These Chocolate Chip Waffles have perfect crisp edges with luscious soft interiors, the best ratio of chocolate to waffle, and just happen to be made with better-for-you ingredients! Finally -- a waffle recipe you can feel good about serving for a balanced breakfast (instead of a sugar crash waiting to happen)!
PREP: Preheat the waffle iron. If you won't be eating waffles right away and want to keep waffles warm, see Note 5.
BLEND: Add everything EXCEPT the chocolate chips to a blender in the order listed. Blend until completely smooth, about 90-120 seconds. Scrape down sides and blend longer if needed. There shouldn't be any chunks of oats or cashews.
ADD CHOCOLATE CHIPS: If the batter is hot from blending, refrigerate for 5 minutes (to keep chocolate chips from melting in the hot batter). If not, add the chocolate chips into the blender and stir with a spatula to incorporate.
COOK: If your waffle iron or pan has a nonstick surface, don't use cooking spray. (Cooking spray builds up on nonstick surfaces and eventually becomes tacky, ruining that non-stick coating.) If it doesn't have a nonstick surface, grease with cooking spray. Add a measured 1/3 cup of batter from the blender into each cavity. Use all the batter in the blender -- scraping it out with a spatula if needed. Most waffle irons will signal to let you know the waffle is done. If your waffle maker doesn't have that feature, watch for the steam to stop seeping out the sides. Never open your iron until steam has stopped coming out! Right out of the waffle iron, place each waffle on a wire cooling rack.
ENJOY: Serve waffles enjoying as is or with a drizzle of syrup, a dollop of whipped cream, and/or fresh fruit (like bananas or strawberries).
FREEZE LEFTOVER WAFFLES: Tofreeze: Allow waffles to cool completely at room temperature. Then, place the cooled waffles on a parchment-paper-lined tray. Place that tray in the freezer until the waffles are fully frozen, about 1-2 hours. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. To thaw: Use the microwave, toaster, or oven to reheat. We like popping them in our toaster. Frozen waffles can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Notes
Note 1: Cashews: We love roasted and lightly salted cashews best — more flavor without any extra effort on your part. Raw cashews aren't the right texture.Note 2: Coconut oil: Measure in the melted state. Butter or ghee (melted) can also be used.Note 3: Milk: Any plant-based milk will work in these waffles; we like unsweetened vanilla almond milk best.Note 4:Pure maple syrup: Not to be confused with corn syrup or pancake syrup, pure maple syrup is the sap from a maple tree that has been boiled down to a thicker consistency. It’s just one ingredient -- a sugar naturally derived from nature! We tested honey and while it worked, the flavor was a bit overpowering.Note 5: Keeping waffles warm:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Place a cooling rack on a large sheet pan. As soon as you pull the waffle from the waffle iron, place it on the cooling rack in a single layer.
Place that sheet pan in the oven until ready to eat.
If you'll be eating the waffles right away, just set them on a wire cooling rack right out of the waffle iron and serve from there.