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Did you think crispy waffles were a lost cause once you started eating the low-glycemic way? Never fear! Crispy waffles are back again!
This recipe is based off of my aunt Brenda’s buttermilk waffle recipe, but it has some major modifications to make it fit a low-glycemic lifestyle (such as Trim Healthy Mama). I used all whole wheat flour, switched out THM Super Sweet Blend for the sugar, decreased the butter, increased the egg whites for structure, replaced the buttermilk with other liquid to make these waffles dairy free (the fermentation gives a bit of a buttermilk flavor anyway), and increased the liquid in general to make up for the fermentation time. (So no, I’m afraid you can’t just substitute sprouted wheat flour for the flour in these waffles, omit the fermentation time, and expect them to turn out perfectly). These waffles taste like real waffles. I’m not even kidding.
Fermentation? Yep! Don’t be scared. Please, don’t run away yet. All you do is mix up the batter 3 days before you want to make the waffles, put the batter in the fridge, get it out 3 days later, stir it up, and waffle it. Easy as that. Premade waffle batter really comes in handy on a Saturday morning when the kids are clamoring for breakfast! Mix up the batter on Wednesday (coincidentally, I am posting this recipe on a Wednesday), put it in the fridge until Saturday, and you’re good to go!
I call these Cheater “Sourdough” Waffles because you get the souring taste and action of sourdough, but you don’t need to mess with a starter! This is good news for people like me who have a habit of traveling quite a bit and don’t want to mess with putting a starter to sleep and then waking it back up again, not to mention remembering to feed it. To those of you who religiously sourdough, blessings upon you. Someday when I get big, I will be like you. Maybe.
One major perk to this waffle recipe: you don’t need sprouted wheat flour! Sprouted wheat flour is usually on the expensive side, but regular ol’ whole wheat flour is not! (Especially when you buy big bags of wheat berries and grind your own.)
The waffle batter has a soured taste after 3 days of fridge fermentation (also known as cold fermentation), but almost all of that disappears when you bake the batter in a waffle iron. I haven’t experimented with seeing how long this batter can last in the fridge, but for best taste, I don’t recommend keeping it longer than 3 days. There are other things in the batter (like egg whites), and I just think it’s safer to stick with the 3 days. If you want to experiment, be my guest! Keep in mind that leftover waffles can be refrigerated or frozen, then heated in a toaster (this makes them extra crispy!), so you can just make the batter all at once and have waffles for grab-and-go breakfasts later on.
These Cheater “Sourdough” Waffles have a nice crispy finish thanks to the bit of gluten structure that remains after the wheat flour has been fermented. However, since the flour has been fermented and the gluten has been broken down, the waffles aren’t as crispy crisp as a waffle made with regular white flour and they do have a bit of chew to them as well. You might need a knife to help cut them cleanly. Don’t get me wrong – they are crispy. I was absolutely delighted when I picked up my first completed waffle and felt just how crispy it was. These are not limp and soggy waffles!
You could try making this batter into pancakes, but I find that the texture fits waffles better than pancakes. If you do make pancakes, spread the batter out thinly so your pancakes aren’t thick and gooey in the middle.
On to the fun part: toppings! I always eat my waffles with peanut butter and syrup. In this case, since these waffles are an E for Trim Healthy Mamas, I make low-fat peanut butter using defatted peanut flour, stevia, salt, and water. You can make your own syrup (there’s a recipe in my cookbook), or you can buy a store-bought syrup. In this case, I used a store-brand sugar-free maple syrup sweetened with Splenda. Not ideal, but it’s OK as a personal choice item for occasional use. If you’re a mama who is fine with using a little maple syrup in a THM:E setting, this would be a great time to splurge. (Not saying I have…but not saying I haven’t, either….)
Not a peanut butter and syrup gal (or guy)? Try some blueberry topping, cranberry syrup, pumpkin spice syrup, or peach sauce.
I am just super happy with this waffle recipe, and I hope you are too! Enjoy your waffles! (Want more waffle recipes? Click here for a list of mine.)
PS – I first learned about cold fermentation from Gwen’s Easy Bread recipe, so be sure to go check it out if you have questions about how this all works. Her recipe is so versatile that I posted a list of easy ways to use it many, many moons ago. Since then, I’ve used the cold fermentation principle to make a Homemade Bread recipe that has become a staple in our house, as well as a Healthy Cinnamon Roll recipe (a yummy crossover for Trim Healthy Mamas).
I’ve recently been doing quite a bit of experimentation with cold fermentation using various flours, and I’m really excited about some of the results! They’re still in the tweaking stages, but I hope to be able to share more completed experiments soon.
As always, check out the Notes section of the recipe for extra info. Check out the links in and below the recipe to see the products I use and recommend. Some of the links included in the recipe and blog post are affiliate links, which means that if you make purchases through these links, I make a small commission to help defray the costs of running this blog (at no extra charge to you). Thanks for your help!
You may also enjoy:
- Starting THM
- my recipe index
- my recipes grouped by fuel type, allergy info, and theme
- all my breakfast recipes
- Breads & Muffins picture recipe index
Need a gluten-free waffle option? Click here for my 5 Ingredient Waffles & Pancakes recipe! It’s gotten great reviews over the years. You can also find it in Necessary Food at the beginning of the Breakfast section.
- 2 c. whole wheat flour
- 1 T. baking powder
- 1 tsp. instant yeast
- ½ tsp. THM Super Sweet Blend
- ½ tsp. salt
- -
- 1¼ c. unsweetened almond milk
- 1 c. hot tap water
- ½ c. egg whites (I recommend using carton pasteurized egg whites to cut down on the chance of bacteria breeding in your waffle batter)
- 1 T. butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp. honey
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a large plastic mixing bowl (use one that has an airtight lid, like a Tupperware bowl). Add the wet ingredients and mix again. Let the bowl set out on the counter until you can see that the yeast is active and the mixture is rising. Cover the bowl with the lid, seal it, and refrigerate the batter for 3 days. (Keep an eye on the lid and reseal it if necessary. The gases released by the fermentation create pressure and unseal the lid.)
- After 3 days of cold fermentation, give the batter a brisk stir to reincorporate the top layer and bake the batter in a greased waffle iron. (Amount of batter will vary depending on the waffle iron. Mine uses a rounded ⅓ cup.) You may need to bake the waffles a little longer than normal waffles to get a crispy exterior.
- I like to enjoy my waffles with peanut butter made from defatted peanut flour and sugar-free maple syrup. (Check out pg. 416 of Necessary Food for a recipe.)
- Store leftover waffles in the fridge or freezer and reheat in a toaster.
I have not tried keeping this batter for more than 3 days, but I don't recommend keeping it around much longer than that because the fermented flavor will get stronger.
The tablespoon of butter or coconut oil used in this recipe stays well within THM:E guidelines.
You can try making this batter as pancakes, but I prefer it as waffles because the texture just fits better. If you make this batter as pancakes, spread it out fairly thin so the pancakes aren't thick and gummy.
Suggested products:
- Instant Yeast
- THM Super Sweet Blend (or substitute your favorite sweetener using this sweetener conversion chart)
- Defatted Peanut Flour (Amazon) – ProteinPlus has the best taste of any defatted peanut flour I’ve tried. I mix it with some water, sweetener, and salt to make my own low-fat peanut butter.
- Defatted Peanut Flour (Netrition)
I mixed up the batter and let it sit out for an hour and it didn’t seem like it puffed up to me. Is it still ok to ferment in the fridge and make, or should I dump it? My yeast says it doesn’t expire for another year…
I would leave it out a little longer and see if it rises at all. Even if it doesn’t I would personally just use it so as not to waste it….
Can I make this recipe, skipping the 3 day fermentation and just use sprouted wheat flour?
This is specifically formulated for the fermentation time, so I’d find another recipe if you want to use sprouted flour.
I have a question about the container to hold the batter. I’ve been researching Gwen’s Easy Bread too, and you lovely ladies give opposite advice for fermenting the batter. I’m new to all of this, am not an experienced baker, and am a little confused. For your waffles, you say, “Cover the bowl with the lid, seal it, and refrigerate the batter for 3 days. (Keep an eye on the lid and reseal it if necessary. The gases released by the fermentation create pressure and unseal the lid.)” For Gwen’s easy bread, she says, “When I first started making this kind of bread, I just used a bowl with plastic wrap or lid, and then switched to a non-holey plastic tub that my salad mix came in. You can also use a big plastic storage container, just make sure not to seal the lid so the gasses can escape.” Can you help me understand? Is it because one is bread and one is waffles?
I’m not sure that one is right and one is wrong, just what we’ve found to personally work best. I didn’t want the batter to dry out in the fridge.
What amounts do you use to make your “peanut butter “
Sorry – I just eyeball it! I hope to post a recipe eventually. There’s a recipe for Peanut Junkie Butter in one of the THM cookbooks that uses defatted peanut flour.
I have made these half a dozen times and they are fabulous. They key is to let them in the waffle maker longer than regular waffles. They crisp up and are wonderful.
Want to make these and don’t have instant yeast. How would I use regular or can i?
Regular yeast should be fine. Just leave the waffle batter on the counter until you can tell the yeast is working, then put the sealed container of waffle batter in the fridge. 🙂 I use instant yeast so I don’t have to leave ingredients like egg whites out at room temperature for longer than necessary.
Fabulous reheated in the air fryer!!
On day one my husband was so sad. He got all excited that the batter was finally ready and I could see a gleam in his eye when I pulled out the waffle iron. But our waffles were soft and it tasted like we were eating wheat bread.
Fast forward to day two…popped these sad limp waffles in the air fryer for five minutes, and WOW! Perfectly soft in the center, perfectly brown and crisp on the outside. An absolute delight! Perfect paired with some yogurt and berries, or some Allfruit. We will be making these again…with the air fryer as step two in the cooking process.
Ps…I was a failure at tapping the stars on my phone. This recipe deserves four stars.
Thanks for the tip, Barbara! I’m not sure why yours weren’t crispy like mine were, but the air fryer is a great back-up plan! Leftovers will definitely get soft in the fridge, so that’s a great reheating option. (A toaster, oven, or frying pan work for me as well for people who don’t have air fryers.) I haven’t noticed them tasting especially “wheaty” either, but maybe you’d like to try white whole wheat flour in place of the wheat flour. I just got some from Target (King Arthur Flour produces it) and it has the same nutritional info as regular wheat flour but has a lighter color and taste. 🙂
So excited got the new cookbook for Christmas. Trying this recipe first but curious as to how long this batter sits out on the counter before you can tell if the yeast is activated or not. I used hot tap water but wondering if the egg whites and almond milk cooled it down too much!
Make sure you use instant yeast and just leave it out on the counter until you can tell the batter is puffing up a little. 🙂 It probably shouldn’t take longer than 10-15 minutes for it to start showing signs of yeast activity, but I don’t remember for sure. I wouldn’t leave it out for more than an hour.
I ran out of almond milk, so I added water instead…about half and half…do you think these will still work?
I guess you’ll have to tell me! 😉 I’ve never tried it like that, but if I ran out of almond milk that’s what I would try too.
Maybe I overlooked it, but if I get 7 waffles out of the batter, how many waffles is one serving?
I would stick with one per serving. Maybe an extra half if I’m really hungry. 🙂
I bought a bunch of organic rye flour to make the ‘real’ sour dough bread in the THM book. It was an epic fail. Wonder if I could do half rye half whole wheat in this recipe…to use it up?
I’ve never worked with rye, so I’m afraid I don’t know! If you try it, please let me know how it goes!
Any chance you have been experimenting with a cheater sourdough soft pretzel recipe??i
No I haven’t, but it’s on my list. 🙂
Thank you… Thank you… Thank you! ❤️❤️ I have tried every waffle recipe imaginable since starting THM and been disappointed every time. I had finally decided that I would have to “cheat” whenever I wanted waffles, but this one is great! In answer to a few of the questions posted here… As I was putting away my flour I realized I had used the sprouted wheat instead of the regular wheat. I was crushed and thought it would not work, but decided to wait the three days and see what happened. Well one thing after another, and it turned into four… Or maybe it was five days… I kind of lost track! And they are still good. Maybe a little sour… But still great! I baked them all up last night and I did use a Belgian waffle maker and they came out great. Still made seven. Had them for dinner last night and for lunch today! I am a happy THM-er today!!
Wonderful! I’m so happy you like them! And thank you for reporting how they did with the sprouted flour; that’s good to know!
So glad to finally try the recipe! My batter was too thin after the ferment, I added 2 tbsp oat fiber, then 2 tbsp of oat flour to get a good consistency. They were a little tough right after cooking, but softened up to perfection in less than a minute. I also added some salt, sweetener, and maple flavor.
Briana, I have searched high and low (via google) for a low fat (THM E) sprouted waffle recipe. I’ve seen NONE!! So….I’m wondering if you think that I could use this recipe, ingredients as is, minus the “fermenting”, and use my sprouted flour to make the waffles?
No, I’m afraid I specifically made some changes in this recipe, specifically in the liquids, to make up for the fermentation time, so if you use sprouted wheat flour and don’t ferment the recipe, you’ll probably need to make some changes. 🙂 If you decrease the liquid a little, it may work. I haven’t worked with sprouted flour, so I’m afraid I don’t have any specifics to tell you, but you’re welcome to play around with it.
Why do you say to keep it sealed while it’s in the fridge? Gwen’s Easy Bread specifically says to use an unsealed container… I have zero experience with these so I have no clue if or how sealing would make a difference. Just curious ?
I just don’t like it to dry out. 🙂
These are wonderful. I made a double batch so that i would have some left over to freeze. Today,I took some frozen ones out, thawed them, then toasted them in the toaster. They were great and super crispy! Thank you for the recipe, we’ll be using it a lot.
Could this keep for longer than the three days in the frig?
As I said in the post, I don’t recommend that because the fermented flavor will get stronger the longer it stays in the fridge. 🙂
Hi! Do you think this recipe would work with Spelt flour? I know it is a wheat flour so I am hopeful! I bought a bunch thinking it was sprouted but I misread the label….so looking for ways to use it up! It worked great for Gwens bread recipe.
I’ve never used spelt flour before so I’m afraid I don’t know. If you’ve had good success substituting the two before, I would personally try it as an experiment. 🙂
Thank you! Its in the fridge now so I will let you know in 3 days 🙂
Brianna, can you share how you made that peanut butter look so GOOD on your very first picture?? Is it made with defatted peanut flour? or real peanut butter 🙂 If you could share what you do to make it taste “just right” for the E serving, I am all ears! Thanks, you are amazing! 😉
It’s just defatted peanut flour mixed with some sweetener, salt, and water. 🙂 I just sprinkle the sweetener and salt to taste, then add enough water to get it to the right consistency.
Oh yum, these look so delicious! I’m just a little curious, is wheat (when it’s been fermented) acceptable on the Trim Healthy Mama plan? Thanks for sharing the recipe, I can’t wait to give these a whirl. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed week!
Yes, wheat needs to be sprouted or soured (fermented) in order to be acceptable on the THM plan in an E setting. This goes for a lot of other grains as well. 🙂
YAAAS! Obsessing over these, for real. I’m gonna need the weekend (particularly weekend brunch) to hurry itself up!
Love your recipes! I’m wondering if I could use this recipe for a cheater sourdough bread made in the waffle iron. (I make the thm panbread in your waffle iron.) Would you suggest I omit the honey, for a less sweetened taste? Or is it a key ingredient here?
I’m not exactly sure what you’re looking for. I advise you to try the recipe as-is to see what it’s like so you know what kind of adjustments to make so it’s what you’re looking for in a panbread recipe. 🙂 The honey is necessary to feed the yeast. It’s such a small amount that it doesn’t add a lot of sweetness. You could omit the Sweet Blend, though.
Can you provide the nutritional values per serving of 1 waffle?
Thank you, Briana!
Hi Brenda! I follow a healthy eating lifestyle called Trim Healthy Mama which focuses on separating ingredients and not having to count, so I usually embrace that and don’t calculate the nutritional info for my recipes. You’re welcome to put the ingredients into something like MyFitnessPal to calculate the nutritional info, and I would consider doing that for you in this case, but I’m afraid I don’t know a mathematical way to calculate the effect of the fermentation on the carbs in the flour so my results wouldn’t be accurate. I’m really not sure what to tell you. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help!
Thank you for your reply, Brianna. I was wondering if/how fermentation makes a difference in the counts. I guess I need to set up an appointment with google to see what I can find. 🙂 IF I find an answer, I will let you know.
That would be great! I’m curious too.
This looks great Briana! I have a Belgian waffle maker so I will have to experiment with how much batter per waffle. Your recipe says 7 waffles – using a regular waffle maker how much batter per waffle? I’ve been considering getting a regular waffle maker. Thank you for blessing us all with your recipes! I’ve got your cookbook and love this blog! Hugs!
Mine uses a rounded 1/3 cup. I’d love to hear your results! So glad you enjoy the recipes!
This is why I read you regularly – love your creativity and your frugality! I cannot bring myself to splurge on sprouted flour so your ferments are perfect! I’ve made both your bread and cinnamon rolls. Keep it up!
So you do actually make these in a *Belgian* waffler? Because I have tried a waffle recipe a time or two and found that they either were too thin or didn’t raise enough or something that made them not work well. I wondered if it was because I have a Belgian waffle maker–I think they are deeper than others, maybe? Anyway…these look great. Must give it a try!
No, mine isn’t a Belgian waffle maker; I just used that as a descriptive term referring to regular waffles. However, it could confuse people so I’ve removed it. Thanks for pointing that out! I’m not sure if these would work as Belgian waffles or not. I’m guessing they would if you use enough batter (the batter for these doesn’t rise quite as much as regular waffle batter, so you’ll need a little more), but our Belgian waffle maker stopped working a few months ago so we got rid of it and I can’t experiment. If you try these in the Belgian waffle maker, please let me know the result!
This recipe sounds really interesting.
And just so you know – sourdough starter is really easy to take care of. It isn’t near as finicky or fragile as people make it sound. I can feed mine just before putting it in the fridge and it will still be good when I take it out and refeed it for pancakes or bread a month later.
I think I need some of your sourdough starter. 😛 Maybe someday…
This recipe sounds awesome. It there a way to make it gluten free and still hold UP?
I’m afraid not, but you should try this other recipe! It’s gotten a lot of great reviews over the past couple of years! https://www.briana-thomas.com/5-ingredient-waffles/
Hi Briana,
Does the mixing bowl for this recipe need to be plastic? Or does glass or metal work fine too? I just don’t have a plastic mixing bowl and I have never made anything that needed to be fermented so I was wondering if the material of the mixing bowl mattered. Really itchin’ to make these so I hope what I have is fine. 😋😋
Thanks,
Kelli
Glass would be fine. Metal you have to be a little more careful with, but stainless steel would probably be OK.
Cynthia, I totally agree with you about sourdough starter being so easy to take care of. I’m in love with my sourdough starter, even have it named! LOL. I’ve already let mine go for so long at room temperature, it dried hard. Then I softened it in water, continued feeding it, and it’s as healthy as always. Oh, and I should mention, that was after it had been stored in the fridge for 7 months! I think it’s practically indestructible …