Let’s rewind to January of this year. There is snow on the ground. I’m in Salt Lake City for a blog conference called Alt Summit. Melissa and I are staying at Heidi‘s incredible mountain home. The two of us have stayed up way too late talking downstairs. I’ve had a couple glasses of wine; I think that Melissa has also had a couple glasses of wine.
I’m going on about how I am convinced that one of my dear friends is with child. She hasn’t gone public with the information yet, so I’ve been a quiet observer for the past eight weeks. The first sign was when my friend feigned a headache at girls night so she could pass on wine. Suspicious, I thought. Then she switched to natural deodorant. Interesting. She even hosted a fun holiday party and served virgin punch as a mixer. I wanted to give her a high five for that move, but I didn’t want to let the cat of the bag.
I’m telling Melissa about how I’m so smart because I’ve figured out that my friend has a bun in the oven (you can’t fool me!), and all the while, Melissa is hiding a very exciting secret of her own. You got me good, Melissa. Friends having babies really brings out the sappy side of me, so I’ll quit writing before I start throwing around gushy words like blessing and precious. Having met both Melissa and Kevin, however, I can say with absolute certainty that they are bringing a kind, creative and cute little lady into the world. Congrats, you two!
Today, we’re celebrating Melissa with waffles! My friend Erin of Naturally Ella, who is also Melissa’s co-worker, organized a surprise virtual baby shower for Melissa. Our recipes are based on Melissa’s whole grain waffles recipe, which is one of her most popular. It’s perfect timing, too, because I just used a gift card on this fancy pants waffle maker
. Now I want to host a real-life waffle party!
For my banana nut waffles, I replaced half of the milk in the original recipe with mashed bananas, and added walnuts and a hint of spice. The walnuts are more than just delicious—I incorporated them because they’re high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for expectant and nursing moms. I gifted my leftover waffles to my friends who have a newborn because I thought some wholesome and delicious waffles might be something to look forward to after a long night with the baby.
If you’re craving the banana-nut combo but don’t have a waffle maker, you could totally add walnuts to my banana oat pancakes or banana bread.
Banana Nut Waffles
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Breakfast
Light and crisp, whole wheat banana nut waffles. Recipe yields around 5 round, 7-inch Belgian waffles, or 8 small, square Belgian waffles (as shown here).
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar (cane sugar or brown sugar)
- 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- ¾ cup milk of choice, lukewarm
- ¾ cup overripe mashed bananas (about 2 small bananas), plus more for topping
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat waffle iron on high heat, about one notch down from the highest setting. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt and nutmeg. Stir in the chopped walnuts.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the melted coconut oil and milk. Microwave for 30 seconds, or until the mixture is lukewarm. Whisk in mashed banana, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to over mix. Tiny lumps may remain. Pour batter onto the heated waffle iron, enough to cover the center and most of the central surface area. Once the iron has stopped steaming and the waffle is deeply golden, transfer it to a cooling rack or baking sheet. Don’t stack your waffles on top of each other, or they’ll lose crispness. Place in oven to keep warm. Repeat.
- Top with sliced bananas and 100% pure maple syrup, and serve. Save leftovers in the fridge and reheat by placing the waffle back in the griddle or in the toaster on a light setting.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Melissa’s version of King Arthur’s whole wheat waffles.
Ingredient notes: I tried making this recipe using butter instead of coconut oil and replaced ½ cup whole wheat flour with ½ cup oat flour, but the resulting waffles were not as crisp. I liked the version typed above the best.
If you love this recipe: You’ll also love my coconut waffles! They’re based on the same recipe. I have more banana treats here.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Christina
Can you freeze the waffles? These look so delicious! I can’t wait to try them.
Kate
Yes! These freeze well. I hope you love them!