Nutella Waffles (with Gluten-Free Option)

Nutella Waffles are definitely dessert for breakfast or breakfast for dessert. Crispy on the outside with a fluffy inside and a creamy Nutella filling, you’ll be blown away by the deliciousness!

Every now and then we all need to splurge in the dessert department, and Nutella Waffles are an excellent way to satisfy your sweet tooth. In my humble opinion. 😉

I’m not going to tell you, “it’s part of a nutritious breakfast” because you have to add the nutrition by way of a glass of orange juice, a bowl of fruit, maybe a yogurt, etc.

Let’s face it, if you’re having Nutella Waffles, you're having dessert!

What You’ll Need to Make Them

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(Often I suggest brands I love and use — these are only suggestions and this is not a sponsored post.)

• all purpose flour - This recipe has also been tested with Cup4Cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour and it works very well.
• baking powder - If you don’t bake regularly, it’s a good idea to check to be sure your baking powder is still good. To do so, pour a couple of tablespoons of boiling water over about ¼ teaspoon of the baking powder. If it starts to fizz, it’s still good.
• baking soda - Like the baking powder, if you don’t bake regularly, it’s a good idea to check to be sure your baking soda is still good. To do so, pour a couple of tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice over about ¼ teaspoon of the baking soda. If it starts to fizz, it’s still good.
• salt - I almost always bake and cook with Kosher salt. (It’s coarse and salts foods in a subtle way that enhances their flavor without making them taste salty.)
• unsalted butter - Use unsalted butter to control exactly how much salt is in your recipes.
• pure vanilla extract - Nielsen-Massey Vanilla is excellent.
• granulated sugar
• eggs - Use large eggs.
  
• buttermilk - Non-fat and low-fat buttermilk are both fine for this recipe.
  
• Nutella - Homemade Nutella is usually a healthier choice. This one is a great choice.
  

How to Make Nutella Waffles

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(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)

- Preheat your waffle maker, and in a large bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt.

- Separate the eggs and add the yolks to a medium-sized bowl, and the whites to another. Add the sugar, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla to the yolks and whisk to blend. Add this to the flour mixture and use a large spoon to blend.

- Use an electric mixer to whip the whites until stiff peaks form. Fold them into the batter. Do not over mix .

- Lightly grease your waffle iron and drop about ⅓ cup of the batter onto onto it. Quickly add about a tablespoon of Nutella on top, in the center. It will spread out as it cooks.- Then drop about a tablespoon more of the batter right on top of the Nutella, and use a small spoon or your fingers to spread it out a bit, to cover (or almost cover) it.

- Close the lid lightly, and cook until your waffle maker indicates it’s ready, about 5 minutes.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

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• To save time, you can swirl the Nutella into the batter (don’t mix it in). They’ll have a different vibe without the creamy filling, but of course they’ll still be scrumptious.
• It’s important to whip the egg whites separately — don’t try to save time by skipping this step. This is what adds air to the batter and makes the waffles fluffy.
• Don’t whip the egg whites until you’re ready to fold them into the batter and start cooking.
• When you fold the whites into the batter, only mix until they’re incorporated. If you over mix, you’ll loose air. The batter will look a bit lumpy.
• If you choose to use a homemade Nutella (which I fully support!) be sure the consistency is super smooth and creamy. (See ingredients above.)
• Don’t press down on the top of the waffle iron — that will flatten the waffles more than necessary and the batter might ooze out the sides.
• You can substitute milk for the buttermilk. If you do, add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and omit the baking soda.
• Even though my waffle iron is non-stick, I grease it lightly for insurance.
• Is Nutella gluten-free? It sure is. So if you’d like to make these gluten-free, the recipe has been tested with Cup4Cup gluten-free all-purpose flour and it works really well. It's an equal substitution.
• The easiest way to add the Nutella is with a cookie scoop.
• You will see in my photos that these waffles are not perfectly shaped, which I like. Unless you want perfectly square waffles, don't worry about it. They're all a bit different from each other.
• You can serve them with maple syrup if you'd like, but I think you'll find they don't need it.

Can you make waffles ahead?

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It doesn’t get much better than a waffle straight out of the waffle maker. That said, you can make them ahead and they’ll still be good.

• Freezer. You can freeze the waffles in freezer bags for at least a month. Once you defrost them, pop them in the toaster or hot oven to heat.
• Refrigerator. You can also refrigerate them in an airtight container for a day or so, and again, pop them in the toaster or oven to heat them.

*The palm oil used in Nutella is 100% sustainable -- you can read all about that here.

I hope you devour Nutella Waffles the way my family and I do!

More mind-blowing recipes with Nutella:

• Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Gluten-Free Nutella Brownies
• No-Bake Nutella Pie with Hazelnut Praline