Make Ahead

Sweet Potato Waffles, Sweet or Savory

November 21, 2013
5
1 Ratings
  • Makes about twelve 4-inch waffles
Author Notes

Sweet potato waffles, pumpkin waffles and the like seem always saddled with pumpkin pie spices, which is not a bad thing per se, but I felt like I needed to break free. Sweet potatoes are delicious with so many things, I wanted to make a waffle that echoed that adaptability and would be delicious with savory toppings as well as sweet. These are phenomenal with maple syrup, of course, but they're also delicious with eggs, sausages, avocado, turkey and cranberry, whatever you please! They're adapted from a pumpkin waffle recipe from an old Bon Appetit, and are wonderfully simple - just stir everything together and waffle away. —fiveandspice

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar (increase up to 1/4 or 1/3 cup if you know you want your waffles for something sweet)
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 can (13- or 14-ounce) coconut milk
  • 1 1/4 cups pureed sweet potatoes (or pumpkin, or other winter squash)
Directions
  1. Preheat your waffle iron. In one bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, powder, salt, ginger, orange zest, and sugar.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, coconut milk, and pureed sweet potatoes. Then, stir in the dry ingredients just until smooth.
  3. Griddle the waffles in the waffle iron according to the iron's instruction, cooking until the waffles are browned and crispy on the outside. Keep cooked waffles warm in a 225F oven so you can serve them all at once. As with most waffles, these freeze well and can be toasted when you want to eat them. Serve the waffles with your choice of topping: maple syrup and pecans, avocado and a fried egg, chorizo and spinach, fried chicken and jalapeno syrup, sliced turkey with cranberries and cheddar, you name it!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Heather | Delicious Not Gorgeous
    Heather | Delicious Not Gorgeous
  • Veggielover
    Veggielover
  • LauriL
    LauriL
  • Karen Foreman
    Karen Foreman
  • mommychef
    mommychef

19 Reviews

Yasmanc December 11, 2019
Loveeee waffles definitely making over Christmas break!
 
Heather |. December 22, 2015
i used a mix of kabocha and delicata, added cinnamon + cloves, and did half coconut milk, half water. they were delicious! so tender, and with the perfect hint of squash flavor.

deliciousnotgorgeous.blogspot.com/2015/12/pumpkin-spice-belgian-waffles.html
 
Veggielover November 23, 2015
....and goat cheese :)!
 
Veggielover November 23, 2015
Made it with almond milk and acorn squash. So good! We had them with lingonberry jam :)!
 
MattO August 23, 2015
If you add a 1/2 cup more sweet potato, and eliminate the butter entirely... you get a much healthier option without any difference in texture or taste.
 
Bee April 4, 2015
Thanks to all that said that buttermilk could be substituted for coconut milk. I realize that there's an entirely new generation of cooks out there to whom Kale & Coconut ANYTHING = The Holy Grail, but I'm NOT one of them! LOL I limit my enjoyment of new foods to restaurant visits so that I'm not stuck with an ingredient I don't care for.
 
Chris G. February 16, 2015
Mimi and Fiveandspice:
regarding using this recipe for pancakes, I was thinking if one innovated and tried thinning the batter more, couldn't one use this recipe for crepes(?) or maybe wraps, such as tortillas? Might be fun to play with? Of course with the quantity of ingredients, you would end up with a lot of crepes....but might make a real interesting "crepe cake?" Sooo many interesting possibilities...especially with pumpkin or sweet potatoes or yams or regular potatoes???
Chris
 
Chris G. February 16, 2015
Kayla:
Found this answer for you when I googled Flax Eggs:
How to Substitute Flax Seed for Eggs in Baking
Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_2280938_substitute-flax-seed-eggs-baking.html
The Technique
The basic technique for using flax as an egg substitute is clear and straightforward. For each egg you're replacing, stir 1 tablespoon of finely ground flax seed into 3 tablespoons of cold water. Let the mixture rest for a minimum of 5 minutes, so the seeds' soluble fiber can form its gel with the water. Large eggs average ¼ cup each, or 4 tablespoons, so this makes a direct 1-to-1 replacement. Stir or beat the gelled flax seed into your dough or batter, and proceed as you normally would.
Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_2280938_substitute-flax-seed-eggs-baking.html
There's lots more stuff at that address that might interest you and others!
Chris
 
Kayla February 18, 2015
Chris,
Thank you so much for responding to my inquiry :) I'm super excited to make these waffles and check out more goodies on the website you provided. Thanks again for your time and help.
 
Kayla February 13, 2015
Would there be a way to use 'flax eggs' instead of regular eggs? Would would be the recommended conversion?
 
LauriL March 29, 2014
Made these last week....wonderful! I only had one lil problem...went to go heat up the waffle iron and it broke in two!!! Pancakes were a great save but I missed having the anticipated crispy edges. Have added these to my collection! Thank you for sharing!
 
Karen F. January 11, 2014
Worked out beautifully today even at altitude! Seemed like the batter was going to be too thick but it was perfect, and held together when we dolloped too much on the waffle iron. Good to know that buttermilk works well too, what would be the Cup portion needed?
 
fiveandspice January 20, 2014
I think you would just use the same volume of buttermilk.
 
mommychef December 4, 2013
A very yummy lunch indeed! The kiddos has their with maple syrup and ham and I did the avocado and poached egg thing which was weirdly delicious. The best part...there are 8 left to freeze for future meals! thank you!
 
fiveandspice December 4, 2013
Weirdly delicious is so true! I first started the combo because I had a sandwich with avocado and sweet potato and I thought to myself "hmm, this is weird, but I love it!"
 
Mimi December 4, 2013
Can these be made into pancakes for those who do not have a waffle iron?
 
fiveandspice December 4, 2013
I imagine you'll want a slightly looser batter for pancakes, so maybe up the liquid a bit, and then I would guess they'd work.
 
gingerroot December 4, 2013
Made these tonight for breakfast for the week - these are fantastic! I used leftover candied yams from Thanksgiving and with the orange zest and ground ginger, these waffles are delicious. I only had whole wheat flour and was slightly concerned that they would be heavy so used 2 c wwf and 1/4 cup potato starch. Also, was out of coconut milk but buttermilk subbed beautifully. Thanks for a lovely recipe, Em!
 
fiveandspice December 4, 2013
Yay! Glad to hear it Jenny. The original recipe this was inspired by used buttermilk, so it's like you were taking it back to its roots! I used coconut milk because that's what I had (and I've been being pretty much dairy free the last 2 months to see if it would help baby with his colic, and it did), and I liked the flavor and texture it gave, so I decided to stick with it!