Power your morning with these delicious Quinoa Waffles! They are nutritious, easy to make, and the perfect way to pave the way for a purposeful day. Best of all, they come together in under 20 minutes and freeze well for meal prep. Make these for your next weekend brunch!
Homemade Quinoa Flour Waffles with Smashed Blackberry Sauce
Hi there! I'm Christal, the holistic nutritionist from Nutritionist in the Kitch, and I’m thrilled to contribute this guest post and making my favorite quinoa waffles recipe! When Wendy contacted me, I was incredibly excited and the gears in my head started spinning right away!
Since the first time I heard of it (and was able to pronounce it correctly), I’ve been a huge fan of quinoa! I’ve put this perfect little grain in some of my favorite breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snack recipes. It's that versatile!
Nutritionally speaking, quinoa is a whole foods powerhouse, which is another reason why I really love cooking with this wonderful ingredient!
The best parts of this quinoa waffle recipe is that it's naturally gluten-free, loaded with protein from the quinoa, and uses whole ingredients you can find at most grocery stores.
What Is Quinoa Flour?
When I started brainstorming what I could make for Wendy, I kept going back to the quinoa flour I had sitting in my pantry. I’ve done so many recipes with the whole grain itself, so I knew it was time to shake things up and let quinoa flour be the star of my recipe.
I’m a lover of protein pancakes, and I just recently purchased a cute little waffle iron. As you can imagine, one thing led to another, and I decided to combine the two and make a protein waffle using none other than the quinoa flour - which is just ground up quinoa - taking up room in my pantry!
As a Holistic Nutritionist and a self-proclaimed fitness junkie, I like to make sure I get ample amounts of protein in my day to promote muscle repair, maintenance, and growth! Along with protein, healthy, whole, unrefined complex carbohydrates are key!
These waffles bring the two together perfectly, and with the addition of the coconut flour and ground flaxseed, they contain healthy fats and a great amount of fiber too!
Additionally, these wonderful waffles are also gluten-free! And they can also be kept completely dairy-free with the use of a plant based protein powder such as hemp, rice, or soy.
If you don’t have a waffle maker at home, no sweat! You can easily turn this batter into pancakes instead.
What Is Smashed Blackberry Sauce, Exactly?
This is my take on a more sugar-laden blackberry syrup, but with all the fiber and texture from the berries and just a little bit of sugar or stevia to elevate their natural sweetness.
And this "sauce" couldn't be easier to make! Just place the berries in a bowl, pop in the microwave for a couple minutes, mash, and scoop on top of your waffles. Enjoy!
Key Ingredients
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- Quinoa Flour — I love the Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Quinoa Flour, but you can use whichever is in stock at your supermarket.
- Vanilla Protein Powder — Along with the quinoa and egg whites, this is what packs our waffles with protein. I used North Coast Naturals Whey Isolate, but you can substitute a vanilla soy, hemp, or rice protein powder for a dairy-free alternative.
- Coconut Flour — Bob's Red Mill also makes a wonderful organic coconut flour!
- Ground Flaxseed — You can buy this at most grocery stores and health food stores. But if you can't buy it ground, you can always buy whole flax seeds and zap them in a food processor for a minute or two.
- Ground Cinnamon — This gives the quinoa waffles wonderful spiced flavor that works well with the vanilla protein powder and vanilla extract.
- Baking Powder — This is a crucial ingredient because it makes the waffles rise and turn out fluffy.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk and Unsweetened Applesauce — Organic, if possible, and unsweetened as directed so there's no unexpected added sugar. You could substitute a mashed banana for the apple sauce, if needed.
- Egg Whites — Omitting the yolks ensures we're getting exactly what we want and need from the eggs without any added fat or cholesterol — the protein!
- Pure Vanilla Extract — Not the imitation stuff!
- Smashed Blackberry Sauce — You'll need only a ¼ cup of fresh blackberries and a bit of stevia or natural sugar like maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar.
How To Make Quinoa Flour Waffles
- Mix the Dry Ingredients — Combine dry ingredients — quinoa flour, coconut flour, protein powder, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, and baking powder — in a medium-sized bowl and whisk so there are no lumps.Mix well so all ingredients are incorporated and there are no clumps.
- Combine Wet Ingredients with Dry — Add the almond milk and egg whites, then stir to combine. Next, add the applesauce and vanilla extract, and stir again to combine. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes while your waffle iron (or pan) preheats.
- Make the Waffles — Once heated, add the batter to the waffle iron and cook for about 4 minutes until waffle iron light signals the waffles are done.
- Make the Smashed Blackberry Sauce — As the waffles cook, add the blackberries to a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, mash with a fork, and stir in the sweetener.
- Serve — Plate up the waffles, top with smashed blackberry sauce, and enjoy!
Variations
- Keep it traditional with some pure maple syrup in place of the smashed blackberry sauce!
- Not a fan of blackberries? You can substitute any berry for them in my smashed berry sauce recipe! Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries (or a berry blend) would be divine!
- Looking to keep these lightly sweet? Dust with some powdered sugar!
- Like mix-ins inside of your waffles? Add your favorites to this recipe! Blueberries, chopped bacon, or chocolate chips would work well.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions
- Store leftover quinoa waffles in an airtight container or plastic bag in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freeze cooled waffles in a freezer-safe, airtight container or plastic bag for up to 3 months. (Perfect for meal-prepping!)
- Reheat thawed or chilled waffles in the waffle iron or taster until warmed through, or in the oven at 325 for 10 minutes or so. Microwaving them will result in soggy waffles.
Thank you so much Wendy for this opportunity to share a little of Nutritionist in the Kitch with your wonderful readers! I hope you all enjoy this quinoa waffle recipe and it becomes one of your favorite breakfast recipes too! I love new visitors to my blog, so please stop by, say hello, and feel free to make yourself at home! 🙂 — Christal, Nutritionist in the Kitch
Author bio: Christal Sczebel is a Holistic Nutritionist and Registered Massage Therapist. She has a true passion for helping others discover their best health through optimal nutrition and embracing a healthy lifestyle. Through education and inspiration, Christal aims to empower others to live a healthier lifestyle, experience true wellness, and to create, eat, and enjoy real whole foods! You can find delicious and healthy recipes, tips on nutrition, healthy living, fitness, and healthy travel on her blog www.nutritionistinthekitch.com.
Connect with Christal on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!
More Breakfast Recipes To Try
If you enjoyed these homemade Quinoa Waffles, then you'll love my other favorite breakfast recipes using quinoa:
- Walnut Cinnamon Quinoa Loaf
- Pumpkin Breakfast Casserole with Quinoa and Oats
- Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Parfait
- Apple Pie Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
- Almond Flour Quinoa Pancakes
Cinnamon & Vanilla Quinoa Waffles with Smashed Blackberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 heaping tablespoon Quinoa Flour
- 1 heaping tablespoon Vanilla Protein Powder I used North Coast Naturals Whey Isolate, you can substitute a vanilla soy, hemp, or rice protein powder for dairy-free
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Flour
- 1 tablespoon Ground Flaxseed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Applesauce
- 1 egg white or 2 tablespoons liquid egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup fresh blackberries
- 1 packet stevia I use Krisda brand, can substitute with ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar
Instructions
- In a bowl combine the quinoa flour, protein powder, coconut flour, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, and baking powder. Mix well so all ingredients are incorporated and there are no clumps.
- Add in the almond milk and egg white and stir to combine.
- Add in the applesauce and vanilla extract and stir again to combine. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes while your waffle iron (or pan) heats.
- Once heated, add the batter to the waffle iron (if making pancakes, use a non-stick or lightly greased pan over medium heat, and add in small batches of the batter, allow 1-2 minutes to cook before flipping, these take a little longer to cook than the average pancake!)
- Cook for about 4 minutes until waffle iron light signals the waffles are done.
- While the waffles are cooking, add the blackberries to a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, mash with a fork and stir in the stevia, or other sweetener.
- Pour over the cooked waffles (or pancakes) and enjoy!
Shannon Graham
That blackberry sauce looks so good!