Sweet Potato Waffles {Breakfast Recipe}

Name: Sweet Potato Waffles
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 medium sweet potato (peeled and cooked (about ¾ cup mashed)); ¾ cup all-purpose flour; ½ cup rolled oats; ½ cup unsweetened almond milk; ¼ cup avocado oil (optional); 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ¾ teaspoon cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 orange (zested); Cooking spray; Chopped pecans (for serving); Maple syrup (for serving)

Ingredients to Make the Recipe

Sweet Potato: Sweet potatoes are a great healthier alternative to regular potatoes as they contain more vitamins and minerals. Peel them before boiling until tender and then you can incorporate with the rest of the ingredients.

Flour: Use all-purpose flour, or a 1:1 GF flour to make these gluten-free.

Oats: Oats help to absorb excess moisture. Rolled oats are best as they add a slightly chewy texture, but quick oats can also be used.

Almond Milk: To keep these waffles dairy-free we use unsweetened almond milk. Other plant based milks like oat or soy will also work well, or use dairy milk if you prefer.

Eggs: To bind the ingredients together. Use flax eggs to make this breakfast vegan.

Baking powder: This is mixed into to help the sweet potato waffles become light and fluffy.

Seasonings: Cinnamon, salt and orange zest.

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes

This recipe for low carb waffles is best if you have some leftover baked sweet potatoes. But if you don’t, you’ll need to cook them. Here are a few different ways to cut sweet potatoes depending on the cooking method you choose. You can cook the sweet potatoes by boiling on the stovetop, roasting in the oven, or baking in the microwave. Here are the three methods in more detail.

Boil on Stovetop: Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into chunks. Place in a saucepan large enough to fit the sweet potatoes and cover with boiling water. Boil until fork tender, about 15 minutes.

Roast in Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pierce the sweet potato all over with a fork, then wrap it in aluminum foil. Place it on the oven rack or on a baking sheet and bake until fork tender, about 45-60 minutes. Grab the full baked sweet potatoes recipe.

Bake in Microwave: Pierce the sweet potato with a fork to make sure it doesn’t explode. Dampen a paper towel and place the sweet potato on the damp towel on the microwave plate. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Then check that the sweet potato is fork tender, and continue microwaving in 30-60 second increments until it is cooked.

How to Make Sweet Potato Waffles

After you cook the sweet potato, transfer it to a food processor and add the remaining ingredients.

Blend it until the sweet potato is completely combined. Then the batter is ready for the waffle machine!

Pour some of the batter into your preheated waffle iron.

You want to cook until the outsides of the waffles are golden and cooked through, but try to set the waffle machine and leave it alone for at least a few minutes before checking on it.

4 image collage to show how to make the batter and then cook it in waffle machine

Tips for Making Sweet Potato Waffles

Cook the sweet potatoes until fork tender. This will make them easier to combine with the other ingredients and the batter will have a nice smooth consistency with no lumps.

Preheat your waffle iron before adding the batter. This will ensure that your waffles come out more crisp on the outside and they are fully cooked through.

Make your waffles extra crisp. Because of thee sweet potatoes, these waffles are as crispy as regular waffles. But this trick can help with the crisp facto: place them on a wire rack to help them crisp up a little more. This way they will still stay warm in the middles, but the circulating air will cool the outsides and crisp them up.

Add oil for even more crisp factor. I actually love that these sweet potato waffles are oil-free but adding just a ¼ cup of oil to the batter as some readers have suggested will help make them more crisp.

Make them savory. For a savory breakfast, skip the cinnamon and orange zest, and add green onions and garlic powder, or, anything else you have to hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you serve them with?

Finish off the waffles with some maple syrup and pecans and enjoy these low carb waffles that are only about 80 calories a square. You can serve them sweet or you can even top them off with some fried or scrambled eggs!

Can you make the batter ahead of time?

To make your mornings even quicker, you can easily make up the batter up to 2 days ahead of time. Blend everything together and then keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Can you cook the waffles them ahead of time?

Yes, these are a great make ahead breakfast. Let them cool fully on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container in the fridge and they will keep well for 3 to 4 days. Reheat them in the oven at 350F for 5 to 10 minutes to warm them through.

Maple syrup getting poured on top of two sweet potato waffles

More Sweet Potato Breakfast Recipes

If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Sweet Potato Waffles recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

This Sweet Potato Waffles recipe was originally published on November 23, 2018. The post has been updated to include helpful cooking tips, frequently asked questions and step-by-step photos.