Vegan Norwegian Waffles

Delicious Norwegian waffles flavoured with cardamom and vanilla, and free from eggs and dairy. These vegan waffles are a delicious breakfast or afternoon treat.

Nordic holiday

We had a fabulous family holiday in Northern Norway in December 2019, including the beginning of Chanukah. It was a wonderful trip. The Arctic scenery is truly breathtaking – snowy mountains, fjords, forests and wilderness.

We stayed in Tromsø, which is a small, friendly city. Between fascinating museums and exploring the great outdoors we were able to spend some quality time together and recharge our collective batteries.

Afternoon treats – Norwegian waffles

Our accommodation was right by the fjord, with beautiful views across the water to the mainland. As well as providing breakfast and dinner, we were also treated to fika every afternoon. Fika originates in Sweden and is basically coffee and sweet treats – in our case delicious freshly made Norwegian waffles.

Flavoured with cardamom and vanilla, Norwegian waffles smell heavenly as they cook, and taste sublime topped with the classic accompaniments of cinnamon sugar, soured cream and strawberry jam. They are sometimes called hjertevafler which simply means ‘heart-shaped waffles’ in Norwegian.

Hjertevafler are thinner than Belgian or American waffles. They are typically served with cream or sour cream and fruity jam, or with slices of brunost – Norwegian brown cheese.

Norwegian waffles – A special recipe

Norwegian waffles are made with a special batter that includes milk, melted butter, and soured cream. They are very dairy-heavy. Unfortunately my tummy is not a big fan of lots of dairy, so after the second day I had to sit back and simply watch DH and our daughter Kipper enjoy their daily Norwegian waffles. And plan how to make some dairy-free ones when we got home of course!

Veganisation

Creating a vegan Norwegian waffle recipe involved substituting a number of ingredients for their plant-based counterparts. The soured cream was the hardest but I found that using a tangy plant-based yogurt gave an excellent result. I used live coconut yogurt but you could use soya too. I dolloped some more on the top of the cooked hjertevafler for the full effect!

Vegan Norwegian Waffles – ingredients

To make these yummy vegan waffles yourself, you will need the following ingredients:

• Plain flour – also called all-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Sugar
• Cardamon pods – you can use ground cardamon, but the flavour will be less intense
• Vanilla extract
• Plant-based milk – I used oat but you can choose whichever you prefer
• Plant-based yogurt – I used coconut, but again, choose your favourite
• Vegetable oil
• Jam, cinnamon sugar, more yogurt etc to go on the top!

We ❤️ waffles

My final problem was that hjertevafler have a very particular and traditional shape. We have a waffle maker but it makes thick Belgian style waffles, not the thinner, heart-shaped Norwegian waffles.

Luckily for me, my friend’s Mum is Norwegian and was able to loan me a suitable waffle maker! To be thorough, and prepared for when I have to return the loan, I also cooked some of the batter in our standard waffle maker. They were delicious both ways although they may not look quite as authentic in a non-Norwegian waffle maker.

A treat any time of day

These vegan Norwegian waffles will be an indulgent breakfast or afternoon Fika treat for us to enjoy. And a lovely reminder of our wonderful holiday!

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📖 Recipe

Some notes on waffle makers

Waffle makers are quite variable, so you may find that this amount of batter makes slightly more or slightly less than three Norwegian waffles. You will know how much batter your own machine uses, so please use the amount in the recipe as a guide only.

Similarly, some waffle makers have adjustable heat settings, some don’t, and there is no ‘standard’. The machine I used took about four minutes to cook one of these Norwegian waffles, but other machines will be faster or slower than this. Experiment until you find the setting and time that works for your machine.