Crispy Vegan Waffles with Lentil Protein

I am so excited to share with you this crispy vegan waffle recipe. You still can have amazing waffles without eggs or without milk that are easy, healthy and kid-friendly. Shush… I also let you in on a secret. These vegan waffles are no ordinary waffles, I added red lentils to give them some protein boost. Intrigued enough to read further?

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So red lentil waffles, huh?

Oh yes. I had such an amazing experience with our Fluffy Vegan Protein Pancake recipe that I started experimenting with a waffle recipe. Finally, I came up with a recipe including red lentils where the waffles are crispy and delicious. Isn’t this the best vegan and gluten-free waffle recipe?

But why red lentils instead of other legumes you ask? Red lentils (like this organic, vegan and gluten-free version) are amazingly nutritious. 

According to Cronometer a 1-cup serving of raw red lentils has approx 46 grams of protein. That’s astonishing.

Apart from that red lentils are a great source of fiber and are high in different Vitamin B and folate. This latter is very important for pregnant and breastfeeding moms. Last but not least red lentils are also iron-, copper-, manganese- and zinc-rich food. If you are on a vegan and vegetarian diet, you often search for iron-rich foods and recipes and red lentils are a great source to incorporate in your diet. For more details read Healthline’s article on lentils.

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How to prepare red lentils?

This vegan waffle recipe contains soaked red lentils as a main ingredient. A lot of people is worrying about lectins in food and asking questions like are they dangerous or safe to eat or how to decrease lectin content with cooking. My trusted resource when it comes to nutrition is Dr. Greger’s website. He has a short video about lectins in food. In this video, he mainly talks about red kidney beans, but he explicitly highlights the following sentence: “many lectins are non-toxic, such as those from tomatoes, lentils, peas, chickpeas, fava beans, and other common foods.” However, if you feel that your stomach doesn’t tolerate lectins, you can use cooked red lentils instead of soaked ones to make this vegan waffles recipe.

How to make vegan waffles?

Now, let’s make vegan and gluten-free waffles. First, I soak the red lentils for at least 1-2 hours. If you would like to have them for breakfast, then soak them overnight no problem. When you are ready to make your vegan waffle batter, discard the water and blend the soaked red lentils with non-dairy milk (like this homemade cashew milk) and the optional vanilla extract until smooth.

In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients: brown rice flour, oat flour, baking powder and sugar (sweetener of your choice). To finish the batter, pour the blended mixture in the bowl, add the flax egg and mix them with a whisk. Now, you are ready to heat your waffle maker!

How to make crispy waffles?

I have a five-of-hearts waffle maker that is really cheap and simple with no temperature control whatsoever (similar to this one), not this super cool Hamilton one, which is on my Christmas list or this cute snowflake waffle maker, awww. Anyway… I am pretty sure that all waffle makers are different, but to get extra crispy waffles with mine I follow these steps:

1. Turn waffle maker on and wait for it to heat up completely.
2. Even if they said that it is a non-stick one, I coat it with oil spray generously.
3. Pour the waffle batter, but just enough so that it doesn’t overflow. Mine works with less than 1/2 cup.
4. Close the lid and wait for 2-3 minutes, then turn the waffle maker off but leave the lid closed for another 2-3 minutes. This way it is not over-cooked (dark brown) but cooks all the way through while getting a drier, crispier crust.

How to keep the waffles warm and still crispy?

I usually transfer them to a rack so the steam can leave and the waffle bottoms can’t get soggy. To keep them warm you can place them with the rack in the oven on the lowest temperature like 120-140 F (50-60 Celcius). If you cover them up, they will get soft. After a while whatever you do they will lose their crispiness, although pop them in a toaster for a minute and you might get it back.

Toppings for vegan waffles

Our all-time favorite topping is vanilla custard. If you ask my daughter she will choose this without hesitation. Other possibilities are:

• maple syrup, agave syrup with a stick of butter
• vanilla ice cream with caramel or date syrup
• berries and whipped cream
• banana and Nutella
• peanut butter and jelly

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These waffles are vegan, vegetarian and WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based). However, it is only gluten-free if you buy certified gluten-free oat flour like this one. Oats are naturally gluten-free, although they are usually cross-contaminated with other grains. If you are interested to read more about oats, you can always visit the UK’s Coeliac Website.

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Shop this recipe

Blender | Hamilton waffle maker | Organic, vegan and gluten-free red lentils | Certified gluten-free oat flour | Brown rice flour | Ground flax seeds

What more you need to try it? If you’re ready, watch this short video:

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5 from 6 votes

Crispy Vegan Waffles with Lentil Protein

This vegan waffle recipe is not only gluten-free but we added some red lentils for an extra protein boost. Still crispy, easy and healthy. 

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time6 mins

Soaking time2 hrs

Total Time16 mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: Gluten-free, Vegan

Keyword: Red lentil, waffle

Servings: 8 waffles

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Red lentils 200g
• 1 cup Dairy-free milk (I use almond or oat milk) 2,3 dl
• 1 cup Brown rice flour 125g
• 1/3 cup Oat flour 35g
• 1 Tbsp Baking powder
• 1/3 cup Cane sugar 65g
• 1 Flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax - 3 Tbsp water)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

• Soak red lentils for 1-2 hours in water. If you would like to have them for breakfast, then soak them overnight no problem. If you worry about lectins (see above for more explanation) then you can also cook them first in plain water. 
• When you are ready to make your vegan waffle batter, discard the water and blend the soaked red lentils with non-dairy milk and the optional vanilla extract until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients: brown rice flour, oat flour, baking powder and sugar (sweetener of your choice).  
• To finish the batter, pour the blended mixture in the bowl, add the flax egg and mix them with a whisk.
• Now you are ready to heat up your waffle maker and have a crispy and delicious not to mention vegan and gluten-free breakfast. (See notes on how to cook the waffles crispy)

Recipe Notes

I am pretty sure that all waffle makers are different, but to get extra crispy waffles with mine I follow these steps:

1. Turn waffle maker on and wait for it to heat up completely.
2. Even if they said that it is a non-stick one, I coat it with oil spray generously.
3. Pour the waffle batter, but just enough so that it doesn't overflow. Mine works with less then 1/2 cup.
4. Close the lid and wait for 2-3 minutes, then turn the waffle maker off but leave the lid closed for another 2-3 minutes. This way it is not over-cooked (dark brown) but cooks all the way through while getting a drier, crispier crust.

Helpful Info for All RecipesPrecision in baking is key to success. We ALWAYS measure all ingredients in grams with a scale. So all gram measurement in the recipe cards are EXACT, not converted from cups.

Nutrition

Serving: 1waffle | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 5.3g | Fat: 1.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 8.1g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 1.8mg

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