Sweet potato waffles | vegan

How difficult are sweet potato waffles to make?

Very easy indeed! You simply need to:

• make or defrost your sweet potato purée
• preheat your waffle iron*
• whisk all the ingredients together
• pour the mixture into your waffle iron* and cook.

What should you serve with sweet potato waffles?

You can use your favourite pancakes toppings with these sweet potato waffles. Here are some of our favourites

Sweet waffle toppings:

• fresh berries eg raspberries, blueberries or strawberries
• peanut butter or other nut butters
• berry compote
• maple syrup
• cinnamon syrup
• chia jam
• coconut yoghurt

Savoury waffle toppings:

• spicy chickpeas
• sauteéd spinach and mushrooms
• baked beans
• grated cheese
• fried tomatoes

Can you freeze waffles?

Yes. I often make too many waffles on purpose and freeze some. They're great for busy mornings when you need a change from cereal, toast or porridge.

To freeze your sweet potato waffles allow them to cool completely (ideally on a wire rack).

Freeze on a plate or tray for one hour (this is to stop them from sticking together) then transfer to a freezer box or bag.

Alternatively you can freeze straight into a box or bag with a piece of non stick baking paper* between each one.

Whichever method you choose don't forget to label it with the name and date. It's surprisingly hard to remember what you put in the freezer a few months down the line. (For example, we recently discovered that frozen pizza dough looks a lot like frozen gingerbread.)

Can you put waffles in the toaster?

Yes - I often reheat my waffles in the toaster.

In fact, this is a good idea with these sweet potato waffles in particular. Because of the extra moisture from the sweet potatoes they go softer quicker than other waffles I’ve made. 

They are perfectly crispy straight from the waffle iron but once they’ve cooled down a bit they start to soften. A quick blast in the toaster crisps up the outsides again.

You can also reheat frozen waffles this way. However, you may need to toast them twice to be sure that the centre has defrosted fully. Keep an eye on them to ensure that the outside doesn’t become overdone.

What about the microwave? 

While you can reheat your waffles in the microwave I wouldn’t recommend it. They will be a bit soggy. The toaster is a much better bet.

What is the difference between waffle batter and pancake batter?

There is actually very little difference between waffle batter and pancake batter. Waffle batter usually contains a bit less liquid, making it a bit thicker.

Why aren’t my waffles crispy?

As detailed above the extra moisture content from the sweet potato makes it trickier to keep these waffles tricky.

I find that I need to cook them for longer than regular waffles and then eat them immediately, to ensure they stay crispy.

What ingredients do you need?

For full recipe, ingredients and quantities go to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

These sweet potato waffles don't contain any eggs or dairy, making them suitable for vegans. You will need:

• 400 ml oat milk or other plant based milk
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (lemon juice or white wine vinegar will also do) 
• 200g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
•  ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 150 g sweet potato purée
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (omit if making savoury version)

How do you make sweet potato purée?

There are several ways you can make sweet potato purée.

I usually peel and dice my sweet potatoes and then steam* them until soft. I then blend them using a hand held stick blender.* Using a handheld blender means that I don’t have to faff around scraping the purée out of the bottom of the blender.

You could also boil them before blending if you don't have a steamer*.

Another method is to bake a whole sweet potato until very soft. Allow to cool enough so that you can touch your baked sweet potato, cut open and scrape out the cooked flesh. Discard the skin.

Read more about how to make sweet potato purée.

Do you need any special equipment to make sweet potato waffles?

You will need a blender* or hand held stick blender* to make the sweet potato purée.

Other than that you will need:

• a mixing bowl*
• a whisk*
• measuring jug*
• measuring spoons*
• and of course, a waffle iron*.

Waffle maker tips

I have an electric waffle maker*. You can also use a stovetop waffle maker but these tips come from my own experience with my electric one.

• Pre-heat your waffle maker up in advance - make sure it's nice and hot before you add your batter.
• Brush the sides with a little oil. You don't need a lot, just enough to prevent your waffles from sticking.
• Don't overfill it - just add a little batter at a time. If you overfill it it'll spill out and be a nightmare to clean up.
• If your waffles have a lot of moisture - like these sweet potato ones - cook them for a bit longer.

More vegan waffle recipes you might like 

• Pumpkin waffles
• Chocolate waffles
• Free from waffles
• Norwegian waffles
• Vegan waffles