I think my taste buds died and went to heaven when I made this recipe for the first, second, third…upteenth time.
Because WAFFLES. I can’t even remember the last time I had waffles since I found out I was lactose and gluten intolerant way back in 2009. And the waffles I had were probably of the Eggo/toaster variety. What’s a gluten-and-lactose-challenged waffle lover to do?
Enter: Plantains.
My plantain obsession started courtesy of Michelle and Lori over at Purely Twins. Those girls are geniuses and can make everything from bread, to cupcakes, pumpkin bread, donuts, you name it, out of plantains. They’re seriously magical. The green ones are more like potatoes, and the brown (ripe) ones taste more like sweet, caramelized goodness. Mmm.
Since I made these waffles for the first time with my best friend we’ve become obsessed with attempting to “waffle” anything and everything. So far we’ve done these plantain waffles, hash browns, and even tried cookies. For some reason that one didn’t turn out so great the first time but the internet says you can do it so it MUST BE TRUE. We’ll keep trying.
The cool thing about these waffles? This is a basic recipe (meaning no spices. not like #basic.) so you could totally go sweet OR savory with your toppings for them. If your plantains are more on the brown side, the waffles will be on the sweeter side. If they’re more green, the waffles will be on the savory side.
Oh my gosh you guys they’re SO good. I’ve eaten them three times in the past week and the only reason it wasn’t more than that is because I ran out of plantains. Just stop whatever you’re doing and go make them already.
- 3 plantains, peeled and chopped: I used a mix of two greener ones and one green-brownish one.
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup avocado oil + 1-2 Tbsp extra, for greasing the waffle iron (substitute: melted butter, bacon fat, ghee, or coconut oil)
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Combine the plantains, water, oil, egg, and sea salt in a food processor or blender and let it run until the batter is completely smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides and pulse a few additional times to get the chunks out.
- Heat up your waffle iron and grease it with some extra melted oil. You could either use an oil spritzer or heat-proof pastry brush to do this. Make sure it’s on the lightest setting so the waffles don’t overcook.
- When the iron is ready, use a rounded ½ cup scoop to spoon the batter in the middle of the waffle iron. Let it spread a little bit, then close the top and cook until done, about 3 minutes. Mine has a little green light that shows you when it’s finished. Watch them closely so they don’t burn!
- If you’re making a bunch of waffles and don’t want them to get cold, turn your oven on the “keep warm” setting (about 170F) and pop your finished waffles on a parchment paper or wire rack lined baking sheet in the oven until the rest are finished.
- Serve with your choice of toppings and enjoy!
Inspired by Merit & Fork’s AIP Plantain Waffles. A tip from those ladies: Leftovers (if you have any!) can be frozen and reheated in a toaster oven!
What are your favorite pancake/waffle toppings?
YUM!!!!!!
These look super yummy. I’m obsessed with this recipe, but I am too lazy to make it very often! http://soletshangout.com/grain-free-sweet-potato-waffle-breakfast-blt-with-garlic-basil-aioli-gluten-free-paleo/
Ohmygosh that looks so good too!! I wanted to make one without nuts, since I don’t do well with them. But I loooooove sweet potatoes 🙂
mmm can we come over and enjoy some with you ?
yes of course!! I would love that! Although it’s much colder up in DC than by you girls! We should set up a date with us and Meg Doll 🙂