These Mini Whole Wheat Waffles are always a hit for breakfast with my kids and I love that they have extra protein, fiber, and whole grains…and that the leftovers freeze so well for future easy breakfasts!
Whole Wheat Waffles
We usually have pancakes or waffles on the weekend and I love having this straight forward recipe in rotation. It boasts more nutrition than many other basic waffle recipes—which to me is great since they help keep us full a little longer—since the recipe has cottage cheese and whole grain flour in the batter. The cottage cheese is an unexpected ingredient, but one that adds moisture and tenderness.
I love making some of these mini and some full size so they’re just the right size for all of the members of my family. My kids love to dip the little ones into syrup or applesauce, no forks needed.
I usually try to make a double batch so we have leftovers on hand for future easy breakfasts.
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Ingredients You need
To make this waffle recipe you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand.
- Whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour: A mix of these creates nutritionally dense waffles that are still nice and light.
- Baking powder: This helps the waffles to rise nicely as they cook. Make sure that yours is fresh.
- Cottage cheese: I prefer to use whole milk cottage cheese so there’s fat in the waffles (which kids need). It blends into the batter nicely, so no worry about the curds.
- Egg: Egg helps the mixture bind together and cook up as expected.
- Melted coconut oil or butter: Either of these create the slightly crisp edges that you expect from waffles. I prefer coconut oil here, but unsalted butter will work too.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract adds really pleasant flavor to these waffles so they’re delicious enough to eat on their own.
- Milk: You can use dairy or nondairy milk.
- Maple syrup, applesauce, nut butter, sliced fruit, and/or additional cottage cheese for serving
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the simple process involved in making these homemade waffles. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe with amounts and the timing.
- Gather your ingredients.
- Stir together gently in a medium bowl.
- Warm the waffle iron, coat with nonstick spray, and cook as mini or full size waffles.
- Serve or let cool to store for a future easy breakfast.
TIP: I like to make some mini and full-size to accommodate all of the appetites at my table.
Best Waffle Maker
I have a very basic Cuisinart Waffle Maker that makes one round waffle at a time. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s a nice place to start if you’re wanting to try making waffles at home!
How to Store
To store, let cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to serve. To freeze, store cooled waffles in a zip top storage bag, with as much air removed as possible, for up to 3 months. Warm on a plate in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, turning over halfway through, or in the toaster oven.
Best Tips for Success
- I prefer to use cottage cheese with either 2% o4 4% milk fat.
- You can use all all-purpose flour if you prefer.
- Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the batter for additional flavor.
- We like to top our waffles with almond butter and maple syrup, to dip them in applesauce or yogurt, or to have them with sliced fruit or applesauce. You can of course add a side of bacon or even some eggs if you want to go full on classic breakfast!
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 style of gluten-free baking mix or use buckwheat flour, adding up to an additional ¼ cup milk as needed to make a batter that’s easy to stir and dollop.
- Dairy-free: Look for a lactose-free or vegan cottage cheese if needed.
- I have this very basic, but very reliable Cuisinart Waffle Maker.
Related Recipes
Breakfast
Favorite Banana Waffles
Breakfast
Healthy Waffles with Raspberries
Dinner
Favorite Savory Waffles
Recipes
Favorite Yogurt Pancakes
I’d love to hear your feedback on the recipe, so please comment below if you make them!
Vanilla Whole-Wheat Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup 2% or 4% cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled (or melted and slightly cooled butter)
- 1 teaspoon. vanilla extract
- 1½ cups milk
- Maple syrup, applesauce, nut butter, sliced fruit, and/or additional cottage cheese for serving
Instructions
- Combine both flours, baking powder, and salt, in a large bowl.
- Add the cottage cheese, egg, vanilla extract, and milk combine thoroughly. Stir in the melted coconut oil. (I add the coconut oil last as it helps to prevent it from solidifying in the batter.)
- Warm the waffle iron. (I use the 4 out of 5 setting on my waffle iron.) Coat with nonstick spray.
- Place 1 tablespoons of batter in each center of the four sections of the waffle iron to make four mini waffles at once. Or place just one tablespoon of patter in the center of the waffle. Or use ⅓ cup batter to make a regular size waffle.
- Close the waffle iron and cook until done. Transfer to a plate and serve, or to a baking sheet in a 225 degree F oven to keep warm until the batch is done.
- Repeat to finish the batch. Serve with desired toppings.
Equipment
Notes
- To store, let cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to serve. To freeze, store cooled waffles in a zip top storage bag, with as much air removed as possible, for up to 3 months. Warm on a plate in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, turning over halfway through, or in the toaster oven.
- I prefer to use cottage cheese with either 2% o4 4% milk fat.
- You can use all all-purpose flour if you prefer.
- Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the batter for additional flavor.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 style of gluten-free baking mix or use buckwheat flour, adding up to an additional ¼ cup milk as needed to make a batter that’s easy to stir and dollop.
- Dairy-free: Look for a lactose-free or vegan cottage cheese if needed.
- I have this basic, but very reliable Cuisinart Waffle Maker.
Nutrition
This post was first published February 2020.
I have an extremely challenging eater in my house. But breakfast foods are his favorite and he usually eats anything with syrup lol so I made these and he loved them! unfortunately I only had all purpose flower on hand but will try again with a more nutrient dense option! thanks so much!
LOVE these waffles! We always have some in the freezer.
Question. I just ran out of cottage cheese… can I sub in whole milk yogurt instead?
Yes, that should work similarly. Enjoy!
I made these this morning with 100% spelt flour and they’re absolutely delicious! I added about a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter and served them with crème fraîche for my 7 month old, and added some maple for my toddler and myself. I cooked them between 2-3 on our All-Clad waffle maker and they turned out perfectly crispy on the edges but soft in the middle. We’ll definitely be keeping these on a regular rotation and batch cooking for the freezer!
Just made these & was wondering how they would taste with spelt flour! glad to hear they are delicious still!
We used unsweetened non dairy yogurt and almond milk. This is another great hit! So light and fluffy!