These Apple Fritter Waffles are the perfect fall brunch or dessert. Made with fresh honey crisp apples, they’re crisp on the outside, a little chewy on the inside and dunked in a sweet maple glaze. Simple and so good, you would never guess these are vegan!

What’s in Apple Fritter Waffles?

Honey Crisp Apples: This variety of apple is sweet and juicy, perfect for keeping these waffles moist and adding some natural sugar. If you can’t find honey crisp apples, substitute Granny Smith and add another tbsp of sugar to the batter.

Apple Sauce: Adds a little extra apple flavor and also keeps the waffle from drying out. Make sure to use unsweetened!

Vegan Butter: I always use Earth Balance. If you aren’t avoiding dairy, feel free to use regular, unsalted butter.

Non-dairy Milk: Choose whatever milk you like! I used soymilk, but once again, dairy milk would also work well here.

All Purpose Flour: I haven’t tested this recipe with any other types of flour, so I wouldn’t recommend making any substitutions.

Baking Powder: Makes the waffles light and fluffy. Make sure your baking powder hasn’t expired or the waffles May not rise.

Sugar: The maple glaze is super sweet so all you need is a little sugar for the waffles themselves.

Cinnamon: For extra fall flavor!

Maple Glaze: Usually I would say a glaze like this is optional, but not for these apple fritter waffles! The waffles are a little tart so they need the sweet glaze to balance it out. Plus, it’s super simple with just confectioners sugar, vegan butter, maple syrup and a little vanilla extract.

How to Make Apple Fritter Waffles

First step: grate the apple. Traditional apple fritters generally have cubes of apple, but grating prevents the waffles from getting soggy and cooking unevenly. I used a box grater, but a food processor with the shredding attachment would work well too!

For the batter, mix the dry and wet ingredients separately. Fold them together and add the apple. It will seem quite dry at first, but the apple will release some of its moisture and loosen things up. Be very careful not to overmix to avoid dense waffles.

Scoop the batter into your preheated waffle iron. Depending on what type of iron you have, it may take shorter or longer to cook. Aim for a deep golden brown color. Place each waffle to cool for a few minutes on a rack while you make the glaze.

The glaze is also easy, just whisk together those four ingredients until smooth. I recommend mixing it in a wide bowl so you can easily dunk the waffles.

Just like donuts, I like to dip each waffle in glaze and let the excess drip off. The glaze will continue to harden as the waffle cools, so let it hang out on the rack for a few minutes longer before eating.

These waffles are definitely more delicious on the first day. If you plan on having leftovers, hold off on the glaze. I always re-crisp my day old waffles in the toaster and add the glaze right before serving.

Equipment Needed to Make Apple Fritter Waffles

• Waffle iron
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Cookie scoop (optional, but it makes it easier to scoop the batter into the waffle iron)

More Recipes to Try:

• Fig and Farro Grain Bowls
• Cinnamon Roll Muffins
• Orange Apricot Sticky Buns
• Chocolate Tahini Oat Cups

Made this recipe? Tag @wandering_chickpea on Instagram and follow along on Pinterest for more delicious recipes!