Our family loves easing into our weekend with a fresh batch of waffles. While my husband and I have been making a variety of waffles together for the past 10 years (with these whole wheat Greek yogurt waffles being one of our original favorites), their appearance on our table has become pretty much bi-weekly since our daughter could start asking for what she wanted to have for breakfast! These lower calorie and lower fat whole wheat waffles with applesauce are a personal favorite, and my family always devours these when they’re on the table too! Our easy to follow directions and step-by-step photos will help you whip up a delicious batch of waffles in no time.
Because we enjoy these applesauce waffles so much, I almost always make a double batch so we can freeze some for busy days (see the Pro Tip under ‘How to Store and Reheat Waffles’ section for more info).
Plus, with their apple cinnamon flavor profile, these applesauce waffles (along with our pecan pumpkin waffles) are a great choice for a fun fall breakfast!
You’ll find we love baking with applesauce! It’s a great way to add moisture and natural sweetness to baked good and keeps the calories and fat down too. Try using more of the unsweetened applesauce you buy for this recipe in our healthy zucchini muffins recipe and our wheat germ muffins recipe too!
Jump to:
- Why you’ll love this Whole Wheat Waffle Recipe!
- Whole Wheat Waffles Recipe Ingredients
- How To Make Whole Wheat Waffles With Applesauce
- Whole Wheat Waffles Recipe Variations
- Topping Ideas for Applesauce Waffles
- How To Store Applesauce Waffles
- Whole Wheat Waffle Recipe FAQs
- More Recipes To Try
- Applesauce Waffles
Why you’ll love this Whole Wheat Waffle Recipe!
Made with simple pantry staple ingredients. No fancy ingredients needed for this delicious applesauce waffle recipe!
Wonderful flavor: This applesauce waffles recipe has a nice apple-cinnamon flavor thanks to the use of unsweetened applesauce and ground cinnamon in the batter. Apple cinnamon waffles are great year round, and especially great in the fall with fresh-made applesauce!
Ready to eat in 30 minutes. It will take you about 5 minutes to mix up your waffle batter, but cook time can vary based on the size of the waffle maker you have. If you allow yourself 30 minutes from start-to-finish, you should be covered!
Whole Wheat Waffles Recipe Ingredients
- Salted butter. I grew up using salted butter in baking, and still do to this day. If you’d prefer to use unsalted butter, just replace it 1-for-1 with the salted butter in the recipe.
- Large eggs. Eggs help to form a stronger structure of bubbles when making waffles, which in turns helps the waffles to hold their shape once they’re cooked. Eggs also help your waffles have the perfect fluffy interior.
- Unsweetened applesauce. Unsweetened applesauce is often acts like a fat would in baking and plays the same role as butter or oil does in baked goods. It helps to keep the flour proteins from mixing completely with the wet ingredients to create a lovely texture. Unsweetened applesauce also contains naturally occurring sugars reducing the amount of other sugars or sweeteners needed in baking recipes.
- Milk of choice. I use 2% or whole dairy milk when making these, but you can use a non-dairy milk if preferred!
- Pure maple syrup. Used to sweeten the waffle batter (in addition to the natural sweetness provided by the applesauce that is also used).
- Whole wheat flour. This waffle recipe uses regular whole wheat flour for the batter, resulting in waffles with a higher fiber content! Whole wheat flour also contains a greater variety of vitamins and minerals as compared to its all-purpose flour counterpart.
- Baking powder. We use baking powder as the leavening agent in this waffle recipe to create the perfect texture, resulting in super fluffy waffles.
- Ground cinnamon. Adding cinnamon into waffles is always a nice choice. In combination with the applesauce in this recipe, you end up with an apple cinnamon waffles vibe, which is just a delight.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Helpful Equipment
You will need a waffle maker to make homemade waffles.
- I used this mini waffle maker to make the round waffles shown in this post. This is a great option for those on a budget, people making waffles for one or two, and/or anyone with a small kitchen with minimal storage space.
- For those making waffles for a crowd, this Calphalon 2-Slice Waffle Maker or Breville 4-Slice Waffle maker both get high marks from a variety of sources
How To Make Whole Wheat Waffles With Applesauce
- Preheat waffle iron. Preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Mix together wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, unsweetened applesauce, milk, and maple syrup until all ingredients are well combined.
- Mix in dry ingredients. Slowly whisk in the cinnamon, baking powder, and whole wheat flour until a batter has been formed. (If preferred, you can mix your dry ingredients together in a separate bowl first and then slowly add them in. I like to use just one large mixing bowl and reduce the amount of dishes required).
- Cook the waffles. Using a ⅓ cup measuring cup, scoop waffle batter into the center of the preheated waffle iron, close the lid, and cook per the manufacturer’s instructions until your waffles are golden brown.
- Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months. See ‘How to Store and Reheat Cooked Waffles’ section below for tips!
PRO TIP: Keep cooked waffles warm in the oven while you cook the rest of the batter. Heat your oven to 170-200°F and place finished waffles in a single layer on an oven-safe wire cooling rack on a baking sheet to keep them warm while you cook the rest of your batter. Using a wire rack helps air to circulate all the way around the waffles, keeping them nice and crispy. If you do not have a wire rack, place waffles directly on the cookie sheet. No need to cover your waffles while they are in the oven.
Whole Wheat Waffles Recipe Variations
These delicious applesauce waffles vegetarian as written. You can make these into dairy-free waffles or vegan waffles with a few simple substitutions:
- To make these into dairy-free waffles you will need to use a dairy-free milk like almond milk or oat milk. You will also need to substitute the butter. One option is to swap the butter with a vegan butter in a 1-to-1 ratio. You can also use vegetable oil or canola oil. To do so, use ¾ the amount of butter specified in the recipe (in this recipe, you would use 3 tablespoons of oil).
- Make this into a vegan applesauce waffles by using a non-dairy milk, using vegan butter (or the neutral oil option noted above), and replacing the eggs with flax eggs.
Topping Ideas for Applesauce Waffles
These delicious applesauce waffles are great waffle base for all of your favorite waffles toppings! Some of our favorite waffle toppings for these include:
- Butter and pure maple syrup
- Peanut butter and pure maple syrup (a personal favorite!)
- Nut butter and sliced banana
- Fresh fruit, like strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries
- Whipped cream and fresh berries
- Whipped cream and warm skillet cinnamon apples (what’s shown in the photos)
- Cinnamon apples
- Nutella
- Maple syrup and chocolate chips
How To Store Applesauce Waffles
In the refrigerator: You can store any remaining waffles in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
In the freezer: You can store cooked waffles in the freezer for 2-3 months. Prior to freezing, make sure to cool your waffles completely and then place cooled waffles into a ziplock bag or freezer safe container. Placing a piece of parchment paper between the waffles will help them from sticking together.
How to reheat: Reheat refrigerated or frozen waffles in a toaster, toaster oven, or microwave.
PRO TIP: Make a double batch of waffles to make your life easy on busy mornings! Use the refrigerator or freezer options noted above to store cinnamon apple waffles for another day.
Whole Wheat Waffle Recipe FAQs
Yes! These whole wheat waffles are sweetened with pure maple syrup and unsweetened applesauce. If you are concerned about refined sugars, you’ll just need to confirm your topping selections are in line with your goals too.
Unsweetened applesauce is often acts like a fat would in baking and plays the same role as butter or oil does in baked goods. Applesauce helps to keep the flour proteins from mixing completely with the wet ingredients in a recipe to create a lovely texture (avoiding dense, rubbery textures). Unsweetened applesauce also contains naturally occurring sugars reducing the amount of other sugars or sweeteners needed in baking recipes.
Heat your oven to 170-200°F and place finished waffles in a single layer on an oven-safe wire cooling rack on a baking sheet to keep them warm while you cook the rest of your batter. Using a wire rack helps air to circulate all the way around the waffles, keeping them nice and crispy. Continue to transfer cooked waffles from the waffle maker to the wire rack and store in the warm oven. There is no need to cover your waffles while they are in the oven.
There are a few reasons you may have ended up with soggy waffles:
1. Your waffle iron isn’t hot. Your batter should sizzle when it hits your waffle iron (this shows that your waffle iron is hot). When waffle batter is placed into a hot iron, the outer crust of the waffle begins to set and crisp right away and the moisture in the batter will evaporate out the sides of the waffle iron.
2. You stacked freshly baked waffles onto a plate (no place for moisture to escape). Placing waffles into a single layer on a wire cooling rack and keeping them warm in your oven on low heat helps prevent soggy waffles. See the above FAQ on ‘How to keep waffles warm after cooking?’ for more details.
More Recipes To Try
Applesauce Waffles
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 large eggs
- 1 + ¼ C milk of choice (I use 2% or whole dairy milk)
- ¾ C unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 + ¾ C whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Preheat waffle iron.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, eggs, unsweetened applesauce, milk, and maple syrup until all ingredients are well combined.
- Slowly whisk in cinnamon, baking powder, and whole wheat flour until a batter has been formed.
- Cook the waffles. Using a ⅓ cup measuring cup, scoop waffle batter into the center of the waffle iron, close the lid, and cook per the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.*
Notes
- In the refrigerator: You can store cooked waffles in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
- In the freezer: You can store cooked waffles in the freezer for 2-3 months. Prior to freezing, make sure to cool your waffles completely and then place cooled waffles into a ziplock bag or freezer safe container. Placing a piece of parchment paper between the waffles will help them from sticking together.
- How to reheat: Reheat refrigerated or frozen waffles in a toaster, toaster oven, or in the microwave.
Meredith says
Love this applesauce waffle recipe! Great texture and flavor
Esme Slabbert says
Love this, and I am a HUGE waffle pan, so bookmarked this as I am sure gonna try this but make it GF as well.
Found your post on The Country Cook.
My entries are Keto Almond Cream Cheese Pancakes; German chicken burger and Vegetarian Burger Patties
Hope you will join/share M-Sat at https://esmesalon.com/tag/seniorsalonpitstop/
Adelle White says
Do you ever make them with cinnamon apple sauce?
Meredith says
I haven’t, but I think you definitely could!!
James says
Needs salt kinda bland overall
Meredith says
Hi James, I’m sorry to hear you thought these were kind of bland. Generally waffles are a pretty neutral base so the toppings can shine… I’d be curious to know what you placed on top of them. Did you use salted butter when making these?
David says
These are great waffles! Love the use of applesauce for the sweetener, will definitely be making these again!
ourlovelanguageisfood says
glad to hear you loved these waffles! thank you for making my recipe
Jill says
It is really hard to find a waffle recipe altered to gluten and egg free and still come out crispy. Hands down, this is my new favorite waffle recipe. Not only do the waffles cook up great fresh, reheated they are even better.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
I’m so glad to hear this!! May I ask what you did for your replacements?
Jill says
I used Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer and a gluten free flour (I believe it was cup4cup). Delicious!!!
ourlovelanguageisfood says
Thanks for sharing the information on how you altered this to be gluten free and egg free Jill!!
Jared says
Great recipe, recommend freezing then heating them up in the toaster for the perfect crispy texture and a quick breakfast!
ourlovelanguageisfood says
I’m so glad you like these Jared!! And good call on freezing & toasting – such a great way to have an easy breakfast!