Nothing says fall like these light and crispy pumpkin waffles. Simple, easy, and perfect with a pat of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup!
If you love pumpkin AND breakfast, then you’ll definitely love these waffles along with some of our other favorites, like pumpkin bagels, pumpkin french toast and our famous overnight pumpkin french toast bake!
The Perfect Fall Breakfast
My kids are ALWAYS coming up with things we need to make. Usually it’s breakfast items or random things for dinner. Lately it’s been pancakes, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, and waffles. What can I say? They love carbs as much as I do! ?
They have so many unique ideas. Most of them would be quite unsavory, however, every now and then they have a really good one. These pumpkin waffles topped the list. They’re surprisingly light and crispy, loaded with pumpkin puree and packed with fall spices.
I could eat a big pile of these every morning… and I would, if there were any leftover!
We devoured these the day we made them. The kids helped spread butter into all the nooks and crannies and drizzled the top with way more syrup than any human should consume. I definitely saw that coming.
Whatever was left (3 waffles maybe?) we tossed into a ziploc bag and saved them for the following morning. And you know what? They tasted just as good! We popped them into the toaster oven and they came out warm and crisp just like the day before.
The Trick for Fluffy, Flavorful Waffles
What makes these pumpkin waffles so amazing, aside from their flavor, is their texture. If you’ve baked with pumpkin puree before, you know how moist and dense the end result is. That’s kind of the opposite of what waffles should be.
So I replaced some of the flour for cornstarch (a trick I use in my buttermilk waffle recipe) and whipped the egg whites until stiff. Both of these techniques help create a fluffy interior and a crisp exterior.
That sounds more like it, right?
To amp up the flavor I used buttermilk, vanilla extract and a combo of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. I know these are all “expensive” ingredients, but I use them often and I truly believe quality ingredients can completely transform a recipe. Make or break it.
How to Make Pumpkin Waffles
Now that you know all our tips and tricks for fluffy, delicious pumpkin waffles, here’s how you make it – step by step. Begin by preheating your waffle maker.
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
In a large microwave safe bowl, melt butter. Whisk in sugar, then pumpkin puree, followed by the buttermilk (this will help prevent curdling). Add vanilla and egg yolk, whisk to combine.
In a medium bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the three egg whites until stiff.
Fold in dry ingredients to wet ingredients just until a few streaks remain. Add egg whites and fold just until incorporated. Do NOT overmix.Scoop batter into the hot waffle maker and cook until crisp. Serve immediately or toast to reheat.
Tips + What to Serve With
We served ours up with regular old butter and our favorite maple syrup. If you want to get extra fancy try whipping up some whipped pumpkin butter or buttered maple pecan syrup. BOTH so delicious!
Eggs, bacon and hash browns are all great side dishes for this dish, but to be honest, the sides are limitless!
If you want to STORE these, we recommend doing that in an air-tight container or bag in the fridge for a few days (We use the toaster oven to REHEAT). To FREEZE, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and the waffles. Freeze until hardened and then place in a freezer safe bag for up to 1 month.
For more pumpkin breakfast recipes, check out:
Pumpkin Waffles Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp coarse kosher sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter - (½ stick)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 tso vanilla extract
- 2 eggs - separated
- 1 egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat waffle maker.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, melt butter. Whisk in sugar, then pumpkin puree, followed by the buttermilk (this will help prevent curdling). Add vanilla and egg yolk, whisk to combine.
- In a medium bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the three egg whites until stiff.
- Fold in dry ingredients to wet ingredients just until a few streaks remain. Add egg whites and fold just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Scoop batter into the hot waffle maker and cook until crisp. Serve immediately or toast to reheat.
Absolutely THE BEST pumpkin waffles I’ve ever made!
The pumpkin waffles were magical, the perfect FALL morning breakfast!
Perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving morning!
I love pumpkin waffles! Whenever I’ve made them they were way too dense, but these turned out perfectly fluffy! My new go to recipe!
These are delicious!! The flavor is perfectly pumpkin and we all loved them!
Great for cool, fall mornings!