Pumpkin Cornbread Waffles

I traditionally attempt to cook seasonally. But sometimes I’ll be browsing Pinterest and think “Uhhhh….making that tonight!” That happened to me recently. When I saw a pinned waffle recipe I immediately thought the combination of pumpkin and cornbread (created by Minimalist Baker) was genius! Since my sweet brothers bought me a waffle iron for Christmas, I immediately set to work!

Though the original recipe is called vegan, I discovered jiffy mix isn’t actually vegan. That, combined with the fact that I wanted to reduce my sugar intake and make this recipe gluten-free required a few moments of creativity on my part. I loved the end result and this might become part of my year round recipes because my husband – an alleged pumpkin hater – devoured them. (Ever since my Pumpkin Week of recipes I think he secretly likes pumpkin.)

Pumpkin Cornbread Waffle Recipe {Vegan + Gluten-Free} makes 4 large waffles
1.5 C unsweetened almond milk
1C pumpkin puree
1/2 C buckwheat flour
1/3 C cornmeal
1/4 C almond meal
3T ripe banana
1 flax seed “egg”
1T olive oil
1t pumpkin pie spice
1/4t salt
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch nutmeg
1/2-1 C water to thin the batter

Optional topping: caramelized cinnamon apples

Pumpkin Cornbread Waffle Ingredients | Amanda's Apron

Combine all ingredients except water and flours together.

How to make Vegan waffles | Amanda's Apron

Add the flours and continue to combine. Check the consistency and add water until desired consistency is reached. This will naturally be a thicker batter, but you want it to easily and swiftly be able to spread in the waffle maker.

Once waffle iron is heated, spray top and bottom and fill with enough batter to cover the bottom. This is my first attempt. Notice not all the holes are covered. I assumed the batter would spread while cooking.

Since it is a thicker batter, it didn’t spread. Boo. This is my pathetic first attempt. (Keep in mind this is my first time using this particular waffle iron and my first gluten-free waffle adventure. No judging!)

How to fail at waffle making | Amanda's Apron

I promise, I didn’t mush it or eat it. This is literally how it came out of the waffle maker. Clearly not enough batter, and not quite enough time. Also, I’m not gonna lie. I did not time these, I simply went by the ready light on my waffle maker. Maybe cook them for 3-5 minutes each???

Here is my second attempt.

How to improve your waffle making skills | Amanda's Apron

Almost there! Still not quite enough batter (Amanda, get the clue that the batter is thick and will not spread when cooking!!!) Third time was the charm!!!

See? Basically perfect.

Vegan Pumpkin Cornbread Waffles with Caramelized Apples | Amanda's Apron

Like my Clean Blueberry Pancakes, these are great to freeze and reheat on busy mornings. Enjoy with maple syrup, caramelized apples, a dust of ground cinnamon and ginger, or whatever else your sweet heart desires!