These Apple Cinnamon Waffles are made with grated apples, which give the waffles lots of flavor and make them extra fluffy on the inside. They're also topped with the best caramelized apples and smell like fall on a plate! They're freezer-friendly, really easy to make, and gluten-free!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Light and fluffy - These waffles are extra soft and pillowy thanks to buttermilk and grated apples in the batter, while the outside stays crispy. You'll love these on cold fall and winter mornings. They're comforting, not overly sweet, and they'll make your house smell amazing!
Double spice, double the apples - The batter is made with both cinnamon and apple pie spice. This makes the waffles smell and taste incredible and so similar to apple pie. They have grated apples in them, which kind of melt into the batter as the waffles cook. To double up on that flavor, you can also top them with delicious Caramelized Apples with all the same flavors!
Easy to make and freezer-friendly - These waffles are super simple, and you can easily make a double or even triple batch if you're meal prepping or just getting ready for a busy season. They freeze really well and reheat beautifully. They're just as crispy reheated as when they were fresh, if not more!
Ingredients
- Flour - You can use regular all-purpose flour for these waffles. That being said, I actually always make my recipes gluten-free using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour. It's my go-to and it works in all my recipes!
- Eggs - Look for large eggs for the best consistency. I haven't tried any vegan substitutes here, but if you do, I'd love to hear from you in the comments!
- Buttermilk - I've been making all my pancakes and waffles with buttermilk instead of regular milk, and it's such a game changer! It makes them so light and fluffy. There are tips for homemade buttermilk with regular or non-dairy milk in the recipe card.
- Maple syrup - The batter is sweetened with a touch of maple syrup just to balance the flavors since they're topped with caramelized apples or maple syrup.
- Butter - Melted butter helps to make the waffles crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. You can use vegetable oil if you prefer. I do use oil for cooking the waffles because butter burns too easily.
- Apples - You'll need both grated apples and diced apples. Grated apples are for the batter, and diced apples are for the topping. There's no need to peel them. The variety you use is really up to you. I recommend any firm apples, like Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, or even Granny Smith apples (although those are usually too sour for me).
- Flavorings and spices - The recipe calls for vanilla extract, apple pie spice, and cinnamon. I recommend both spices to really boost the flavor, but you can use either if you don't have both (don't add more than the recipe calls for).
- Tapioca starch - A little bit of tapioca or cornstarch thickens the sauce of the caramelized apples.
Variations and Substitutions
- Pears - If you want to change things up, make these waffles with grated pears instead!
- Chocolate chips - Add in a small handful of dark chocolate chips for more sweetness and chocolatey flavor.
- Make it dairy-free - Use vegan butter and homemade buttermilk made with almond milk or cashew milk and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to make the waffles dairy-free.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Apple Cinnamon Waffles
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and apple pie spice. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, melted unsalted butter, and fine sea salt.
- Pour in buttermilk and whisk again to mix.
- Add the dry ingredients in two batches and gently whisk and fold in until just combined.
- Use a box grater to grate your apples and fold them into the batter. Be careful not to overmix the batter. I like to switch to a spoon here to make that easier.
- Heat up your waffle maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Brush or spray the waffle maker with cooking oil and spoon in the batter to make waffles. I do about ¼-⅓ cup of batter per waffle, but this will depend on the size of your waffle maker.
- Cook the waffles for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. The cooking time will depend on how hot your waffle maker is as well.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more oil as needed. Don't stack your cooked waffles to avoid them getting soggy. See below (and in the recipe card) how to keep the waffles warm.
Caramelized Apples
- Add diced apples, unsalted butter, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, apple pie spice, vanilla extract, and fine sea salt to a medium pan.
- Bring the mixture to a soft simmer over medium heat, stirring to mix everything.
- Cook the apples for 5-7 minutes until they're soft and the sauce caramelizes.
- Mix tapioca starch with water in a small bowl and pour it into the pan. Stir immediately to avoid clumps. Cook for another minute until the sauce thickens.
- Spoon the apples over your waffles and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks!
- Keep your waffles warm: If you want to keep your waffles warm, preheat your oven to 200°F and keep the waffles in there on a baking sheet in a single layer while you finish cooking the rest of the batter. If you want to take it a step further, use a baking sheet with a wire rack to keep the waffles crispy on both sides.
Serving Suggestions
Breakfast and brunch: The waffles in the recipe are served with these Caramelized Apples, but you can serve them simply with just maple syrup or add more fruit like berries or swap the apples for caramelized pears! I also like adding yogurt (Greek yogurt or a good vegan coconut yogurt), almond butter, or peanut butter.
Dessert: You could also serve these as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or this Apple Brown Sugar Syrup!
Storing and Reheating
You can easily make these waffles ahead because they reheat really well and they're freezer-friendly! I like to make a big batch and store them in the freezer for busy mornings.
Refrigerator: Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Wait for them to cool down completely before storing them to avoid condensation and the waffles getting soggy.
Freezer: You can also store the waffles in the freezer in a freezer-safe container or a freezer bag for 3-5 months. You can place a piece of parchment paper between the waffles to prevent them from sticking to each other if you're stacking them.
Reheating: I recommend reheating the waffles in the oven for the best texture. Preheat it to 300°F and reheat the waffles on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes. They'll need longer if you're reheating them from frozen. You can also defrost them in the fridge or at room temperature first. Alternatively, you can use the toaster, but they might burn on the inside. The microwave might make them soggy.
FAQs
You probably can, but I haven't tested this, so I can't give you exact measurements, but a whole cup of apple sauce would most likely be too much. ½ cup would probably be enough.
More Waffle Recipes
If you want to try other waffle recipes, check out the four recipes linked below! They're all special in their own way and delicious! To see all the latest ones, head over to Pancakes and Waffles! I also have a reader favorite recipe for Apple Ring Pancakes, which is basically a healthier apple fritter in the form of pancakes!
- Apple Butter Waffles (similar to these but with apple butter instead of grated apple and no buttermilk)
- Banana Blueberry Waffles (no buttermilk and they can be made dairy-free)
- Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Waffles
- Matcha Waffles (also made with buttermilk)
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Have you tried these Apple Cinnamon Waffles? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Hungry for more? Grab my free Smoothie Recipes e-book, and don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram to always stay in the loop!
Print📖 Recipe
Apple Cinnamon Waffles
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3-5 (10 waffles)
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Waffle maker
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Apple Cinnamon Waffles have grated apples hidden in the batter, and they're topped with the best caramelized apples. They're freezer-friendly, really easy to make, and gluten-free!
Ingredients
Apple Cinnamon Waffles
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp apple pie spice
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp melted unsalted butter
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 cups buttermilk (see notes for homemade buttermilk)
- 1 cup lightly packed grated apple (1 ½ apples)
- Cooking oil (for cooking the waffles)
Caramelized Apples
- 2 apples, diced
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp apple pie spice (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch fine sea salt
- ½ tsp tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 1 tsp water
Instructions
Apple Cinnamon Waffles
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and apple pie spice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, melted unsalted butter, and fine sea salt.
- Pour in buttermilk and whisk again to mix.
- Add the dry ingredients in two batches and gently whisk and fold in until just combined.
- Use a box grater to grate your apples and fold them into the batter. I like to switch to a spoon here. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
- Heat up your waffle maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Brush or spray the waffle maker with cooking oil and spoon in the batter to make waffles. I do about ¼-⅓ cup of batter per waffle, but this will depend on the size of your waffle maker.
- Cook the waffles for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter. See notes for how to keep the waffles warm.
Caramelized Apples
- Add diced apples, unsalted butter, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, apple pie spice, vanilla extract, and fine sea salt to a medium pan.
- Bring the mixture to a soft simmer over medium heat, stirring to mix everything.
- Cook the apples for 5-7 minutes until they're soft and the sauce caramelizes.
- Mix tapioca starch with water in a small bowl and pour it into the pan. Stir immediately to avoid it clumping up. Continue simmering for a minute or so until the sauce thickens.
- Take the pan off the heat and serve the waffles with the warm apples and other toppings. Enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
Keep your waffles warm: Preheat your oven to 200°F and keep the waffles in a single layer on a baking sheet while you finish cooking the rest of the batter. You can place them on an oven-safe wire rack to keep them crispy on both sides. Avoid stacking them because they will steam and become soggy.
Storing: Store the waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 4-5 months.
Reheating: Reheat the waffles in a preheated oven at 300°F for 5-10 minutes or longer if you’re reheating them from frozen. You can also reheat them in a toaster.
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