Low Carb Waffles

Living with Type 1 Diabetes means that I have to closely watch my carbohydrate intake, and it’s easier to do this by eating low-carb foods that make the math easier. Since I don’t want to give up on some of the finer things in life – like waffles – I spent some time formulating a decent substitute for carb-heavy grain-based waffles. This lets me have a fairly large breakfast of applesauce, yogurt, and definitely-not-maple (but passable) syrup and still keep things under 45g of carbs.

Keep in mind that this recipe is not gluten-free. Gluten-free flours that provide the proper texture are still high in carbs, so I’ve chosen to add gluten to the almond flour in this recipe in order to get the proper stretchy and crunchy texture.

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This recipe is made to be scaled up (it only makes 1 waffle in my machine). Being so small, I would recommend at least doubling (if not tripling) just to get enough volume in the bowl to mix properly.

Stir together the dry ingredients until they’re evenly incorporated:

• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 tsbp vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon (or more, optional)

Thoroughly mix in:

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup Califia Farms unsweetened almond milk

Let sit 3-4 minutes to allow the gluten and cinnamon to hydrate.

Cook according to waffle maker directions.

Variations:

• Carbquik:
  • Use Carbquick in a 1:1 ratio with this mix for lower fat content and fewer calories.
  • The carb count is about the same as almond flour, and I think the two mixtures work well together for better textured waffles.
• Buttermilk:
  • Buttermilk adds a nice flavor and bit of browning to the waffles that you just don’t get from the almond milk.
  • Substitute buttermilk for the almond milk
  • Add 1/4 tsp baking soda so the buttermilk’s acidity doesn’t interfere with the baking powder.
  • Buttermilk adds about 3g carbs per 1/4 cup.

Notes:

• This recipe also works great for pancakes if you add a bit more liquid, and another 1/8 tsp baking powder (I usually triple it and round up to 1/2 tsp baking powder).
• I measure the ingredients by weight because it’s faster and saves me from washing a measuring cup.
  • According to the packaging, 1/4 cup of almond flour or Carbquik weighs about 30g. In practice, I find that it’s closer to 40g.
• I buy the almond milk at Whole Foods but have seen it in other stores. The unsweetened variety is basically 0g net carbs. More info from Califia Farms.
• I count this recipe as 5g net carbs. The almond flour I use is 5g per 1/4 cup but at 60% fiber I count it as 3g net. Everything else is under 1g net for the amounts used in the recipe, and I round up just to be safe.

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