If you love warm, baked cinnamon apples and maple syrup-doused waffles, this is the recipe for you. If you don’t like these things, in the words of Uncle Rico, you can leave.
Joking aside, these waffles are some of my faves. Warm, cinnamon-brown sugar apples mixed into a whole grain-oat waffle batter – it’s practically perfection. The good news? They’re super easy to make.
This is a 1-bowl recipe, which means fewer dishes! I love that. Plus, it comes together in about 30 minutes. It doesn’t get much better than that for some seriously sophisticated waffles.
The primary ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:
Apples
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Flaxseed
Whole Wheat Flour
Oats
Applesauce or Pumpkin Puree
& Maple Syrup
A few other pantry staples and you’re in business.
These waffles are so delicious I ate two right away! John can attest.
I love that they’re tender on the inside, yet a little crisp on the edges,
studded with warm cinnamon apples in every bite,
and perfect under a drizzle of maple syrup.
These are simple enough to make during the week before getting off to work and school, yet special enough to serve up for breakfast or brunch on a lazy Sunday morning. Versatile, simple and so delicious when frozen and re-heated in the toaster. That’s my kind of waffle. Enjoy!
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Waffles
Ingredients
For the Apples
- 3 medium apples (2 tart, 1 sweet // peeled and cubed)
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter or olive oil
- 1-2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
For the Waffles
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax egg)
- 2 ½ Tbsp water (to make flax egg)
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter (melted // or sub avocado or coconut oil)
- 1 scant cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup or agave (or honey if not vegan)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce or pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 cup oats
Instructions
- Start by sautéing your apples. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add butter, then apples and stir. After a few minutes add in brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover to let steam and soften, stirring frequently. Once softened (about 4-5 minutes) remove lid to let caramelize a bit more. Remove from heat.
- Next, prepare your waffles. Start by preparing flax egg by combining water and flaxseed in a large bowl and letting rest for 5 minutes.
- Add maple syrup, applesauce, melted butter or oil, brown sugar and whisk. Add almond milk and stir once more.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to a sifter and sift over wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. Gently fold in oats, then half of the apples. If batter appears too thick, add a little almond milk. Let batter rest for 5 minutes while preheating 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, press down to spread the batter, 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 off and crisp up a bit. Serve warm with vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) and maple syrup, and the leftover apples. Store in an airtight container in the freezer and warm in the toaster or oven.
Sarah says
Hi I am interested in this recipe but if I wanted to substitute almond flour for the whole wheat, would I need to do anything special? Thank you!
Hi Sarah, we wouldn’t recommend replacing the whole wheat flour with just almond flour in this recipe because almond flour is significantly less absorbent and more oily and it will yield a different texture even if you use more of it. Instead, we would recommend using one of our gluten-free waffle recipes with almond flour in it (such as this one) and adding cinnamon in the batter + cinnamon apples on top :)
Sarah says
Thank you so much! I will try that one
Jessica says
These were delicious! I didn’t have applesauce or pumpkin purée so I subbed for mashed banana with some allspice, then chopped up the last of the banana to top with the poached apples. Such an easy recipe too, thank you!
Amazing! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Jessica! xo
KATIE says
Hmm, something about this recipe didn’t quite work out for us. It was both a little too chewy and a little mushy. I’m guessing it was either the fault of the all-purpose and whole wheat flour blend, maybe I combined incorrectly, or maybe my waffle maker just wasn’t heating correctly. The apples were lovely but if I ever try again I will omit the brown sugar from the batter because it was just a touch too sweet for my preferences.
Thank you as always for inspiring me to get off my tush and try something new and mostly healthy!
Sorry to hear this wasn’t your favorite recipe, Katie, we really appreciate your honest review! Let us know how it goes if you give it another try sometime!
VICKY says
Made these for breakfast today, delicious! I think I’m slowly trying all your waffle recipes and can’t decide which one I like best, they’re all so good!!!
Aw, yay! We’re so glad you enjoy them, Vicky! xo
Faith says
I made this and it was soo delicious! I didn’t use flax egg but it was still so good. I added more applesauce, cinnamon, and flour to give it more flavor. It was soooo good! Best vegan waffles I ever made. Thank you for this recipe!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy them, Faith! Thanks for sharing!
Cecile says
It’s my second time making waffles, first time sweet waffles!
I had no apple so I left them out but followed the recipe for the rest.
The texture was perfect and the taste really good, I doubled the ingredients and pleased a hungry crowd!
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Cecile! xo
Bari Bucknam says
Have been hankering for waffles. Since I love your blog I thought I would see what you had to offer. So I made the Apple Cinnamon Waffles, but since I didn’t have apples in the house I omitted them. I did add a pinch of nutmeg. My husband is always a little bit pessimistic when I try a new recipe, but he LOVED this. This is definitely a keeper!❤️ @minimalistbaker #lilchefsclubhouse #minimalistbaker#healthybreakfast
Bari Bucknam says
Have been hackeing for waffles. Since I love your blog I thought see what you all had to offer. So I made the Apple Cinnamon Waffles, but since I didn’t have apples in the house I omitted them. I did add a scant of nutmeg. My husband is always a little bit optimistic when I try a new recipe, but he LOVED this. This is definitely a keeper!❤️
Veronica says
In another recipe (the Vegan Gingerbread Waffles) the recipe calls for 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour but it is noted below the instructions that using 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour is an alternative.
I haven’t been able to find whole wheat pastry flour, so would a combination of unbleached all-purpose and whole wheat flour also work for this recipe? And if so, what would the ratio be?
Thank you!
Yes, that should work. Let us know how it goes!
Toni C says
Great recipe! However it’s not ideal for a vertical waffle iron. I pulsed the batter in my ninja so the apples were small enough to not get stuck when pouring the batter in the iron. Also I had to thin out a bit (as stated if batter is thick) to make a full waffle, other than that flavor is on point. I will be making again!
Veronica says
Are the oats supposed to be quick or old-fashioned? I’m hoping to make these waffles for my mother on her birthday. Also, do you have recommendations for what kind of tart and what kind of sweet apples to use? Thanks!
Rolled oats work best in this recipe! If you’re looking for a good tart apple, I’d recommend Granny Smith. For a sweeter selection, a Golden Delicious will be best. Hope this helps!
Charlotte Ray says
Can this be modified to be made Gluten Free? If so, could I just use a GF waffle mix (like King Arthur’s) in place of the pastry flour?
Thank you! I love all of your recipes, and my boyfriend is personally obsessed with the GF, Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese. (He isn’t even vegan, so you know it’s good!)
Another reader above had success when doing this, but we also have a GF Waffle recipe you may be interested in here!
Nadia Heyd says
I made this recipe today, adjusting a few things for feeding a bunch of hungry teenagers. I tripled the recipe and since we just got a new gas stove with a griddle in the middle (I love that rhyme a little too much, maybe) I made pancakes instead of waffles. We topped with yogurt (well, the non-vegans did), maple syrup and the cooked apples. Teenager approved! Happy New Year!
Sarah says
Just made these waffles for my family (kids 3 and 6) because we were out of eggs. I have to admit I was very skeptical and made sure to read all of the comments for extra tips and confirmation that these do taste as good as they look. AND THEY ARE AWESOME! Exactly as described, crispy on the outside and chewey on the inside with little surprises of apple on the inside. These waffles have official entered our rotation. Really great recipe, well done!
Sarah says
PS – I used whoe grain spelt flour. I find that all baking comes out better with spelt, but I also live in Germany and it is much more common to find spelt (Dinkel) here :)
Cheryl says
Can I use all purpose flour instead? Hoping to make these for mother’s day tomorrow morning :)
Marissa Wall says
used crushed oats, and regular gf flour, the taste is really good and the apples are great!! the inside was gummy though :(
J says
So good! Thanks for the recipe
Melanie says
Just made these this morning. The taste is so very good and love the apples on top and inside the waffles as well. What I was disappointed in is that they are more rubbery than crisp. Followed the recipe to a t. Little disappointing. Thanks!
Jess says
Hey, so these taste absolutely beautiful, except that I can’t seem to keep my waffles whole. I’ve had this problem ever since trying to make vegan waffles. They stick to either side of the waffle iron and split right down the middle, leaving me with something more like waffle crisps than waffles. I never had to spray my iron before, but now I’m doing it and that is still not helping. I thought I wasn’t cooking it long enough and maybe it was too moist in the middle still so I would let them cook longer. I thought maybe I wasn’t spooning enough batter into the iron so I would add more. I thought maybe it was the type of flour I was using so I changed that. I thought it might have been the flax egg so I tried a different binder. I also thought maybe the ingredients were too wet or sticky, so I tried without the apple sauce and just adding more milk instead (my first attempts at waffles was banana ones and they never looked cooked so again I thought that was the reason). I also thought maybe the batter itself needed a bit more oil to stop it from sticking, but even that didn’t help. No change or addition I do seems to work. How do you make your waffles and keep them from sticking? What am I doing wrong?
That’s a tough one! I’ve made some waffle batter where the waffles stick, and others where they don’t. I think the key for me has been having a non-stick waffle iron. And I spray it very generously before putting on the batter, and then setting it on a very high setting. I hope that helps!
Melissa says
Very tasty! I was making these to freeze for breakfasts or school lunches so I only made enough apples to go into the batter. Between these and the zucchini breakfast cookies I was making at the same time my kitchen smells amazing right now!
Yael says
Annoying question- I don’t have any oats lying around, but I do have granola- would I be able to sub that for the oats?
Hard to say Yael, depends on whats in the granola!
Monique says
I made these today and they taste SO GOOD!! But they sort of flopped in my waffle maker… ended up stuck to the top, a little burnt here or there while the inside was still soft in places. I ate them anyway, because they tasted amazing. But I’m wondering if you can help me troubleshoot the problem? I omitted the sugar in the waffles, just went with the 1 tblsp maple syrup because I thought with the applesauce they would be sweet enough, and they were. Could that have caused the problem?
I am also thinking it could have been the chunks of apple. I didn’t use very much, and I chopped them small. But still had issues. Do you think if I omit the chunks of apples and just used the applesauce they would cook up ok?
P.S. I ate them with a homemade peanut butter and date caramel sauce. Recommend!
kay says
Could I substitute the whole wheat pastry flour? And what?
Thanks!
Caryn says
Just made these this morning! They are AMAZING! I had to modify a little bit, as I am not vegan & didn’t have all the supplies handy. I used margarine, coconut oil, & regular eggs, and I used Splenda brown sugar (diabetic in the household), but in any case, THANK YOU for the recipe! Everyone loved them! Wish I could share a picture with you here… ;)
Ranjani says
I tried this recipe a couple different ways, but they didn’t like the transformation from batter to waffles/pancakes :( On the plus side, I made a big batch of the caramel apple topping, so that’s a win-win, especially since I added about 4X brown sugar (on “accident.”) I’ll be trying out some of your other recipes! Thank you :)
Thanks for sharing, Ranjani!
Susan says
OH MY! Oh my!!! These are AMAZING! At first I thought my batter was too thin and they were going to be soggy from the apples but they are……..WOW! By far my favorite waffle! Definately company worthy. I dusted them with powdered sugar and took a picture to send to my sons,then one with the empty plate! Haha! They are 12 hours away but maybe they will make the trip home soon! Thanks for this recipe.
Yay! So glad you liked them, Susan! Thanks for sharing :D
Matea says
Currently making these for breakfast today; the first one’s in the waffle maker and smells sooo good!
Jodi says
This recipe and photos looked like a MUST MAKE, so … I did. But … something went wrong. The batter was rather thick, and even though I added extra soy milk to the batter, they still didn’t come out well at all. They were heavy, the batter didn’t spread enough throughout my waffle maker (new, just bought the other day), and I had to pry them off the plates with a chopstick. Do you have any idea what could have gone wrong? I’m really sad about this, because my mouth and I had such high hopes …
The apple topping is quite good, at least.
Jodi says
Oh no. I just realized I used 1/2 TEASPOON of baking powder instead of 1/2 TABLESPOON. Would that have been the problem?
I would really love to try this recipe again, so any help anyone could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
That would’ve likely been it!
JC says
We made these this morning – and you’re right! Perfect for a lazy Sunday. The apple cinnamon favors were lovely to taste, and continue to pleasantly smell up the entire first floor. Next time we make them, we’ll dice the apples much smaller than “cubed”, so they work better in our Belgium waffle iron.
Emma says
I can not wait to make these!
Sadly my trusty ol’ waffle iron just died! Any suggestions/recommendations on a replacement?
Turn them into pancakes! Otherwise, this is our trusty old waffle iron – affordable yet functional.
Emma says
Oh yes pancakes are a good alternative but sometimes a girl just needs a waffle you know what I mean?! ;)
Thanks for your reply and sharing the waffle iron you guys have, Ill check it out :)
Robin says
Highly recommend this recipe! I split the recipe directly in half for a single size version (I was soooo craving waffles when I woke up this morning!) and folded frozen blueberries and a square of chopped dark chocolate into the batter before cooking. Yuuum! I also didn’t use oil/butter or the brown sugar in the batter and they were perfect! Didn’t stick at all. Topped with a bit of pure maple, warmed blueberries, and a sprinkle of cacao powder. Complete bliss :)
Wow! Love your variations to this recipe. So glad you liked the waffles, Robin!
allegra says
I made these this morning and they were a hit! I substituted King Arthur gluten free baking mix for the flour and baking powder and it worked great (we have a wheat allergy in the family). I also doubled the cinnamon for my resident cinnamon freaks… and they said I could have added about 30% more (but normal people probably don’t need this much). I’m adding this to my recipe notebook, and next time I’m going to try this it as pancakes. Thank you!
Lori says
Just clarifying: did you leave out the baking powder all together for the gluten free version? Is that already included in the King Arthur flour mixture? TIA!
Rhose says
These look amazing! For the oats are they the quick oats or old fashioned? Or does it matter?
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says
I need me a waffle iron. SO DANG BAD.
Looks delicious, as per usual.
carole-ann says
Hi- These look amazing and I want to try them in a couple of weeks. How can I use real egg instead of flax seed/water? thanks!
Just sub one beaten egg in the place of the flax egg and prepare the rest of the recipe as instructed. Hope that helps!
Jessica says
all my favorite autumn flavors rolled into one waffle! thanks for sharing :)
Jessica (bakecetera) says
these waffles are just like an apple pie! amazing. the texture is perfect!
RawInTheMiddle says
In the words of Napoleon Dynamite, it looks pretty sweet.
laurent says
Hello, I’d like to try this but what do you mean with pumpkin puree ? Is this raw pumpkin ?
It’s cooked pumpkin which is then pureed. you can find it canned at most grocery stores. Otherwise, you can buy a small pumpkin and roast it yourself. Hope that helps!
laurent says
thanks for the answer ant the link. I never saw pumpkin puree in grocery stores here (in Belgium) … so go for do it myself !
Kailey Nicholas says
can i substitute any other non-dairy milk for the almond? Or will that mess up the recipe?
Any other milk is fine. Good question!
Abbie @ Needs Salt says
Oh my gosh, these waffles. AWESOME.
I really don’t have any words. So gorgeous.
Pinned!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
I want these waffles for breakfast, lunch, dinner and pretty much all day long. Yum!
Jennifer says
I now may have an excuse to buy a waffle maker!
xo Jennifer
Emma says
Love that these have chunky apples folded into them as well as on top! Yum!
Thank you for making them vegan :D
Gwen @simplyhealthyfamily says
Those are some gorgeous waffles! I don’t think I can wait till bfast, myb we’ll be having these for dinner tonight!
Kaitlyn says
Are the cooked apples supposed to go in the waffle batter? Is that step missing from the instructions or have I just not had enough coffee yet? :)
Sarah says
The way I’m reading it, applesauce goes in the batter, the cooked apples go on top?
Rachel says
Judging from the pictures and the word “leftover”, looks like some go in the batter, and some go on top. Hard to tell, though.
Rachel, half of the apples go in the batter. Good question! This has been fixed.
Rachel says
Thanks! This looks delicious, as well as a good way to solve my “too many apples” problem.
Sarah, this has been fixed. Half of the apples go in the batter, the other half go on top. Thanks for the catch!
Tieghan says
The texture on these looks spot on! And they look like they a full of cinnamon! Yes, please!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Mmm love this flavour!