With soft apple pieces in every bite, it is hard to stop at just one of these Apple Waffles. Sweetened only with fruit they are perfect for serving as a snack, at breakfast or popping in the lunchbox.
Reasons to Love This Recipe
- Fruit Sweetened: Naturally sweetened with apple and raisins.
- Texture Experience: These waffles provide a great texture experience for baby-led weaning/toddlers. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside with apple bits for little ones to explore.
- Freezer Friendly: Double the batch and freeze in portions for a quick and easy breakfast/snack or lunchbox addition.
Watch How to Make Them (Video)
Ingredients Information (and alternative suggestions)
The full list of ingredients and amounts can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. This section gives information on each ingredient and suggested alternatives if required.
- Apple: Choose your favourite variety.
- Raisins: For added sweetness and flavour, can be skipped.
- Butter: For sauteing the apples and adding to the waffle batter. Can be replaced with oil if dairy-free. Any neutral-tasting oil will work, or for a coconut flavour, you can use melted coconut oil.
- Cinnamon: For flavour, can be skipped or the amount can be adjusted to suit taste.
- Vanilla: For flavour, can be skipped or adjusted to suit taste.
- Egg: Adds tenderness and provides structure. No egg replacement has been tested but I would recommend a flax egg.
- Flour: A combination of wholemeal (whole wheat) and all-purpose (plain) 50:50. This ratio can be adjusted to suit your family’s taste/health needs. The texture will be heavier if using a higher ratio of whole wheat. No gluten-free flours have been tested.
- Baking Powder: Help the waffles rise and brown.
- Milk: You can use regular milk or non-dairy milk (have tested with almond milk)
How to Make Apple Waffles (+ Expert Tips)
The first step to making apple waffles is to prepare the apples
At the recipe development stage, I tried adding
- grated apple,
- raw apple chunks
- sautéed apple pieces.
The sautéed apple, by far, produces the best result. Delicious soft apple pieces in every bite. .
To prepare the apples, core and then cube roughly into 0.5cm pieces (approx 1/4 inch). There is no need to peel them, the peel softens nicely and adds a nutritional boost. A lot of the antioxidants and other good stuff is in the skin, so don’t let them go to waste.
Saute in butter and cinnamon until lovely and soft.
Step two involves making the waffle batter. To ensure delicious and fluffy apple waffles…
- Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another bowl. Pour the wet into the dry and..
- Just Barely Mix. You should still see some small and medium-sized lumps in the batter. Add the apples and raisins and stir until just combined.
As you can see from the picture below, the waffle batter is pretty thick and is packed with apple pieces.
The final step is to cook the waffles.
- Preheat waffle iron
- Once at temperature, spray with oil (if your iron requires this) and add about 1 cup of the batter. (This is the amount that worked best in my waffle maker but the amount may vary depending on the waffle iron size.)
- Cook according to manufacturer instructions, I cooked for around 4-5 minutes.
- Remove and place on a cooling rack, repeat until the batter has finished.
Apple Waffle Topping Ideas
As these waffles have pieces of apple and raisins in every bite it means they can be eaten plain.
If you are looking for something more indulgent you could add
- a dollop of ice-cream
- maple syrup
Some healthier topping ideas for little ones include:
- fruit compote
- apple puree (sauce)
- chia jam
- fresh fruit
Storage Instructions
One of the great things about waffles is that they store very well in the freezer —great for busy mornings, snacking or popping into the lunchbox.
Allow the waffles to come to room temperature before placing them on a baking tray, so they are close together but not touching. Pop in the freezer until frozen, around 30 mins, then transfer to a freezable container or zip-lock back. Return to the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
These waffles can be a great snack or breakfast for babies. Cut them into fingers to make them easy to pick up. Once the pincer grasp is established you could cut them into small squares. Great served with yoghurt which adds fat and protein for a more balanced snack.
These waffles do contain common allergens: dairy and gluten. You should only serve this to a baby (6 months +) once these allergens have been introduced safely. It is also important that you finely chop the apple and cook it until soft.
Try to focus on offering your baby lots of cooked vegetables before moving on to waffles.
Waffle recipes generally have more fat in them than pancakes to help them crisp up and brown. I have an apple pancake recipe that is very similar to this one (but has no butter). I recommend using it.
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Apple Waffles
Equipment
- Waffle Iron
Ingredients
Add-Ins
- 2 Large (or 3 small) Apples, chopped into small chunks (roughly 0.5cm)
- 28g (2 tbsp) Butter
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 40g (¼ cup) Raisins/ Sultanas
Dry Ingredients
- 60g (½ cup) All-purpose (Plain) Flour
- 60g (½ cup) Wholemeal (Whole Wheat) Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- 250ml (1 cup) Milk
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 28g (2 tablespoons) Butter, melted
Instructions
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add 2 tbsp of butter. Allow to melt and add the chopped apple and cinnamon. Reduce the heat, and sauté until soft (around 3 mins). Remove from the heat.
- Place the sultanas in a small bowl and soak with boiling water.
- Pre-heat your waffle machine.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredient to the dry and stir. Be careful not to over mix, some lumps are fine.
- Drain the sultanas and add to the waffle batter along with the sautéed apples. Stir until just combined.
- Spray or lightly brush your waffle machine with oil on both sides. Scoop 1/3 of the mixture into the centre of your waffle machine. Close and cook until the light indicates it is ready (this may vary depending on brand of waffle machine, cook to manufacturer instructions).
- Transfer to a cooling rack and repeat until mixture is finished.
- Serve with topping of choice
Layra says
Made lots of waffles, and these are maybe the best I’ve ever had. I did a half recipe (still using one egg). Sautéing the apples first is really genius.
Amy says
Fantastic! I love all things apple 🙂
Helen says
We have just finished eating these for breakfast – absolutely delicious! We found they needed a higher heat and significantly longer time in our waffle maker than regular waffles, but once done they were fabulous – a huge hit with all of us (8 months, 3.5, 32 and 33!). We had them with strawberries, raspberries and maple syrup (no syrup for baby).
Amy says
Hi Helen, so glad these were enjoyed by the whole family. Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Abby says
Great recipe thanks. We had topped with plain yoghurt and a splash of maple syrup. Will definitely make again.
Amy says
Glad you liked them, Abby. Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Viviana says
These waffles are so good, my whole family enjoyed them. I was looking everywhere for a healthy recipe for waffles and this is the one! I used half of plain flour and half oats ( I didn’t have wholemeal flour) they were delicious. Thank you!
Amy says
Excellent! I’m so glad you liked them and thanks for taking the time to rate and leave a comment 🙂
Jenny says
LOVED these…the kids got one each and I ate the rest! Loved the raisins and soft apple chunks.
Amy says
Thanks Jenny, I’m guilty to eating more than my share of these too!
Bernadette says
Yum! Amy these tasted amazing! We had these for Father’s Day breakfast and they went down a treat! Thanks for another fabulous recipe
Amy says
So glad you enjoyed them, Bernadette! Hope Dad had a great day!
Doorstep Organics says
Great idea, I haven’t tried apple on waffle before. Thank you for sharing. Blueberry and cream cheese on waffle is a great combination too.
Amy says
Sounds delicious! Hope you give the apple a try 🙂