Sweet or Savoury Spiced Sweet Potato Waffles

I love waffles. What’s not to love? Slightly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, fun to eat – with all those little grooves to catch the delicious toppings. As a parent I also like them because they’re easy to make. I don’t often have the patience for pancakes – all that flipping, and waiting around for bubbles to appear, while my children claw at my legs. So much standing around, and waiting, and being clawed at. The waffle iron, on the other hand, does all the work, which gives me time to do other things. Like eat waffles.

I’ve written before about my love for sweet potato. I first came across its use in sweet dishes in Well Nourished’s Berry Nice Brownies, and I also developed a recipe for Sweet Potato Pancakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese and Candied Pecans. But these Sweet or Savoury Spiced Sweet Potato Waffles are my new favourite. I’ve been testing them out for weeks, much to the delight of my boys (husband included!), including trying out gluten-free and dairy-free variations, which are included at the end of the recipe. They are versatile and complement sweet and savoury toppings. Eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! The waffles are completely sweetener-free, as I prefer to add sweetness to the toppings.

When cooking the waffles, please follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your specific waffle maker. The number of waffles this recipe makes will vary depending on the size of waffle your waffle maker produces. I use an ancient waffle maker that my Mum used when I was a kid, which painstakingly produces one 7 1/2 inch waffle at a time. It has no ‘on’ switch and the light is broken, so I just wing it. I prefer a longer cook for a crispier waffle.

Now I’m really starting to waffle on (hee hee).

Sorry.

Sweet or Savoury Spiced Sweet Potato Waffles (Low-Fructose)

For convenience, I have included below two separate ingredient lists, to suit those cooking for themselves or for a group.

For 1 – 2 people:

• 2/3 cup wholemeal plain flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
• 1 free-range egg, separated
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sweet potato puree
• 3 tbsp melted butter or melted coconut oil
• Toppings: see ideas at end of recipe

To serve 3 – 4 people:

• 2 cups wholemeal plain flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp vanilla powder
• 3 free-range eggs, separated
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sweet potato puree
• 1/2 (100g) cup melted butter or melted coconut oil, plus extra for greasing waffle iron
• Toppings: see ideas at end of recipe

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: wholemeal plain flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla powder. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, sweet potato puree, and melted butter or coconut oil. Add the egg yolks and whisk until mixture is smooth. Set aside.

3. In a third bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. The bowl and beaters must be completely dry and clean, and the egg whites must be free of any egg yolk, or they won’t form peaks.

4. Add the sweet potato mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir well to combine. The mixture will be quite dense.

5. Add one third of the egg whites to the waffle mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites through. This will help to prepare the waffle mixture to ‘receive’ the remaining egg whites: we want to keep it as light and fluffy as possible! Once the first third has been incorporated, add the second third of the egg whites (half of the remaining egg whites). Gently fold through. Finally, add the remaining egg whites, and gently fold it through the mixture. Gentleness is key.

6. Heat the waffle iron and grease with the extra melted butter or coconut oil. Follow the waffle iron manufacturer’s instructions to make the waffles – the cooking time and amount of mixture used will vary between waffle irons. I use 1/3 to 1/2 cup mixture on my 7 1/2 inch waffle iron.

7. Serve the waffles warm, with your choice of toppings (see below).

Sweet waffle toppings (low-fructose):

• Greek yoghurt, whipped cream or ricotta cheese
• Fruit: I used strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and orange segments. Banana, kiwifruit and summer stone-fruit would also be nice.
• A drizzle of rice malt syrup (or honey or maple syrup, but then not low fructose). Next time I will try Miss Marzipan’s Orange Syrup!
• Chopped nuts: I used flaked almonds. Macadamias, hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts would also be delicious.
• Cacao nibs or grated 85% dark chocolate
• Peanut butter or other nut butters. Try a chocolate hazelnut spread like I Quit Sugar’s Nut-Ella.
• Coconut butter, shredded coconut or coconut flakes
• I Quit Sugar’s Raspberry Chia Jam

Savoury waffle toppings:

• Fresh salsa: I used diced cucumber, quartered cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, diced avocado, finely chopped coriander stems and fresh lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
• Fried, scrambled or poached eggs
• My husband swears by Tabasco…
• A side of grilled bacon or pancetta wouldn’t go astray!
• Treat it like a toastie: Cheese; ham and cheese; cheese and avocado; avocado and Vegemite…!

Variations:

Dairy-free: Use coconut oil instead of butter, and coconut milk or almond milk instead of dairy milk.
Gluten-free: Use gluten-free plain flour instead of wholemeal plain flour. The waffles may be a little more dense.

My boys love the waffles with yoghurt, fruit and flaked almonds