Vegan Vanilla Waffles with Vanilla Maple Cashew Cream

This post is sponsored by Frontier Co-op.

If you follow me on snapchat (@edibleash...yes, I'm obsessed and also 32), then you may have seen my 10+ failed attempts at this vegan vanilla waffle. Vegan waffles are not the easiest things to make, especially when you throw non-glutinous flours in the mix. But, I was determined and am so glad I stuck it out. Because now, I think I just may have my new, forever, morning waffle.

I can usually tell when a recipe is doomed after the first try or two. But I knew this waffle had potential from the beginning. The main problem was, it just wouldn't hold together as I opened the waffle maker. The exterior was golden and crispy, the flavor was spot-on, it was made with nutrient dense flours, but it just wouldn't hold. So there I stood, trial after trial, scraping waffle bits out of every crevice of the waffle maker, eating most of them and pondering my next attempt. It drove me batty. But this persistence that sometimes comes over me when creating new recipes, is where I feel my true sense of purpose in the kitchen.

I jumped around from adding things like arrowroot starch, psyllium husks, and flax, hoping something would stick. Literally. While a few worked okay, the texture just wasn't what I was after. During these trials, I also started playing around with aquafaba, a new to me cooking ingredient. It sounds completely crazy, but aquafaba is simply the liquid inside of a can of beans (typically chickpeas or white bean liquid). You know, the stuff you drain away and never use! I recently heard this can be used as a vegan egg replacer and figured it was worth a shot to try. While I can't say it works just like an egg in this recipe, it definitely seemed to help keep this waffle together and maybe also help lend a crispier texture (not positive on that). I actually think it's more useful as an egg-white replacer, as it can literally be whisked into meringue....made of bean liquid...insane.

What I figured out to be the most crucial aspects to this recipe were, creating a thick but still pourable batter and thoroughly greasing your waffle iron with cooking spray. The aquafaba probably helped a bit, too. 

With a generous pour of Frontier Co-op's organic vanilla extract, a 1/2 scraped vanilla bean pod, and a few dashes of their cinnamon, this waffle has the perfect flavor profile. There's a little banana that sneaks in there as well, that adds sweetness, flavor, and moisture. 

Now let's move on to the vanilla maple cashew cream. Actually, I think the photos of the cream will tell you everything you need to know. Only thing you have left to do is start cooking. Seriously, get on it right now.

(whisked aquafaba below)

Print Recipe!

Vegan Vanilla Waffles with Vanilla Maple Cashew Cream

gluten-free, vegan // yields 2, 6-inch Belgium waffles

vegan vanilla waffles:

• 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sorghum flour
• 2 tablespoons almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• few dashes of cinnamon
• 1/3 cup well-mashed, ripe banana
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choosing)
• 2 tablespoons melted, unrefined coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons aquafaba (drained liquid from canned or boxed chickpeas)

vanilla maple cashew cream:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
• 1 1/2 inches vanilla bean (cut to size, but not scraped)
• 6-10 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup
• pinch of fine grain sea salt

Preheat your waffle maker to medium.

Mix together flours, baking powder, and cinnamon. In the bowl you mashed your banana in, add the milk, oil, vanilla, and vanilla beans. Mix together well. Add the wet to the dry and stir a few times. (It will still be very dry.)

In another bowl, rapidly whisk the aquafaba until very foamy on top. Pour over the flour mixture and gently stir until fully combined. (The batter will be thick and slowly pourable. It should not be runny.)

Thoroughly coat your waffle iron with cooking spray.

Pour half the batter in the center of your waffle iron and clamp down. Cook for 1 - 1 1/2 cycles. (1 1/2 cycles works best for my waffle maker to have crispy edges and a tender but cooked interior.) Carefully remove the waffle, coat with oil again, and cook the next waffle. 

While the waffles are cooking, place cashew cream ingredients in your blender. Start with 6tbsp milk + 2tbsp maple. Turn on and work to high until fully smooth (about 30-60 second). Add more milk to thin out and maple to sweeten as needed. Mixture will thicken as it sits.

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Notes:

• Sub other flours at your own risk.
• I've found cooking spray to work the best to coat the waffle iron, as opposed to brushing on oil. With vegan and especially vegan/GF waffles, this is an absolute necessity to prevent sticking and the waffle pulling apart.
• If your vanilla bean seems dried out, cut the 1 1/2-inch piece and let it soak with your cashews overnight.
• For a quick-soak method for the cashews, place cashews in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and cover with a tight fitting lid. Let soak for 1 hour. You can also add the vanilla bean to this when you remove from the heat.
• I used 3 tablespoons maple and just over 1/2 cup milk for the cashew cream, for a lightly sweetened and fairly thick mixture.

I hope these are your new, forever waffles, too.

Enjoy!

Ashley

Today's post is sponsored by Frontier Co-op, and I received compensation for writing this post. Opinions are always my own. If I didn't love it, you wouldn't hear about it. Thanks for your continued support!