This recipe has been in the makings for years.
Truly. Years. And only because I love to say it out loud.
Buffalo Falafel Waffle. Go ahead. Say it, and tell me you don’t smile while doing it.
I also just really love buffalo’d stuff. I recently bought two giant bottles of Frank’s Red Hot at Costco, and the dent I made in one in just a few weeks is… concerning.
But I really do love it. As can be seen here, here, here, and here.
I believe this is the first waffle recipe on the blog. And the fact that it’s for a savory waffle is a bit odd for me, since I tend to sway sweet when it comes to breakfast food.
But I think you could honestly have these waffles as a lunch. Or dinner! Pair it with a zippy salad with lots of veggies, and… yum. Just really a lot of yum.
You may notice that these waffles are rather small, and that’s because I used a mini waffle maker to make them! It was my first time using this machine, but I really liked it (and I really love that it takes up no space when I go to store it).
Plus, I was able to make 4-5 small Buffalo Falafel Waffles with it, each taking about 8 minutes to cook through. Perfect for two meals for lil ol’ me. Definitely a fan!
The waffle ingredients are pretty straightforward (and veganized from this recipe!), but the only kinda-weird thing that you’ll need to do is make a “flax egg” out of ground flax and hot sauce. Flax eggs are typically made with water, not hot sauce, but the hot sauce is pretty crucial in the recipe, so I figured it would make sense to swap it for the water!
I also opted to serve these with a big ol’ dollop of creamy buffalo sauce, avocado, and parsley, but get creative! Green onion, some sort of salsa, and / or crispy chickpeas would all be great on top too.
So go forth and spread the love of eating (and saying) Buffalo Falafel Waffles! Crisp, spicy, and oh-so fun.
PrintBuffalo Falafel Waffle
As fun to say as it is to eat! These Buffalo Falafel Waffles are naturally vegan and gluten free and oh-so good topped with a zippy spread, creamy avocado, and fresh herbs! They’re not too spicy, but they have a nice bite paired with lots of other savory ingredients.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 small waffles
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Waffle Iron
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
FLAX EGG:
- 1 tablespoon ground flax
- 2 and 1/2 tablespoons hot sauce (I like Frank’s!)
WAFFLES:
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- a few grinds of freshly-cracked pepper
- a small handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- your flax egg
TOPPINGS:
- 1/2 cup hummus + 2–4 tablespoons hot sauce*, mixed
- avocado
- green onion
- parsley
- more hot sauce!
Instructions
- FLAX EGG: Mix your flax and hot sauce in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes to gel.
- WAFFLES: In a medium bowl, combine your chickpeas, garlic, shallot, hot sauce, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, parsley, baking powder, cornstarch, and flax egg. Mix.
- Transfer the mixture to a food processor (alternatively, use an immersion blender!) and blend until mostly smooth but still a little chunky. See photo in the post for an example of what it should look like.
- Heat a waffle iron. When hot, grease with a little high-temp oil (like refined coconut oil!).
- Using a 1/3 cup measure, scoop your mixture into your heated, greased waffle iron. Close and allow to cook for 8-9 minutes, or until the outside is crisp and the inside is tender.**
- Keep waffles warm in a 200 degree F oven, or cool on a wire rack until cool enough to eat.
- Serve with desired toppings & enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from the Falafel Waffle recipe from Food52
*This is optional, but this spread is really good. Adjust the hot sauce based on your spice tolerance! Remember that a good 5+ tablespoons of the sauce is in the waffles as well!
**I used a mini waffle maker. Keep in mind that cooking times may vary, depending on your waffle maker. Keep an eye on it and use your judgment! I trust ya.
These waffles look yummy! Perfect for morning breakfast! I cannot wait to try this recipe!
Tasty! Just the kind of crazy waffle recipe I was hoping to find. Something with a lot of savory flavor. Thank you.
It was a tad salty for my taste. Next time I make I’ll skip adding the extra salt. Frank’s hot sauce already had plenty.
Fantastic! I was out of flax so made a chia egg using the same method/measurements. Next time I’ll eliminate salt since Frank’s is so salty. I used a Belgian waffle maker and pressed a patty for each of the four sections, making 6 waffles total. I served them with a small salad of tomato, cucumber and avocado on top and huge dollops of tzatziki (Food & Wine recipe https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cucumber-dill-tzatziki). I’ll make them again and again.