Light and Crispy Almond Flour Waffles

If you’re counting carbs, yet find yourself yearning for weekend waffles, almond flour is just the ticket. One ounce of almond flour contains approximately 5.6 grams of carbs compared to the roughly 21 grams found in all-purpose wheat flour. Although it’s made from nuts, finely ground almond flour is light enough that with a few classic waffle tricks of the trade, like gently folding whipped egg whites into the batter, you can achieve the coveted airy texture of traditional waffles with relative ease. Because there’s zero wheat used to make the batter, that means these waffles are also gluten-free. 

You can top the waffles off however you like, but I like to keep things fresh and bright with a handful of fresh berries. The batter is already lightly sweet, thanks to four tablespoons of granulated sugar, so you can use a gentle hand with the maple syrup. (The sugar in the batter also helps produce a crispy exterior.) For folks who are more strictly monitoring their carb intake and want to skip the extra sugar, with just a couple of minor tweaks, the waffles can also be made keto-friendly (see below). 

Who says weekend waffles can’t be for everyone?

It’s easy to confuse the two, as both are made of ground almonds. However, almond flour is a finer grind, so it will yield a lighter, airier waffle. Almond meal is more coarse. Almond flour can be made with whole, skin-on almonds or blanched almonds. For this recipe, I use Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour made from blanched whole almonds. 

Like other waffle batters, begin by whisking together the dry ingredients (almond flour, baking powder, and salt). In a separate bowl, combine the almond milk, egg yolks, sugar, and extracts (I like to use almond in addition to vanilla), then incorporate that mixture into the dry. Egg whites are then whipped with a little sugar and gently folded into the batter. 

Gently folding whipped egg whites into the batter yields the lightest and crispiest waffles by trapping tiny pockets of air inside the batter. The key to those air pockets? Whip the eggs until you soft peaks, then sprinkle in a bit of sugar to help to stabilize the whites, keeping them nice and fluffy. (Don’t fully incorporate the egg whites into the batter. A few streaks of white are what you want to see.) A note of caution: egg whites don’t like fat, so be sure that your bowl (stainless steel or glass is best) and whisk are pristinely clean before you begin.

• The sugar in the batter not only provides a flavor boost, but it also helps caramelize the exterior of the waffles as they’re cooking, which equals crispier waffles! Using a sugar alternative (see keto-friendly note below) will also produce satisfying results, but I’ve found the waffles don’t crisp quite as well as those made with actual sugar.
• Preheating your waffle iron while you prepare the batter will ensure that the iron is nice and hot when you’re ready to start cooking. (You’ll know it’s good to go if you hear a little sizzle.) The hot surface also helps your waffles brown more evenly and prevents them from sticking. I use a Cuisinart Classic Waffle Maker that allows me to adjust the temperature, but every waffle iron is different, so be sure to refer to your model’s instruction manual for more cooking tips.
• Transferring each waffle as it finishes cooking to a 200℉ oven will help keep them warm, but it also allows the waffles to get even crispier. To prevent steam from building up, which can make even the crispiest waffles sad and limp, be sure to arrange the waffles in a single layer on top of a baking sheet lined with a wire rack.

As written, the waffle recipe does contain sugar and suggests drizzling with maple syrup, but you can easily swap out the sugar in the batter for an alternative sweetener (see substitutions) and serve the waffles with your favorite sugar-free syrup.