZING. I don’t drink coffee, so I just replaced the 1/3 cup of coffee with more almond milk. Will definitely be making these again!
Lynda says
I made your Zucchini Loaf and me and my husband are addicted. I love doing flax eggs too.
Thanks so much!
Lynda in Sisters, OR
Erika Dwyer says
What would you use to make these GF.? I thought spelt flour was but I guess NOT!
Emily says
I was trying to figure out what was missing from my waffles because even though there is a lot going on in this recipe, the flavor was still flat. I added about 2-3 tablespoons of melted earth balance to the batter and that seemed to help but it was still missing something. I added a little bit of extra sugar and that didn’t seem to do much of anything. Then it hit me, there was no salt called for in this recipe. I added a little bit of salt, and WHAM. That is exactly what was missing! Do yourself a favor, add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and it will bring out the flavors and provide a nice balance. Also, if your batter is wanting to stick to your waffle iron, add the additional oil as I mentioned above.
Megan Glenn says
Could this be made into a pancake if I don’t have a waffle iron?
Hi! Yes it can!
Caryn says
This is the second recipe I’ve tried from you, and once again, it was REALLY good. Since I’m not vegan, I did substitute a couple of things, but it still works out great! Thanks for sharing, and beautiful pictures btw!!
claire says
these are amazing! just made them for the first time. I, however, did not have flax so I used 1/2 mashed banana and it worked just as well. thanks!!
Grace says
These were delicious and filling! I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, 1/4 C of egg whites (from a carton because I’m on a low iodine diet) and coconut milk (SoDelicious brand because it doesn’t contain any carageenan or sea salt…both not allowed on low iodine diet). So glad I made a full batch so make more later!
Desiree says
If I was trying to stay away from oil, what could I use in its place? Applesauce? Thanks.
Hmm, you could maybe try and skip it? Or sub almond butter?
Desiree says
Thank you!! ?
Courtney says
OH MY I cannot wait to try this!! Sunday brunch decision set! :D
Nick Penn says
Hey. I love your site and your vegan black bean brownies are one of my favorite recipes of yours! And I’m also so excited for fall coming up!
Anyway, I was wondering if there are any cheap, good automatic-drip coffee machines that you’d recommend? Or if not, any cheap, beginner-friendly manual drip coffee equipment? Thanks!
Imani says
Hi I made these in my Belgium waffle maker and they completely fell apart. Can anyone advise what may have gone wrong?
Caryn says
These are meant for a regular waffle iron based on her pictures. The Belgian maker probably thins it out too much.
Karen says
These are AMAZING. I’ve probably made them 6+ times over the years, and they are always a hit with my family.
Small note: Depending on your waffle-maker, you may need to double the recipe to make this quantity. My waffle iron makes large, fluffy Belgian waffles and double the recipe above makes 4 of these perfectly every time.
Stephanie says
These were so delicious. I went ahead and made three batches to freeze. I did substitute organic coconut sugar for the brown sugar.
vega protein powder and weight loss says
Thanks for finally writing about >Pumpkin Spice Latte Waffles | Minimalist Baker Recipes <Liked it!
Emma says
Dana, what a delicious recipe!..Made a few substitutions due to some allergies: I used a Gluten Free mix instead of whole wheat, chai tea instead of coffee, coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and added some Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips…of course my kids devoured them and I had to make another batch because they begged me to have them again for breakfast tomorrow. Thank you Dana!
rose says
Hey, did you have to adjust the amount of flour? i’m trying to decide if i can get away with using almond flour since i can’t have the other types….
Chelsey says
These looks delicious! I need to get onto buying myself a waffle iron.
Andrew says
Hello
Any suggestions for replacing the coffee with water, would it be 1:1?
And instead of brown sugar could I use Honey or Maple Syrup 1:1?
Love all your recipes.
Yes, 1:1 on the coffee. As for the brown sugar, you can sub honey or maple syrup 1:1, but add more dry ingredients if it appears too wet!
Emily says
I really wanted to love these, but they ended up with both weird flavor and texture issues. The texture is maybe an overmix on my part or the flour I used, but the flavor may be remedied by more pumpkin and a slightly savory note–will have to brainstorm and try again!
Susanne says
Wow! Who would have thought of strong coffee in waffles?! We topped them with plain yogurt, pecans and maple syrup – with a cup of coffee on a lazy Saturday, life doesn’t get much better. :-) I made a double batch and am happy to have leftovers in the freezer. (I’ll use the leftover pumpkin to make a batch of your granola and let you know how it turns out.) Thanks again for a great recipe.
Darbla says
I hope you coffee fanatics have tried cold brewed coffee! It makes a super concentrated coffee that you dilute with as much milk or water as you want, it doesn’t leech the acids from the coffee grounds so it’s smoother and doesn’t bother your tummy, and it doesn’t require a coffee maker at all.
Karen says
Hi! These sound amazing! I have everything on hand except the coffee, as I only get coffee when at a coffee shop. I don’t have a coffee maker or brew my own. What could you recommend or what would be best to do instead?
Sonia says
These were delicious but I don’t think I brewed my coffee strong enough because the taste didn’t come through! Thanks for the recipe! Just wondering if anyone ended up trying this as pancakes?
Sonia, scan the comments because I think some others have tried them as pancakes and they’ve worked well! For these waffles I intentionally buy a really bold dark roast – one that I wouldn’t drink normally. Try that and it should help, or go get a shot of expresso or two from a local coffee shop and add it to the batter. Then you’ll definitely taste the kick! Hope that helps :D
Karin says
These are soooo good! They’re my favorite waffle recipe so far, also loving your apple waffles, but both me and my husband has these as a favorite. I’ve made them 5 times since you posted this, I think! Love your site!!! Keep up the awesome work that you do, and keep posting delicious waffles ;-) Cranberry waffles for Christmas?
Love this idea! Thanks for sharing, Karin. Cranberry waffles, added to the list! So glad you like the PSL waffles. So great, right? Hugs, Dana
Gabi says
I made these this morning, they are so yummy! Next time I’m doubling the recipe. I love that there’s coffee in them, and pumpkin makes the perfect fall treat. Not too sweet and super hearty!
Karen says
Made these today and they were a huge hit. Positively delicious!
Shannon says
I finally got around to making these this morning. They were SO GOOD. I *may* have had more than one serving. Instead of coffee I used some TAZO chia latte with fabulous results. I also used Bob’s Red Mill GF flour. Mine waffles were a little chewy but that might have been from over mixing (even with a GF flour). Lastly I topped mine with Chobani coconut yogurt. Hashtag FACESMASH.
Haha, love it! Glad you enjoyed these, Shannon.
Shikha @ Shikha la mode says
These are combining everything I love about fall. Now, I just need a waffle iron – which one do you like to use?
Find it here!
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
I have that same wooden spoon with the little bird and leaf design! :) Also, these look amazing. Dang…it might have to be “breakfast for dinner” tonight ;) Thanks for sharing, as always!
Christina Higgs says
Wowsers these sound good, wish I had a waffle iron! (or space for one!) Love the new site too :)
thanks Christina! And if you’re in the market for a waffle iron, here’s the one we use and love – affordable and reliable.
Christina Higgs says
Thanks! I’ll have to see if I can get one in the UK!
Jeanine says
Amazing! Fall hugs & these waffles – yes & yes :)
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Best of breakfast combo!! Love coffee, pumpkin and waffles!!
Katy @ Katy's Kitchen says
I made these and they were super yummy! I needed a bit more liquid for mine and cut the sugar in half and they were perfect. They were nice and crispy, just the right amount of pumpkin and made a lovely weekend breakfast. Stored the leftovers in the freezer for during the week. Thanks Dana! :)
Abbie @ Needs Salt says
oh my gosh. these waffles look absolutely stunning. I LOVE THAT COFFEE MUG END OF STORY.
you guys are awesome.
pinning!
Mary Kate says
I really want to make these vegan pumpkin waffles but I hate the taste of coffee. Is there anything you would recommend to sub out the coffee? Thanks
Joy //For the Love of Leaves says
The site looks great! These waffles look delicious! Medium roasted coffee IS the best!
Mimi @ Culinary Couture says
Your site design!!! I LOVE IT!! It’s perfect, it suits you so well!
Katie says
I’ve been gaga for waffles lately. Can’t wait to try these!
Heather says
I did not know that you live in Portland! We will have to get together next time I am there. I love love your new blog design. Very clean and professional.
Jessica (bakecetera) says
love love love! these look so great – all of my favourite things into one waffle!! AMAZING!
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
Love that there’s actually brewed coffee in these. Great new look by the way!
Nancy harvey says
These look so good!! Since I don’t have a waffle maker I am going to try making pancakes using this.
Kristi says
I gave up drinking coffee over the summer, and see these recipes with coffee and being sad that I can’t make them, but then I thought… Maybe coffee in foods is okay. :)
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says
Fall breakfast perfection! I reeeeeeeally need to buy a waffle iron (said for the 78th time in the past month).
Inês Oliveira says
Amazing things going on around here and I am stuck without a kitchen! :(
Monica says
“I love pumpkin. I love coffee. I love waffles” … and I was sold. I cant wait to try this out. I already have everything on hand – this is exciting!
lindsey louise says
oh my goodness, yum yum yum! thank you so much for sharing this recipe… these are all of my favorite things into one. sunday is going to be even more wonderful now.
Esther says
These look delicious and I am dying to make them… But here in Germany pumpkin puree is not really something you can get at the grocery store (unfortunately). Do you think I can use fresh pumpkin instead?
stanwoodabby says
Fresh pumpkin should be fine! Just cook it well and mash it up or put it in the blender to make it nice and smooth. Enjoy!
Irene King says
I find homemade pumpkin puree is always better and you know for sure it is actually pumpkin.
Tieghan Gerard says
Ah, way to kick of fall guys!! Killer waffles and a killer new design!! I love them both!
Sophie says
HUBBA HUBBA! These waffles look fantaaaab. I also totally love that coffee cup. And the new design!! Lerrrrrv. :)
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I love alllll the things in these waffles too! Yum!!
Laura @ The Green Forks! says
Going to pick up a supply of pumpkin purée at the store today- this recipe couldn’t have come at a better time! Thanks : )
Maryea {Happy Healthy Mama} says
I DO have all the ingredients on hand. :) I would love to give these a try! Pumpkin+coffee=gotta be good.
Tammela says
Love the new layout! Also love drinking medium roast coffee — nowadays, dark roast tastes way too bitter to me.