Waffles with Protein

Can you make waffles with protein? You can with this high protein waffles recipe! Oats, Greek yogurt, eggs, egg whites, and protein powder blend together for a satisfying, protein-rich breakfast.

If you’ve been around Crumbs for a while, you know we love our weekend waffle breakfasts.

Whether we make Cinnamon Oatmeal Waffles or Double Chocolate Waffles, they’ve been one of our top choices for breakfast, and I always make a double-batch or triple-batch to have extras for the freezer.

But even though I’ve tweaked my waffle recipes to be more nutritious and lower in sugar, there was still something missing.

We needed waffles with protein.

WHY MAKE WAFFLES WITH PROTEIN

When you think of breakfast options, you don’t usually connect waffles with protein, unless you’re having bacon or sausage on the side, but this recipe changes that. They’re also:

• Gluten-free waffles. There’s no flour in this protein waffle recipe – just oats, and you can buy certified gluten-free oats if needed.
• Made with simple ingredients. And there are only 5 of them.
• Easy to make. Throw everything in a blender, then pop the batter in the waffle maker. Done!
• Classic waffle texture. Light and fluffy, and at the same time hearty and satisfying.
• Yummy! Of course, none of that matters unless the waffles taste good, and I’m happy to say these protein waffles taste amazing!

PROTEIN WAFFLE RECIPE INGREDIENTS

There are only a few of the best ingredients in high protein waffles, and I chose each one intentionally for the most protein.

• Rolled Oats. I like old-fashioned or rolled oats for this recipe. Instant oats (aka quick oats) work too. They’ll get blitzed up into oat flour in the blender. Oats have more protein than wheat flour.
• Cottage Cheese or Greek Yogurt. Another protein-boosting ingredient! The flavor of the yogurt does come through slightly, so keep that in mind when choosing a flavor, or stick with plain Greek yogurt. If you use cottage cheese, it does NOT taste like cheese – I promise!
• Egg + Egg Whites. Another high-protein hack is to use a combination of whole eggs and egg whites to keep the protein high without adding too much fat from additional egg yolks.
• Protein Powder. I picked French Vanilla protein powder. You can choose plain or another flavor that would go well in waffles (and consider your yogurt flavor choice here, too). Chocolate protein powder would be fun!

HOW TO MAKE HIGH PROTEIN WAFFLES

Step 1. Preheat your waffle iron. I prefer a Belgian waffle maker for nice deep pockets!

Step 2. Combine all the ingredients for high protein waffles in a blender and process until smooth. You can also make this in a large bowl – just be sure to mix the ingredients really well. You’ll need to use oat flour for this method. 

Step 3. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and pour batter into the waffle iron. Use the recommended amount for your waffle iron. The batter will be thick and may not spread on its own, so use a spatula to spread it all the way to the edges. Cook until the waffle is golden brown.

Step 4. Repeat with the remaining waffle batter, stirring well before pouring onto the waffle iron.

Note: Oats absorb liquid quickly. You may need to add a bit of water as your batter sits.

Serve with your favorite toppings. If you like a sweet breakfast and serve the waffles with butter and/or maple syrup, it won’t matter whether your yogurt is sweetened. I love loading my healthy protein waffles with melted butter and berries! Raspberries to be exact.

Cool completely before storing extra protein waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the toaster or toaster oven to keep the outsides crispy. Or store in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for easy meal prep!

PROTEIN WAFFLE MIX MISTAKES TO AVOID

Don’t use yogurt with protein powder already included. I initially tested this recipe with Oikos Pro Yogurt, and the waffles ended up very dry. Stick with Greek yogurt or cottage cheese to keep that tender, moist texture.

Don’t forget the nonstick spray! It plays a dual function of helping the waffles turn out crispy on the outside and keeping them from sticking to the waffle maker.

Make sure you’re accurately tracking the size of waffles that you make. Every waffle maker is different. I got 4 waffles from this size batch of waffle batter, but you may end up with a different number. One serving is half of the total batch, so adjust the nutrition information accordingly.

SERVE PROTEIN WAFFLE RECIPE WITH

You could go with the classic waffle toppings – butter and maple syrup – or top your protein waffles with another yummy topping. Try these:

• Fresh fruit – sliced strawberries are my favorite, but sliced bananas or a handful of blueberries are fun too.
• Whipped Cream or Chocolate Whipped Cream makes waffles a treat.
• Nut butter, like almond butter, or a drizzle of Greek yogurt on waffles boosts the protein even more, and you can add a sprinkle of chocolate chips for a bit of sweetness.

These waffles with protein are satisfying on their own, but you can also include them as part of a larger meal. Serve them with Scrambled Eggs, Homemade Breakfast Sausage, or Bacon.

MACRO-FRIENDLY WAFFLES WITH PROTEIN

Use the tweaks I made for this protein waffle recipe to boost the protein in some of your other favorites.

• Swap out some of the wheat flour for oat flour. Oat flour has about 3g more protein per cup. It doesn’t have the gluten for rise and elasticity that wheat flour does, so this swap works better for quick breads and muffins rather than yeast breads that rise.
• Use egg whites as part of your liquid ingredients. You can usually add 1-2 egg whites (2-4 Tablespoons) to a recipe without affecting the final texture.
• Or try cottage cheese or Greek yogurt for wet ingredients. Both add a creamy tang to baked goods, and the curds of the cottage cheese melt into anything cooked.
• Add protein powder to your dry ingredients. Use unflavored protein powder (or collagen) or make sure the flavor goes with whatever you’re making.

WAFFLES WITH PROTEIN FAQS

MORE PROTEIN POWDER IDEAS

Need more protein powder ideas? Try adding it to one of these yummy healthy recipes!

• High Protein Oatmeal
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
• Overnight Oats
• Healthy No Bake Cookies
• Zucchini Muffins with Apples and Carrots
• No Bake Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie
• No Bake Brownie Bites