Butternut Squash Waffles (a.k.a. Squaffles)
Sweet potato waffles are old news. These whole wheat waffles made with butternut squash are lighter and can easily be adapted to sweet or savory pairings.
In addition to a waffle iron, this recipe calls for a potato ricer. Having experimented with pureed squash, we think that the ricer produces a superior waffle since it breaks the squash apart into very fine pieces. If you don’t already own a ricer, we’d highly recommend picking one up (you’ll make the fluffiest mashed potatoes ever with it…Thanksgiving is right around the corner!). There are a variety of styles of ricers, but the one that we’ve linked to is the one that we own. It’s all stainless steel (read: durable) and easily comes apart for cleaning.
We made this recipe to pair with Fried Chicken (and Butternut Squash Waffles), so the spices lean toward the savory side. If you’re making the recipe with breakfast in mind, there are some alternative spice recommendations in the notes below. Alternatively, we revisited our fried chicken technique recently, and have another version here - it packs a bit more punch in the batter.
Yield: about 12 waffles
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Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour (sifted, then measured)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
1/2 teaspoon chili powder*
8 oz. (just over 1 cup) butternut squash, peeled and chopped into about 1/2” cubes
2 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
3 tablespoons oil (such as sunflower oil)
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon sugar**
Cooking spray
Electric mixer (optional, for egg whites)
Ricer***
Instructions
Steam the cubed butternut squash until very tender (we usually just do this in a microwave steamer, set to high for about 5-7 minutes). Allow the squash to cool while you start to bring the rest of the batter together.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne, and chili powder.
In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, and egg yolks. Whisk to combine. Using a ricer, rice the steamed butternut squash and then combine with the buttermilk mixture.
Add the egg whites to another medium/large bowl. Beat (preferably with an electric mixer) until the you’ve just about reached soft peaks. Add the sugar to the egg whites, and continuing beating until you reach stiff peaks (you should be able to rotate the bowl from side to side without the peaks moving).
Begin preheating your waffle iron.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix until just combined. Using a spatula, scrape the egg whites on to the top of the batter. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter (scooping from bottom to top) until fully incorporated.
Lightly spray the waffle iron with cooking spray. Scoop about 1/2 cup of batter per waffle (adjust appropriately for your waffle iron) and cook until done.
While other waffles are cooking, keep the cooked waffles in a warm oven (around 175°F to 200°F) on a rack. Wrap any leftover waffles tightly (after they’ve cooled down), and store in the fridge up to 3 days. To reheat, simply pop them in a toaster.
Notes
*If you want a less savory waffle, omit the cayenne and chili powder. Instead, add 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly ground, if possible) and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Additionally, add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the wet ingredients.
**We used maple sugar in making this recipe, and thought it worked really well. If you have some on hand, give it a try. If not, white sugar will work great.
***If you don’t have a ricer, fully puree the squash instead and make sure that it’s very well blended with the wet ingredients before adding into the dry ingredients. Mainly, you want to avoid having large pieces of the squash collecting together in the batter.
