It has been an off-and-on tradition over the past several years for me to make pumpkin waffles on Thanksgiving morning. The only problem is that we show up at my parents’ for dinner already a little full since we stuffed ourselves silly.
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I have since wised-up a bit, and instead will sometimes make these the morning before or after Thanksgiving. I will already have pumpkin puree ready to go for making pie, so it’s a quick put together. If I really have my act together, I will prep the wet and dry ingredients the night before, and then all I have to do is put them together and heat up the waffle iron. But that’s a mighty big “if”.
Either way, these waffles come together easily and will make your home smell like heaven in the process. The recipe below will comfortably feed a family of four to five, and maybe some leftovers. I often make half to a full recipe more, as these keep really well in the freezer. The boys love popping them straight from the freezer container into the toaster for a quick school morning breakfast with a smear of butter and maybe some jam instead of syrup. Oh yeah, and you don’t have to eat them only at Thanksgiving!
Pumpkin Waffles Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 6 Tbsp. salted butter, melted
- 1 c. pumpkin puree*
- 2 1/2 c. whole milk
- 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. cloves
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 3 1/4 c. whole-wheat pastry flour (or mix whole wheat and all-purpose flour equally)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
Directions
*If you use the larger Connecticut Field Pumpkin variety (the one usually sold for making jack-o-lanterns), you will need to strain off some of the liquid before making these waffles, as that type of pumpkin is more watery than the smaller sugar pumpkins used for pie. This recipe will give you the information you need!
In a medium sized bowl, beat the eggs. Dribble in the melted butter and mix again. Add all the remaining ingredients except the last three. Mix them all together until smooth.
Preheat your waffle iron to your desired setting and spray with non-stick coating if needed. These waffles are not super sticky, but might depending on your waffle maker.
In a large bowl, add the last three ingredients. I measure flour by loosening it with a whisk then spooning it into a measuring cup. Whisk the dry ingredients together in the bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir together gently just until mostly smooth. Ladle into your waffle iron and follow your manufacturers instructions from there.
To keep them from getting soggy, I like to put a cookie cooling rack over a shallow pan or cookie sheet, then put the hot waffle on top of the rack to allow steam to dissapate. We usually serve them as they come out of the machine, but you can also keep them in a warm oven if you want to serve them all at once. They taste great with a drizzle of maple syrup or even a smear of orange marmalade. Yum!
Mostly Greek 
Hey! I was wondering how you prep the cooked waffles for freezing. I probably don’t let mine cool and dissipate enough steam before bagging them up because they all stick together. Thanks!
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Definitely let them cool completely. I’ll put them on baking racks so the steam can escape on all sides. After that I put them into plastic containers, not too tightly packed. They will still stick, but not so hard that they can’t be easily pried apart, and they won’t tear. I’m not a big fan of the plastic bags, they’re not as impermeable as they would seem and allow a lot more ice crystals to form inside. At least that’s been my experience!
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Looks delish!
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Thank you!
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