It appears chaffles are a viral, low-carb sensation. But chaffles - this strange-sounding waffle made with mozzarella and eggs - can taste WAY better than, well, eggy cheese shaped like a waffle. Here are a few versions of this keto-diet favorite using cream cheese for a silkier, more delicious low-carb waffle.
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Unless you plan to turn your chaffle into a pizza, read on for an insanely better way to #brunchsohard and enjoy waffles that are keto, GAPS diet, grain-free and low-carb friendly.
What are chaffles?
In a most basic form, chaffles are mozzarella+cheese = waffles. Hmmm. When I pitched this one to my keto-loving husband, he gave me a look of disgust. So on a morning of terrible air quality in Boise due to West Coast wildfires, I set out to create a versatile, delicious chaffle.
The base ratio for how to make chaffles
1 egg + 2 spoonfuls of cream cheese + 2 tablespoons almond flour + BLEND.
Using cream cheese (or even mascarpone) gives a milder flavor and creamier batter. Blending the ingredients incorporates air naturally into the batter, so there's no need for any leavening (baking powder or soda).
Because eggs naturally increase in volume when whisked and then heated, there is no need to be precise in your measuring. Just use a big spoon from your utensil drawer. Blend the three ingredients together with a pinch of salt until the batter is smooth, then chaffle away!
If you don't have a blender
If you don't have a blender - don't worry! Take room temperature cream cheese and first make a paste with the almond flour (this requires elbow grease). Then you can slowly whisk your paste with the eggs until combined and frothy (more elbow grease, call it your exercise for the day!). Small lumps of cream cheese are not going to matter, they'll melt away when heated.
You don't need fancy or expensive equipment
I firmly believe nutritious and delicious food should be accessible to everyone. No, you don't need an air fryer, an Instant Pot or a $30 waffle maker. For these I used our small Ninja Pro Blender ($59 on Amazon) and a $10 Dash waffle maker. These are not affiliate links (I am not making any money if you click on them).
My mom gifted the Dash waffle maker to our big brother for his birthday, and we've all loved it for all types of waffles. Point is, you don't need expensive kitchen appliances to achieve deliciousness. Please don't let anyone tell you otherwise. They're most likely trying to make a few cents off your click.
Bacon 'n' cream keto chaffles
Now for the fun. The Husband's idea for keto-style chaffles included drizzling pastured butter, sprinkling crispy bacon, and fresh whipped cream (no sugar added). Artificial sweeteners of any kind affect your blood sugar levels and are a processed, fake food. Yep, even monk fruit and erythritol.
On keto, my husband completely avoids sugar and starch, and if he's going to eat a slice of cake, he eats one. Then hops right back into his keto routine. For more reading on this, check out Dr. Jason Fung's book, The Obesity Code (again, not a paid link, this is a great book).
Gluten-free + GAPS diet chaffles
For all my gluten-free and GAPS diet peeps out there, this one's for you. Toast your chaffles then spread them with salted, melted butter and drizzle with raw honey. Add a little fruit if you fancy it or chopped, toasted nuts (we can't, I'm allergic). For our crew's big brother who mostly follows the GAPS diet protocol, his eyes got REAL BIG when I topped his with a little fresh whipped, organic cinnamon cream.
Ma'Chaffles
(mom+Christina+waffles... JUST KIDDING!)
When I first saw the word chaffle, I thought COOL! my very own namesake waffle (Christina+waffle). Of course not. But using my chaffle recipe gives you a versatile, extremely light and airy waffle that toasts beautifully and takes to any toppings you can dream up. Or quickly reach for in your kitchen. Like fresh blueberries and a dusting of powdered sugar. These looked so appealing, our little brother got to them before I could (#momlife). Guess there really is something viral about these little chaffles.
📖 Recipe
Three-ingredient Chaffles
Take this solid ratio for blending up delicious chaffles and put your own flavor spin on it. Freeze any leftovers (yeah, right!) tightly sealed. Feel free to sub half the amount of coconut flour for the almond flour.
This recipe will give you about four waffles, use the recipe card tool below to scale it up for more.
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 chaffles 1x
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup or 8 tablespoons of almond flour
- ⅓ cup or 8 small spoonfuls cream cheese, room temperature
- pinch of salt
Optional
- few pinches of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice (you get the drift)
Instructions
Blender method
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour a quarter of the batter at a time in a single waffle maker (or adjust for capacity of your waffle maker) and cook until golden brown.
Whisk method
- In a small or medium bowl, combine almond flour and very soft cream cheese to make a paste.
- An easy way to do this is smearing the mixture back and forth against the side of the bowl with a soft spatula.
- Add eggs and and salt and whisk vigorously until combined. Small lump of cream cheese are okay.
- Pour a quarter of the batter at a time in a single waffle maker (or adjust for capacity of your waffle maker) and cook until golden brown.
Notes
Most waffle makers have a non-stick coating. Avoid greasing your waffle maker as this will cause over-browning.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5-10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Griddle
- Cuisine: Keto
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Plain Waffle
- Calories: 747
- Sugar: 7.1 g
- Sodium: 1186.2 mg
- Fat: 65.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 35.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.2 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 18.7 g
- Cholesterol: 357.7 mg
Keywords: chaffles, chaffles recipe, keto chaffles, gaps diet recipes, gluten free breakfast
Raine
made these for the first time wow perfect little breakfast I only made two as it's only me so altered the rec down. So many variations in mind
. Thanks from Raine Ont Canada
Chef Christina
So glad to hear it! Bon appetit! 😋
Jane
I just made these basic 3-ingredient chaffles and I think I'll be using these a lot. the only question I have is how do you come up with over 700 mg of sodium per? even with a pinch of salt, which I didn't use, the whipped cream cheese I used dordnt come near that much, and eggs only have about 62 mg per. Thanks.
Chef Christina
Hi Jane,
Thanks for reading! The amount of salt in one waffle should show up as 239 milligrams (that's what I see both on the backend and live site). The true amount will vary depending on the brand of cream cheese you use and how much salt you add to the batter yourself. But rest assured, one waffle shouldn't contain anywhere near 700 mg! It might be a glitch in the third-party source I use.
Emily
12.2 grams of carbs per chaffle? Is that a typo? Cause it sounds like a lot of carbs.
Christina
Hi Emily! 100% that is a typo from the Nutrition Information generator I use. The cream cheese amount it was pulling from was wrong. The total carbs for one chaffle is around 5 grams. You should be able to see the updated and correct information now (but you may need to clear your browser cache or open a new window). Thanks for catching this, and for reading. I hope you enjoy the recipe.:)
Marisa
Thanks for the recipe, trying to get the texture more crunchy. Will see. I’m a diabetic with good control of my sugar but keto has help a lot.will like to have more recipes from your kitchen.
Thanks again
Christina
Well done, Marisa, on keeping a nutrient-dense, low-carb diet! I know from experience it is challenging. If you'd like these (or any) waffles to be crispier, you can always cook them in the waffle maker first, then toast them. And I do have a list of keto/low-carb recipes and techniques in the works, stay tuned! 🙂
Tina W.
Quick, easy and just as delicious (if not more) than regular waffles!!
S. Bailey
I have made this recipe many times and they are a big hit with everyone. Easy and delicious!
Catelynn Mary
These are delicious and easy to make! We love breakfast chaffle sandwiches with bacon and eggs, or chaffles topped with cookie butter. Yum!
Dawn
Keep the recipes coming!
Nate
Lost 70lbs on keto and this was one of my go tos!
Dana
Good taste but did not rise at all.
Christina
Hi Dana! These definitely won't rise like a traditional Belgian waffle, but when we make them they do cook up with air pockets. Blending/whisking until the mixture is foamy is key, otherwise you could try adding baking powder in small amounts until you get the rise you like. Hope this helps. Thanks for reading.????