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Discover the secret to getting your kids excited about vegetables with these Savoury Waffles. Not only will your little ones be asking for seconds, but you might find yourself competing for the last bite!
These aren't your typical waffles, they are a delightful fusion of a vegetable fritter cooked in a waffle machine. Versatile and nutritious, these Savoury Waffles are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a satisfying snack, offering a fun twist to your everyday meals.
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Reasons to Love this Recipe
- Fun: This savoury waffle recipe is a fun and creative way to add nutritious vegetables to your / your child's diet.
- Nutritious: Packed with nutrient-rich ingredients like carrots, sweet potatoes, and fresh parsley, these waffles offer a wholesome dose of vitamins and fibre. They provide a nutritious option for both kids and adults.
- Quick and Easy: With simple ingredients and preparation, these waffles are a breeze to make. Perfect for busy mornings or when you need a hassle-free meal solution.
- Ideal for Lunchboxes: These waffles aren't just great when served hot; they also make an excellent addition to lunchboxes. Enjoy them fresh from the waffle maker or pack them cold for a convenient, nutritious, and tasty school or work lunch.
Ingredient Information (With 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.
- Carrots: Shredded carrots add natural sweetness, vibrant colour, and a dose of vitamin A to the waffles. For variety, you can try zucchini, parsnips or butternut squash.
- Sweet Potato: Grated sweet potatoes provide essential vitamins and fibre. If desired, you can substitute with white potato or pumpkin.
- Cheese: Shredded cheese brings a savoury depth of flavour. This recipe uses cheddar cheese but you can use any type of cheese that melts well (such as Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Mexican Cheese, Tasty etc). Mixing with a little parmesan cheese will also enhance the flavour.
- All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour (plain flour) provides a light texture but you can sub for whole wheat flour (wholemeal flour).
- Spring Onion (scallions, green onions): Spring onions offer a mild, fresh onion flavour and a hint of colour. Feel free to swap with chives or regular onion for a similar taste.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley: Fresh parsley brings a burst of herbaceous freshness. Experiment with other herbs like coriander (cilantro) or basil for variety.
- Eggs: Eggs are the binding agent, providing tenderness and structure. For an egg-free option, consider using a flax egg or a commercial egg substitute.
Step By Step Instructions (with Photos)
This section features step-by-step photos for visual reference. The complete recipe can be found by scrolling to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Grate the sweet potato and carrots
TIP: For the best texture consider using a food processor to grate the vegetables. A box grated can sometimes lead to the vegetables becoming mushy. If using a box grater, ensure it is sharp. - Mix: To the grated vegetables add the spring onion, parsley, cheese and flour and stir until combined. Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix well until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Cook: Preheat the waffle iron to medium heat setting (if it has a setting) and lightly coat with a vegetable or olive oil or use a non-stick spray, to prevent sticking.
Spoon the vegetable mixture into the centre of the waffle machine and gently spread it toward the edges. (The amount of mixture needed will depend on your waffle iron.)
Close the waffle iron and cook for approx. 5 mins, or until the waffles and beautifully browned, have a crispy exterior and are cooked through in the centre. (cooking time will vary depending on the machine) - Repeat: Once cooked carefully remove the waffles and place them on a wire rack, Repeat with remaining batter.
TIP: You can place waffles onto a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and keep warm in a 90C/ 200F degree oven while you finish the whole batch.
Note: The structure of the batter in this recipe is very different to regular waffles. The mixture is mainly vegetables, with very little batter. Having less flour and wet ingredients allows more of the sweet potato and carrot to be in contact with the cooking plate, allowing them to cook better and resulting in lovely crispy waffles
Serving Suggestions
These waffles are a great breakfast, brunch, lunch or light dinner option. They taste great with a variety of toppings, including:
- Sour cream
- Hummus,
- Avocado Dip
- Greek yogurt,
- Cream cheese,
- Pesto,
- Hot Sauce or
- A perfectly fried egg
These waffles are also great as 'bread' for sandwiches or served cold and plain as a convenient addition to your lunchbox.
Storage Instructions
Place leftover waffles in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two days.
Alternatively, freeze on a baking sheet until frozen and then transfer the frozen waffles to a freezable bag or container. Return to the freezer and store for up to a month.
Reheat in a toaster oven or conventional oven at 175C/350F until heated throughout.
Recipe FAQs
The vegetables used in this batter include sweet potato and carrots but you can get creative with a variety of vegetables such as grated onion, grated zucchini, grated bell pepper (capsicum), corn, peas or spinach. Higher water content vegetables such as zucchini may require you to squeeze the juice of the vegetables out so that the waffle batter is not too wet.
These waffles can be a great finger food for babies, learn more about the best way to serve waffles to babies in this blw waffles recipe.
These waffles do contain common allergens: dairy, egg and gluten. You should only serve this to a baby (6 months +) once these allergens have been introduced safely. You may also wish to reduce the amount of cheese to lower sodium levels. 
There is no particular brand of waffle iron that I recommend for this savoury waffle recipe. The mini waffle irons are great but equally a bigger Belgian waffle maker works well too.
More Fun Ways to Serve Vegetables
Full Recipe
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Savoury Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 medium (approx. 220g) Carrots, peeled and grated
- 1 medium/small (approx. 265g) Sweet Potato, peeled and grated
- 1 cup (125g) Cheese, grated (shredded)
- 70g (½ cup) Plain Flour (All Purpose Flour)
- 1 Spring onion (scallion/green onion) finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Chopped fresh parsley
- 3 Eggs, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Add the grated carrot, sweet potato, cheese, spring onion, parsley and flour into a large mixing bowl and stir until combined. SEE NOTE 1
- Add the eggs and mix well.
- Spray waffle machine with oil (if needed) and heat to a medium setting (if it has settings.)
- Portion out 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of the mixture, depending on your waffle iron's size. Place it in the centre of the waffle iron or each section (adjusting the amount accordingly), then gently spread it towards the edges. Close the waffle iron and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the waffles are golden brown, crispy, and cooked through in the middle. Once done, carefully remove them from the waffle machine and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
- Repeat until all the mixture has been used up.
Video
Recipe Notes
- I used a food processor to grate the vegetables which I believe gives the best results. If you use a box grater then the vegetables can become mushy and clump together. This will depend on how sharp your box grater is and the force you use. If very wet, I recommend squeezing some of the juice out (using a cheese cloth / clean dish cloth) before mixing with the flour and egg.
- You can easily change the vegetables you use in this recipe. I have, in the past, tried a mixture of grated onion, capsicum (bell pepper), zucchini (courgette). If adding other vegetables I recommend squeezing the juice out before mixing with the flour and egg.
- This mixture will not spread like regular waffle batter.
Mumma Ash
This recipe is an absolute winner! My toddler is going through a fussy veggie stage and we made these for lunch today - he ate 2 without even questioning the ingredients. Thanks for the recipe!
Amy
Brilliant, thank you 🙂
Lorraine
I just got a waffle iron and tried a different recipe recently which ended with 0 waffles and 25 minutes spent trying to clean the iron. I was nervous to try this recipe but it worked great! Set it on medium, as suggested and opened the iron around minute 7. Nice and tasty!
Amy
Oh no! I'm glad this recipe worked for you 🙂
Choodee109
This was actually pretty good! Cooking for vegetarian adults I served full size waffles with Trader Joe's pepper jelly up top, and corn on the cob.
Susan P
Quick question - do they freeze well?
Amy
Hi Susan, I don't think I have ever tried freezing these. I'd freeze them on a baking tray, on a single layer, until solid. Then transfer to a freezable bag / container. The texture may be a little different but I think they would be ok.
Courteney
I made this recipe last night for dinner and it wash such a success, thank you! I made the adult's version so I did add 1 tsp salt, along with 2tsp garlic powder & 1tsp paprika. I didn't have carrots or sweet potatoes on hand so I just used 2 small-ish zucchinis and 2 small/medium potatoes. I wrung the water from the grated zucchini first, and everything turned out perfectly 🙂
Amy
Fantastic, thanks Courteney 🙂
Pritha Chowdhury
Can oatmeal replace the whole meal wheat flour?
Amy
Hi Pritha, I haven't tested this so can't say for sure. Sorry.
nurp
I added oil but was not necessary because cheese was fatty enough.
added smoked paprika, salt, pepper.
don't fill the iron too full unless you want soft. half full is better for crispiness.
this is amazing recipe!!
Amy
Great! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Patricia
This is an awesome recipe! Only thing - my waffle maker was broken (didn't realise) but I managed with my ancient panini maker (it's orange). This goes into my fave recipe collection. Thank you.
Amy
Thanks Patricia 🙂
Pat
Your nutritional facts are misleading. A serving is 1 gram?? ?
Amy
Hi Pat, sorry that is confusing that was an error. I have fixed it now, nutritional info is based on 1 of 12 portions. Please note that nutritional information is only a rough guide and is calculated using an online nutrition calculator.
Pat
Thank you. My partner is type 1 diabetic, carb counting has become an exact science. I appreciate your fix.
Sascha
What could I use to replace the eggs? I have a kid with egg allergy 🙁
Amy
Hi Sascha, I haven't tested anything so can't say for sure, sorry. You could try a chia egg and a little more cheese but I can't guarantee the results.
Sandy
Did you try anything to replace eggs? My son also has an egg allergy but I’d love to try something like this!
Isabel Freire
Hi! can I freeze the left over waffles?
Amy
Hi Isabel, sorry for the delay. Yes you can freeze leftovers.
Tarley
Hi there, Do you recommending freezing the cooked product or the uncooked mix?
Amy
Hi Tarley, I always freeze the cooked product 🙂
Chase
Hi. I have a very picky toddler who I don’t believe will try this if he can see the vegetables. Do you think it would be ok to blend them instead of grate them? Thanks!
Amy
Hi Chase, sorry for the late response. To be honest I'm not sure how that would turn out and without trying I don't want to say. I think it would be a little wet.
Marije
Hi Amy, about to try your recipe, quick question. If I read it well, you don't cook or steam the vegetables first? Have you ever tried that and how does it affect the waffles?
Amy
Hi Marije, no need to cook before cooking. I haven't tried cooking it beforehand, the mixture would be wetter and I would need to experiment to get correct ratios.
Patrick
Top recipe because it’s versatile. Didn’t have sweet potato so I subbed with one each of red pepper, carrot, shallot and courgette. Grated all in food processor and placed in a sieve with a weighted bowl on top for twenty mins before mixing with the flour. Beat some smoked paprika and salt with the eggs then mixed all. In my not so powerful waffle maker they took 7 mins, no flipping. If I was somewhere with no waffle maker I’d just fry it in a little oil and congratulate myself on making a healthy meal.
Amy
Thanks for your feedback and five stars, Patrick. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Chase
I have been looking forward to making this for a while and just made it today. Sadly I didn’t think it was very good and won’t be making it again. Definitely needs salt and pepper and maybe some garlic powder.
Amy
Thanks for the feedback Chase, this site is designed for babies and young children and so I don't add salt to the recipes. I just presumed if making for an adult / older kid salt would be added, however many people comment that recipes lacked salt so I have started to write this salt should be added for adults on the post. Sorry you came across a post that didn't mention this.
Sam
Hi Amy,
Can I save the batter for later?
Amy
Hi Sam, I haven't actually stored the batter so can't say how it would hold up. I'm sure it would be ok with a good mix before cooking.
Cheryl in Chan
Hi Amy, thanks for the recipe! I'm excited to try. I am just curious if food processor grates the veggies? Mine seems to just finely chop. Will that be okay too?
Amy
Hi Cheryl, my food processor has a grating disk that I use. Finely chopped may not work as they might not cook enough.
Diana Ash
Just bought a waffle maker and this is the first recipe i tried on it. It was great! I didn’t have sweet potatoes, so i used potatoes and zucchini instead. My 4 and 2 yrs old enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing. And this is a great website. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Amy
Thanks for your lovely comment, Diana. I'm delighted you enjoyed the recipe and hopefully you find many other recipes 🙂