Pumpkin Waffles
Soft and fluffy Pumpkin Waffles are the perfect fall treat for a weekend breakfast and brunch! This family favorite classic waffle recipe is super easy to to make, features a pleasant tender and fluffy consistency, and rich with real pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and more.
Table of Contents
Family Favorite Pumpkin Waffles
Who doesn’t love a stack of classic waffles fresh for breakfast?! What could make waffles even better is to add pumpkin and some warm and cozy fall spices.
With all of those wonderful elements combined, we have a perfect fall breakfast! The real pumpkin puree doesn’t just help to create that perfect pumpkin flavor, either. It also adds moisture and softness, so these already rich waffles are made even richer.
Whenever there’s a pumpkin pancakes or waffles debate (which is a hot topic in my house), it usually ends in a draw and we just end up alternating them each weekend. It’s hard to choose between these classic fall breakfast options, and if you throw in pumpkin French toast as an option, well then might as well have a party.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Waffles
Low Fat Buttermilk – Did you know that buttermilk mixes with the baking soda to help create the fluffiest waffles? That’s why it’s such a key ingredient. Just note that low fat buttermilk works better!
Pumpkin Puree – I like to use my homemade pumpkin puree for the best flavor but of course, a store-bought will work just fine. Note that homemade pumpkin puree can sometimes be thinner so you really need to pay attention to that! When getting store-bought, make sure to get pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie mix!
Eggs – it’s best to use eggs at room temperature in baking recipes. Let the eggs sit on the counter for about 30-45 minutes to adjust to room temperature.
Vanilla Extract – Use pure vanilla extract if you can, not an imitation. Pure vanilla extract will always yield the best flavor.
Brown Sugar – you can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. The difference between the two is in the amount of molasses added, dark brown sugar containing more, of course.
Flour – use all purpose flour and if you need to, use gluten free 1:1 baking all purpose flour. Make sure you spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of dunking the cup into the bag! Then, cut the excess at the top with the back of the knife to level. When you dunk the cup, you really pack the flour into the cup.
Pumpkin spice – you will simply need pumpkin pie spice mix for this recipe. Pumpkin pie spice usually contains a combination of like ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground allspice, and ground nutmeg.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder – Make sure that both of these are not expired! In order for your baking soda and powder to be potent, you need to use them within 6 months of opening the containers.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Pumpkin Waffles
Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and sugar (1). Once smooth, whisk in the vanilla extract and melted butter.
Next, sift in the flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Combine both the wet and dry ingredients (2).
Let the batter sit for about 10-15 minutes. During this time, prepare your waffle maker.
To prepare the waffle maker, lightly grease it with an oiled paper towel, NOT a cooking spray.
Finally, simply cook the waffles according to your waffle maker’s instructions. Note the recommended temperature setting on your waffle maker! If you set the temperature too high, waffles will cook too fast on the outside but no cook through. If temperature is too low, they will not have to golden crisp on the outside.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are an abundance of toppings and mix-ins that are downright delicious when added to this homemade waffle recipe!
If you want to mix anything into the batter itself, try adding walnuts or pecans (or even chopped candied pecans), chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, or butterscotch chips.
To top the waffles off deliciously, you can add maple syrup, whipped cream, bourbon whipped cream, cinnamon syrup, cinnamon whipped cream, fresh berries, apple butter, pumpkin butter, or even Homemade Pumpkin Syrup!
If you’re making the waffles as part of a holiday brunch, or just a big family breakfast, there are many loves sides you can serve.
Meats: grab your favorites, bacon, breakfast, sausage, turkey bacon, ham (great to use leftover ham too.)
Eggs: you can simply make some scrambled or fried eggs, or make something like quiche or frittata.
Potatoes: potatoes is always a great choice for breakfast and brunch, try home fries and hashbrown casserole.
Yogurt
Fruit
Pumpkin spice is essentially a combination of spices commonly used in a classic pumpkin pie. A classic pumpkin spice mix consists of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
If you would like to make your own, simply combine:
3 Tablespoons of ground cinnamon,
2 teaspoons of ground ginger,
2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg,
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cloves,
1 teaspoon of ground allspice.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Waffles
- It’s best to let your cold ingredients like eggs and buttermilk get to room temperature. Take out the eggs and measure out the buttermilk. Let both ingredients sit on the counter for about 30-45 minutes to reach the best temperature.
- Let waffle batter sit for about 15 minutes while the waffle maker is preheating. This will give all of the ingredients a chance to activate and will result is softer, fluffier waffles. It may be a bit of an annoyance to wait 15 minutes, but the payoff is so worth your patience!
- Make sure to always thoroughly read the instructions for your waffle maker. This is so you know what amount of batter to pour at a time and how long to cook the waffles.
- Make sure to preheat the waffle maker first, before adding the batter to it. Pumpkin waffles also contain more moisture so to get the crispy outer layer, it’s better to cook the waffles around medium-high heat.
- To keep cooked waffles warm while making the rest, preheat your oven to 200°F and keep waffles in the oven on a baking sheet.
- To cool waffles faster in order to freeze them, place them on a wire rack. This will cool waffles evenly and keep the bottom of the waffles from accumulating moisture and getting soggy.
Storing and Reheating
You can easily store them in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Just make sure to store them in an airtight container. The waffles should keep for up to 5 days, but they do start to dry out after 2 days. It’s best to store them in the freezer for more than a couple of days. (See below for freezing waffles).
The easiest way to reheat cold or frozen waffles is in a toaster (if it fits) or in a toaster oven. You can also reheat waffles in the oven and air fryer.
To reheat cold waffles – Preheat the oven to 350°F, place the waffles on a wire rack inside a baking sheet, and reheat for about 5 minutes. Note that the oven method will not crisp up the outside much.
To reheat frozen waffles in the oven – Still do it at 350°F and on a wire rack, but they’ll need a couple extra minutes.
In the air fryer, reheat waffles at 360°F for 2-3 minutes. Frozen waffles will need an extra minute or two.
How to Freeze Pumpkin Waffles
After the waffles are cooked, make sure to cool them completely on a wire rack.
Once cooled, place the waffles into a large zip-lock freezer bag, or place each waffle into a smaller individual freezer bag. Get as much air out as you can and close the bag tightly. Label and date the bags.
These waffles will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, they can be reheated right in the toaster! (More information on reheating is above.)
More Waffle Recipes To Try
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Pumpkin Waffles Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1.5-2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Tip: It’s best to let your cold ingredients like eggs and milk get to room temperature. Take out the eggs and measure out the milk. Let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes.
- Whisk eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, and sugar together until smooth. Whisk in vanilla extract and melted butter.
- Sift flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together and add it to the wet ingredients. Whisk all ingredients together until evenly combined.
- Let the batter sit for 10-15 minutes while preheating the waffle maker.
- Lightly grease the waffle maker with oiled paper towel (not a cooking spray), preheat it first, and cook waffles in a waffle maker per your waffle maker's instructions.
Notes
- Gluten free note: If you need to make your pumpkin waffles gluten free, use gluten free all purpose flour. Use your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour blend, you can use it as an equal substitute for the all-purpose flour in this recipe. My personal favorite gluten free blends are Renewal Mill 1:1 baking flour and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour and King Arthur Gluten Free Measure For Measure Flour.
(Don’t use almond or coconut flour.) - Freezing waffles: make sure to cool cooked waffles completely. Cool waffles on a wire rack so they cool faster and evenly without accumulating moisture on the bottom. Place several or all waffles into a large zip-lock freezer bag or place each waffle into a smaller individual freezer bag. Get as much air out as you can and close the bag tight. Label and date the bags. Freeze waffles for up to 3 months. Frozen waffles can easily be reheated and toasted in a toaster.
- (More information on storing and reheating is above, in the post.)
Nutrition
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Can. Make pancakes with this recipe?
Hey Jennie, I actually have 2 recipes on here for pumpkin pancakes here are the links https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/pumpkin-pancakes/ AND https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/pumpkin-pancakes-with-cinnamon-pecan-syrup/