Today we’re sleeping in late and eating waffles smothered in chocolate sauce.
Flourless almond butter waffles, to be exact.
Trust me — it’s the right thing to do.
One of my recent go-to snacks is a square of dark chocolate topped with a spoonful of thick almond butter. The combination of salty and slightly sweet is the perfect afternoon pick-me-up — and it also makes a fantastic breakfast when paired with waffles.
Yes, really.
I love almond butter. I love dark chocolate. I love maple syrup. I love waffles. So it felt natural to combine all those favorites into one super-satisfying morning meal.
Here we go:
This recipe is made in one bowl in about 15 minutes and yields two crispy, airy, surprisingly light 8-inch Belgian waffles made from a batter that’s mostly almond butter.
There are a few other ingredients, but the batter really is almond butter-forward — and somehow it produces waffles that are crisp on the outside and fluffy inside. No need to overthink it; just enjoy the result.
The waffles finish with a swoon-worthy dark chocolate sauce made from only three ingredients: maple syrup, water, and cocoa powder.
That simple chocolate sauce is a perfect example of “more than the sum of its parts.” Those three ingredients transform into a luscious, pourable sauce that’s ideal for drizzling over waffles — and it’s also delicious on pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt, or ice cream. I keep a jar in the fridge now because it’s that handy.
I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out you can make chocolate maple syrup, but now that I have, I’m never turning back. Better late than never.
If you’d prefer not to use chocolate, warm jam makes a delightful PB&J-style topping, or you can stick to classic maple syrup and butter. For the waffles themselves, any nut butter works — almond, hazelnut, cashew, or peanut butter will all yield excellent results. Nearly every nut butter pairs nicely with the chocolate sauce, so feel free to experiment.
Bottom line: you need these waffles in your life. I’m still amazed that a flourless, almond-butter-based batter can produce light, fluffy waffles, but I’m very glad it does. And unless you’re allergic to chocolate, there’s no reason not to top them with that chocolate sauce.
If you make the recipe, leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram with a photo of your waffles.
- 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup milk of choice (cow, almond, coconut, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Plug in your waffle iron and set to high if there’s a temperature option.
- While the iron preheats, whisk all waffle ingredients together in one bowl until smooth and lump-free. The batter will be thin — that’s normal.
- Grease the waffle iron with nonstick spray, butter, or coconut oil. Pour half the batter in and cook for 5–6 minutes, until deeply golden or until your iron indicates it’s done. Grease again and cook the second waffle.
- For the chocolate sauce, stir together cocoa powder, water, and maple syrup in a small bowl until smooth. It may take a minute for the cocoa to fully incorporate. Taste and add more maple syrup if you prefer it sweeter.
- Serve waffles immediately, each drizzled with half the chocolate sauce. Leftovers can be separated into portions and stored in the fridge or freezer; reheat in a toaster before serving.
- This recipe yields two 8-inch Belgian waffles, which can serve 2–4 people depending on appetite and sides.
- No waffle iron? Make pancakes by reducing the milk to 2 tablespoons and cooking small silver-dollar pancakes. Because the batter is flourless, larger pancakes are difficult to flip.