Pumpkin Waffles

Our all-time favorite Pumpkin Waffles are light and fluffy inside with a crisp exterior and just the right amount of pumpkin spice inside. They pair perfectly with buttermilk syrup and whipped cream.

Pumpkin Waffles

These Pumpkin Waffles are hands-down my family’s favorite fall and winter breakfast. Unless you count these homemade cinnamon rolls as breakfast, and, in that case, there is tie!

I tweaked my favorite waffle recipe, adding warming spices and some pumpkin puree to bring you these fall-inspired waffles. They’re light with crisp edges and an intense pumpkin-spice flavor. Load ’em up with homemade whipped cream and our favorite buttermilk syrup and be prepared to enter breakfast heaven!

These waffles aren’t complicated to make, but below I have a few tips for these:

Pumpkin Waffle tips

• Use a good solid-packed pumpkin. For best results, use a canned pumpkin that is thick and not watery. If the pumpkin is overly wet, squeeze out some of the excess liquid with cheesecloth or dab with paper towels.
• Avoid pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has added spices and sugar so it would make these waffles overly sweet and spiced. Stick to using only 1/2 cup of plain canned pumpkin.
• Don’t overmix the batter. Too much stirring is going to start the gluten development in the batter and make your waffles tough and dense, instead of light and fluffy. It’s okay to have lumps in the batter; that’s a good thing!
• Let the batter stand. Letting the batter stand allows the flour to absorb the liquid; that helps some of those stubborn lumps (that you didn’t overmix!) take care of themselves.
• Let the melted butter cool to room temperature. Avoid adding hot butter to this batter.

The great thing about this recipe is that buttermilk is used in both the pumpkin waffles and the syrup! I recommend avoiding buttermilk substitutes in this recipe. Use real buttermilk in this recipe for best results in both the Pumpkin Waffles and the syrup.

Buttermilk Syrup tips

• Use a good nonstick pot– one with a heavy bottom so the buttermilk syrup won’t burn.
• Wait for the syrup to cool a bit before adding in the vanilla extract. This helps the flavor stay prevalent instead of “cooking off” with the heat.
• Not a buttermilk fan? Don’t worry; this syrup won’t taste like drinking a glass of buttermilk. There’s a tiny tang and a nice smoothness, but adding the baking soda tames most of the sharp flavor of plain buttermilk. 

Keeping Pumpkin Waffles from getting soggy

If you aren’t eating the waffle straight from the waffle maker, you’ll want a foolproof way to keep them warm and maintain those crispy edges. If you stack waffles on top of each other, you’ll end up creating steam, which will make the waffles soggy as they quickly lose that crispy exterior. To avoid soggy waffles, follow the steps below:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Place a cooling rack on a large sheet pan. As soon as you pull the waffle from the waffle iron, place it on the cooling rack in a single layer.
• Place that sheet pan in the oven until ready to eat.

Freezing Pumpkin Waffles

We love multiplying this Pumpkin Waffle recipe to have leftovers or to make ahead of time when anticipating guests. Those leftovers make for a great last-minute dinner or breakfast! Frozen waffles can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.

• To freeze: Allow waffles to cool completely on a cooling rack at room temperature. Place the cooled waffles on a parchment paper-lined tray. Place that tray in the freezer until the waffles are fully frozen, about 1-2 hours. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container.
• To thaw: Use the microwave, toaster, or oven to reheat! We like popping them in our toaster best.

Waffle iron tips

• Use a good waffle iron. If you’re in the market (or make waffles a ton and want to invest!) here’s an article outlining the top waffle makers of 2019. Here’s the exact waffle maker I use and can’t say enough good things about it — perfectly textured waffles every single time!
• Before your waffle batter goes in, run a cold stick of butter across the waffle iron to grease it. This gives the waffles an evenly distributed layer of fat to cook in; that contributes to that perfect crispy exterior. (Just make sure to wipe the waffle iron in between each batch.)

Use leftover canned pumpkin in one of these recipes

• Healthy Pumpkin Muffins with chocolate chips
• No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake with a graham cracker crust
• Pumpkin Cupcakes with cinnamon-cream cheese frosting
• Pumpkin Scones with a glaze
• Soft Pumpkin Cookies with chocolate chips

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Pumpkin Waffles

5 from 9 votes

- Review this recipe

Our all-time favorite Pumpkin Waffles; these waffles are light and fluffy inside with crisp exteriors and just the right amount of pumpkin spice inside.

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Waffles

5 from 9 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Our all-time favorite Pumpkin Waffles; these waffles are light and fluffy inside with crisp exteriors and just the right amount of pumpkin spice inside.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword pumpkin waffles

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 12 -14 waffles

Calories 447kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $4.13

Ingredients

Pumpkin Waffles

• ▢ 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• ▢ 1 and 3/4 cups white, all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon EACH: ground nutmeg, ground cloves
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• ▢ 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 3/4 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 3/4 cup buttermilk

Buttermilk Syrup

• ▢ 1/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely measured (not packed)
• ▢ 3/4 cup white, granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup buttermilk
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

US - Metric

USMetric

Instructions

• BUTTER: Melt the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl (in the microwave) and then set aside to come back to room temperature. We don't want hot butter being added to the batter!
• DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Stir until combined. Make a large well in the center of the dry ingredients.
• WET INGREDIENTS: In another bowl, whisk the egg, brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, heavy cream and buttermilk until everything is combined and smooth.
• COMBINE: Pour the wet ingredients into the well made in the dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir the wet and dry ingredients until a few streaks of flour still remain, but most of the ingredients are incorporated (about 7 strokes). Pour in the melted (but now room temperature) butter. Stir until just combined, being careful to not overmix the batter. Lumps are okay!
• PREHEAT WAFFLE IRON: Let the batter stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the waffle iron and preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place a cooling rack or 2 on a large sheet pan. Set aside. (See Note 1)
• COOK WAFFLES: Using a 1/3 cup measure, spread batter onto the iron and cook according to your waffle maker instructions. If your waffle maker doesn't have a timer indicating when it's done, watch until steam stops coming out the side (usually around 4 and 1/2 to 5 minutes; (See Note 2). Remove waffles to the prepared sheet pan with the cooling rack (this keeps the steam from making them soggy) and place in the 200-degree oven or eat right away with your favorite toppings. Repeat the process of cooking waffles until all the batter has been used.
• SYRUP: In a medium-sized pot (bigger than you think, because this syrup doubles or triples in volume) add in the loosely measured 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup buttermilk. Heat over medium heat and stir occasionally until butter melts, sugar dissolves and syrup is smooth. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Whisk quickly to dissolve and evenly disperse the soda. The volume of the syrup will greatly increase. Stir in vanilla extract. (Syrup continues to thicken as it cools)
• SERVE: Serve warm syrup over hot waffles. If desired, add fresh whipped topping. Enjoy immediately!
• LEFTOVERS: Store leftover syrup in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. To serve, warm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Store leftover waffles by freezing them: allow waffles to cool completely, on a cooling rack, at room temperature. Then place the cooled waffles on a parchment paper-lined tray. Place that tray in the freezer until the waffles are fully frozen, about 1-2 hours. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. To thaw: use the microwave, toaster, or oven to reheat! We like popping them in our toaster best.

Recipe Notes

Note 1:If your waffle iron or pan has a nonstick surface, don't use cooking spray. Cooking spray builds up on nonstick surfaces and eventually becomes tacky, ruining that non-stick coating. Brush melted butter lightly over the surface of your pan instead.

 

Note 2: How do you know when your waffle is done? Most waffle irons tell you via a light or beep. If your waffle maker does neither, watch for the steam to stop seeping out the sides. Never open your iron until steam has stopped coming out.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 2307IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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