Pumpkin Spice Waffles {Healthy Whole Grain}
Updated Apr 08, 2025
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Discover these wholesome whole wheat Pumpkin Spice Waffles – perfectly light and fluffy with fall flavors! A fiber-rich, family-friendly breakfast recipe that freezes beautifully for busy mornings. These homemade pumpkin waffles are easy to make and deliciously nutritious!
This whole wheat pumpkin recipe is one of the very oldest recipes on the blog (I published it for the first time in 2010!) I wanted to bring it out of the archives because it’s still one of my very favorite recipes and I make it all the time (not just in the fall either).
Thanks to whole grains and pumpkin, these waffles are full of fiber which helps keep tummies full until lunch. You’ll love how soft and fluffy these waffles are too (thanks to lots of eggs!). No whole wheat hockey pucks here.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Spice Waffles Recipe
- Perfect Fall Breakfast: These waffles capture the essence of autumn with their warm cinnamon spices and real pumpkin flavor, creating that cozy breakfast feeling you crave when the leaves start changing.
- Sneaky Nutrition: With whole wheat flour and actual vegetable (pumpkin!) in the batter, you’re getting fiber and nutrients while feeling like you’re indulging in a special breakfast.
- Make-Ahead For Busy Mornings: This big batch recipe is perfect for meal prep – freeze half and enjoy homemade waffles at a moment’s notice on those hectic weekday mornings. Just pop them in the toaster!
- Incredibly Fluffy, Not Heavy: Despite being whole wheat, these waffles stay light and fluffy thanks to the perfect ratio of eggs and leavening agents. No dense, hockey-puck waffles here!
🧇 Waffles are so versatile — sweet, savory, and hearty waffles all make amazing breakfasts or dinners!
Recipe Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon – Or pumpkin pie spice
- Pumpkin – I use canned but you could can make your own homemade pumpkin puree.
- Butter
- Eggs
- Milk
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Waffles
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
Step 2: Create a well in the center and add the pumpkin, melted butter, eggs, and milk
Step 3: Whisk from the center outwards, gradually incorporating the dry ingredients until well-mixed.
Step 4: Cook the batter in a preheated waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve with butter and maple syrup.
Recipe FAQs
I like to use a whole wheat flour that is labeled “white whole wheat”. That simply means it’s whole wheat flour that has been milled from white wheat berries (opposed to red wheat berries). It tends to be a little lighter and tastes a little less wheaty than whole wheat flour ground from the red wheat berries. Once you start looking at the packages of wheat flour, you’ll see what I’m talking about.
I have a pretty basic Belgian waffle maker that we use and love, but I also have this waffle maker that makes elephant, giraffe, and bunny waffles! It’s $15, works great, and my kids LOVE IT! If you are in the market… get the animal one. 🙂
If you want to turn pumpkin waffles into pumpkin pancakes, simply add enough milk to make a thinner pancake batter. You know it’s thin enough when it spreads nicely on a hot cast iron skillet.
This recipe makes a pretty big batch of waffles (10 Belgian waffles) so plan on using half the recipe for later in the week (cook once, eat twice!), store half in the freezer for a later date, or just cut the recipe in half to make 5 waffles instead.
You can use a can of pumpkin puree or about 2 cups of homemade pumpkin puree. Both are great options.
Expert Tips
- Use room-temperature eggs and milk for a smoother batter.
- Avoid over-mixing the batter; a few small lumps are okay and help keep the waffles light.
- For extra flavor, add a dash of vanilla extract or nutmeg.
- To ensure even cooking, spread the batter gently in the waffle iron before closing.
How to Serve and Store Healthy Pumpkin Waffles
Serve with homemade Greek yogurt, chopped nuts like maple candied pecans, or fresh fruit for a nutritious boost. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a festive touch. Pair with eggs florentine, farmhouse egg bake, crispy ham and cheese waffles, bacon or sausage for a balanced breakfast.
Store waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze, lay waffles on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe bag and store for up to 2 months. Toast them in a toaster or warm in an oven at 350°F until heated through.
More Favorite Waffle Recipes to Consider
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 small can pumpkin, 15 ounces
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.
- Use a whisk to combine them all and then make a large well in the center.
- Add all of the wet ingredients to the well and then start whisking the two together. Whisk from the middle of the bowl out, slowly making your way out to the dry ingredients. You are slowly incorporating the dry so that they don’t get clumpy.
- When well-combined, cook according to your waffle iron directions.
- Serve with lots of butter and real maple syrup.
Notes
- Freeze the extras for a quick breakfast and reheat in the toaster.
- Use room-temperature eggs and milk for a smoother batter, and avoid over-mixing the batter. A few small lumps are okay and help keep the waffles light.
- To ensure even cooking, spread the batter gently in the waffle iron before closing.
- For extra flavor, add a dash of vanilla extract or nutmeg.
Honestly my attempt should have been a disaster but it was still great! Quartered the recipe, used water instead of milk, oil instead of butter, and added about a tablespoon and a half of maple syrup to the batter. It still worked and made 3 large-ish waffles
That’s AWESOME! I’m so glad that it worked for you so well, happy waffles friend!
Amazing recipe! I doubled it because we have two teens in our house and wanted enough for the week. Well.. we have more than 25 waffles for the week. Everyone loved them. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and delicious! No syrup needed. And no guilt about indulging in them! Thanks!!
Hooray! I love hearing that, thank you for the great review!
I used Bisquick Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle mix only because I didn’t have whole wheat flour. They turned out delicious! I think this is my new favorite breakfast!
The recipe is great, did not add the sugar as someone did since it is part of a weight loss menu.
What is the nutrition information
Where did you get the heart shaped waffle iron? And are the plates removable for easy cleaning??
Thrift store for $4 almost 10 years ago! Best decision ever. And no, they don’t come out, but I still like it 🙂
Any idea how many calories are in these waffles?
Sorry… I don’t have any software that does calorie counts. Any luck finding something online to help?
1 waffle= serving
calories 208, fat 7.7, cholesterol 121, sodium 360, carbs 28.4, protein 9
FYI- sparkpeople.com has a great recipe calculator and it’s free to join
is that tablespoons or teaspoons??
Added about 1/4 cup sugar and about 1 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice. These were OK but I don’t think I’ll make them again – seemed really “eggy” to me.
how would you adjust this recipe to make pancakes?
Just add enough extra milk to make them pancakeable – does that make sense? They should work just great if they are thin enough to spread out on the griddle. An extra couple of tablespoons of milk should thin it out if it doesn’t spread out when cooked! Let me know how it works!
Approximately how much pumpkin is that (in relation to cups)?
Thanks.
Around 1 1/2 cups. It’s pretty forgiving 🙂