Crispy vegan cornmeal waffles recipe. I love cornmeal. I have written about cornbread here, my first taste of this sweet, delicious, and naturally gluten-free flour.
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If you've enjoyed polenta, you will understand the whole sweet/savory vibe that cornmeal rocks, in the same way as fresh sweetcorn, and this is what makes it such a fun ingredient to work with.
Cornmeal not only adds a natural sweetness and unique flavor to baked goods, but it also adds a delicious crunch, making it great for cookies or bakes that don't require fineness of texture.
Regular readers will know that I love waffles, and am constantly trying to find the best waffles recipe (we've got close here though with my recipe for vegan fluffy waffles!), and adding cornmeal to waffle batter was like an epiphany!
It adds the perfect level of both sweetness and crunch that a good waffle needs, thereby allowing you to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe! Furthermore, these are egg-free, dairy-free, and could be made gluten-free too!
What is Cornmeal?
Yellow Cornmeal is made from ground yellow corn and comes in a few different textures, ranging from coarse to fine. For this recipe, we want the crunch of cornmeal, so we're using coarse. Real Simple breaks down the different types of cornmeal, including how and when to use them, here.
Polenta can be used if you can't find Cornmeal in the supermarkets. Again, it is made from yellow corn but is coarser still.
Is Cornmeal Gluten-Free?
Yes, it is 100% gluten-free because it is just made from dried corn!
How do you make vegan cornmeal waffles?
As with most waffle recipes, you place your dry ingredients (plain or all-purpose flour, baking soda, cornmeal, sugar, salt) in a large mixing bowl. Then you add the wet ingredients!
My waffle recipe doesn't use egg replacer, flax eggs, or additional yogurt, getting their rise from the baking soda.
OK, so there's a little bit more to it than that, but not much!
- You need to first turn your non-dairy milk into "buttermilk" by adding the juice from half a lemon to it, You will see it start to curdle almost instantly. I use soy milk, but you could use almond milk, coconut milk, or any plant-based or nut milk of your choice
- While your milk is curdling, if you are using coconut oil or vegan butter, melt this in a small bowl in the microwave. Let cool slightly before adding the melted butter or coconut oil to the milk, along with the vanilla extract.
- Whisk this mixture then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir gently until you can't see any more lumps of flour.
- Leave to stand for about 5 minutes at room temperature. This activates all the rising agents in the flour and baking soda, helping to promote light crispy waffles.
- At this point, you can clingfilm the bowl and place it in the fridge overnight, ready for the next day!
- When you are ready to make your waffles, heat your waffle maker in accordance with the instructions. I have a Belgian waffle maker, which I love, but which makes them in a different shape to the regular "toaster" shape ones! It's also harder to give specific quantities for yield, depending on the size of your waffle iron.
- As a very rough guide, I use ¾ cup batter for my machine.
How do you serve Vegan Cornmeal Waffles?
You can serve these as savory waffles, with some vegan sausage, tofu scramble, or cheeze melted on top, or serve them sweet, drizzled with some pure maple syrup or coconut whipped cream and fruit.
Modifications
You can easily modify these cornmeal waffles.
- Add some chopped green onion to the batter
- Add some fresh corn kernels to the batter
- Stir in some chopped fresh herbs, like parsley or a little thyme
- Add a little chopped red chili for some heat!
- Add a teaspoon of cinnamon for a little spice
Try my other delicious vegan breakfast recipes
- My delicious and simple Tiramisu Pancakes
- Peanut Butter and Banana Pancakes
- Gluten-Free and Vegan Granola
- Vegan Black Forest Protein Smoothie
📋 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Plain Flour
- 3 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 cup Cornmeal coarse
- 4 tsbp Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Soy Milk or plant-based milk of your choice
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ¾ cup Butter vegan, melted
Instructions
- Add the milk and lemon juice to a large jug. Leave to stand whilst you prep the dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, cornmeal, sugar and salt
- Add the melted butter to the milk/lemon mixture and mix
- Pour this into the dry ingredients and gently stir until there are no patches of dry flour
- Let stand for 5 minutes
- Cook on your waffle maker, again, as per manufacturers instructions
Lucy says
These waffles make the perfect breakfast for the whole family. I love all the different variations and modifications you've listed to try.
Kristina says
I love a good flour and cornmeal combo, it makes everything so much crispier! These waffles were delicious- I only changed the vegan butter to extra virgin olive oil and they came out tasting wonderful.
Nora says
Such a wonderful and tasty waffle recipe! Made them for my family with your cinnamon recommendation, and they were super happy! Thanks for sharing!
Jan says
We just bought our first waffle maker, your easy to follow recipe was a success. Thank you, they tasted really good.
Linda says
What a fun and delicious recipe to make especially when everyone asks for a second serving!