Greetings! I hope this giant stack of Pumpkin Spice Waffles finds you well. Are you proud of me for waiting until the week just before fall is officially here before posting my first pumpkin recipe? I tried to wait until the actual day, but just did not have the will power. I’m so excited for all things COZY and WARM, like soup on the stove, hot tea with honey before bed, fuzzy blankets on the couch, and the welcoming aroma of anything and everything pumpkin spice. In Arizona, these things are honestly a ways off, but still, we have HOPE. Relief is on the horizon! This week’s temps are all under 100 degrees, so it’s time to break out the fall decor and put on a sweater!
I made these waffles last Saturday and we really loved them. I converted my very favorite Best Pumpkin Muffins into a waffle recipe and it worked out very well. I used McCormick’s new Pumpkin Pie Spice Extract to give them that unmistakable flavor that screams fall is here!
I love that this recipe uses a whole 15 ounce can of pure pumpkin puree, so they really are pumpkin waffles. One trick I’ve learned when it comes to making waffles extra light and airy is to separate the whites from the yolks, and whisk them for a few minutes until they are white and frothy. Then you add the whites last, gently folding them into the batter, incorporating as much air as possible. As a result they are moist and fluffy, with a nice crisp exterior. It really is worth the extra step!
We couldn’t decide if we liked them better with butter and syrup, or with homemade whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. You’ll have to try them both ways and let me know! They are definitely equally worthy of the titles dessert and breakfast.
I added some finely chopped pecans to the second batch I made and I think they were my favorite. Hope you get a chance to try them, and happy fall y’all!
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Pumpkin Spice Waffles
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 5-inch waffles
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made with pure pumpkin puree and coconut oil, these waffles are moist, fluffy and ready for maple syrup!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 15 ounces pure pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs (separated)
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice Extract*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat waffle iron according to directions.
- In a large bowl, whisk the coconut oil (in liquid form), both kinds of sugar, pumpkin puree, egg yolks, and milk together until smooth.
- Add the pumpkin pie spice extract and vanilla extract and stir.
- In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture, just until combined.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg whites until they are white and fluffy with soft peaks.
- Carefully and gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
- Scoop about 3/4 cup of batter onto the waffle iron and cook (batter will be thick). My KitchenAid Waffle Baker timer was set for 3 minutes.
- Top with butter, syrup, whipped cream, and/or cinnamon if desired.
Notes
*If you can not find Pumpkin Pie Spice Extract, you can use the following substitution 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Disclaimer: the links in this post for the waffle baker are Amazon affiliate links.
Haley Nix says
I made these, and they were delicious! BUT, I had to add 1 1/2 more cups of milk. My first attempt was nothing but a bready mess. The batter was thick and doughy, but i followed the recipe exactly. I went ahead and loaded my waffle maker, and it ended up, a moist bread consistency. I scraped that, added the milk, got out my other waffle iron, and was successful.
Julie says
That is helpful feedback, thanks Haley.
Alicia says
I cut this recipe in half for the two of us, leaving the vanilla at 1 teaspoon. I used a rounded 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice instead of the extract. I also added finely chopped pecans. These are delicious, however, like some other reviewers, we found them quite soft versus crisp. So I will follow Julie’s 2 suggestions next time: substitute organic canola oil for the coconut oil and leave the waffle on the opened iron for a minute to crisp up a bit more. I will also reduce the sugars by a third or so, as the maple syrup we serve with them provides enough sweetness. Highly recommend this recipe!
Amanda says
I wish I read these comments before I tried it. It was painfully sweet and raw in the middle. I used a Belgian waffle maker. I even tried throwing them in the toaster after cooking in the waffle maker for 7 mins to try and get something that wasn’t soggy. All that did was get it stuck in the toaster and made another mess. I followed recipe to a tee and even weighed out the pumpkin to make sure there were no variances. Is this recipe maybe written down with wrong measurements?
Emily says
I’m pretty sure it’s the reaction of medium-high heat coconut oil being cooked at low heat in a waffle iron. Use organic canola and you should be fine. It is very surprising after so many comments about the same issue that there hasn’t been a recipe modification or at least a note about the expected results.
Julie says
Hi Emily,
This recipe is a tricky one! I have made it multiple times with good results, and have even had a guy on youtube make them on his channel and rave about them. I think the variables that cause trouble for people are their waffle makers, and also the brand of pumpkin puree they use. I find that some brands have a lot thinner consistency than others…
Kim says
I made these for the first time this morning. The texture of the batter was very nice and the flavor was amazing! I will definitely make them again. Could altitude make a difference in how they turn out?
They cooked beautifully but were hard to get out of the iron in one piece, what should I do differently next time?
Julie says
Hi Kim, I think altitude can affect them, but also just differences in waffles irons. I’ve noticed some let steam out more than others, allowing the batter to crisp properly. One tip for getting them off the iron in one piece, is to open up the iron when they are finished cooking, and just let them set there for a minute before taking them off. This allows the moisture to continue to evaporate, and as they cool a bit they set more. Hope this is helpful, and thanks so much for your feedback!
Deedee says
Hello,
Can I make the batter ahead of time?
Julie says
I think the whipped egg whites might fall a bit if you do it ahead of time so your waffles might not be as fluffy. You could do everything except the egg whites ahead of time, and then whisk those up and add them to the batter before you make them. Hope you enjoy!
Haylie says
Let this be a lesson to myself to always read the comments BEFORE I spend money on ingredients to make something….these were sickly sweet and so mushy that I can’t even legally call them waffles
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Could they be made into pancakes too?
Alison says
These are amazing! My kids claim they’re the best I have ever made. I do have a very good waffle maker-the All Clad one and my waffles came out crisp. I swapped Greek yogurt for the milk, added chia seeds and used whole wheat pastry flour instead of AP bc that’s what I had. They really are phenomenal!
Julie says
Thanks Alison!
marion winston says
I made these waffles for my family today and they LOVE them. This was a super easy recipe to follow and they tasted soooo good. I will defiantly be making these over and over again.
Susan says
Good flavor, but this recipe needs to be adjusted. I wish I had read more comments prior to choosing this one. It took awhile to make the batter, since the egg whites needed to be whipped, and lots of dishes dirtied to make this recipe.
Just like the other reviewers said, it’s really undercooked in the center, and is way too soft for a waffle. The flavor is tasty, but I had to really thin out the batter w/milk to get the center semi-cooked, and the texture was never right for a waffle. I tried to turn them into pancakes, and that didn’t work either. I cook often, so know how to make both waffles and pancakes, but this recipe needs some adjusting. I’d recommend looking at other recipes to compare, and see what ingredients/measurements yielded better reviews, and then make some tweaks to this recipe before making it.
Julie says
Thanks for your comment, Susan. This recipe always works out well for me, but I think all waffle makers are different in the amount of steam they release, and how crisp that waffle will become because of that. Thanks for trying one of my recipes, and I appreciate your feedback.
Karolina says
I tried making these today and the taste was good but the waffle would get crisp on the inside, but did not cook on the inside. I tried it in my waffle maker and tried it on the pan, and neither way cooked the inside.
Janelley says
I loved this recipe! I made toasted pecans to go with it. Served it with pure maple syrup and whipped cream. It was the perfect amount of sweet, fluff, crisp, and flavor. I am excited to make these all fall season!
Genesis says
Made these this morning for the first time and they were DELICIOUS! It’s a wonderful seasonal waffle! I didn’t have coconut oil on hand so I used avocado oil instead. I also didn’t have the spice extract and instead, added a teaspoon of a spice blend I put together. The purée makes the waffles more moist than regular so getting it crispy took about 30 seconds longer on each side but the flavor is SO GOOD! I use an old school, cast iron waffle press to make waffles. I think the cast iron is the best thing to cook waffles in, rather than using a Teflon coated electric waffle press. These were so good. Thank you for the recipe! Adding it to my recipe box 😄
Rachael Sanders says
Delicious