This easy keto waffle recipe captures all the golden, crisp flavor you love in conventional waffles — without sugar or grains! Best of all, these almond flour waffles use basic pantry ingredients. (They even count as paleo waffles, too!) It’s one of the best keto breakfast recipes that the whole family can enjoy. You’ll want to make a double batch! I originally published this post when we just got back from a beach vacation, and I couldn’t stop talking about how much I missed my almond flour and coconut flour. Low carb breakfast options when traveling are pretty much limited to eggs, bacon, cheese, veggies, and low carb fruit. Needless to say, I was looking forward to coming back to make low carb pancakes, keto French toast, and these keto paleo almond flour waffles!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for this almond flour waffle recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Egg – An essential ingredient for making these low carb waffles fluffy… and we’re only using ONE, so they won’t be eggy. Unfortunately, egg substitutes won’t work here, because we’re separating the white from the yolk and whipping the white to help with lift and airy texture.Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – Choosing high quality almond flour is a must for fluffy keto waffles. It needs to be blanched and finely ground like the Wholesome Yum brand. If it happens to be clumpy, sift it! Do not use almond meal, which is grainy.Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – Adds the perfect just-like-sugar sweetness to these waffles. Other keto sweeteners like erythritol can make the waffles gritty.Almond Milk – The milk in these grain-free waffles thins out the batter to the right consistency. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any keto milk is fine. Coconut milk beverage will work, but may impart a very subtle coconut flavor. If you don’t care about these being paleo or dairy-free, you could even use half & half or heavy cream.Almond Butter – Nut butter improves the flavor and texture! You can also use runny peanut butter if you prefer — just make sure it’s natural and sugar-free.Butter – Adds flavor and richness. You can also use coconut oil for keto paleo waffles.Baking Powder – Keto waffles with almond flour tend to be dense, so to prevent this, we’re using more than a white flour recipe would. Don’t confuse baking powder with baking soda, which is not the same and would cause your waffles to be bitter.Sea Salt – Balances the sweet flavor.Vanilla Extract – Use the best quality variety you can.
Ingredients In Keto Waffles vs. Paleo Waffles:
Personally, I consider these grain-free waffles to be both keto and paleo. They have no wheat, no grains, and nothing artificial. Since they are made with almond flour, they are gluten-free waffles, too. There are just two components you may need to customize depending on which diet you follow:
How To Make Keto Waffles With Almond Flour
This section shows how to make almond flour waffles, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below. Unlike many almond flour waffles recipes, these are pretty light inside — the way real waffles should be. This is one of the two common problems in most keto or paleo waffles recipes. First, they don’t crisp up the same way that wheat flour does. Second, almond flour can be very dense. To make these keto paleo waffles light, I used the technique from my favorite keto bread: Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks first, stir together the rest of the ingredients, and finally fold in the whites. The result was a light, fluffy batter, and the best almond flour waffles I’ve ever made.
Preheat. We want it hot by the time we add the batter, so turn it on first and it’ll be ready by the time you have the batter completed.Beat egg white. Use a hand mixer to beat until it develops stiff peaks. A whisk attachment works best, but beaters are okay if that’s all you have.Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, mix almond flour, Besti, baking powder, and salt.
Add almond butter and butter. Heat butter and almond butter in the microwave or a double boiler, until smooth and melted. Add the melted butter mixture to the dry ingredients.
Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Stir in most of the remaining wet ingredients: egg yolk, almond milk, and vanilla.Fold in egg whites. Fold egg whites gently into the batter, making sure not to break down their volume too much.
TIP: Mix egg whites carefully. You want them incorporated, but not over-mixed. The batter should be light and fluffy.
Cook. Scoop batter into a greased waffle iron (it will be a little too thick to pour). Cook until no more steam comes out and your waffle is golden brown. Unplug the waffle iron and allow the waffle to rest inside to make it easier to remove.
How To Make Almond Flour Waffles Crispy
Now, let’s talk about the most important aspect of this low carb almond flour waffles recipe. You can actually get them crispy! It’s a nice change of pace from other waffles with almond flour. So, here are the tricks:
Include a little nut butter. I got this idea came from my flourless almond butter waffles recipe, which has no flours at all (not even gluten-free or low carb flours) and gets its crispness from almond butter. This time, we’re making almond flour waffles so they do contain flour, but I still included some almond butter to help get them crisp.Let the waffles rest. Even with the almond butter, the paleo waffles are somewhat soft when you first open the waffle iron. They crisp up as they go from hot to warm, which is why I suggest turning off the iron and letting the waffle sit in there for a minute or two to cool a little. That also makes it easier to remove without tearing.Toast for extra crispness. This is not required, but if you want them extra crisp, you can pop the waffles in the toaster or even the oven for a couple minutes. A toaster oven should also work if you have one.
For an extra crispy waffle, try keto chaffles instead!
Add-In Variations
This easy keto recipe is the perfect base for any kind of keto waffles you like. I have grand plans for making flavored ones out of them. Some flavors may require modifying ingredient ratios, but extracts and add-ins that simply get stirred in and stay whole are a safe bet. Try these variations:
Chocolate Chip – Add a few tablespoons of sugar-free chocolate chips to the keto waffle mix.Lemon Blueberry – Add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and some blueberries.Cranberry Orange – Mix 1 teaspoon of orange zest and sugar-free dried cranberries to the keto almond flour waffle batter.Banana Nut – Add 1/2 teaspoon of banana extract and some chopped walnuts.Cinnamon – Add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.
TIP: All these add-ins should be added in step 5. That’s right before you fold in the egg whites. This way, you’re not stirring the mixture unnecessarily after the whites are folded in. If you want to know how to make almond flour waffles in a particular flavor, let me know! I love requests and can add it to my list.
Topping Ideas For Keto Waffles
Sugar-Free Maple Syrup – My absolute favorite is Wholesome Yum Keto Maple Syrup (shown below), which comes ready to use, and my friends and kids don’t believe it isn’t real maple. 😉 If you prefer to make your own, I also have a homemade sugar-free syrup recipe here.Sugar-Free Jam – Try chia jam made with strawberries, or blackberry jelly.Butter – Nothing wrong with a simple pat of butter! I prefer grass-fed, but any kind works.Berries – While blueberries work better than other fresh berries as add-ins, any kind of keto fruit is fair game for topping. Another thing I like to do is create a berry sauce with fruit like raspberries, similar to the kind used for topping low carb cheesecake.
Like many low carb almond flour recipes, this one is very filling! The recipe makes large, Belgian-style paleo waffles. You can easily have a half serving (half of the waffle) at a time – especially if you add toppings.
Storage Instructions
Store: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.Freeze: Make these into freezer waffles! Freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container.Reheat: Reheat keto waffles frozen by using a toaster oven until warmed through. Refrigerated waffles can also reheat in the toaster oven or oven, but will take less time.
More Keto Waffle Recipes
For a basic recipe, these are the best keto waffles. When you’re ready to switch up the flavor, try these keto recipes using a waffle maker! Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too – I’d love to see it! These are very filling and the recipe makes large Belgian style almond flour waffles. You can easily have a 1/2 serving (1/2 of the waffle) at a time if you add toppings.
