Perfect for a lazy breakfast or as an afternoon treat: These protein-packed, sugar free almond butter waffles are gluten free, paleo and low carb.
Do you know those days when only a waffle will do? A soft, light and fluffy waffle with a gentle crunch on the edges, preferably straight from the waffle maker so it’s still warm? A waffle that fills the kitchen with the most mouthwatering smell of baked deliciousness? When I look out of the window, I can say with 100% certainty that today is a grain free waffles day.
One of my favourite waffle recipes are these low carb waffles, which disappear faster than you can say waffle. These babies come out of the waffle maker, hover in the air for a second and are gobbled up before they even reach a plate.
Friends, low carb waffles have got some serious competition: the almond butter waffle!
Almond butter waffles are the heartier cousin of regular low carb waffles. Purists make almond butter waffles with only almond butter, baking powder and eggs plus a sweetener such as banana or my favourite, erythritol. But I have a hungry teen in the house so that just won’t do.
Have you got any idea how much teenagers eat? They wake up in the morning so starved they can hardly get out of bed. Feeding teens is like throwing food into an abyss.
That’s why my almond butter waffles include coconut flour, which is not only crazy healthy, but adds more substance (read: they are filling!) and turns it into a veritable meal.
Coconut flour is gluten-free, particularly rich in fibre and low in carbohydrates. I love baking with it, though it can take a little to get used to it. Coconut flour absorbs a LOT of liquid.
I have experimented quite a bit with this recipe and finally cracked the ideal ratio of wet and dry ingredients. The result is light, moist and fluffy waffle heaven with a fragrant almond note. Basically, a brilliant lazy breakfast or snack for hungry kids.
These waffles are easily customisable. You could use peanut butter instead of almond butter and experience with spices by adding mixed spice (AKA pumpkin spice in the US) or cinnamon for a more festive flavour. If you prefer to make your own baking powder (most store bought varieties contain aluminium and corn – read this article on All Natural Ideas about how to make your own).
In terms of toppings, I am a purist – I have just dusted my stack with Sukrin Icing sugar. Feel free to enjoy your waffles with creme fraiche or whipped cream, a sugar free caramel sauce or some berries.
Oh, and if you do not have a waffle maker, you can use the dough to make pancakes instead.
My recipe makes six waffles. Should your house be teen-less, you’ll be glad to know that almond butter waffles keep well in the fridge. Just toast them gently or warm them up in the microwave the next day.
If you’ve got a teen, just bring’em on and watch’em go.
Almond Butter Waffles (grain free)
Ingredients
- 5 eggs separated
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp granulated sweetener (coconut sugar for Paleo)
- 5 tbsp almond milk or milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 60 g / 1/4 cup butter, unsalted and melted (use coconut oil for paleo)
- 60 g / 1/4 cup smooth almond butter
- to dust: powdered sweetener
Instructions
- Separate your eggs. Start by whisking the egg whites until they are firm and form stiff peaks. You have to use a clean, non-greasy bowl for this and be a bit patient.
- In a second bowl, mix all the other ingredients until the batter is nice and smooth.
- Gently fold spoons of the whisked egg whites into the batter. Try to keep as much of the air and fluffiness as possible.
- Let the batter sit for a few minutes because of the coconut flour.
- Don't forget to grease your waffle maker before you get going. Grain free waffles have a more delicate consistency than wheat waffles, so take care when removing them.
- Bake your waffles until nice and golden. With a waffle maker that makes heart shaped waffles, you should be able to make 6 fine specimen.
Recipe Notes
I love my heart shaped waffle maker because it makes the waffles thin and crispy, which is how I like them best. You can make them with a square waffle iron as shown in the video - that way they will be thicker and softer.
Victoria Daskalos says
can you add pumpkin for pumpkin spice waffles?
Katrin says
That sounds like a great idea!!!!
Staci says
Hiya, I wondered if you used large or medium sized eggs?
Katrin says
Hi Staci, most of the time I get my eggs from the farmer and they’re mixed. This recipe has been made by many people now, and I think we can safely say that both medium and large work. The only thing I’d suggest would be that if you dislike tasting egg (some people do) AND you’re using large eggs, you could try use 1 egg yolk less. I hope that helps!
Lisa says
Keto guidlines I’ve read so far say to substite heavy cream for milk in recepies, coffee…
Would this recipe work with heavy cream instead of milk?
Katrin says
I’m sure it would work well. You’d keep the same wet/dry ratio!
Paula Heiple says
Can you freeze these waffles?
Katrin says
I think that should be no problem. I have frozen cakes made with nut flours before and almond butter itself is freezable too.
Paula Heiple says
Katrin, I did freeze them and I just ate mine. They were still delicious. So happy I found this recipe. One of my new favorites. Thank you for the quick response.
Paula Heiple says
Just got done making these waffles. They are delicious. I was a little confused because in the recipe it said to fold the egg whites into the egg yolks. I thought maybe this was an error and I choose to fold them into the batter leaving out the yolks and they were wonderful.Can you please clarify this for me? I also added Lily’s sugar free chocolate chips and almond silvers. Very filling.
Katrin says
Hi Paula, I’m glad you like the waffles! And thanks for your comment – you are right, the way I described it was maybe a bit unclear – of course the egg whites are folded into the batter at the very end. I have changed it in the recipe description. Adding chocolate chips sounds like a great idea!!!
Loretta says
How many waffles are a serving one or two?
Loretta says
My waffle maker makes two squares at a time. I see yours looks like it cooks 4 at a time. I’m counting my macros and want to list it as acccurately as possible. Thank you
Katrin says
Hi Loretta, I calculated the recipe at 6 servings, using another waffle maker which makes round waffles that separate into 5 pieces. You can see them in the photos on my blog. For me, one of these was enough – the almond butter and the nut flour makes them quite filling. So the nutrition info I calculated was for one of these waffles.
ABKJ says
Definitely making these!
Katrin says
Great! Let me know how you like them 🙂
Bern Johnson says
I’ll definitely be making this recipe! Thanks!
Katrin says
Awesome. Glad you found my page.
Amy says
Hi,
I don’t fare well with dairy. Any suggestions on an alternative?
Katrin says
You could use coconut oil instead of the butter.
Christy says
Can you recommend a specific brand of creamy almond butter? My kiddos hate “bits” and I can never seem to get things smooth or creamy enough for them. Thanks!
Katrin says
Hi, if you are based in the UK I can – I like the Meridian brand. They have awesome nut butters with no added extras.
Ive Nadal says
Just diagnosed diabetic. Looking for low or no-sugar recipes. I am making a list of your recipe ingredients to get them at the store and will definitely give these waffles a try. I will try some of your other recipes, I’ll be back with my opinion. Thank you! Ive -Houston, TX, USA
Katrin says
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been diagnosed – but from what I’ve read you can completely reverse Type 2 Diabetes with a low carb diet. I’m glad you have found my site and hope you will enjoy my recipes. Good to have you here!!
Debbie says
These were amazing! They turned out like the picture 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
Katrin says
Fantastic! I’m glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Niki says
These look fantastic! I am such a lazy baker/cook though. Would it mess these up if I didn’t wisk the egg whites separately? Can I use the egg whites from the carton? I normally prefer to just dump everything in together and mix away!
Katrin says
It would work, and still taste good, but the texture would be different – less fluffy and denser. I used to think whisking egg whites was an impossible task, so I have made waffles (not this recipe though) without whisking the egg whites first. I have to say though, it really is worth the effort…really transforms it! I have another recipe, these Hazelnut Keto cookies, which I also have made both with and without whisking the egg whites… the difference in texture is staggering.
Patricia Stoschein says
Hi Katrin,
Can’t tell you how much my husband and I loved this recipe. I followed it to the ‘T’ including whipping the eggs to standing peaks. The waffles had the lightness of a butterfly; so different from those made from wheat flour. While surfing your site I was impressed with your knowledge of the effects of each ingredient on diabetes. As a pre-diabetic with a history of the disease in the family, I’m trying the Paleo Diet. It’s worked out very well for me and I’ll look to your recipes for sound advice in implementing my new way of eating. Thanks so much for the help!
Katrin says
Hello Patricia, thank you for your message. Whipping the egg whites makes all the difference! It’s amazing what difference a change in diet can make on our bodies, health and well-being. I do hope you keep on checking in, I’ve been testing recipes all weekend and will be posting a most delicious and super healthy brownie recipe in the next couple of days 🙂
Kelley says
This looks delicious but I’m allergic to coconut sadly. how would you modify or substitute?
Katrin says
Hi Kelley, you could use almond flour. You’d need more almond flour than coconut flour (start with 1/2 more and increase as needed) and probably 1 less egg. I normally get there by trial and error myself, so you’d have to experiment until you get the right consistency of batter. You could also check out these almond cream cheese pancakes, which I’m sure would work well in a waffle maker too. They are my most popular recipe 🙂
Maria Borges says
These were really good. I made them with peanut butter instead of the almond butter and added sugar free chocolate chips. I will definitely make them again.
Katrin says
Great news! I’m happy you liked the waffles. Using peanut butter and chocolate chips sounds very yummy 🙂
Lisa Bisset says
Not used coconut flour before – does it add a coconut flavour? My husband whose gf hates coconut – so wonder if you recommend any other flour (if the coconut gives a strong flavour). My father in law is diabetic so this recipe sounds almost perfect for a cheeky dessert! Can’t wait to try it!
Katrin says
Coconut flour does have a mild coconut taste. It is masked by the almond butter though 🙂
Tammy Crouthamel says
We love these waffles! I topped them with blueberries. The flavor reminds me of waffle cone (for ice cream). I could eat them for dessert – they’re so good! My kids approve too. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!!
Katrin says
Awesome. Thanks for your lovely post. So happy you are enjoying the recipe!
Raven says
How many waffles are in a serving size?
Katrin says
The nutrition facts are calculated per waffle. One was enough for me. My teenager son ate two. It really depends how hungry you are and what you put on them!
Stephanie says
Have you ever used this batter to make pancakes? I still can’t find a pancake mix that I like and I know that most people use waffle batter and pancake batter interchangeably.
Katrin says
I haven’t made pancakes with this recipe but it would definitely work. Give it a go and let me know what you think!
Andreja Ferk says
I*m a begginner in LCHF diet, so I still learn. Are apples not forbidden ?
Also, we never use baking powder in such large quantities, because the flavor is very strong. Is it possible to reduce this amount?
Thanks, Andreja
Katrin says
Hello Andreja, I don’t believe in forbidden fruit. It is true that apples are higher in carbs, but they are still fruit and fruit is a whole food and inherently good for you. If you want to lose weight or are on a sugar detox, you might want to stay away from high carb fruits or fruits altogether to reset your system. In the long term though there’s no harm in eating a few apple slices as part of a healthy meal or to have a small apple as a dessert – if you like apple, that is. The carb bomb in terms of fruit is banana. As for the baking powder, recipes with nut flours usually need more baking powder to help make the dough raise. But you can always experiment to see how the dough behaves when you reduce the amount. I hope this helps – best, Katrin
ToniAnn says
Your pictures come out amazing! You do such a great job!
Katrin says
Aaaw, that’s such a nice comment, ToniAnn. Really appreciate it.
Kelley Wrba says
I just made these. The taste is wonderful. The only alteration I made was to leave out the almond extract. I was worried it would be too almondy. Next time I’ll add a pinch of salt. It tasted like it needed it. The only thing I didn’t like is that they don’t come out crispy. The golden up very good , but no crunch. Will definitely make again!!
Katrin says
Glad you liked them Kelley. You’ll never get exactly the same crunch you’d get from wheat recipes… Mine did have a satisfying crunch on the edges though. If you have any left, try toasting them. You might find they get crispier that way!
Christine says
I love waffles in all forms. Love to try them with coconut flour sometime!
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says
Your waffles look amazing! And I so agree with the addition of the coconut flour (even if we don’t have teenagers in the house 😉 ). Great recipe! Happy New Year, Katrin!!
Anne Murphy says
Those look good!
I’m just starting to figure out coconut flour – it’s so different from everything else, isn’t it? This looks like a good recipe to try out and see how it works in that!
Katrin says
You’ll love coconut flour! It’s very absorbent, so you need only very little of it. Hope you’ll enjoy the waffles 🙂
Elaine @ Dishes Delish says
Yummy. I love waffles and can’t wait to try these!
Safira says
These look so good and I love that they are not full of refined sugars!
Katrin says
Glad you like them Safira!
Kim | Low Carb Maven says
Oh, my kids have been asking for waffles and I must make these – especially since you say they are filling! My daughter is a breakfast person and I swear she has enough for two breakfasts. I bet she loves these. And applesauce? Perfect.
Katrin says
I have two of those kids at home, LOL!
STACEY says
I have hungry teens and collage students at my house. I am continuously buying food, making food, and throwing it into the abyss (I love that analogy, lol). These waffles look filling & tasty, and would keep them out of the kitchen for a couple hours.
Katrin says
Isn’t it amazing how much they can eat?
Georgina says
These look sooo good!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
These waffles look great! I love putting homemade applesauce on mine.