These Keto Gingerbread Waffles make the perfect holiday breakfast! Sweetly spiced and easy to make, they will make your days merry and bright. This post is sponsored by Swerve Sweetener.
I have gone seriously gingerbread crazy, my friends! Don’t worry, it’s not contagious. Or maybe it is. Maybe my love of warm, cozy ginger spice will have you going crazy too.
At least it’s not life-threatening. In fact, it’s quite an enjoyable condition and I highly recommend it. And easy low carb Gingerbread Waffles are my latest obsession. Along with my Keto Gingerbread Cookies and Gingerbread Cream Cheese Pound Cake, they make the holiday season feel complete.
Why you want this recipe
Many of us enjoy the coziness of a leisurely brunch with family during the holidays. And these Keto Gingerbread Waffles are a perfect addition for a few reasons.
For one, they are light and a little crispy, and so tasty. They have that sweet gingery bite that you want in gingerbread. I attribute some of that perfect flavor to Swerve Brown, which really mimics the flavor of brown sugar. And they are absolutely dreamy with some whipped cream or butter melting on top.
It’s also easy to whip up a batch ahead of time. They store well and reheat well, so you can do them in a day or two in advance. Then simply pop them in a warm oven to re-crisp and serve!
Ingredients
- Almond flour: This is an almond flour recipe, but if you need to be nut-free, you can try using sunflower seed flour. Just remember to add a tablespoon of lemon juice to offset the green reaction.
- Swerve Brown: Brown sugar replacement gives these waffles a deeper, richer flavor more like gingerbread. And Swerve Brown is by far the best brown sweetener, in my opinion. I don’t recommend any allulose or BochaSweet in these waffles as they won’t crisp up properly.
- Protein powder: Whey protein or whey protein isolate is your best bet for these waffles. I have found that egg white protein makes them rubbery when cooked in a waffle iron so I can’t suggest it here. Plant-based protein may work but collagen will not as it makes things like this gummy.
- Cocoa powder: A little cocoa powder gives these keto waffles a darker color, more like gingerbread, but it doesn’t make it taste like chocolate. You can leave it out entirely if you wish.
- Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, and cloves for the classic gingerbread flavor!
- Low carb milk: I use unsweetened almond milk but you can also use a mixture of half cream and half water. Don’t use heavy cream alone as it will make the batter too thick.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, butter, baking powder, vanilla, salt.
Step by Step Directions
1. Blend the batter: In a large blender, combine the eggs, almond milk, butter, and vanilla. Blend 30 seconds to combine. Add the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, spices, and salt and blend again until smooth. Let the batter rest 5 minutes.
2. Add to waffle maker: Meanwhile, preheat the waffle iron and grease it lightly. Add about ⅓ cup of the batter to the center of the iron and gently spread to the edges
3. Cook the waffles: Close the lid and let cook until puffed and golden brown on both sides. The time will vary depending on your waffle iron. Remove the waffles and repeat with the remaining batter.
4. Garnish: Dust lightly with powdered sweetener. Serve hot.
Expert tips
Using a blender helps make the batter more cohesive, as well as lighter and fluffier. You can also do this in a food processor.
Waffle irons come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, which means that how many waffles you get and how long they take to cook depends on the iron. Classic waffles are thinner and usually come in 8-inch rounds. Belgian waffles are deeper and can come in squares or circles. Then there are the little Dash mini waffle irons which make 4-inch rounds. So keep your eye on the waffles as they cook!
The addition of protein powder in this keto waffle recipe helps the texture and makes them lighter. I do recommend it, but if you decide to skip it, you need to add another 1/3 cup of almond flour. For this recipe, I do not recommend egg white protein as it can make them very rubbery.
The waffles come off the iron very soft but they crisp up as they cool. For extra crispy waffles, place in a warm (200F) oven for 10 minutes after cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
These gingerbread waffles have 8.8g of carbs and 4g of fiber per serving. So they have a net carb count of 4.8g.
You can make keto waffles with a number of different nut and seed flours. I find that almond flour with a little added protein powder makes really great light and fluffy waffles. I have not been able to get a good crispy waffle with coconut flour.
Store these waffles in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze them for several months. Re-warm them in a low temp oven to get the crispy again.
What to serve with Gingerbread Waffles
Now that you’ve made them, how do you serve them? You’ve got lots of tasty options!
- Keto maple syrup: I found that these almond flour waffles went spectacularly well with a little sugar-free maple syrup.
- Keto caramel sauce: I love drizzling a little of my sugar-free caramel over gingerbread flavored treats!
- Whipped cream: Lightly sweetened whipped cream is a perfect topper for anything with ginger.
- Peanut butter: Need a quick breakfast as you head out the door? Add a quick smear of peanut butter (or any nut butter) and away you go!
Keto Gingerbread Waffles Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (125 g) unsweetened almond milk, (or other low carb milk)
- 3 tbsp butter, melted but not hot
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cup (186.67 g) almond flour
- 1/3 cup (60.67 g) Swerve Brown
- 1/4 cup (27 g) unflavored whey protein powder, (or plant based protein)
- 1/2 tbsp (0.5 tbsp) cocoa powder, (optional, for color)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp (1.5 tsp) cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cloves
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
Instructions
- In a large blender, combine the eggs, almond milk, butter, and vanilla. Blend 30 seconds to combine. Add the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, spices, and salt and blend again until smooth. Let the batter rest 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the waffle iron and grease it lightly.
- Add about ⅓ cup of the batter to the center of the iron and gently spread to the edges. If using a Dash mini waffle iron, you will need about 3 tablespoons per waffle. If using a large, deep Belgian-style waffle maker, you will need more batter.
- Close the lid and let cook until puffed and golden brown on both sides. The time will vary depending on your waffle iron.
- Remove the waffles and repeat with the remaining batter. Dust lightly with powdered sweetener.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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These were pretty tasty! Maybe a tiny bit on the dry side, but nice flavor and good texture. (If any of you are Keto Chow users, I used Gingerbread KC for the protein powder.) I topped the first one with butter and powdered sugar, which was good, and then I tried one smeared with whipped cream cheese, which was even better.
It might be the brand of protein… hard to say without trying it myself!
Delicious recipe, loved them, I found mine a little dry, nothing that a week bit of Steeves sugar free maple syrup couldn’t fix.
These are so good and easy to make. I ate them plain with no toppings.
These look amazing like your other recipes. I can’t wait to try them! One question I have: is the ginger you call for fresh or ground ginger?
Thanks
Ground ginger.
Do I have to use protein powder? I just can’t bring myself to spend $30 on an ingredient I’ll only use occasionally.
These are amazing! I am a Flight Attendant and made these to take on a 5 day trip this week. They are tender and delicious bit not delicate like a scone. I have a my mini tiny skillet to toast them with a little butter. They froze and reheated nicely.
I rarely post comments but this recipe is so amazing I just had to. The recipe is very easy to make. I add 1 tsp of black pepper to the dry ingredients to enhance the ginger. I’ll make a batch to keep in the fridge for a sweet snack. Delicious!!!
Tasty!