Pumpkin Spice Waffles With Maple Yogurt

Pumpkin spice waffles with maple yogurt. (Erin Scott)

Pumpkin Spice Waffles With Maple Yogurt

Pumpkin puree adds delicious fall flavor, natural sweetness, and a boost of vegetables to these classic waffles. A touch of brown sugar adds crispness. Loads of maple syrup is the real culprit with waffles and pancakes, so to slash the added sugar, serve up these waffles with Maple Yogurt and fresh fruit. If you’d like to add some protein, sprinkle finely chopped pecans or walnuts on top of the batter after you pour it into the waffle maker. This recipe makes a big batch, but luckily these waffles freeze well, making them a quick breakfast on busy mornings.

Added sugar: 1 1/2 teaspoons

Makes 14 large waffles

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg or ground allspice
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (about 2 cups; see Note)
• Maple Yogurt (recipe follows), for serving
• 2–4 cups fresh blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, peaches, apricots, bananas, or other fresh fruit, for serving (optional)

Preheat a waffle maker to medium heat.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl.

Whisk together the milk, oil, butter, vanilla, eggs, and pumpkin puree in a medium bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.

Add about 1/2 cup batter (or the amount called for in your waffle maker instructions) to the waffle maker and spread out with a silicone spatula. Cook for 1–2 minutes longer than indicated on the machine because the pumpkin makes the batter denser so it takes longer to cook. You can check if the waffles are cooked through by tearing off a corner.

Serve the waffles right away, with the Maple Yogurt, and fresh fruit on the side, if using.

Note: Be sure to use canned unsweetened pumpkin puree here, not pumpkin pie filling.

What Kids Can Do

Little chefs can whisk together the Maple Yogurt. Older kids can toast their own frozen waffles. 

Make Ahead

To prep the batter the night before, mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and the wet ingredients (except for the melted butter) in another bowl, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the wet mixture. Keep the wet ingredients separated from the dry ingredients so that the baking powder stays active; otherwise you’ll have flat, dense waffles. In the morning, combine the two and add the melted butter. 

To make frozen waffles, cook the waffles in your waffle maker until they are lightly golden brown on the outside but still soft in the middle, 3–4 minutes for a large waffle or roughly three-fourths of the total cooking time on your machine. Set them on a wire rack to cool completely.

The waffles will keep, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in the freezer for up to a month. To reheat, unwrap the waffles, let them thaw, then place them on a baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree F oven until they are warmed through and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Or you can pop the thawed waffles into the toaster.

Maple Yogurt

Added sugar: 3/4 teaspoon

Makes about 2 cups

• 2 cups low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Whisk together the yogurt, maple syrup, and cinnamon in a serving bowl. 

Make Ahead

The yogurt will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Recipes excerpted from “Half the Sugar, All the Love” by Jennifer Tyler Lee and Anisha Patel, MD, MSPH. Photographs by Erin Scott. Workman Publishing copyright 2019.