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Crisp on the outside, fluffy and cheesy inside, these spiced tofu and spinach waffles will definitely be a new favorite! You’ll love these Indian palak paneer-inspired savory waffles.
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You guys know me, I end up using the waffle maker for making savory things more often than sweet things, and the same goes for pancakes.
Everybody in my house loves savory stuff, so we end up using the waffle maker for mostly savory stuff, like my chickpea flour pakora waffles, potato quinoa (aloo tikki) waffles, and pizza waffles. There are just so many fun ways to make savory waffles, and here’s another one!
This one is inspired from palak paneer, which is an Indian dish with a spinach sauce and paneer cheese cubes, for which I’m using tofu instead. I add some crumbled tofu and spinach to the savory waffle batter, and then spices that usually go in the palak paneer along with nutritional yeast and non-dairy cheese to give it flavor.
We cook the spinach waffles and serve them with salsa, or cucumber salad, mango chutney, or Szechuan sauce. You can use other dips of choice, as well.
These are amazing when they come out fresh off of the waffle maker because they’re the crispiest then. Spinach waffles tend to get softer as they sit because of the extra moisture coming from both the tofu and the spinach. So you do want to serve them immediately after cooking.
You can also put them in the oven to crisp up while you’re making all the waffles, so that you can serve them all together.
Why You’ll Love Palak Tofu Waffles
- fluffy, savory waffles packed with Indian spices
- one-bowl batter for less mess
- nut-free
- gluten-free and soy-free options
- freeze and reheat like a dream!
More Vegan Waffles
- Pakora Waffles
- Cheddar Jalapeno Waffles
- 1-Bowl Easy Vegan Waffles
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Waffles
- Vegan Pizza Waffles
Spinach Waffles (Palak Tofu Waffles)
Equipment
- waffle maker
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup semolina or almond flour
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons or more spices of choice, , I use garam masala, ground coriander, turmeric and cayenne
Wet Ingredients
- 1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt, or use thick non-dairy milk, such as oat milk or coconut milk
- 1/2 cup or more water
- 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed lightly to remove extra moisture, see note for fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup crumbled firm or extra firm tofu
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, optional
- 2 to 3 tablespoons vegan mozzarella cheese, or other cheese of choice
Optional Additions
- 3 tablespoons of sesame seeds, or hemp seeds or chia seeds to add more crunch as well as up the protein
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the dry ingredients. That's the flour, semolina, almond flour, salt, spices, baking soda, and nutritional yeast and optional seeds. Mix really well.
- Then add in the spinach, tofu, onions, cilantro, cheese, and yogurt. Drizzle in 1/2 cup of water and mix up the batter. The batter will most likely be thick, so keep adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have like a muffin batter consistency that's slightly loose, but not too flowy like pancake batter.
- Let this mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes. If you’re using semolina, this mixture will thicken and you will have to add more water as you keep cooking the waffles. With almond flour, you will not need more water.
- Preheat your waffle maker, add a few drops of oil, then scoop the waffle batter into the waffle maker. Spread out the batter, drizzle a few more drops of oil on top, and close the waffle maker.
- Cook until the waffles are golden on both edges. This will take much longer than your usual waffles because of the extra moisture content in the spinach and tofu. So even if your indicator says that the waffle is done, you want to continue cooking it until it is golden. Remove the waffle and repeat for all the remaining batter. If the batter is thickening up too much while it’s sitting, add another tablespoon of water and mix it in, then continue.
- Make all the waffles and set them on a cooling rack or set them in an oven which is heated to 300° F (148° C) so that they stay warm and crisp. Once all the spinach waffles are done, serve them with salsa or some chopped tomatoes. Chutneys — like mango cilantro, or tomato chutney — or ketchup or Szechuan sauce or other dips of choice are great with spinach waffles.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- flours – These waffles use a mix of all-purpose and with semolina flour or almond flour. Semolina helps crisp them up. You can make this gluten-free by using a mix of 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup oat flour, 1/4 cup potato starch or tapioca starch instead of the flours. If you do that, you’ll replace 1/4 cup of the water with club soda.
- nutritional yeast – Gives the batter a cheesy flavor.
- baking powder, baking soda, and salt – These condition the dough for a perfect, fluffy texture inside.
- salt and spices – Garlic powder and a mix of either Indian spices or Italian herbs and spices give these spinach waffles such an amazing flavor!
- non-dairy yogurt – Adds tanginess and richness to the batter. You can use thick, non-dairy milk instead.
- frozen spinach – The waffles’ namesake!
- crumbled tofu – This take the place of paneer. You can omit the tofu or use crumbled chickpeas instead.
- onion and cilantro – Deepens the flavor of these spinach waffles.
- vegan mozzarella – A little bit of non-dairy cheese makes these savory waffles taste so decadent!
- sesame seeds – Seeds add a little crunch along with more flavor and protein. You can use hemp or chia seeds instead, if you prefer.
Tips
- If you use the semolina flour, the batter will thicken as it sits. Mix in tablespoons of water, as needed, to get it back to muffin batter consistency before pouring into the waffle maker.
- Squeeze out that spinach well! Getting the extra moisture out will help the waffles cook more quickly.
- Cook the waffles until they’re golden on the edges. The spinach and tofu will release moisture as the waffle batter cooks, making these take longer to cook than traditional waffles. Don’t go by your waffle maker’s indicator. Wait for those good, golden edges instead!
- The batter consistency should be thick, like muffin batter, not thinner and pourable, like pancake batter.
- If you’re making all of the waffles at once, keep them in an oven at 300° F (148° C) so that they stay warm and crisp.
How to Make Spinach Waffles
In a bowl, add the dry ingredients. That’s the flour, semolina, almond flour, salt, spices, baking soda, and nutritional yeast. Mix really well, then add in the spinach, tofu, onions, cilantro, cheese, and yogurt.
Drizzle in 1/2 cup of water and mix up the batter. The batter will most likely be thick, so keep adding water, a tablespoon at a time, until you have like a muffin batter consistency that’s slightly loose, but not too flowy like pancake batter is.
Let this mixture sit for five to 10 minutes. If you’re using semolina, this mixture will thicken and you will have to add more water as you keep cooking the waffles. With almond flour, you will not need more water.
Preheat your waffle maker, add a few drops of oil, and scoop the mixture into the waffle maker, Spread out the batter, drizzle a few more drops of oil on top, and close the waffle maker.
Cook until the waffles are golden on both edges. This will take much longer than your usual waffles because of the extra moisture content in the spinach and tofu. So even if your indicator says that the waffle is done, you want to continue cooking it until it is golden.
Remove the waffle and repeat for all the remaining batter. If the batter is thickening up too much while it’s sitting, add another tablespoon of water and mix it in, then continue.
Make all the waffles and set them on a cooling rack or set them in an oven which is heated to 300° F (148° C) so that they stay warm and crisp.
Once all the spinach waffles are done, serve them with salsa or some chopped tomatoes. Chutneys — like mango cilantro, or tomato chutney — or ketchup or Szechuan sauce or other dips of choice are great with spinach waffles as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Semolina and Keeping your waffles warm will help them stay crispy. As you cook each waffle, pile them onto a lined baking sheet, and place them into the oven at 300° F (148° C) so that they stay warm and crisp. These waffles will tend be more moist because of spinach and tofu
You can also warm them back up in the oven, toaster oven, or waffle maker to crisp them back up, if they’re come to room temperature or you’ve stored them for later in the fridge.
To make these gluten-free, replace the flour and semolina with a mix of 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup oat flour, 1/4 cup potato starch or tapioca starch and mix really well. Use all of this dry mix, and instead of 1/2 cup of water, add 1/4 cup of unsweetened, carbonated water or club soda and 1/4 cup of water.
If you don’t want to use club soda then use all water and add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid or eno to the dry ingredients.
To make this recipe soy-free, omit the tofu, or you can add some crumbled up cooked chickpeas instead.
This recipe is nut-free if you use semolina and use yogurt that is not nut based.
Store refrigerated for upto 3 days. These waffles will freeze really well. Let them freeze, then heat them in a toaster oven, regular oven, or your waffle maker to crisp up a little bit
I’ve been using the waffle iron a lot while my oven is on the fritz. I’d been throwing together a savory waffle just adding spinach, onion, and curry to plain batter, but the tofu and nutritional yeast really elevate these. I made them gluten free using sorghum and teff flours, no starch needed. I’d never heard of citric acid in baking before, but I really think they crisped up better with it. Fantastic!
That’s great!
These are such a huge hit in our family! Shared the recipe with my Mom and now she makes them all the time, too. Plus, it’s so easy to modify with whatever leftover veggies you have in the fridge. Thanks for introducing us to savory waffles, Richa!
Yay!!
I am obsessed with these. I make them all the time. Your recipes are fabulous. Thank you for taking the time to help the rest of us!
That’s awesome! Thank you for commenting.