Pumpkin Spice Quinoa Waffles with Pecans

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These pumpkin spice quinoa waffles are a sweet and tasty vegan brunch or breakfast main dish. Delight your family and yourself with these for a leisurely breakfast when you have a little time to cook! Quinoa adds a little crunch and nutrition to waffles: paired with pumpkin and spices, it’s a flavor-packed plant-based breakfast!

What Makes These Waffles Terrific?

Most waffle batters contain milk and eggs. The eggs may be separated and the egg whites whipped, then folded in. This recipe uses soy milk in place of dairy milk. You can use another plant-based milk if you like. Then instead of eggs, I used ground flaxseed to help bind the ingredients together, and the whole wheat flour and quinoa add texture, crunch, and nutrition!

Instead of melted butter, I use olive oil for a better nutrition profile: more unsaturated fat and less saturated fat. I prefer light olive oil for baked goods in place of extra virgin olive oil. The flavor is not noticeable (and there is no difference in calories or fat).

Key Ingredients

• Plant-based milk – I used vanilla soy milk, but you can use oat or almond milk.
• Apple cider vinegar – use this, rice vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice to work with the baking soda to help the waffles rise.
• Ground flaxseed – this is mixed with water to help replace an egg.
• All-purpose flour – this helps with a light texture in the waffles.
• White whole wheat flour – Whole wheat flour is higher in fiber and minerals like phosphorus, potassium, and zinc than all-purpose flour (Nutrition Facts in whole wheat flour). If you can find white whole wheat flour, it has a lighter texture and color and works very well in waffles.
• Quinoa – cooked quinoa adds some nutrition and crunch to these waffles. If you don’t have cooked quinoa, use uncooked old-fashioned or quick oats.
• Pumpkin pie spice – substitute with cinnamon and a little nutmeg, ground cloves, and ginger.
• Pumpkin puree – look for canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
• Light olive oil – This is important for the texture of the waffles. Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fats and is a healthier option than melted butter, which is used in standard waffle recipes.
• Maple syrup – A touch of maple syrup adds sweetness to the waffles.
• Pecans – a bit of pecans adds crunch and a little protein too. You can substitute walnuts, cashews, or other nuts.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Quinoa Waffles

Mix your dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in the other. Stir each with a whisk (or a fork if you don’t have a whisk). Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just to combine with a tablespoon or wooden spoon. I recommend using the batter right after you mix it to make sure the leavening agents are working well.

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, no worries. Use all cinnamon, or ½ teaspoon cinnamon with a little powdered nutmeg, ginger, and/or cloves to add warm flavors.

How to Cook Quinoa

First, be sure to rinse your quinoa well:

Then you can cook it on the stovetop following the package directions, which takes about 20 minutes, or in a rice cooker or Instant Pot. I just made a batch in the Instant Pot. I sprayed the inside of the liner pot with nonstick spray and added ½ cup of quinoa, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of water, and a pinch of salt. Cook on high pressure for 1 minute and let the pressure release naturally.

This makes more than you need for this recipe. Here is a recipe you may like for the extra quinoa: Stuffed Peppers with Butternut Squash and Quinoa. Here is more information about the history and international usage of quinoa from the USDA. The quinoa adds more protein and fiber to this recipe than just using wheat flour.

These pumpkin quinoa waffles contain an estimated 10 grams of protein each, and 6.6 grams of fiber. About 20 of the 23 grams of fat are unsaturated: so you will have a nice filling breakfast with very little saturated fat.

I like this waffle topped with berries, and a little maple syrup, and enjoy it with a cup of coffee or fresh-squeezed orange juice.

Variations for These Waffles

• Substitute the pumpkin for mashed banana – it’s delicious and I make these all of the time!
• Use applesauce instead of pumpkin.
• I have not tried this but I think cooked, mashed sweet potatoes would also be good.
• Chopped walnuts, hazelnuts, or other nuts are fine in place of the pecans
• While you can add berries to the batter, they tend to stick in the waffle iron and I prefer to serve them on top of the waffles. if you don’t have fresh berries, heat up some frozen ones instead.
• Add dark chocolate chips.
• If you don’t have quinoa, just substitute the same amount (¼ cup) for more whole wheat flour – so you will have ½ cup total whole wheat flour in the recipe.
• Don’t add more than ¼ cup of quinoa to the recipe: the waffle won’t stay together in the waffle iron.
• Garnish with fresh berries, banana slices, pepitas, more pecans, or other nuts.
• You can also use this batter to make pancakes!

More Tasty Veganuary Recipes

Here are more delicious recipes from other food bloggers:

• Breakfast Cookies by Cook with 5 Kids
• Cranberry Coffee Cake by This Wife Cooks
• Easy Vegan Mac & Cheese with Broccoli by Simple And Savory
• Raspberry Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Muffins by Return to the Kitchen
• Sweet Potato Patties by Flavours Treat
• Vegan Cinnamon Rolls (Tangzhong Method) by The Urben Life
• Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Muffins by Messy Vegan Baker

Storage

If you have any leftovers, you can refrigerate these pumpkin quinoa waffles in a covered container for a few days, or freeze them for a few months. The best way to defrost and heat them is in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes. The microwave makes them a little soft but it will work if you are pressed for time: then it takes about a minute if they are frozen.

More Recipes You May Enjoy

• Vegan Gingerbread Banana Waffles
• Ultimate High Protein Breakfast Burritos
• Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate Chunks
• Healthy Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins
• The Best Chocolate Banana Smoothie
• Cinnamon Maple Pecan Coffee Recipe

And for more heart-healthy information, check out: Health Effects of Plant Stanols and Sterols

If you have tried these pumpkin spice quinoa waffles, please let me know how you liked them in the comments below.

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Originally published 11/1/21. Updated 6/4/24.