Are you looking for a delicious vegan banana waffle recipe without egg, dairy, sugar, gluten, and oil? You think it is a lot to ask, but far from it. This is entirely possible with these 7 ingredients. Pre-heat your waffle iron as you will have some yummy waffles in 10-15 minutes!
If you are looking for more pancake or waffle recipe ideas, you must try these vegan red lentil protein pancakes and vegan red lentil protein waffles. They are easy to make and quite protein-packed. Or go to our vegan banana pancakes recipe as another sweet vegan breakfast option.
What to expect from this waffle recipe?
Yes, it is not impossible to make eggless waffles crispy even if you want them or need them to be allergy-friendly as well, meaning gluten-free, sugar-free, and oil-free.
I am with you. At first, I thought so too, as to how can you change almost all ingredients in the classic waffle recipe and expect it to be the same. However, after we have perfected our vegan banana pancakes recipe, it was pretty clear that the pancake batter can work as a waffle batter as well.
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So what will you get if you try this banana waffle recipe?
- eggless – Bananas are one of the best vegan egg substitutes for waffles.
- sugar-free, but sweet enough – If you choose really overripe bananas, then they make your batter perfectly sweet. Especially if you consider the toppings as well, where you can add more sugary stuff if you want to.
- gluten-free – Rice flour is the lightest gluten-free flour you can use. It is quite cheap, available in most stores and has a neutral taste.
- oil-free – You really really don’t need any processed oil like canola or sunflower oil. Peanut butter is just perfect to keep them moist as well as bananas of course.
- fluffy – Apple cider vinegar and baking powder will react to each other to inflate to make them perfectly airy and not dense.
- quick & easy – You need one bowl and 7 pantry staple ingredients and you can have the first set of waffles in 10-15 minutes.
- taste like bananas – You can definitely taste the banana flavor. If you don’t like that, add vanilla extract or other add-ins described under the Variations section below.
Ingredients
This is really a super simple vegan waffles recipe. All the below ingredients I am sure are already in your pantry. If you need more information about substitutions, go to the FAQ section below. So here you go, these are the 7 ingredients you need.
- ripe bananas – You know the one with lots of brown spots.
- rice flour – You can use buckwheat flour or oat flour, although they may make slightly denser waffles.
- tapioca starch – Choose any other tapioca flour subsitute if you have to.
- baking powder – Choose one of these gluten-free baking powders.
- apple cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice – Choose one of these gluten-fee vinegars.
- dairy-free milk – We recommend almond milk or cashew milk. We find oat milk especially used in combination with oat flour can result in a slightly bitter taste.
- peanut butter – Use an other nut butter.
How to make gluten-free vegan banana waffles?
- Peel and cut banana into smaller chunks.
- Add apple cider vinegar to your choice of dairy-free milk and wait a couple of minutes.
- Take a mixing bowl and mash the bananas with a fork until you reach an eggy consistency.
- Add peanut butter and mix it well (picture #1).
- Add milk + ACV and stir until combined (picture #2).
- Finally, add the dry ingredients (rice flour, tapioca starch, and baking powder) pre-mixed if you want (picture #3). Mix it again thoroughly. Now, you are ready to heat up your waffle iron (picture #4).
Add ½-1/3 cup of batter to a pre-heated waffle iron (medium, rather than high) and wait for 2-5 minutes depending on how fast your equipment is.
How to get them super crispy?
Until I bought a waffle iron with a heat dial, I used these steps to make sure I end up with crispy waffles every time.
- Turn waffle maker on and wait for it to heat up completely.
- If you have an older equipment that isn’t non-stick, spray it with a bit of oil on both sides.
- Pour the waffle batter, but just enough so that it doesn’t overflow. Then close the lid. Mine works with around ⅓ cup.
- I don’t say the exact time as it depends on the power of your waffle iron. Wait the time you normally would with any waffles, but without opening it unplug the waffle iron and leave the lid closed for 2-3 minutes. This way it is not over-cooked (dark brown) but cooks all the way through while getting a drier, crispier crust.
Top tips to make them perfect every time
- Blender vs fork – You may be tempted to speed up the preparation, but we don’t recommend using a blender to mash the bananas. You may get a more liquid texture than an eggy one. If any, you should use a food processor and just pulse it for a couple of times, but finish it off with a fork.
- Will it curd? – If you add apple cider vinegar (lemon juice usually less effective) to dairy-free milk, it may curdle and you get vegan buttermilk. Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t work as you expect. In our experience not all types of vegan milk can curdle as it depends on their protein content. That is why soy milk is a better candidate, while nut milks especially light coconut milk will likely not change at all. The recipe will turn out great anyway.
- Why do you need apple cider vinegar at all? – If you want your waffles to be airy and less dense, you need a levening agent like baking powder. It will only react and inflate them if it is exposed to any type of acid. Even if you don’t want to curdle your milk to get buttermilk, you still need apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
- Why don’t you need xanthan gum? – If you use a boxed gluten-free flour mix with xanthan gum, then your waffles will turn out gummy. As that is exactly what xanthan gum does, make it rubbery and gummy. While it is beneficial for yeast doughs like pizza, you really don’t want your waffles to be gummy.
Variations and add-ins
This is a simple recipe for vegan waffles with bananas that can be a base recipe for endless variations. We have been making them for a long time and had many different add-ins for example
- Fresh blueberries – You can add them to the batter and mix it in the bowl.
- Chocolate chips – I would say it is another obvious choice. Mix in the batter some chocolate chips and go from there.
- Any fruit really – You can add any fruit you like. We made them with chopped strawberries, mixed berries, shredded apple with cinnamon.
- Chopped nuts – Any type you like.
- Dried fruits like cranberries or raisins
- Citrus zest – Add a tablespoon of lemon or orange zest. So yummy, especially lemon combined with blueberries.
- Vanilla extract – I can definitely taste the bananas. If you don’t want that add vanilla extract or any of the above add-ins to overpower it.
- Cocoa powder – Add a tablespoon, if you want to turn them into chocolate waffles.
Topping suggestions
What is the best topping for vegan banana waffles? I would say maple syrup, wouldn’t you? If you have been using honey, please note that it is not considered vegan. Choose any of these honey substitutes where we included homemade vegan honey recipes as well.
There are lots of other ideas though you can try depending on whether you had any add-ins from the above list or not.
- Vegan butter with maple syrup
- Fresh fruit or fruit sauces (like this quick strawberry puree)
- Whipped cream
- Vegan chocolate frosting, which is actually coconut whipped cream
- Nutella
- Banana slices
- Chocolate chips or chocolate sauce
- Caramel sauce
- Toasted walnuts or pecans
Let us know what is your favorite topping in the comments!
FAQs and substitutions
How to keep them warm and 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 at the lowest temperature like 120-140 Fahrenheit (50-60 degrees Celsius).
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.
Can I use other flour?
We haven’t tested it with all-purpose or whole wheat flour. If you don’t have rice flour or don’t want to use it, try other gluten-free flours, like buckwheat flour or oat flour. However, I find oat flour has a slightly bitter flavor which I can taste in the waffles.
I also tested this recipe with cornstarch instead of tapioca starch. For more options, check out our post about tapioca flour substitutes where I explain when and how each substitute should be used.
Can I use oil or other nut butter?
If you need it to be nut-free, add sunflower butter or just skip peanut butter entirely. I tested this recipe with and without any, so you don’t really need to add for example coconut oil. If you don’t have a non-stick waffle iron, then use a cooking spray to make sure they don’t stick.
How to store it?
These gluten-free vegan banana waffles can get quite dense and tough after 24 hours even if you store them in an airtight container. We recommend making them fresh right before serving.
You can freeze any leftovers though and pop them in your toaster or back to your waffle maker. You will get a better result like that compared to the microwave.
This vegan banana waffles recipe is dairy-free and egg-free. It is suitable for a vegetarian, gluten-free, and soy-free diet. This recipe is WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) if you don’t use oil for frying. You can make it nut-free if you skip peanut butter or add canola oil instead.
More vegan breakfast recipes
Browse through our vegan breakfast recipes gallery if you want some savory recipe ideas, or try one of these sweet breakfasts below.
Easy Vegan Banana Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 Banana large (approx. 4 oz per banana)
- 1 Tbsp Peanut butter
- 1 cup White rice flour
- 1 Tbsp Tapioca starch
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ½ cup Dairy-free milk (homemade cashew milk)
- 1 tsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract optional
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Peel and cut banana into smaller chunks.
- Add apple cider vinegar to your choice of dairy-free milk and wait a couple of minutes.
- Take a mixing bowl and smash the bananas with a fork until you reach an eggy consistency.
- Add peanut butter and mix it well.
- Add milk + ACV and stir until combined.
- Finally, add the rice flour, tapioca starch, and baking powder. Mix it again thoroughly. Now, you are ready to heat your waffle iron.
- Spoon ½ – ⅓ cup of the batter onto the waffle iron. Cook them for 5-10 minutes, depending on your equipment's power. Mine has an adjustable heat dial, and I turn them over to medium or a bit over medium.
- When served, use your favorite toppings. See ideas Notes.
Notes
Add-ins
- Fresh blueberries – You can add them to the batter and mix them in the bowl.
- Chocolate chips – I would say it is another obvious choice. Mix in the batter and some chocolate chips and go from there.
- Any fruit really – You can add any fruit you like. We made them with chopped strawberries, mixed berries, and shredded apples with cinnamon.
- Chopped nuts – Any type you like.
- Dried fruits like cranberries or raisins
- Citrus zest – Add a tablespoon of lemon or orange zest. So yummy, especially lemon combined with blueberries.
- Vanilla extract – I can definitely taste the bananas. If you don’t want that add vanilla extract or any of the above add-ins to overpower it.
- Cocoa powder – Add a tablespoon if you want to turn them into chocolate waffles.
Topping suggestions
- Fresh fruit or fruit sauces (like this quick strawberry puree)
- Whipped cream
- Vegan chocolate frosting, which is coconut whipped cream
- Nutella
- Banana slices
- Chocolate chips or chocolate sauce
- Caramel sauce
- Toasted nuts
SusanKate
Hi! This is my first time visiting your website and I’m SO looking forward to trying this recipe! Would already-frozen bananas work in this recipe? If so, should I thaw them first? Or should I just chop them up more in my blender or food processor and mix them up in the recipe while still mostly frozen? Thank you!
My Pure Plants
I haven’t tried this recipe with frozen bananas. I would thaw them though. I would imagine otherwise the batter will be too cold and that might affect frying.