Orange Basil Cornmeal Vegan Waffles

This vegan waffle recipe is about subtle style. The orange and the basil aren’t excessively pronounced, but they blend with the cornmeal, spelt flour and toasted overtones in perfect harmony.

A local grocer was recently giving away some starting-to-wilt basil, so I had to find a use for it! Who can turn down fresh basil? I certainly won’t be the one to start that trend!

orange basil cornmeal vegan wafflesThese vegan waffles are inspired by a few sources: Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s delicious Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Waffles from Vegan with a Vengeance, a vegan orange pecan cornmeal waffle recipe at Bryanna Clark Grogan’s blog, and this vegan basil ice cream recipe courtesy of the Vivacious Vegan. The latter led me to concoct orange basil ice cream, which led to the idea of applying the flavor to the waffle…

These came very close to remaining stuck to the iron, but a very generous spraying of canola oil resolved the issue. If you try it with a higher-gluten flour like whole wheat, or with a tsp. of Ener-g egg replacer to increase binding, I’d love to hear how that worked for you. Increasing the oil content in the batter from 3 T to 1/4 C is another possibility. One or more of these adjustments may be necessary for a waffle iron under 1,000 watts.

Orange Basil Cornmeal Vegan Waffles

Dave W.
These out-of-the-ordinary waffles have both intriguing flavor and appearance, with the tasty green flecks of basil in them. Orange zest, orange extract or increased basil are other possibilities.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Vegan
Servings 4 waffles
Calories 319 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups whole grain spelt flour
  • 3/4 cup cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup plain soymilk
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup vanilla or plain soy yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup packed finely chopped fresh basil

Instructions
 

  • Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Whisk together the wet ingredients (including sugar and basil) in a medium bowl.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended.
  • Spray both grids of a preheated waffle iron with oil. Pour or ladle the batter into the center of the iron, covering no more than two-thirds of the iron’s surface for the first waffle. Adjust the amount as needed for subsequent waffles.
  • Bake each waffle for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it can be removed easily, spraying the waffle iron grids with oil prior to each waffle. (See note.)
  • If you have any remaining vanilla soy yogurt, place a dollop on top!

Notes

Bake the whole batch just after after mixing the batter, rather than letting any extra sit until after you eat. The orange juice/baking soda reaction really puffs up the batter initially, and it soon looses some of this added puffiness. They'll still come out great, just not quite as fluffy.
Keyword orange, basil, cornmeal, waffles

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