Introduction to Keto Waffles
This traditional waffles recipe is nothing like the eggy “keto waffles” you’ve had in the past. These are thick, fluffy, and perfect with a sugar-free maple drizzle!
Are Waffles Keto?
Typical waffles are NOT keto! A normal Belgian style waffle has 360 calories, 15 grams of fat, 47 grams of carbs, 45 grams of net carbs, and 8 grams of protein. This is including 11 grams of pure cane sugar. The typical ingredients for this style of waffle are white flour, sugar, vegetable oil, and milk. These are high inflammation ingredients that are not okay on a keto diet.
Our Keto Waffles
While normal waffles may not be keto, these low-carb waffles really satisfy that breakfast craving. Instead of sugar, we use a little bit of erythritol, a sugar alcohol that’s low in net carbs. Then we’ve replaced the flour with xanthan gum, almond flour, and coconut flour to make a fluffy gluten-free flour blend. Our low-carb waffles clock in at only 4.7 net carbs, 10.7 total carbs, 36.7 grams of fat, and a whopping 14.8 grams of protein!
Almond Flour Waffles
Like we said above, normal waffles need white all-purpose flour. This is definitely not keto, so we needed to find a tasty sub that would still make light and fluffy waffles. The best keto waffles use a blend of a few flours with a base of almond flour. It ensures the gluten-free keto waffles are not dense and bready. For this waffle recipe, we used a blend of almond flour, coconut flour, and xanthan gum.
Almond flour is the main bulking agent of our blend. Almonds are high in fat and magnesium, an electrolyte that’s super important on a keto diet. Deficiencies in magnesium have also been linked to insulin resistance. It’s possible that consuming this blood sugar blunting food can be helpful on a low-carb diet. Coconut flour also works well with almond flour to thicken the batter, so you don’t need as much. Finally, coconut flour is nut-free, so you don’t have to worry about eating a cup of almond flour in one waffle.
What’s Xanthan Gum?
Xanthan gum is a low-carb thickener that is commonly used in keto sauces and milks. Similar to cornstarch, this ingredient works with heat to thicken and emulsify liquids. In the case of this recipe, it keeps the ingredients in the waffle together, so you don’t have a crumbly keto waffle. Xanthan gum also helps to create a light and fluffy texture similar to gluten. While it is technically optional, if you want a delicious light waffle recipe, you’ll need to use a little xanthan gum.
Are These Waffles Paleo?
These waffles are paleo, depending on how you look at it. All the dairy-based ingredients like butter and cream cheese can be subbed for low-carb dairy-free alternatives. The erythritol can also be subbed for stevia or coconut sugar. The original recipe technically isn’t paleo, but can be easily adapted to create delicious paleo waffles.
Making Dairy-Free Keto Waffles
As mentioned above, these waffles can be made paleo with a few subs, some of those being dairy. There are two dairy-based ingredients in this recipe, butter and cream cheese. Simply swap the butter for coconut oil and the cream cheese for coconut cream (the thick part of a can) or dairy-free cream cheese. Dairy-free cream cheese will work best, but if you can’t find any paleo-approved versions, you can used coconut cream.
How to Make Crispy Waffles
There are a few tips to make these waffles extra crispy, but overall, they are pretty crispy on the outside already. Some of the best tips:
- Add a little peanut butter or almond butter to the batter (about a tablespoon)
- Beat the egg whites: This is a little more involved than the other steps, but it really helps to make a light, fluffy, and crispy waffle. Simply mix together the wet ingredients as the recipe says, but only the egg yolks. Set the whites aside in another bowl. Whip the whites to stiff peaks, checking by lifting the hand mixer and seeing if the whites stay up. Once they are stiff peaks, add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. Finally, fold in the egg whites 1/2 at a time until the batter is smooth and combined.
- Leave the keto waffles in the waffle iron: By cooking the low-carb waffles and then turning off the heat, you allow the finished waffles to dry out and crisp a bit more.
Keto Waffle Toppings & Mix-ins
The great thing about waffles is all their pockets. The pockets make a great vessel to shove in as much butter and syrup as your heart desires. Want even deeper pockets? Buy a waffle maker that’s for a Belgian waffle. It’s deeper than a normal waffle iron, so you have more room to fill it with toppings. There is a variety of options for waffle toppings and fillings, but here are some of our favorites:
Can I Have Maple Syrup on Keto?
You can not have traditional maple syrup on keto. Per 1/4 c, there are 200 calories, 53 grams of carbs, and 53 grams of sugar! There are tons of other sugar-free maple syrup options out there though that make eating keto a breeze. While you can use sugar-free syrup that’s 0 calories from Walmart, there are better options out there. Most cheap store brand 0-calorie syrups use maltitol, aspartame, and sucralose. Try a healthier sugar-free low-carb syrup made with monk fruit like the one from Birch Benders. Or use one made of erythritol and stevia like this one from Lakanto. Both of these options are sugar-free and keto-friendly.
What to Make With Keto Waffles
Have extra waffles and don’t know what to do with them? We’ve got you covered! If you want a low-carb waffle meal idea, check out how you can upgrade breakfast below:
- Waffle Sandwiches: This low-carb waffle sandwich idea makes for a great recipe because it’s super customizable. You can use eggs, cheese, and bacon, or be extra bold and try ham, raspberry jam, and brie cheese. The best keto waffle sandwich is whatever your favorite flavor combinations are.
- Waffle French Toast: I know this sounds a little strange, but to start, cook up some of our fluffy waffles. Then, in a bowl, mix some egg whites, cinnamon, and stevia. Dip the waffles into the egg white mixture and then place onto a hot skillet with coconut oil or butter. Cook both sides for 2-3 minutes and serve with whipped cream and berries.
- Birch Benders Breakfast Sandwiches: Decided to take the pre-made route? That’s okay too! Follow along with our Birch Benders waffle sandwich recipe to make a tasty breakfast bite that’s packed with flavor.
How to Make Keto Waffles
If you have a hankering for low-carb waffles, these almond flour waffles are sure to do the trick. Get together your ingredients and let’s get started!
Equipment
To make waffles, you pretty much only need one piece of equipment, and that’s a waffle maker. There are tons of options on the market from a traditional waffle iron to a Belgian style, and even a mini waffle maker. The waffle iron you use is up to you, but it is the only piece of equipment you actually need to make this recipe.
Ingredients
This keto waffles recipe uses a dry mixture and a wet mixture to create the perfect batter. We started with a dry mixture first to make sure the baking powder wouldn’t activate early from moisture. For this dry mixture, you will need finely milled almond flour and coconut flour. These will be the base flours to help with the ideal light and fluffy texture. We find a combination of two flour types makes the best low-carb waffles, so don’t skip on the tablespoon of coconut flour! Next, you’ll need granular erythritol for a little sweetness, and xanthan gum to get that stretchy gluten-like texture that’s in a traditional waffles recipe. Finally, for the dry ingredients, you’ll need a pinch of pink salt to bring out the sweetness and baking powder for rise.
The wet ingredients for this waffles recipe are much simpler, requiring just 4 ingredients. You’ll need melted butter; we love grass-fed butter for its rich flavor, room temperature cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Making Keto Waffles
Preheat your waffle iron to around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. To make your keto waffles recipe, start by mixing together the dry ingredients. You can sift the almond flour, but simply mixing it well to ensure that there are no clumps works just as well. Make sure the baking powder is evenly distributed, so there is no chance of an uneven rise.
Now, in a separate bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients. This is your eggs, butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. If your butter and cream cheese are coming from the fridge, microwave them for 15-20 seconds to soften. The batter should be uniform and fairly easy to mix if everything is softened.
Now, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. You can do this half at a time, but we just added it all in at once.
Whisk everything together until it is well combined and mostly clump-free. A few
