Discover the secret to getting your kids excited about vegetables with these Savoury Waffles. Not only will your little ones be asking for seconds, but you might find yourself competing for the last bite!
These aren't your typical waffles, they are a delightful fusion of a vegetable fritter cooked in a waffle machine. Versatile and nutritious, these Savoury Waffles are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a satisfying snack, offering a fun twist to your everyday meals.
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Reasons to Love this Recipe
- Fun: This savoury waffle recipe is a fun and creative way to add nutritious vegetables to your / your child's diet.
- Nutritious: Packed with nutrient-rich ingredients like carrots, sweet potatoes, and fresh parsley, these waffles offer a wholesome dose of vitamins and fibre. They provide a nutritious option for both kids and adults.
- Quick and Easy: With simple ingredients and preparation, these waffles are a breeze to make. Perfect for busy mornings or when you need a hassle-free meal solution.
- Ideal for Lunchboxes: These waffles aren't just great when served hot; they also make an excellent addition to lunchboxes. Enjoy them fresh from the waffle maker or pack them cold for a convenient, nutritious, and tasty school or work lunch.
Video Tutorial
Ingredient Information (With Alternative Suggestions)
The full list of ingredients and amounts can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. This section gives information on each ingredient and suggested alternatives if required.
- Carrots: Shredded carrots add natural sweetness, vibrant colour, and a dose of vitamin A to the waffles. For variety, you can try zucchini, parsnips or butternut squash.
- Sweet Potato: Grated sweet potatoes provide essential vitamins and fibre. If desired, you can substitute with white potato or pumpkin.
- Cheese: Shredded cheese brings a savoury depth of flavour. This recipe uses cheddar cheese but you can use any type of cheese that melts well (such as Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Mexican Cheese, Tasty etc). Mixing with a little parmesan cheese will also enhance the flavour.
- All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour (plain flour) provides a light texture but you can sub for whole wheat flour (wholemeal flour).
- Spring Onion (scallions, green onions): Spring onions offer a mild, fresh onion flavour and a hint of colour. Feel free to swap with chives or regular onion for a similar taste.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley: Fresh parsley brings a burst of herbaceous freshness. Experiment with other herbs like coriander (cilantro) or basil for variety.
- Eggs: Eggs are the binding agent, providing tenderness and structure. For an egg-free option, consider using a flax egg or a commercial egg substitute.
Step By Step Instructions (with Photos)
This section features step-by-step photos for visual reference. The complete recipe can be found by scrolling to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Grate the sweet potato and carrots
TIP: For the best texture consider using a food processor to grate the vegetables. A box grated can sometimes lead to the vegetables becoming mushy. If using a box grater, ensure it is sharp. - Mix: To the grated vegetables add the spring onion, parsley, cheese and flour and stir until combined. Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix well until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Cook: Preheat the waffle iron to medium heat setting (if it has a setting) and lightly coat with a vegetable or olive oil or use a non-stick spray, to prevent sticking.
Spoon the vegetable mixture into the centre of the waffle machine and gently spread it toward the edges. (The amount of mixture needed will depend on your waffle iron.)
Close the waffle iron and cook for approx. 5 mins, or until the waffles and beautifully browned, have a crispy exterior and are cooked through in the centre. (cooking time will vary depending on the machine) - Repeat: Once cooked carefully remove the waffles and place them on a wire rack, Repeat with remaining batter.
TIP: You can place waffles onto a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and keep warm in a 90C/ 200F degree oven while you finish the whole batch.
Note: The structure of the batter in this recipe is very different to regular waffles. The mixture is mainly vegetables, with very little batter. Having less flour and wet ingredients allows more of the sweet potato and carrot to be in contact with the cooking plate, allowing them to cook better and resulting in lovely crispy waffles
Serving Suggestions
These waffles are a great breakfast, brunch, lunch or light dinner option. They taste great with a variety of toppings, including:
- Sour cream
- Hummus,
- Avocado Dip
- Greek yogurt,
- Cream cheese,
- Pesto,
- Hot Sauce or
- A perfectly fried egg
These waffles are also great as 'bread' for sandwiches or served cold and plain as a convenient addition to your lunchbox.
Storage Instructions
Place leftover waffles in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two days.
Alternatively, freeze on a baking sheet until frozen and then transfer the frozen waffles to a freezable bag or container. Return to the freezer and store for up to a month.
Reheat in a toaster oven or conventional oven at 175C/350F until heated throughout.
Recipe FAQs
The vegetables used in this batter include sweet potato and carrots but you can get creative with a variety of vegetables such as grated onion, grated zucchini, grated bell pepper (capsicum), corn, peas or spinach. Higher water content vegetables such as zucchini may require you to squeeze the juice of the vegetables out so that the waffle batter is not too wet.
These waffles can be a great finger food for babies, learn more about the best way to serve waffles to babies in this blw waffles recipe.
These waffles do contain common allergens: dairy, egg and gluten. You should only serve this to a baby (6 months +) once these allergens have been introduced safely. You may also wish to reduce the amount of cheese to lower sodium levels.
There is no particular brand of waffle iron that I recommend for this savoury waffle recipe. The mini waffle irons are great but equally a bigger Belgian waffle maker works well too.
More Fun Ways to Serve Vegetables
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Savoury Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 medium (approx. 220g) Carrots, peeled and grated
- 1 medium/small (approx. 265g) Sweet Potato, peeled and grated
- 1 cup (125g) Cheese, grated (shredded)
- 70g (½ cup) Plain Flour (All Purpose Flour)
- 1 Spring onion (scallion/green onion) finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Chopped fresh parsley
- 3 Eggs, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Add the grated carrot, sweet potato, cheese, spring onion, parsley and flour into a large mixing bowl and stir until combined. SEE NOTE 1
- Add the eggs and mix well.
- Spray waffle machine with oil (if needed) and heat to a medium setting (if it has settings.)
- Portion out 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of the mixture, depending on your waffle iron's size. Place it in the centre of the waffle iron or each section (adjusting the amount accordingly), then gently spread it towards the edges. Close the waffle iron and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the waffles are golden brown, crispy, and cooked through in the middle. Once done, carefully remove them from the waffle machine and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
- Repeat until all the mixture has been used up.
Video
Recipe Notes
- I used a food processor to grate the vegetables which I believe gives the best results. If you use a box grater then the vegetables can become mushy and clump together. This will depend on how sharp your box grater is and the force you use. If very wet, I recommend squeezing some of the juice out (using a cheese cloth / clean dish cloth) before mixing with the flour and egg.
- You can easily change the vegetables you use in this recipe. I have, in the past, tried a mixture of grated onion, capsicum (bell pepper), zucchini (courgette). If adding other vegetables I recommend squeezing the juice out before mixing with the flour and egg.
- This mixture will not spread like regular waffle batter.
Sarah
Nice recipe. But don't you need to pre-cook the sweet potato first?
Amy
No need to pre cook 🙂
Ashley
This was easy to prepare and my baby liked it. Next time I'm going to do them on my griddle though like pancakes so I don't have to clean my waffle iron. This recipe leaves it a bit filthy.
Mariel Janeke
I loved this recipe - I added some spices for adults. Great warming them up in an air fryer the next day
Amy
Thanks Mariel 🙂
Wendy Gwynne
Which variety of GF flour would work in this recipe.
Amy
Hello Wendy, I haven't had the opportunity to experiment with gluten-free flour in this particular recipe. I think chickpea flour or possibly buckwheat flour could be potential substitutes, however, I can't provide exact measurements or guarantee the results without testing them.
Mumma Ash
This recipe is an absolute winner! My toddler is going through a fussy veggie stage and we made these for lunch today - he ate 2 without even questioning the ingredients. Thanks for the recipe!
Amy
Brilliant, thank you 🙂
Lorraine
I just got a waffle iron and tried a different recipe recently which ended with 0 waffles and 25 minutes spent trying to clean the iron. I was nervous to try this recipe but it worked great! Set it on medium, as suggested and opened the iron around minute 7. Nice and tasty!
Amy
Oh no! I'm glad this recipe worked for you 🙂
Choodee109
This was actually pretty good! Cooking for vegetarian adults I served full size waffles with Trader Joe's pepper jelly up top, and corn on the cob.
Susan P
Quick question - do they freeze well?
Amy
Hi Susan, I don't think I have ever tried freezing these. I'd freeze them on a baking tray, on a single layer, until solid. Then transfer to a freezable bag / container. The texture may be a little different but I think they would be ok.
Courteney
I made this recipe last night for dinner and it wash such a success, thank you! I made the adult's version so I did add 1 tsp salt, along with 2tsp garlic powder & 1tsp paprika. I didn't have carrots or sweet potatoes on hand so I just used 2 small-ish zucchinis and 2 small/medium potatoes. I wrung the water from the grated zucchini first, and everything turned out perfectly 🙂
Amy
Fantastic, thanks Courteney 🙂
Pritha Chowdhury
Can oatmeal replace the whole meal wheat flour?
Amy
Hi Pritha, I haven't tested this so can't say for sure. Sorry.