A Sweet and Savory Healthy Pumpkin Waffles Recipe

June 3, 2014 by Jenn 49 Comments

I love to bake and have so much fun experimenting with different baking substitutions to come up with unique recipes. For instance, I’ve found that LIBBY’s Pumpkin serve as a substitute for my usual baking staples like oil and eggs. I’ve found that pumpkin lends a subtle taste to my everyday recipes like cookies, brownies, blondies – even waffles and pancakes! There’s so many things that #PumpkinCan do!

Pumpkin is such a versatile vegetable, and it can be used in a many different sweet and savory dishes all throughout the year. Really, LIBBY’s Pumpkin SHOULD be a part of your diet all year long because it’s a superfood! Libby’s Pumpkin contains fiber and Vitamin A, and is packed with Beta Carotene too! When you replace eggs and oil in recipes with pumpkin puree, you are both reducing the fat content and adding nutritional content to your favorite dishes! It’s a double bonus: make your favorite dishes a little healthier by reducing fat and sodium and sneaking extra vitamins and nutrients into your kid’s meals without changing the flavor of their favorite meals!

Tips for Healthier Baking With LIBBY’s Pumpkin Puree

Replace some of the butter in a recipe with pumpkin puree to reduce fat.

Make sure it’s pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling, as the two are completely different and you won’t achieve the results you want! If you are making something that calls for one cup of butter, use 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of LIBBY’s Pumpkin puree.

Note: If you would like to completely eliminate the butter, don’t replace it with the exact measurement: multiply the butter requirement by 3/4 when replacing it with LIBBY’s Pumpkin puree.

Replace vegetable oil in a recipe with LIBBY’s Pumpkin puree in equal parts.

This works along the same lines as the butter replacement – just make sure that if you are substituting pumpkin puree for oil, you do so in equal parts. 1 cup = 1 cup, etc.

Use 1/4 cup LIBBY’s Pumpkin puree as an egg substitute in baking recipes.

I have only tried this once and it did work pretty well! When making something that would normally be light and fluffy, you’ll want to add 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder to help it rise. Also, keep in mind that pumpkin puree will lend a slight flavor to your recipes, so make sure the flavors will compliment each other!

I created these Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookie Bars a while ago when I first started writing about using LIBBY’s Pumpkin and while they did have a slight pumpkin flavor, it was minimal. They turned out SO good! Angeline said it was one of the best things I’ve ever made – and seeing as how I bake almost weekly, that was a huge compliment!

There are so many different uses for pumpkin in the kitchen, when it came time to make a second recipe, I had a hard time narrowing down my choices! With Angeline getting out of school in a few days, I decided to experiment with a new breakfast recipe – we really indulge in long, lazy breakfasts together during the summer because we are always rushed during the school year.

This healthy Pumpkin Waffles Recipe is a great way to add a little extra fiber and Vitamin A into one of our favorite family breakfasts and even though it uses a whole can of LIBBY’S Pumpkin Puree, it doesn’t actually taste like pumpkin! It just lends a slight flavor, and combined with the cinnamon and nutmeg, we didn’t even use syrup on our waffles!

Healthy Pumpkin Waffles Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup + 1 heaping tablespoon LIBBY’s 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree (15 oz.) (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk. Your batter will be very liquid-y!

Heat a waffle iron and set on your desired setting – we like “max” for crispy waffles.

Enjoy!

To print this Sweet and Savory Healthy Pumpkin Waffles Recipe, click here!