These chocolate waffles have wonderfully crispy edges with a soft fluffy middle. They’re topped with a simple yet decadent peanut butter sauce for a decadent but wholesome breakfast.
I’m a waffles > pancakes person (that doesn’t mean I don’t love pancakes though) if forced to choose and the waffle iron is one of those uni-appliances that will forever hold a spot in my kitchen cabinets.
Combine that with fact that this recipe encourages you to enjoy chocolate for breakfast and I’m not sure there’s a better way to start the day. I thought chocolate baked oats were as good as it gets (they taste like cake) but these chocolate waffles might one-up them both for their texture (crispy edges and soft middles are my jam) and the drool-worthy peanut butter sauce they’re served with.
Why you’ll want to make this recipe
- Did we mention chocolate? Yes, chocolate for breakfast and in a way that’s actually healthy and wholesome.
- These waffles make a great weekend breakfast that you can batch make and enjoy all week long.
- Kids will love them, parents will feel good about feeding these to them.
- The peanut butter drizzle makes these fun, special and decadent.
- Wholesome, healthy and gluten-free ingredients that don’t rely on processed sugar to taste great.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need
Waffle recipes are typically broken down into dry ingredients and wet ingredients.
Dry ingredients:
- Almond flour
- Tapioca flour — also called tapioca starch, arrowroot starch can be substituted
- Coconut flour
- Unsweetened (raw) cacao powder
- Baking powder
- Salt
Wet ingredients:
- Eggs
- Milk — we use almond milk in this recipe but any kind of milk can be swapped
- Maple syrup or honey
- Melted butter or coconut oil
- Vanilla extract
- Apple cider vinegar
This chocolate waffle recipe is finished with a crazy simple and delicious peanut butter sauce that’s drizzled on top before serving. Here’s what you’ll need for that:
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Creamy natural peanut butter
- Maple syrup
- Milk
If you don’t want to make the peanut butter sauce for the waffles, try this vanilla macadamia nut butter instead. It’s got the decadent drippy thing going on too that’s equally delicious with the chocolate waffles.
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tips
The full recipe can be found below, but here are some of our helpful tips to get the best tasting chocolate waffles:
- Use the batter immediately after mixing, otherwise if it stands too long the coconut flour will continue to absorb the liquid. If this happens, just thin out with more milk as needed. It should be a thick batter but pourable.
- Don’t overfill the waffle iron! I like to fill it no more than 3/4 full when pouring or scooping batter onto it to avoid a mess.
- The best way to reheat leftover waffles is in a toaster oven.
The best toppings
Part of the joy of any pancake or waffle breakfast is the toppings. The best part about this chocolate waffle recipe is that the base is a healthier, wholesome take on something that could otherwise be considered dessert for breakfast.
With that in mind, you can either go full-out and drizzle with our peanut butter sauce, melted chocolate, chocolate chips, fresh fruit and whipped cream — this reminds me of our monthly Perkins’ breakfast after church on Sunday as a family growing up!
Or, you can reign things in, enjoy the subtle chocolate flavor of the waffle and stick to more adult choices like nuts, berries and hemp seeds.
My favorite way to make a fruit topping seem more luxurious than it really is involves using frozen blueberries and warming them through on the stove with a little cornstarch slurry. You can see that on top of these cassava pancakes. It’s got major pancake-house vibes!
What to do with leftovers
If you’re batch cooking these chocolate waffles, the best way to save leftovers is to freeze them. Let the waffles cool completely then place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze until the waffles are frozen solid then transfer to a freezer-safe bag.
Reheat frozen waffles in a toaster or toaster oven until warmed through.
Here are more waffle recipes to try:
Gingerbread waffles are our favorite holiday waffle. With warming spices and crispy texture, all they need is some powdered sugar and a drizzle of syrup.
If you’re looking for something more unique, these chestnut flour waffles will fit the bill. Chestnut flour has a wonderful nutty flavor and it’s a fun alternative to using almond flour in baked goods. If you can find some, give this recipe a try!
Our sweet potato waffles have been around for some time now and it’s a great recipe. In fact, I’d probably pick this recipe as my overall favorite in the waffle category. They’re incredibly fluffy and so flavorful. The spices are incredibly aromatic in this recipe and if you love all things fall, skip the pumpkin and make this waffle recipe.
Lastly, our oatmeal waffles are a classic. Popping with fresh blueberries, these waffles are more in line with the standard breakfast recipe we all know and crave. They’re healthy, delicious and stand the test of time.
Chocolate Waffles
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch or arrowroot powder
- 3 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1/3 cup raw cacao powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 + 1/4 cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoon melted butter or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Peanut Butter Sauce
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon creamy natural peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1-2 tablespoon milk or almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat the waffle iron.
- Add all the dry ingredients (almond flour, tapioca starch, coconut flour, raw cacao, baking powder and salt) to a mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (eggs, almond milk, maple or honey, butter/oil, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar).
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together until combined. Use immediately. If you leave the batter to stand for too long add a touch more almond milk. It should be thick but spoonable.
- Lightly spray your waffle iron with cooking oil. Cook waffles in the preheated waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The batter will fluff up a bit while cooking, so try not to overfill the waffle iron.
- The waffles will firm up as they cool so try not to overcook, they should be a little soft. A good tip for getting them out is to open the lid, leave it open for 5 – 10 seconds to cool a bit then lift out with a fork and transfer to a cooling rack to firm up.
- Add the sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Adjust the thinness with milk to taste.
- Top the waffles with the peanut butter sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
The recipe sounds great but one question please…i do not own a waffle iron….can this batter mix be used to make pancakes instead? and if not, what substitutions would i need to make…..than you in advance for your reply.
I have not tried this as pancakes. Let me know if you do and how it turns out.
can i sub all purpose flour for the 3? Looks beautiful but don’t have those flours and I really want to make these
I haven’t tried it that way but it probably would work. Please let me know how it turns out if you give it a shot!
so my kids are going to crown me queen of breakfast when I make these for them this weekend
Seriously…I think I have died and gone to heaven with these Chocolate Waffles! They are amazing!