Ultra light and crisp, these naturally vegan protein waffles are made with lentils, soy milk and seeds. Choose sweet or savoury, with 20 grams of protein per serve (no oats, no flour, no protein powder!)
In battle pancakes v waffles, I’m gonna back waffles every single time. I love that crisp, fluffy texture…and I also love not standing over my skillet hoping the oil won’t smoke. In fact, one of my favourite games to play is “will it waffle?” Which is how I got it in my head to see if I could make a waffle out of red lentils – with no protein powder, oats or flour – to get more of these protein + fibre rich gems into my kid’s bellies.
As a dietitian, I strongly believe that not every meal you eat has to be nutrient dense. Sunday waffles with white flour? You go right on ahead…but for my tastebuds, I actually prefer a waffle with a bit more heft, so I feel more full and satisfied afterwards. That’s why I love the light-as-air whole wheat waffles in my book Good For Your Gut or well, let’s get weird and make ‘em out of red lentils!
The biggest challenge with making red lentil waffles is A) making sure they hold – which I do with ground flax (an awesome egg replacer!) and B) not having them turn out like dense pucks.
I promise, these plant-based beauties are so light and fluffy and they don’t actually taste like red lentils. It’s kind of magic, really. Plus, they are made in the blender with 6 core ingredients so they couldn’t be easier. I’ve even given you two flavour variations so you can choose sweet for breakfast or savoury for brunch and dinner.
How to serve them? I’m a big fan of slathering the sweet waffles with almond butter and cranberry sauce and eating them with a knife and fork like a piece of deluxe cafe toast. The savoury waffles would be incredible with some sauteed kale and maybe some sliced avocado…and leftovers freeze well so they could even work as a meal prep!
How to make these light and fluffy vegan protein waffles
Red lentil waffles with 20 grams of protein and like 10 minutes of hands on work? It’s not a dream! These protein waffles are easy peasy…with just, ahem, a couple of tricks to keep in mind. So check out these step by step pictures for guidance before you scroll all the way down to the full recipe card below.
Step One: Soak the red lentils overnight in water to hydrate and soften. Forgot? I popped a quick soak method into the recipe card.
Step Two: Preheat your waffle iron to medium-high. This will vary depending on your machine, but my waffle iron has heat settings of 1-6 and I turn the dial to 5.
Step Three: Drain and rinse the lentils well, and pop them into your blender along with the soy milk, hemp hearts, ground flax, oil and baking powder. Blend on high for one minute until the batter is super smooth. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken a bit.
Step Four: Pour enough batter to cover the raised bits of the waffle iron without overfilling. In my 4 inch waffle maker, that’s just less than a half cup per waffle. I HIGHLY recommend spraying or oiling your waffle iron so it doesn’t stick.
Step Five: When the waffle iron indicates the waffle is done, gently lift to see if there is any resistance to the waffle. If there is, this means the inside isn’t done yet so let it cook longer, testing after 30-60 seconds more. A lot of steam coming from the waffle iron also means it’s not done.
Why red lentils are so, so good for you
Red lentils (sometimes labelled pink lentils or split red lentils) are a big favourite around here, and for good reason. They cook up in minutes, they’re super affordable and come with a host of health benefits.
- Just a 1/4 cup of dry red lentils has 12 grams of protein and 5.5 grams of protein, which is why they’re so filling and a great blood sugar stabilizing food.
- That fibre, along with 338mg potassium and naturally occurring plant sterols make them a great heart-healthy choice.
- Red lentils are rich in many minerals like iron (3.75mg!), zinc, copper and manganese
This recipe is naturally vegan and gluten free (avoid bulk bin lentils if celiac!) as well as being a great choice for balanced blood sugars with plenty of protein, fibre and healthy fats.
More nourishing vegan breakfast recipes
- Protein Power (21g!) Kale Smoothie
- Grain Free Buckwheat Granola with Apricots
- Cinnamon Spiced Millet Breakfast Porridge
- 5 Minute Brownie Batter Overnight Oats
- Easy Protein-packed Chickpea Scramble
High Protein Waffles with Red Lentils
Equipment
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waffle maker
Ingredients
Red Lentil Waffle Base
- 1 cup red lentils soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups soy milk I use unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or another neutral flavoured oil
- ⅓ cup hemp hearts plus 1 tablespoon!
- ¼ cup ground flax
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Sweet Add Ins (choose one only, sweet OR savoury)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Savoury Add Ins
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Plus your favourite waffle toppings!
Instructions
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Psst…if you forgot to soak your lentils, check out the quick soak method in the notes below!
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Preheat your waffle iron to medium-high. This will vary depending on your machine, but my waffle iron has heat settings of 1-6 and I turn the dial to 5.
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Drain and rinse the lentils well, and pop them into your blender along with the soy milk, hemp hearts, ground flax, oil and baking powder. Blend on high for one minute until the batter is super smooth. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken a bit.
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IMPORTANT! If your waffle maker even HINTS at sticking (even a nonstick one) you’re gonna want to spray/oil your iron before each batch. Because there is no gluten in this recipe, and I’ve made the batter light and fluffy, you need a very nonstick surface.
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Pour enough batter to cover the raised bits of the waffle iron without overfilling. In my 4 inch waffle maker, that’s just less than a half cup per waffle.
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When the waffle iron indicates the waffle is done, gently lift to see if there is any resistance to the waffle. If there is, this means the inside isn’t done yet so let it cook longer, testing after 30-60 seconds more. A lot of steam coming from the iron also means you need more time. If you’re worried, turn the heat down a bit for the remaining time.
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Serve the sweet waffles with your usual toppings – like nut butter, berries and whipped cream. For the savoury waffles, I love them with sliced avocado and sauteed kale as a complete meal.
Notes
Forgot to soak the lentils? Do a quick soak: bring the lentils to a boil with 4 cups of water in a pot. Immediately upon coming to the boil, remove them from the heat and let them sit for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse well with cold water.
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