Vegan Keto Chaffle Waffle Recipe
Published September 3, 2019 • Updated March 10, 2026
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A thick, crispy vegan waffle made with a flax egg, vegan cheese, and coconut flour. Just 4 ingredients and under 5 minutes in the waffle maker.
Chaffles are everywhere now: peanut butter chaffles, breakfast sandwich chaffles, even chocolate chip waffles. The classic keto chaffle uses egg and mozzarella, but that doesn’t work if you’re sensitive to dairy or eggs, or if you’re eating vegan. I wanted a version that skips both completely and still holds together like the original chaffle recipe.
The star ingredient is a flax egg. I mix one tablespoon of flaxseed meal with two and a half tablespoons of water and let it sit for a full 5 minutes. That wait matters. I’ve rushed it before and the batter fell apart in the waffle maker because the flax hadn’t gelled. Once it thickens into a loose paste, that’s what gives this dairy free chaffle its structure without a real egg.
For the cheese, I use Daiya brand vegan mozzarella and cream cheese. Both melt when heated, which is the whole point. Not all vegan cheese brands work here. Some are loaded with tapioca starch that bumps the carb count way up. I’ve tried three or four brands and Daiya has the lowest carbs while actually melting. If your brand just sits there, the texture will be off.
Coconut flour rounds out the batter. I use two tablespoons, and going heavier makes them dense and gummy. I learned that the hard way, and a reader named Angela ran into the same problem. Her chaffles came out like thick pancakes. The fix was less flour and more cook time, not extra coconut flour.
The result is a thick waffle that crisps up on the outside and stays soft and chewy in the middle. The edges get golden and almost crackle when you bite in. A reader named Heidi made these for her daughter who went vegan, and her daughter ate both servings before even asking what was in them. This recipe makes two servings, and they’re filling on their own. I like topping mine with sugar-free berry syrup or whipped coconut cream.
One thing to know upfront: this egg free chaffle sits at about 5.5g net carbs per serving, which is higher than a classic chaffle (those run 1-2g). The coconut flour and vegan cheese both add carbs. If you’re tracking closely, I’d rather you know that before you start.
How to make a dairy free chaffle
- Make the flax egg first. Mix flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. I time this because rushing it is the number one reason these fall apart. The mixture should look thick and gel-like before you move on.
- Combine everything. Add the vegan mozzarella, coconut flour, vegan cream cheese, and salt to the flax egg. Stir with a fork until the batter is smooth.
- Preheat the waffle maker to medium-high. I use a Dash mini, which makes two chaffles from this recipe. If your maker runs cool, let it heat an extra minute before adding batter.
- Cook until golden. Add half the batter to the mini waffle maker (or all of it for a full-size maker) and close the lid. I cook mine for 3-5 minutes without opening it. If your maker runs cool, go 7-8 minutes. Opening too early tears the surface.
- Let it set. Once it’s golden, leave the waffle in the closed maker for another 30-60 seconds. This extra rest is what gets you crispy edges instead of a soft center.
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Ingredients
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal -
2 ½ tablespoons water
-
¼ cup low-carb vegan cheese
-
2 tablespoons coconut flour
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1 tablespoon low-carb vegan cream cheese, softened
-
pinch of salt
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat
Preheat waffle maker to medium high heat.
Mix ingredients
In a small bowl, mix together flaxseed meal and water. Let stand for 5 minutes until thickened and gooey.
Whisk it
Whisk together all of the ingredients for the vegan chaffle.
Pour the batter
Pour vegan waffle batter into the center of the waffle iron. Close the waffle maker and let cook for 3-5 minutes or until waffle is golden brown and set. If using a mini waffle maker, only pour in half the batter.
Remove & enjoy
Remove the vegan chaffle from the waffle maker and serve.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
What is a flax egg and how do I make one?
I use flax eggs in any recipe where I need to skip regular eggs. Mix one tablespoon of flaxseed meal with two and a half tablespoons of water, stir it once, and let it sit for 5 minutes. It thickens into a gel that binds ingredients together. I've found that the full 5 minutes really matters here. When I've rushed it to 2-3 minutes, the chaffles fall apart in the waffle maker.
Can I use chia seeds instead of flaxseed meal?
I haven't tested chia seeds in this specific recipe, but the concept is the same. Mix one tablespoon of ground chia seeds with the same amount of water and wait 5 minutes. Chia tends to create a slightly thicker gel than flax, so the texture might be a touch different. If you've tried my chia pudding, you know how well chia absorbs liquid.
Do these taste eggy without a real egg?
No, and that's the whole point. I made this recipe specifically for people who want a chaffle without the egg flavor. The flax egg is completely neutral. Most people who've tried these don't even realize there's no egg until I tell them. A reader named Heidi served them to her vegan daughter without saying a word, and she ate both servings before asking what was in them.
How long can I freeze these?
I've kept them in the freezer for up to 3 months without any texture issues. Flash freeze them individually on a plate for 30 minutes first, then bag them together. I reheat mine straight from frozen in the toaster, two rounds on medium.
What is the best vegan cheese brand for chaffles?
I use Daiya for both the shredded and cream cheese in this recipe. It melts properly, which is what you need for a chaffle that holds together. I've tested other brands and some barely soften because they're loaded with tapioca starch, which also adds carbs. I check the label and look for brands under 2g net carbs per serving.
Can I make this without the vegan shredded cheese?
I've tested this both ways. Bump the vegan cream cheese up to 2-3 tablespoons to replace the shredded cheese. The chaffle will be a bit softer without it, but it holds together. A reader named Robin asked me this and I tried it for her. The cream-cheese-only version is still good, just not as crispy on the outside.
Can I use almond flour instead of coconut flour?
I've made these with almond flour and they work. Use about 1/4 cup of almond flour to replace the 2 tablespoons of coconut flour (coconut flour absorbs more liquid, so you need a bigger volume of almond flour). The texture is slightly less dense with almond flour, which some people prefer. If you like almond flour baking, my almond flour pancakes use a similar ratio.
My chaffles came out soft instead of crispy. What went wrong?
I've worked through this with a few readers. The most common causes are a cool waffle maker and opening the lid too early. I cook mine for 3-5 minutes without peeking, and I leave them in the closed maker for another 30-60 seconds after they look done. If your waffle maker runs cool, give it extra preheat time. Don't add more coconut flour to fix this. That makes them gummy, not crispy.
Before keto I made waffles every Sunday, just the basic mix. Tried this out of curiosity and ended up eating it at the counter because I couldn't wait. Something about the crispy texture brought back memories of my mom's kitchen.
Yeah, the edges are what I kept testing for. Coconut flour in a waffle maker gets genuinely crackly. Wasn't expecting that the first time.
My daughter inspects everything before she tries it, so I didn't mention the flax egg. She ate both servings before saying anything, and when she finally asked what made them 'actually chewy like a real waffle' I had to laugh because that's exactly what I was hoping she'd notice. She's used to keto chaffles that crumble the second you look at them. These held up. Saturday breakfast rotation starting now.
The flax egg. That's what creates the chew and keeps it from falling apart. Regular chaffles have nothing holding them together.
Being vegan and keto felt like a double sentence until I found this. Flax egg holds together way better than I expected. Three mornings this week. Still tweaking the heat on my waffle maker, but at 5.5 net carbs I'll take imperfect.
Three mornings is commitment. Mine runs at medium-high (max scorches the outside before the inside sets). Full 4 minutes, no peeking.
Made these for Sunday brunch and my friend who keeps telling me keto food is sad grabbed two off the plate before I said a word. The flax egg had me skeptical, but honestly way crispier than I expected from coconut flour.
The skeptic friend grabbing two without asking is better than anything I could put on the recipe page.
My daughter has been on a waffle kick lately and I've been quietly swapping these in whenever I can. She grabbed one off the plate this morning before I said a word and was halfway through it before I mentioned the flax egg. She stopped, looked at me, then kept eating. That's basically a five-star review from a ten-year-old who has opinions about everything.
The pause-then-keep-eating is the whole review. A picky ten-year-old doesn't fake it.
My daughter has been going vegan the past few months and I've been scrambling to modify everything I normally make. She's usually pretty skeptical of my attempts, and I wasn't sure about the flax egg swap going in. These came out thick and really crispy though, and she grabbed one before I could even plate them. Then she asked what I put in them, and when I listed the ingredients she went quiet for a second and said 'can we do these on Sunday mornings?' That's about as enthusiastic as she gets about anything I cook. Making a double batch this weekend.
'Can we do these on Sunday mornings' is the best endorsement. The flax egg skepticism is real, but the coconut flour pulls it together. Double batch is the right call.
This is probably my sixth or seventh batch at this point, and I finally figured out what was making mine come out softer than I wanted. The 5-minute flax egg rest matters more than I was giving it credit for. I kept rushing it to maybe 2-3 minutes and the batter was wetter, which meant the center was still setting while the outside finished, and I'd pull them too early. Full 5 minutes and the batter firms up noticeably before it even hits the iron. Also switched from pre-shredded vegan mozzarella to a block of vegan cheddar I grate myself, and the crispiness improved a lot -- that outer edge holds its shape instead of going limp. Texture is much closer to an actual waffle now. Going to try stirring in some nutritional yeast next round and see if it does anything for the flavor.
Block cheddar grated fresh is so much better. Pre-shredded is coated in anti-caking starch and it fights the crisp, which is exactly what you were seeing with those limp edges. Nutritional yeast, 1-2 teaspoons.
I've done regular chaffles dozens of times but this was my first vegan version and I honestly did not think the flax egg was going to hold all of this together. Waited the full 5 minutes for it to gel, kept checking it like something was about to go wrong. It didn't. The coconut flour gives it a slightly denser bite than the egg versions I'm used to, which I actually prefer for breakfast because one of these carries me through the morning in a way the regular kind never has. Edges crisped up properly and stayed crisp even after sitting on the counter while I made my coffee. Four stars for now because I want to see if I can get a little more lift out of it, but this is already going into the spring rotation. My question is whether swapping the vegan cream cheese for full-fat coconut cream would work for anyone with a cashew or soy issue, or if the fat content is doing something specific to the texture that I'd be messing with?
Haven't tested that swap. The cream cheese is thick and stiff, not just fat sitting in there. Coconut cream is liquid and I'd expect softer edges and a wetter center. Worth a test batch though.
Wasn't sure a flax egg could hold a chaffle together, but the coconut flour makes it work. Came out with clean, crispy edges and held up to toppings without going soft. Color me converted.
Yeah the coconut flour carries it. The flax egg alone would've been a disaster.
Sunday meal prep mode this week, batching a few of these for easy breakfasts. Is it better to store the cooked chaffles or keep the batter ready? I've had coconut flour recipes go spongy overnight, so curious if these reheat well in the waffle iron or if the crispiness is just gone.
Cook them and freeze. The flax egg doesn't hold in batter form overnight, it gets weird. I pop mine straight from the freezer into the toaster and the crispiness comes back, actually crisps up better than fridge-stored ones. Waffle iron works too if you want them hot faster.
I've been vegan and keto for almost a year and I stopped expecting breakfast to feel like breakfast. The flax egg threw me off at first, but this came out thick and golden, and sitting down with a real waffle on a Sunday morning felt like I got something back. Really grateful for this one.
Flax egg freaks people out every time. Give it the full five minutes and don't stir it again after that first mix. Glad you went for it.
Made these with a tablespoon of nutritional yeast mixed into the batter and the flavor is completely different. The vegan cheese alone was fine but a little flat. The yeast adds this savory, almost nutty thing that makes them feel more substantial. Also noticed if you rush the flax egg and don't give it the full 5 minutes to gel, the batter stays too loose and the texture suffers. That resting step actually matters.
Nutritional yeast in the batter, haven't done that but the savory thing makes sense. And yes on the flax egg, five minutes minimum. Rushed it before and it goes way too loose.
I kept staring at the flaxseed-and-water situation waiting for it to fall apart. No egg in a chaffle just felt wrong. But the outside got this crispy edge I didn't expect from four ingredients, and I ate both servings standing at the counter. Still a little baffled it actually worked.
Eating both servings standing at the counter is the review. That crispy edge doesn't look like it's coming when you're staring at the flax gel, and then it just happens.
My daughter went vegan a few months ago so I've been quietly reworking my chaffle routine. Made these this morning with vegan cream cheese and coconut flour, she had both before I said anything. When I told her about the flax egg she just went 'why did it take you this long.' Fair point.
Ha, 'why did it take you this long' is the review. The flax egg took the most testing out of everything in this recipe.
Made a big batch for Sunday brunch and set them out with fruit, no explanation. My friend Priya, who eats everything, loaded up her plate, then spotted the ingredient list on the counter. 'There's no egg in this at all?' She kept pressing on the waffle like she was going to find it hiding in there. The flaxseed meal really does the work.
Ha, Priya looking for the hidden egg. The flaxseed + water sit for a couple minutes before you add everything else, and that gel does most of the binding work.