Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I usually work out in the early morning and then come to breakfast with a hearty appetite, ready to replace the energy spent exercising, and fuel up for the day. This is when I hit up carbs the most during the day, going for whole grain complex carbs.

I’ve also been more interested in eating for maintaining proper weight recently. As I approach 40, I’ve noticed that weight tends to settle more easily in the midsection. I came across this article which mentions a study showing that it’s better to front-load your calories for the day and eat a big breakfast, medium lunch and small dinner (which I’ve been doing and has been working). So, healthy waffles.

These light and crispy waffles are a breakfast staple in my house—just this week, the kids have asked for and eaten them every day! We really don’t tire of them. They taste great, fill you up and you don’t feel guilty for this delicious, energy-packed indulgence. I’ve been testing and updating the recipe since 2010, and I’m finally sharing the perfected recipe.

This recipe is adapted from this recipe from 101 cookbooks. (Great blog, highly recommend following.)

Vegan Multigrain Waffle Recipe

• 1 T golden flaxseed + 2 1/2 T water, combined in a small bowl & let sit for 5 minutes to thicken
• 1/2 C whole spelt flour
• 1/2 C white spelt flour
• 1/2 C oat flour
• 1/2 C rye flour
• 1 1/2 T coconut sugar
• 1 1/2 T poppy seeds
• 1T baking powder
• 1/2 T vital wheat gluten (Note: you can probably skip this and still come out fine but I haven’t tried it.)
• scant 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 C unsweetened milk of choice
• 1/2 C water
• 3 T oil of choice (I love our La Tourangelle walnut oil which we designed)
• 1/2 T lemon juice
• vegan butter & pure maple syrup for topping

Combine all the dry ingredients (flour through salt in the list) in a large bowl and mix well with a whisk. Add the wet ingredients including the flax/water mixture, and whisk well again.

Pour about 2/3 C into a hot waffle maker or whatever amount your waffle maker calls for. Once the steam stops rising, it should be ready, but you can adjust that to less or more depending on whether you like your waffles softer or extra crispy.

Top with butter & syrup. Also great topped with fresh seasonal berries.

If you’re counting, I calculated that there are about 235 calories in 2/3 cup of waffle batter.