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
Let’s rewind to January of this year. There is snow on the ground. I’m in Salt Lake City for a blog conference called Alt Summit. Melissa and I are staying at Heidi‘s incredible mountain home. The two of us have stayed up way too late talking downstairs. I’ve had a couple glasses of wine; I think that Melissa has also had a couple glasses of wine.
I’m going on about how I am convinced that one of my dear friends is with child. She hasn’t gone public with the information yet, so I’ve 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 didn’t want to let the cat of the bag.
I’m telling Melissa about how I’m so smart because I’ve figured out that my friend has a bun in the oven (you can’t 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 I’ll 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, we’re celebrating Melissa with waffles! My friend Erin of Naturally Ella, who is also Melissa’s co-worker, organized a surprise virtual baby shower for Melissa. Our recipes are based on Melissa’s whole grain waffles recipe, which is one of her most popular. It’s perfect timing, too, because I just used a gift card on a fancy waffle maker. 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 delicious—I incorporated them because they’re 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 you’re craving the banana-nut combo but don’t 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 ½ cup white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar (cane sugar or brown sugar)
- 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- ¾ cup milk of choice, lukewarm
- ¾ cup overripe mashed bananas (about 2 small bananas), plus more for topping
- 1 large egg
- ½ 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. Don’t stack your waffles on top of each other, or they’ll 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 Melissa’s version of King Arthur’s whole wheat waffles.
Ingredient notes: I tried making this recipe using butter instead of coconut oil and replaced ½ cup whole wheat flour with ½ 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 nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
These were great!! I was really skeptical because I’m particular about the texture of my waffles, and I was afraid they wouldn’t be truly crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Anyway, I followed the recipe exactly, and they turned out fantastic! I was wary about using the coconut oil instead of the butter but it made them so surprisingly rich (and probably contributed the great texture)!
I also did what another commenter said, and I added the walnuts to the batter once it was in the waffle iron, rather than directly to the batter, and it was lovely!
Anyway, these were delightful. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks, Chelsey! I’m particular about waffles, too, so you can trust mine to be crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. :)
Hey Kate!
I made these and the flavors were divine (although the nutmeg didn’t come through at all), but they were way too dense! Could it be that I just used two smashed bananas and didn’t actually measure how much those two bananas yeilded? I should have followed my gut instinct and added more liquid (the batter was not at all pourable). Thank you in advance! Have a wonderful day :)
Hey Lexie! Yeah, I think you may have added more banana. I’ve found that the amount of banana makes quite a difference, and the balance of liquid to fat in waffles is important, so I’d say measure out those bananas next time! Hope they turn out perfectly for you.
Any suggestions on an egg replacer for this recipe?
Hi Heather, I’m not 100 percent sure it will work, but I’m pretty confident that flax eggs or chia eggs would work. I know they have worked in my oat waffles. Please let me know if you try!
So good! I served mine with peanut butter and maple syrup and it made for a fantastic weekend breakfast :)
Excellent!! We enjoyed these so much!!
I adapted this recipe to gluten-free and vegan, and it was still stellar ! I had a good feeling, looking at the ratios of flours to oil to milk.. and it did not disappoint. The BEST waffle I have ever made, hands down. THANK YOU Kate!
After making these waffles too many times to count, I had to post something to thank you for my absolute favourite breakfast waffle recipe ever! My 3 year old makes them with me and he loves helping to crack the egg and mash up the banana. I’m married to a Belgian, so we’re pretty harsh judges when it comes to waffles, especially “fancy” ones with nuts and whatnot in them, but these are absolutely perfect. I ate them all through my pregnancy and nowadays I always make one without nuts for my 9-month-old to share as well. :)
I have made these waffles many times and they always turn out fantastic! This is my favorite waffle recipe. I’ve served them to many friends who love them as well. Thank you!
Perfect! Thanks, Karen. These are great for sharing with friends.
This is our all time favorite waffle recipe! I always make a double batch. My daughter can’t have dairy so these work for the whole family. I always use brown sugar. I use light olive oil instead of coconut. And sometimes I use frozen bananas. I basically make banana ice cream in my blender then measure it out (I let the kids have any extra). So I just heat the oil and milk a little extra so it will melt the banana goop when I add it.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
You are welcome, Colleen! Happy this works for your entire family :) I appreciate the review.
Just made these for breakfast! Super easy, quick and satisfying! Thanks for the recipe!
You are welcome, Pauline!
My go to waffles. The only waffle recipe I’ve ever made that comes out perfect every time! I use stevia in place if sugar and almond milk. Super delicious!
Great! Thank you, Pat. If you would want to leave a star review since this is your favorite, that would be appreciated.
Made the banana waffles for breakfast today! Very, very good recipe. Thank you for sharing :)
You’re very welcome! Thank you, Louise for the star review.
I tried it and loved it. Thank you!
hey,
I have read this blog your information is really helpful
Thanks for sharing information!
Great Work!
Keep it up!
Question: what would you recommend for making this gluten free? Does a gf baking mix work well or something else?
I believe other readers have had success with gluten free flour substitute! Let me know if you try it.
Yum! What a way to start the day.
They are so good!
I was a little skeptical about putting walnuts in batter but this was amazing! My kids loved it. I did not need syrup with it. It’s definitely a normal breakfast rotation. The only thing I did different was blend the walnuts so they are fine crumbs. That way my kids won’t notice it. Thanks Kate for yet another amazing recipe.
I’m glad you all loved it! Thanks for your feedback, Yazmeen.
Easy recipe and a great outcome. Sound delicious. Great writing style.
Thank you, Adams!
Did this recipe change? I week ago I swear I made this exact recipe (it was amazing), but with the homemade oat flour. Now this recipe has the whole wheat flour, and the other gluten free banana waffle recipe is looks quite a bit different.
Hi! The recipe didn’t change. I think you are wanting this one instead: https://sooka.info/gluten-free-banana-oat-waffles/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Best waffle recipe ever! I made those 3 times already and it’s always a hit! Thank you!!
I’m glad you think so, Sephora!
Thank you for your recipe. I made it first your way. The second time I used 2 cups of sprouted wheat flour, 1 cup each milk, bananas and walnuts, one-half cup coconut oil one large egg, 2.5 teaspoons baking powder and slightly more of salt, nutmeg and powdered vanilla. I mixed the dry ingredients then blended in a blender the milk, egg, banana, walnuts and egg. I mixed wet with dry then added the coconut oil. The result was excellent and faster my way.
Thank you for sharing your variation, Amina!
Wow. Yummy. My wife said last night “Please make some banana-nut waffles.” Randomly came across your recipe. Perfect. Everyone loved them.
Great to hear, Kevin!
After comparing King Arthur recipe with this, I noticed the difference in milk. These needed that extra liquid. Possibly a mistake on the recipe? My son would not eat them and I had to swallow a little harder. But I would try the recipe again adding more liquid!
Hi Koren, I’m sorry you didn’t love these. I tested these several times and didn’t have that issue. Did you use this version or the one you were comparing to?
I made these delicious banana nut waffles for my son once and now he wants these everyday for breakfast, not to mention I’m a big fan of this scrumptious recipe to!
Wonderful, Veronica!
Hi there! What do you think of adding buttermilk?
You could try it! Let me know what you think.
I made these waffles today, they taste sooo good. Only problem I had is that they were sticking to the waffle maker. Nothing too bad, but never had this problem before with my waffle maker. But the taste is amazing!!
Hi Sanja! I’m sorry to hear they were sticking. You can always pre-spray it in the future. Or, adjust your heat settings some. I like my waffles a little on the crispy side and find they release better from my waffle maker that way too.
I just made these with almond milk, pecans, and all-purpose flour (only because I was out of whole wheat flour). I love the texture; crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I also poured the batter on the hot waffle iron and sprinkled the pecans on top which gave them a nice toasted flavor. I like this trick because you can easily customize the waffle for each person.
I will definitely make these again soon with whole wheat flour because that is what I would normally use. :)
Amazing waffles!
This recipe is incredible! Last night my husband mentioned he wanted waffles for breakfast. I had a couple of very ripe bananas. Perfect situation to try it out. Nice and crisp on the outside, amazing flavor. Deserving of 5 stars!
Love to hear that, Lorrie! Thanks so much for your comment.
I woke up famished this morning. These waffles made my day!
Glad to hear it! Stay well, Tom!
These waffles turned out great! I usually make another recipe using vegetable oil and these are so much better! Hopefully they freeze well.
Hi Liz! In past experience, waffles tend to freeze well. I hope you love them again!
OMG these were amazing. I’ve made a lot of waffles and after two bites my husband said, “honey, this is the best thing that has ever come out of that waffle iron.” I have to agree.
The waffles were delicious. The texture was very moist with a hint of coconut but a mouth full of banana and crunchy pecans.
What a way to start a Saturday.
Patt
These are the best banana waffles! Every time I make them I tell myself that I really should post a comment about how good they are. We never have any leftovers:). Do yourself a favour and make them the next time you have ripe bananas around!
Love this recipe but always end up adding about 1/3c more milk.
Love this recipe!! I’ve made it at least 10 times already. The waffles freeze great as well – pop them in the toaster oven and makes for a quick and healthy weekday breakfast!!
Great recipe. I made a couple of modifications to make them more healthy and hearty.
On the double recipe.
1. Replaced 1 cup flour with 1 cup traditional rolled oats.
2. 2 table spoons baking powder
3. No sugar added at all.
4. Replaced coconut oil with 1 table spoon olive oil
5. 1 tsp nutmeg
6. 1.5 tsp cinnamon
7 Only 1/2 cup chopped nuts
Best waffles ever!
Thank you for sharing your detailed variation, Adam! I appreciate your review.
I’ve been using this recipe every time I make waffles and I love it! I’m wondering if the batter is supposed to be quite thick? They turn out great but I couldn’t help reading in the recipe it says “pour” the batter – It’s more like spoon batter for me. Just curious. Thanks!
Hi Catherine! It will be thicker than pancake mixture. How did you measure your flour? I wonder if you have a heavier batter.
Ohhh really good call about measuring flour. I just scope the measuring cup into my flour container. I wonder if I might try the spooning and levelling technique. Maybe trying the latter will give me a less thick batter? Thanks!
Hi Catherine! Yes, how you measure your flour is important. The later will likely give you a much more consistent result!
Pretty good! I omitted the nuts and used ghee instead of coconut oil and topped it with tender coconut creme with honey. Delicious!
The only thing I struggled was getting the waffles out of the machine. So basically I ate it crumbles or scramble. Still good though..
Hi Rokai! Try greasing you pan if it seems to be sticking. That should help!
My family and I ADORE this recipe! We use it all the time! Definitely a family favorite.
Wonderful, Alex! Thank you for sharing.
Made this tonight and the family loved it! Great recipe that comes together well.
Thank you for your review, Melody!
One of my fav waffle recipes – thanks for sharing!It turns out so crisp, love it I also like mixing flour, e.g. 1/3 of buckwheat/oat flour and 2/3 of whole wheat. Instead of chopped nuts I add some almond flour or coconut flakes (as my toddler does not like bigger nut pieces). With all these minor experiments it still comes out yummy!
Was wondering though whether good quality olive oil could be used instead of coconut oil
These are great! Mine turned out not crispy but still delicious :)
The batter was more like pancake batter. Too thick and the waffles were dry.
Hi Hannah, I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe.
Delish!
I’m glad you loved these waffles, Cina!
So good! I made this vegan with a flax egg and used hemp hearts instead of pecans + a sprinkle of cinnamon. Best waffles I’ve made! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Dez!
The waffle tasted great but the batter was very thick. It was the consistency of chunky mashed potatoes. Was it supposed to be that way? If no, what do you recommend?
Hi Laz, I’m sorry to hear that! How did you measure your flour? It needs to be spoon and leveled.
Yummy! This will be a regular for my husband and me.
Wonderful to hear, Susie! I appreciate your review.
This was excellent! No complaints. I added some cinnamon and ginger to create additional flavor profiles, and cut down the sugar a tad (since bananas have their own sweetness. I didn’t have enough of whole wheat flour so had a blend of whole wheat and plain. Totally will make it again. Thank you!
I’m glad you plan to make it again, Fei! Thank you for your review.
Our family loves these waffles. I use rolled oats, blended into flour (gluten free waffles). Then all other ingredients are blended together in the blender, poured into a large bowl and the oat flour is stirred in. I do not melt the coconut oil and use water instead of milk. I always make a double batch. We top the waffles with applesauce and maple syrup. These waffles keep you satisfied and not hungry even when working hard on the farm. This is the best use of overripe bananas!
That’s great to hear, Jan! I appreciate your review.