Vegan Gingerbread Banana Waffles

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These vegan gingerbread banana waffles are zesty from fresh ginger and warm spices. Enjoy these healthy homemade waffles for a special breakfast or brunch at holiday-time or anytime.

This recipe was adapted from one for banana bread waffles from familycircle.com. I have been using it for years, but the site is no longer in existence. This recipe is egg- and dairy-free and much lower in sugar than most recipes. Plus the small amount of fat used is from olive oil, instead of the saturated fat from melted butter in typical waffles.

Ingredient Highlights

• Vanilla plant-based milk – feel free to use your favorite. I tested these with soy milk. or use plain, and add a half teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter.
• Lemon juice – use fresh, bottled, or vinegar like apple cider or rice wine vinegar.
• Ground flaxseed – this is important to help the ingredients stick together and help to replace an egg. Mix the ground flaxseeds with warm water.
• White whole wheat flour – this has more fiber than regular white flour, plus more minerals like phosphorus and magnesium.
• Almond flour – I have been experimenting with using this in some recipes in place of all-purpose flour. Almond flour provides more protein and unsaturated fats, with fewer carbohydrates, according to USDA FoodData Central. Here are some tips for baking with almond flour.
• Brown sugar – I prefer to use brown sugar for this recipe than the traditional combination of molasses (or honey) and ginger in gingerbread. Why? 1. I am not a huge fan of the taste of molasses, and 2 – I tend to buy it, I use a spoonful for a recipe, and then it sits there on my shelf for too long until I have to throw it away! Choose organic brown sugar if you want to ensure it is vegan.
• Fresh grated ginger – this provides much of the flavor for this recipe. I store it in the freezer, then pull it out, slice off the peel, and grate it on a ginger grating plate. If you don’t have fresh ginger, use a half to one teaspoon of ground ginger.
• Cinnamon and ground cloves – if you are missing either of these, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice or a smaller amount of nutmeg.
• Banana – I like to use a banana that has been in the freezer. Pull it out to defrost for an hour before making the recipe, or heat it in the microwave for about 90 seconds. Once it has been frozen, the banana will be nicely mushy and it is much easier to mix it with the other wet ingredients.
• Light olive oil – I use this instead of butter to help create a tender waffle.

Don’t let the long-ish list of ingredients worry you – this is a quick recipe and the ingredients are mostly spices.

How to Make Vegan Gingerbread Banana Waffles

These are quite easy to make as there are no eggs to separate and whip, nor is there a yeast-raised batter to let rise. They are as simple as making muffins or quick bread. You will be using a bowl for dry ingredients and another bowl for wet ingredients, then mixing them and cooking the batter in a waffle maker.

I use a nonstick electric Belgian waffle maker.

• Add the lemon juice to the plant-based milk and set it aside.
• Mix the ground flaxseed with warm water in a small bowl and set it aside. It will form a gel after a few minutes.
• Plug in the waffle maker and let it heat up.
• When measuring the flour, transfer it to a measuring cup by spoonfuls (don’t pack it in) and level it off of the top of the cup with a knife. Or, use the gram measurements to measure by weight.
• Mix the whole wheat and almond flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the large bowl. Stir well with a whisk.
• In a medium bowl, combine the plant-based milk with lemon juice, banana, ground flaxseeds with water, oil, and grated ginger. Mix well with the whisk.

• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined with a large spoon. Don’t overmix.
• Spray the waffle maker with non-stick spray. Spoon half of the batter into the waffle maker. This is just less than a cup for a Belgian waffle maker. Close the waffle maker, turn it over, and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
• Open the waffle maker and remove the waffle. Repeat with the second waffle.
• Top with banana slices, pecans, maple syrup, berries, or other desired toppings, and enjoy!

Related Recipes You May Enjoy

• My Favorite Pumpkin Spice Quinoa Waffles with Pecans
• Easy Apple and Peanut Butter Waffles (Vegan)
• Healthy Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins
• Ultimate High Protein Breakfast Burritos

Originally published: 12/31/21. Updated: 12/20/23

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