You may not know this, but John and I are in Europe right now. Surprise!
We pulled a Well Traveled Couple and are off with friends exploring new countries in a foreign land. I couldn’t be more thrilled, a) that I’m actually touring through Europe right now eating pastries and wearing a scarf and b) that I can still bring you delicious eats at the same time. Oh the wonders of the internet. I love my job.
These waffles scream fall with healthy ingredients like pumpkin and cornmeal*. I’ve made a sweet version of pumpkin cornbread waffles before, but was craving something a little less on the dessert side and a little more on the entree side. The experiment was a screaming success.
*Note: you can learn about the origins of cornmeal/ cornbread here.
These waffles are super simple, requiring just 30 minutes and 1 bowl. Plus, they’re vegan and you likely already have all the ingredients you need on hand.
Pumpkin? Check. Cornmeal? Check. Everything else is basically necessity. How very convenient.
These waffles are crisp and cornbread-like with just a hint of pumpkin flavor. They’re also very customizable when it comes to seasonings and mix-ins. I went with salt and pepper and green onions. But I could also see garlic going really well here, as well as jalapenos, chives and even a handful of your favorite cheese (if you dare).
The awesome thing is you don’t have to go the savory route and add an egg on top like I did. You could just as easily slather them with a little butter and maple syrup and go to town. These would also go amazing with sliced avocado or some vegan beer chili! What? Who said that….
Oh yeah, I did. Enjoy-ee.
Savory Pumpkin Cornbread Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax egg)
- 2 ½ Tbsp water (to make flax egg)
- 1 Tbsp non-dairy butter (melted // or sub coconut or avocado oil)
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk*
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry or all-purpose flour (sub gluten-free flour blend for a GF option)
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped chives, green onions, or jalapeño (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare flax egg by mixing flaxseed meal and water in a large bowl and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Add pumpkin puree, salt, pepper, baking powder, melted butter and whisk until well combined. Add almond milk and whisk once more.
- Next add flour and cornmeal and stir until just combined – small lumps are OK. Lasty, fold in chives or green onions. Your batter will be thick – let it rest for 5-10 minutes while preheating waffle iron.
- Generously spray waffle iron with non-stick pray and pour heaping 1/2 cup measurements onto the griddle. Close and cook according to manufacturer instructions (should be about 3 minutes).
- Serve warm with vegan butter and maple syrup for a sweet-savory combination, or vegan chili, sliced avocado and salsa, or a fried egg (for non-vegan).
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without toppings.
Long-haired-hippie says
Hello,
Made these recently (😋 btw!), but when I went to share it Facebook has marked many of your recipe links as “malicious threat” spam including this recipe so I’ve been unable to share the joy!
This includes in private messenger the primary way I share with my allergy families coming group. I hope your able to contact Facebook and remove the spam ban so we can resume sharing.
Hi, we’re so glad you enjoy the recipe and apologize for the inconvenience! It’s such a strange issue and we’re waiting for Facebook to get back to us about what’s going on. We hope it’s resolved ASAP!
Maureen says
Just made these and they were great! No problems with sticking/splitting but left them in the waffle iron a little bit longer…i am making another batch tonight for dinner!
Great! Thank you for sharing your experience, Maureen! xo
Yulca says
Delicious & popular with the kids (w/o salt for BLW). I added a touch of onion powder and smoked paprika. I also had the sticking problem, waffles splittingin half.
I added a touch more flaxmeal to the batter & worked with 1/4 cup portions from then on – no more sticking!
This is great to hear! So glad you had success with flax meal, Yulca! Thanks so much for the review!
Jennifer W. says
Great recipe! I also didn’t have a waffle maker so i used the batter for pancakes and it still came out delicious and fluffy! I only had almond creamer so I had to improvise by adding a little less than 1 cup of water to 1/3 cup of creamer…it was still great. I used coconut oil (as you listed as an alternative). I’ll make this again!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!
Linsey says
Don’t have a waffle maker and didn’t have flour, so I ground up some quinoa and made these as pancakes. Added sage instead of green onion, since I had that leftover. They were pretty gooey in the middle, so I covered my skillet and cooked for longer on low heat and that worked. Needed a lot of oil to flip without them tearing. Had with celery soup and was delicious. Do you think this batter would work for a cornbread muffin? I’d like to try that next.
Hi Linsey, we haven’t tried this one as muffins, but we think you’d need more oil and less dairy-free milk. We have several cornbread recipes that might be a better fit, such as this or this. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
MamaTree says
Made these tonight for supper & really enjoyed them, with blueberries & maple syrup. In our Belgian waffle maker, the recipe yielded 4.5 waffles. Will double it next time to stash the extras in the freezer for convenience-meals. (Used AP flour, grapeseed oil & oat milk.) Thank you for the yummy recipe!
Yum! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications. So glad you enjoyed!
Amarie says
Are you in Europe now?? October 2020?
Looking forward to making these waffles.
Hi Amarie, this is an older recipe.
Candice Rose says
My waffles kept sticking! Not sure why! We ended up making them into pancakes and they were tasty! :)
Sorry to hear that, Candice! Did you spray the pan? What kind of waffle maker did you use?
Meg says
These have a nice flavor and texture. I’m not vegan so I used a regular egg instead of flax egg. For the 1/2 cup of flour, I used a combo of oat and garbanzo flours. I had no problems with these sticking to my waffle iron. Very happy to have found this recipe. It can be used both savory and sweet. Thank you!!!
Anissa says
I made these waffles for the first time and they came out very nice! I made carrot puree instead of pumpkin, and used some spicy paprika powder. I think the cornmeal (used polenta meal, I think that is cornmeal?) made the outside nice and crunchy, while the inside was very soft! I am very happy with this recipe
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Anissa! Thanks for sharing!
Erica says
So tasty! I used cassava flour and it turned out great. Will be making these again :)
Lonie says
I have made these 5 times now and each time I thought, I better send a review — they are SO good !!!!!!!!!! Thank you Dana !!!!!!! I grew my own pumpkins and needed to use up medium grind corn meal. Perfect every time. I use vegan butter, whole wheat flour and I sneak in a Tablespoon of maple syrup. We just put more maple syrup on top, sometimes, fruit, even though it’s supposed to be savory. The taste is superb and I am Not a waffle eater ever !! Re sticking to the waffle iron, I did use some of my moms canned spray, so maybe that was the trick ? No sticking at All !!!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy them, Lonie! Thanks for sharing!
Michael Philion says
Oils this recipe be adapted to a Bundt pan to shake things up? Love the recipe and make it regularly. Thanks
Michael Philion says
Just made these for the first time and they are so good. Topped them with avocado. Thanks for the great recipe!
Drew says
Made this for my BF and we both liked it so much that I had to review! Excellent way to use up that last bit of pumpkin purée, and tasty when topped with tofu scramble and avocado.
Marissa says
Just made these… A new favourite! I added caramelized leeks instead of green onions, a bit of freshly grated parmesan, and fresh sage (because squash and sage are pretty much best friends).
I found the waffles stuck to the iron more than usual, but a little extra greasing solved that.
Great recipe that I will definitely be making again!
Sarah says
The flavor of these is AMAZING! I’m having trouble getting the waffle to stick together…I have a commercial grade waffle iron. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Randi Pergament says
i had the same problem. i have a calphalon waffle maker and i brushed it with coconut oil. i did not spray. the waffles separated into two halves. top side stuck and bottom side stuck and separated in the middle .
suggestions?
Hi Randi, we wonder if they may have needed to cook longer before opening?
Genevieve says
I just made these today and they were delicious. I don’t really know the difference between cornmeal and fine corn flour so I used the flour (that’s the only one I had in the pantry ;) Worked out well!
p.s Nothing stuck to the iron
Jen says
i have made these 2 times because i want them to work SO bad. Both times they have stuck like CRAZY to the waffle iron. Has anyone else had this issue?? I used coconut oil instead of butter. Maybe thats the problem? We have a belgian waffle iron…do you think that might be the issue? Tons of coconut oil spray before i put it in the pan. HELP! I want these to work so badly :(
Hmm, I’ve only made these with vegan butter and a regular waffle iron. Not sure what went wrong!
Danielle says
Same problem, Belgian waffle iron and coconut oil. I’ll try added flax and longer cooking next time. They were still delicious. I used my friend’s polenta mix that had dried scallions and cèpe. So good. After many failed waffles we tested as pancakes and as a puddle of batter on parchment paper in the oven and worked well. Still want them as waffles ! :-)
Robin Dillon says
I made these for brunch one lazy Sunday, had them topped with over easy egg and syrup – since I had leftovers (amazing considering how good they are) I kept them in the fridge for about a week. I toasted them in the toaster and served with sausage, over easy egg and syrup! OMG YUM!! I am going to make a double batch next time for toasting!!
Lauren says
Its a cool, drizzly day and waffles sound pretty dang good right now! These are really good and perfectly crunchy! Two thumbs up here!
Glad you liked them, Lauren!
K.D. says
I have 3 little boys, and while one prefers sweet, the other two would much rather have a savory breakfast! I am SO making these this morning and making everyone happy!
Kathryne (Cookie and Kate) says
Savory waffles! These are brilliant, Dana. I tried making cornmeal waffles several times last year with no luck. They kept sticking to the waffle iron. I have a better iron now. Dare I try again?
Kathryn says
Ah, hope you’re having fun on this side of the pond!! These waffles look totally totally epic.
Ellen says
Wow, I’m high-five-ing you across the Atlantic.
And across cyberspace too, I suppose.
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
YUM! Have a GREAT time in Europe! I’m so jealous!
Jessica (bakecetera) says
i’ve been toying around with cornbread recipes all week! cornmeal goes well in so many things – but i hadn’t thought of waffles! YUM! enjoy europe! it’s a wonderful time to visit!
dixya| food, pleasure, and health says
so excited for your trip. hope you will share your adventure here :)
Mallory @ Total Noms says
LOVE seeing savory takes on pumpkin. These waffles look so freaking good. Have an amazing time in Europe!!
Patrice says
Love this. A pumpkin recipe that isn’t deathly sweet and doesn’t abuse “pumpkin spice”..Adding this to my list of recipes to make for the month….
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says
I get weak in the knees when I see a stack of waffles with an egg on it. GIMME DAT.
janae @ bring joy says
Savory waffles are the best! We eat breakfast for dinner one night a week–so perfect recipe–going on my to-make list.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I definitely need this in my life! Delicious!
Maria @ Decaf Doesn't Count says
These look perfect for the lazy Sunday I have planned. (Yes, it’s only Thursday, but I need something to keep me going through the week! ha)
Lily @ Life, Love, and Cupcakes says
These sound awesome! Perfect breakfast for dinner type recipe!
Karin - The F Girl says
That’s it. I really need a waffle iron. As in NEED. These look delicious!
Have fun here in Europe! What countries are you planning on visiting?
Emma says
These look fab! I bet they’d be awesome with some spicy beans, salsa and guac :D
Need to make your sweet version too. In fact I have a little pumpkin purée left in my fridge…waffles tomorrow?!
Seen your pics on ig and it looks like you’re having a great time away.