Sweet Potato Waffles

From the warming spices to the crispy edges to the fluffy interior, be prepared to fall in love with this recipe for Sweet Potato Waffles.

Made in a blender with oats and sweet potato puree creating a delicious waffle that happens to be gluten-free as well!

This recipe for Sweet Potato Waffles is a spin-off of my whole wheat waffle recipe that you are going to love for many reasons.

• The Flavor: The best part about these sweet potato waffles is the rich warming fall flavor that comes through in every bite. Not only do you get notes of earthy sweetness from the sweet potato puree, but the addition of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg gives these waffles a flavor reminiscent of sweet potato pie. YUM!
• The Texture: Sweet Potato Waffles get crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, just like a good waffle should be.
• Allergy-Friendly: This recipe for waffles is already gluten-free, and can easily be modified to be dairy-free as well. 
• Versatile: If you don't have sweet potato puree, use homemade pumpkin puree or put that canned pumpkin puree to use and make Pumpkin Waffles.

Notes On Ingredients

• Oats: Both rolled oats and quick-cooking oats work for this waffle batter. Be sure your oats are certified gluten-free if needed. Do NOT use steel-cut oats.
• Sweet Potato Puree: Sweet Potato Puree is simply made by baking sweet potatoes and mashing their flesh with a fork or blending the flesh until smooth. For this recipe, you need 2 cups of sweet potato puree, which equates to 2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes.
• Buttermilk: The acidity of the buttermilk reacts with the baking powder to keep these waffles fluffy. But there is no need to purchase buttermilk just for this recipe. To make homemade buttermilk, combine 1-½ teaspoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar with 1-¼ cup of any variety of non-dairy or regular milk and let sit for 5 minutes before using.
• Spices: This recipe uses ground ginger, grated nutmeg, and cinnamon to give the pancakes a warming flavor reminiscent of Sweet Potato Casserole. I always recommend using a Microplane to grate a bulb of nutmeg versus using ground nutmeg.

Recipe Modifications

• Dairy-free Sweet Potato Waffles: Replace the buttermilk with homemade non-dairy buttermilk. Make non-dairy buttermilk by combining 1-½ teaspoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar with 1-¼ cup of unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened soy milk, or canned coconut milk, and let sit for 5 minutes before using.
• Pumpkin Waffles: In place of the sweet potato puree, you can use 100% pure canned or homemade pumpkin puree.
• Use leftovers! Instead of sweet potato puree, you can use leftover sweet potato casserole. It is one of my favorite ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers.

How to Make Sweet Potato Waffles

The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step One: Prepare Sweet Potato Puree

This is the perfect time to use leftover baked sweet potatoes, as sweet potato puree is simply made by cooking potatoes in their skin and then mashing or blending or mashing the flesh until smooth. If you don't have sweet potatoes on hand, this is a perfect recipe to make using canned pumpkin puree.

Step Two: Prepare Waffle Batter

This waffle batter comes together in the blender, making it one of the easiest recipes to make. By using the blender, you can quickly make oat flour from the oats and the blender will ensure that the sweet potato puree is nice and smooth and evenly distributed in the batter.

Step Three: Cook

You can prepare these sweet potato waffles on any waffle maker you have. I have made them on a cheap waffle maker and expensive waffle maker with similar results. Just remember to grease the waffle iron well to prevent the waffles from sticking.

Step Four: Keep the Waffles Warm

If you want everyone to be able to enjoy warm sweet potato waffles together, keep your waffles warm in a 200-degree F oven until ready to serve. I recommend placing the prepared waffles on a baking sheet lined with a baking rack, which will allow air to circulate around the waffles, keeping the bottoms from getting soggy.

Step Five: Serve

Sweet Potato Waffles can be served in a variety of ways. I personally prefer them with pure maple syrup, a dollop of whipped cream, and some chopped walnuts. However, they also pair well with nut butter, sauteed apples, sliced bananas, or butter and cinnamon sugar.

Storage Instructions

• Refrigerate: You can store leftover cooled waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freeze: To freeze waffles, allow the waffles to cool. Place the waffles in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes, or until flash-frozen. This allows the waffles to be removed from the freezer one at a time. Place the waffles into a freezer-safe container for storage and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Reheat: Whether frozen or refrigerated, simply toast the waffles individually in a toaster or toaster oven.

More Favorite Gluten-Free Breakfast Recipes

• Sweet Potato Oatmeal
• Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
• Homemade Breakfast Sausage
• Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
• Breakfast Sweet Potatoes

If you enjoyed these Sweet Potato Waffles, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.  

This recipe was originally published in 2018 and updated in 2022 with new photos.