As soon as pie pumpkins become available in the stores, I start buying them in batches of 2-3 so I can take them home and turn them into homemade pumpkin puree. It's my thing.
Just like Dustin's radar for non-alcoholic eggnog in late October, I cannot wait for healthy pumpkin recipes...
I've always kinda felt like so many other squashes this time of year don't get enough love, like acorn squash and spaghetti squash. Sure, I use them here and there, but it's nothing like how I feel about pumpkin in the fall.
Am I a product of seasonal marketing?
Have I been programmed by Starbucks to blindly go towards the pumpkin spice latte light and not think for myself?
Given this realization that I should pay more attention to other seasonal produce, I opted to explore butternut squash's potential as a go-to squash for this Fall. First, I turned it into puree, just like I do with my pie pumpkins. Check out this post to see how to make butternut squash puree.
Then, I tried to find some new ways to enjoy squash. I've already made this tasty butternut squash bisque and I knew I wanted to make something sweet this time. Like pumpkin and acorn squash, I was hoping savory and sweet would work well with butternut squash.
I also wanted to make a healthy, clean sweet meal and had been craving a good breakfast. I'd already made healthy pumpkin pancakes so I figured I'd try to make butternut squash waffles.
In order to make them healthy, I didn't use any refined sugars or refined flours, but opted toward maple syrup (yum!) and a combination of buckwheat flour and whole wheat flour. I've found whole wheat flour is a great flour for baked goods, but I like cutting it with buckwheat flour to add more nutrients and also take the edge off the "whole wheat" flavor.
The butternut squash waffles were aMAZing. Like eat them with your hand right off the hot waffle maker because you can't wait to put them on the plate amazing.
Like Dustin actually ate them and wanted more and he doesn't like waffles amazing.
Like I totally nailed it amazing.
Like, oh my gosh, me have a contender for pumpkin amazing.
I highly recommend pairing the waffles with the yogurt topping. The creaminess and tartness of the yogurt mixed with the sweet maple syrup makes for the perfect combination with the dense, flavorful butternut squash waffles. Amazeballs good.
Butternut Squash Waffles
So, in conclusion, butternut squash is awesome and you need these waffles in your life.
Butternut Squash Waffles
Equipment
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
For The Butternut Squash Waffles:
- 1 ½ cups cooked pureed butternut squash
- 2 cups almond milk
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- ½ cup buckwheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For The Maple Yogurt Topping:
- 3 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
For The Butternut Squash Waffles:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the squash puree, almond milk, coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, and maple syrup.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.
- Heat a waffle maker until hot.
- Spread about ¾ cup of the batter over the hot waffle iron and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the waffle is golden-brown on both sides. If you have a flipping waffle iron, flip over after 1 ½ minutes and cook for an additional 1 ½ minutes after flipping.
For The Maple Yogurt Topping:
- To make the topping, combine the greek yogurt and maple syrup until mixed well. Top the waffles and sprinkle with ground cinnamon, if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products I use frequently and highly recommend.
Lisa
Do these freeze well after making?
Do you think they would work with an alternative flour (cassava) and without the spices (allergies)?
Thanks you!
Jessica
I can hardly wait to try these! But FYI, the description within the recipe says they're grain-free, when they're clearly not.
jamie
These sound good, but just a side note- even without the yogurt topping, these would not be vegan (eggs!) Just wanted to throw that out there in case someone is looking online for a recipe to cook a vegan friend family member, who might not be aware!
Lacey Baier
Hi Jamie - yikes! Thanks so much for pointing that out. Not sure what I was thinking when I wrote that. I went ahead and removed it from the post so as not to continue that confusion. I appreciate you calling that out for me!
Jaenell Woods
These look amazing! I love that you used homemade pumpkin puree rather than canned. When you make your puree, can you make a large batch and store to use throughout the week, or should you use it up pretty quickly?
Lacey Baier
Yes, you can use it throughout the week - I do that all the time 🙂
henckels knives
fantastic recipe 🙂
Lacey Baier
Thanks so much! 🙂
Jennifer f
I'm putting these on my marathon carbo loading list!
Lacey Baier
YES! Perfect use for these babies 🙂