Banana Nut Waffles
Light and crisp, whole wheat banana walnut waffles. You'll love this hearty and healthy banana waffle recipe!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Letβs rewind to January of this year. There is snow on the ground. Iβm in Salt Lake City for a blog conference called Alt Summit. Melissa and I are staying at Heidiβs incredible mountain home. The two of us have stayed up way too late talking downstairs. Iβve had a couple glasses of wine; I think that Melissa has also had a couple glasses of wine.
Iβm going on about how I am convinced that one of my dear friends is with child. She hasnβt gone public with the information yet, so Iβve been a quiet observer for the past eight weeks. The first sign was when my friend feigned a headache at girls night so she could pass on wine. Suspicious, I thought. Then she switched to natural deodorant. Interesting. She even hosted a fun holiday party and served virgin punch as a mixer. I wanted to give her a high five for that move, but I didnβt want to let the cat of the bag.
Iβm telling Melissa about how Iβm so smart because Iβve figured out that my friend has a bun in the oven (you canβt fool me!), and all the while, Melissa is hiding a very exciting secret of her own. You got me good, Melissa. Friends having babies really brings out the sappy side of me, so Iβll quit writing before I start throwing around gushy words like blessing and precious. Having met both Melissa and Kevin, however, I can say with absolute certainty that they are bringing a kind, creative and cute little lady into the world. Congrats, you two!
Today, weβre celebrating Melissa with waffles! My friend Erin of Naturally Ella, who is also Melissaβs co-worker, organized a surprise virtual baby shower for Melissa. Our recipes are based on Melissaβs whole grain waffles recipe, which is one of her most popular. Itβs perfect timing, too, because I just used a gift card on a fancy waffle maker.Β Now I want to host a real-life waffle party!
For my banana nut waffles, I replaced half of the milk in the original recipe with mashed bananas, and added walnuts and a hint of spice. The walnuts are more than just deliciousβI incorporated them because theyβre high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for expectant and nursing moms. I gifted my leftover waffles to my friends who have a newborn because I thought some wholesome and delicious waffles might be something to look forward to after a long night with the baby.
If youβre craving the banana-nut combo but donβt have a waffle maker, you could totally add walnuts to my banana oat pancakes or banana bread.
Banana Nut Waffles
Light and crisp, whole wheat banana nut waffles. Recipe yields around 5 round, 7-inch Belgian waffles, or 8 small, square Belgian waffles (as shown here).
Ingredients
- 1 Β½ cup white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar (cane sugar or brown sugar)
- 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- Β½ teaspoon sea salt
- ΒΌ teaspoon nutmeg
- ΒΎ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- β cup melted coconut oil
- ΒΎ cup milk of choice, lukewarm
- ΒΎ cup overripe mashed bananas (about 2 small bananas), plus more for topping
- 1 large egg
- Β½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat waffle iron on high heat, about one notch down from the highest setting. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt and nutmeg. Stir in the chopped walnuts.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the melted coconut oil and milk. Microwave for 30 seconds, or until the mixture is lukewarm. Whisk in mashed banana, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to over mix. Tiny lumps may remain. Pour batter onto the heated waffle iron, enough to cover the center and most of the central surface area. Once the iron has stopped steaming and the waffle is deeply golden, transfer it to a cooling rack or baking sheet. Donβt stack your waffles on top of each other, or theyβll lose crispness. Place in oven to keep warm. Repeat.
- Top with sliced bananas and 100% pure maple syrup, and serve. Save leftovers in the fridge and reheat by placing the waffle back in the griddle or in the toaster on a light setting.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Melissaβs version of King Arthurβs whole wheat waffles.
Ingredient notes: I tried making this recipe using butter instead of coconut oil and replaced Β½ cup whole wheat flour with Β½ cup oat flour, but the resulting waffles were not as crisp. I liked the version typed above the best.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistβs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Such a cute post! You are so sweet and I loved your story! Also, I love these waffles! Banana nut? Heck yes! So healthy and delicious and pretty too!
It all makes sense now!!! I thought you had been drinking the bubblies with us, but once I found out, I figured Heidi was in on the secret. You fooled me! Really, Iβm so happy for you guys, I canβt wait to meet your baby girl, and Iβm so glad weβre friends!
How quickly can you make these and delivery them to Jersey City, NJ? These waffles look awesome!! Well done and phenomenal photography. Loving your blog!
I had to read this out loud to Kev. Still laughing! I thought for sure I blew my cover. Thankfully Heidi and her husband came to the rescue with my mock-tiniβs. Only days (or weeks) till I can share a glass of wine, or 3, with you! Thank you so so much for this Kathryne! Thanks for your words of encouragement and friendship. So glad this blogging world brought us together. Thanks for giving me more waffle recipes to try too. Kev always gets on me for posting a million Instie pics of waffles. Hereβs to a million more!
AHA! It all makes sense now!!! I thought you had been drinking the bubblies with us, but once I found out, I figured Heidi was in on the secret. You fooled me! Really, Iβm so happy for you guys, I canβt wait to meet your baby girl, and Iβm so glad weβre friends! Congratulations to the moon!
She fooled me too. When she told me she was pregnant I think my second reaction after hooray was βWait, you werenβt drinking at ALT?!?β
I noticed she wasnβt drinking β when we were looking for the bar and she was running to the dessert tablesβ¦
I canβt believe I didnβt figure it out!
I figured that was just typical Melissa. :)
Sheβs a sneaky one that Melissa. The good part was there was more left for us. And she was the master of the waffle iron minus the late night drowsies.
She got me good! It all makes sense to me now that I know you were in on it, too. :)
Melissa is the sweetest and Iβm sure she will have the cutest baby ever. You guys rock giving her waffles β she loves those waffles and your version looks delicious !
Wow, these waffles looks amazing!! My sis-in-law is expecting and has been craving nothing but sweets. Iβm going to make her a batch of these β sweets she can feel good about! Thanks for sharing.
My friend was craving sweet through her pregnancy, too! Hope these healthy waffles satisfy your sister-in-lawβs sweet tooth. Donβt forget to give her some real maple syrup, too!
Looooove it! SO happy for Melissa and I want 47 of these waffles. Stat.
Congrats to Melissa!! No oneβs pullinβ a fast one on you, Kate ;)
These waffles look so delicious, and ever since trying your divine coconut banana muffins this weekend, I am psyched to try any of your recipes!
Haha. Iβm so glad to hear you enjoyed the coconut banana muffins, Alison. Hope you love these waffles, too!
So, so sweet!! And, uhhβ¦delicious! :)
Ah! Babies are just so much fun. I absolutely love the idea of doing a virtual baby shower. That would have been perfect a couple of months ago when my sister-in-law was having hers and I couldnβt be there. The waffles look delicious too. Perfect mom-to-be recipe :)
I remember you telling me the story about figuring out your friend was pregnant β over coffee in Nashville! These waffles look so, so good. I seriously donβt think thereβs a better way to start a morning. xoxo
Iβm so glad we got to meet up in Nashville. That was a nice morning. I still have the mug! Hope we can find a way to see each other again soon.
That detective work must have been fun, but what a great surprise! You really have me craving waffles now. And bananas. I think these would be perfect for breakfast for dinner :)
Banana nut is seriously one of my top flavor combos! These sound delish!!
You had me smiling all the way through this post! I love how friend can form over the smallest things. You must be very lucky to have her as friend. I am looking forward to making these for pregant sister too this weekend.
Considering I have a TON of frozen bananas, have a banana nut anything obsession, I will make these asap! AND I just saw you had a banana bread trail mix thing that I defo need to try!
Let me know how the waffles turn out, Maria! I think you will enjoy the banana bread, too.
HAHAHA, that is too funny. I love this waffle recipe baby shower idea. I cannot wait to check out the other beautiful creations. Melissa is lucky to have a friend like you.
These look absolutely lovely! I love that everyone is playing off of Melissaβs waffle recipe, it is the best!
Umm I hope someone throws me a waffle party for my next pregnancy β great idea! The banana-walnut combination is a favorite mind, definitely pinning for the weekend.
Iβve recently experienced a banana Renaissance, and now Iβm obsessed with cooking with them all the time. I think I might have to try these waffles next! Thank you for sharing!
Love that last shot with the maple syrup, yum!
Thanks, Laura!
Awww.. I love the blogging community. So many precious friendships and a great way to celebrate each other. A lovely treat for Melissa :)
Love this banana waffle recipe⦠your pictures are soooo pretty too! And, I have some giftcards to spend as well⦠but I think I need to get a blender or food processor first before a waffle maker. Think this recipe would work as a pancake?
Oh fun! Yes, I would get a blender or food processor first. The classic Cuisinart food processor is about the same price as this swanky waffle maker. Iβm not sure if this recipe would make a great pancake, but my banana pancakes recipe is one of my most popular, and you could totally mix walnuts into the batter. Hereβs the recipe.
Daaang, these look perfect! And for such a fun reason. Love this post :)
What a perfectly lovely way to celebrate! Congrats to Melissa!
Iβm always on the lookout for my friends and coworkers being pregnant because Iβm always so excited to be excited for them! Next time one of them is, Iβm so celebrating with waffles. What a fabulous idea!
You should DEFINITELY host a fancy pants waffle party! Can I come?! Looks delicious, as always :)
Of course you can come!
What a great surprise! And treat to go with it. I just had waffles this past weekendβ¦for the first time all summer. Gasp! Nothing goes better with them than fresh fruit, so this version sounds fantastic. And congrats to Melissa!
I just want to commend you on gifting your extra waffles to the parents of a newborn (D&J I presume?). βFriend-delivered Meals on Wheelsβ was the best thing our friends did for us in our first month of parenthood!
Yep, D&J! Iβve been trying to think of some hearty dinner options to make for themβ¦ any suggestions? I guess casserole-type dishes would make good leftovers.
Yall are so thoughtful to do this virtual baby shower! Congratulations to Melissa :) These waffles look just so so good, Iβm pleased we recently bought a waffle maker so I can try them! Banana and nut together, yes please!
I often turn here for inspiation when making dishes for new parents to help them out :) I like to do frozen dishes/casseroles so that they can thaw and bake them that day, or save in the freezer til a time that works for them. Pot pies, for example in a diposable 8Γ8 pan (no dishes to return) or any of your fabulous burritos here, wrapped and tucked into a foil pan, covered tightly and frozen β maybe with a can of good enchilada sauce or a homemade sauce if it would reheat well from frozen β it can be baked into enchiladas any time they wish.
Or if a time is scheduled to give a meal, I will do an entree salad β something with protein, lentils or quinoa or beans β that they can toss with dressing when theyβre ready to dig in. Such dishes can be walked away from when tending to a baby and eaten whenever, without the disappointment of having dinner go cold (it is already cold!), etc. Good luck!
Sophie, thank you so much for sharing your meal ideas for new parents! I have been wanting to do more for my friends, but unsure of where to start. Youβve given me some really great ideas here. Now I just need to get cooking!
I love your stories, lady! And these waffles?! Seriously β we need a real life sleepover asap.
These photos are beautiful, Kate! I love the photo effects. The waffles look pretty good too! :) Cheers.
Itβs always cute the way friends do no want to reveal immediately their pregnancyβ¦ I had a friend doing the same (except that I was the only one in the our circle of friends to know it and I had to carry the secret too). Anyway I love the idea of the banana nut waffles, I guess that for even more indulgence I would add a little chocolate sauceβ¦
These waffles look SO good. I have to have at least half a banana for breakfast every morning, otherwise I donβt feel right. So this is the perfect recipe for me. Finally I have a good excuse to invest in a waffle ironβ¦hehe
Yum! These look soooo good!! Might have to make them for breakfast this weekend! Love the look of this recipe! Thanks :-)
My friend asked me if I was pregnant when I told her I had finally found an amazing natural deodorant that I was so stoked on!!!! Pretty much died when I read that in your story. Our go-to Sunday morning waffle recipe has banana and walnuts (+ chocolate chips most times), so obviously I luuurve your variation on Melissaβs recipe. These photos are really bomb too. Congrats on your new waffle iron! :))) xo
Ok, I need to know what natural deodorant youβre using.
SO GOOD.
This post has reaffirmed my need to purchase a waffle maker
BEAUTIFUL :)
These look awesome! I love anything banana!
And yay babies!
Wowza!
Just love your blog β great pics. Quite jealous of your camera skills!!
Gorgeous photos! Thank you for sharing this recipe, looks amazing!
Lovely! These waffles look amazing Kathryne. xo
Congrats to Melissa! I get all sorts of weepy and emotional when I find out that good friends are having babies, and I definitely am always on the lookout for clues the one might be expecting one! What a cute story, Kate. (And Iβm definitely going to have to break down and buy a waffle makerβ¦)
Hello Waffles! My boyfriend has been driving me nuts to buy a waffle iron and start cranking out different waffle recipes. :) This one sounds and looks YUMMM!
Itβs the perfect time of year for these incredibly delicious looking waffles. I love eating warm carbs on a cold morning. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
These look super delicious!!
Iβll pull one over on you one of these days ;)
I made these this morning and they were delicious!!!!!!! Must keep recipe!
Thanks, Billie! Glad you enjoyed the waffles!
These waffles were fantastic! Thanks for the great recipe :)
These waffles were absolutely incredible and so healthy! I couldnβt even tell that they were entirely whole wheat and I loved that they include coconut oil instead of butter/veg oil. I threw in a tablespoon of chia seeds too and they were delicious. Next time, I might use just 1 tablespoon of sugarβI thought the bananas provided plenty of sweetness on their own. Will definitely be making these again :)
Thanks, Emily! Iβm so glad you loved the waffles. I havenβt gotten much feedback on them. Feel free to scale back on the sugar. I included it because Iβve read that including a bit of sugar in waffles and pancakes helps reduce burning on the edges, so keep an eye on those edges.
Loved these!
Hi Kate, I just made your waffles and they tasted great!
I used hazelnuts instead of walnuts, honey instead of sugar and my home-made egg-replacer and it didnβt do any harm at all ;-) ΒΌ of the amount (for just me) didnβt fill the whole of my 5-heart-shaped waffle iron though, I am still practicing to adjust recipes to my German waffle iron =)
When mashing the banana I might try mashing it like you did net time so that I have little banana chunks in the batter. This time I just threw it into the blender with all liquid ingredients, as I was making the cashew milk from scratch from nuts anyway. But I imagine chunks might be nice.
I would love to see some more waffle recipes =) Thanks!
Ines, your waffles with hazelnuts sound lovely! Iβll try to publish more waffles for you soon.
Banana nut waffles sound great. Something I learned from a recipe long ago is to put the nuts first on the waffle iron and then add the batter (no nuts in the batter). This toasts the nuts while the waffle is baking, and if you have people who donβt like nuts (as in the rest of my family) you can reserve one square of the waffle iron as the nuts square and the others donβt have to deal with it. Itβs not safe enough for a nut allergy but keeps it nut free for those who just donβt care for them.
Oh, thatβs such a great idea! Thanks, Carol!
I never comment on blogs (Iβm a lurker), but I just had to say that 1) This recipe is delicious (and easily adapted to being gluten-free). The waffles are crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. PERFECT! And 2) This tip about putting nuts onto the waffle iron but not in the batter? BRILLIANT! The nuts totally toasted and tasted so great!
Thanks, Jessica!!